Good Words for Today

God routinely puts us in impossible situations so we will discover over all again that we can't but he can.

People ask, “Do you believe in divine healing?” That’s the only kind there is. It just comes in many different varieties.

"Put up with a few sins, and you will soon want a few more. Never play with fire. Never trifle with little sins." J. C. Ryle

While reading the obituary of a certain great man, I came across this sentence: "He had the gift of getting things done." That's a worthy goal for all of us. May God help us to do what needs to be done today so we can sleep well tonight.

"Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray" (James 5:13). Many times we view prayer as the last resort when it ought to be the first resort. Prayer sometimes seems futile because we think we need to “do something.” Praying is fine, but how about if we bake a cake? Well, that’s fine too. But don’t fall into the trap of separating life into the “spiritual” and the “practical,” as if baking a cake is “real help” while prayer is just something spiritual we do when we can’t do anything else. Very nearly the opposite is true. Through prayer we unleash the power of heaven for the problems we face on earth. We ought to pray more, not less in times of trouble.

"God will never bring you to the place where you no longer need him." I heard a preacher say that, and it sounds exactly right to me. Sometimes we secretly (or not so secretly) wish we could be in a position where we weren't so desperate. But if the choice is between self-sufficiency and desperation, it's better to be desperate and cry out to God than to think you no longer need him.

But if my faith never leads me to do things that make no sense to others, including my Christian friends, perhaps I’m playing it too safe.

Do you love Jesus? Good, then don’t be afraid to let the world know and don’t worry if others don’t understand.

Lord Jesus, thank you for opening the door of heaven to anyone who believes in you. Give me faith to keep praying for my friends who do not yet know you. Amen.

There's good news from the graveyard this morning. Good news that the tomb is empty. Good news that Jesus rose from the dead. Good news that the Devil couldn't hold him. Good news that death has lost its sting. Good news that the grave has lost its victory. Good news that we need not fear death any more. Let the people of God rejoice. He is risen! He is risen indeed!

Keep the faith, brothers and sisters. Yesterday our Lord was crucified. Today his body lies in the tomb. Tomorrow he rises from the dead. Saturday can seem like a long day–and it is–but be of good cheer. The crucifixion is behind us, Saturday will not last forever. Keep believing, child of God. It's Saturday, but Sunday's coming!

When Jesus cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30), he meant that the price for sin had been fully paid. Nothing can be added to the value of what Jesus did when he died on the cross. The price has been paid; our Lord has taken our punishment upon himself. The heavy blows of judgment fell on the Lamb of God. It was finished then, it is finished now, and to the glory of God, after a million times a million years have passed, it will still be finished.

Be kind. Someone around you is having a hard time today.

Every betrayal begins in the heart. The first compromise is on the inside. Judas sold out his Master long before he received the thirty pieces of silver.

There are hungry hearts everywhere. You never know when someone will show up looking for Jesus. Make sure you know how to help them find him.

On a hill called Calvary There stands an endless mercy tree Every broken weary soul Find your rest and be made whole Stripes of blood that stain its frame Shed to wash away our shame From the scars pure love released Salvation by the Mercy Tree I hope you'll take a moment to watch this video of Anthony Evans singing "Mercy Tree."

"All glory, laud and honor, To Thee, Redeemer, King, To Whom the lips of children Made sweet hosannas ring. Thou art the King of Israel, Thou David’s royal Son, Who in the Lord’s Name comest, The King and Blessèd One." This is the first verse of a Palm Sunday hymn written in AD 820 by Theodulf, Bishop of Orleans. J. M. Neale translated it into English in 1854.

"We will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ" (Ephesians 4:15 NLT). It is no sin to fight for the truth. It would be a sin not to fight for what is right. But how easy it is to fight with the weapons of the flesh. Who is worse off? The one who will not fight or the one who cannot fight without stooping to bitter personal attacks? We need bold truth and sweet grace, and we need them both every single day.

Lord Jesus, help me to do my best today, in the full knowledge that without you I can do nothing at all. Amen.

What will we leave our children? A vast estate? A large inheritance? A huge life insurance policy? Whatever we may say about earthly possessions, they pale next to the privilege of passing down a godly heritage, a tapestry of truth, and a pattern of believing that our children and grandchildren can claim as their own.

The Word of God, preached in the power of God, always results in lives changed by God. This was how the tiny band of believers turned the world upside down in the first century. We must pray for God to do that again in our day. The world has no answer to a life radically changed by Jesus Christ. The world may answer our arguments, but it cannot answer the power of God let loose in the human heart.

Lord Jesus, when I am discouraged, help me to remember that no deed done in your name is forgotten and no word spoken for you is wasted. Amen.

“If I am afraid to speak the truth lest I lose affection, or lest the one concerned should say, 'You do not understand', or because I fear to lose my reputation for kindness; if I put my own good name before the other's highest good, then I know nothing of Calvary love.” Amy Carmichael

To give people what they need, sometimes you must not give them what they want. Most parents learn this early on. When your daughter is sick, she may want another cookie, but what she needs is the medicine the doctor prescribed. If you love her, you’ll give her what she needs, not what she wants. The same is true as we speak to others about Christ. They may want to hear other things; we must tell them about Jesus for he alone can save them.

Lord, help me to be a steppingstone and not a stumbling block today. Amen.

"For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (1 Corinthians 2:1). Here is the message of the gospel in just ten words: Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. There is enough truth in those ten words to save the whole world. Stop right now and say those words to yourself. Go ahead. Say them out loud: Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead. That’s good. Now do it again: Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead.  Say it out loud so that those ten words will burn into your soul. This is the heart of the gospel. This is our message. This is what we must preach to the world.  

Praise is the rent we owe to God for a lifetime of blessings. If you don't feel like praising, do it anyway. Tell your soul to wake up and remember the goodness of the Lord. Sing the Doxology! Life your hands and count your blessings. You may start in the pit, but you won't stay there once you begin to praise the Lord.

Mind-blowing truth: God knows you inside and out, and he loves you anyway.

If you want to know God's will, read the Bible.

Your enemies may have meant it for evil, but God still means it for good. Their malicious hatred cannot overcome God's faithfulness to you.

"It is a very difficult thing to make a rule for another to live by. The rule which governs my life is this: anything that dims my vision of Christ, or takes away my taste for Bible study, or cramps me in my prayer life, or makes Christian work difficult, is wrong for me, and I must, as a Christian, turn away from it." J. Wilbur Chapman

"It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed" (Deuteronomy 31:8). It would be enough if God simply walked with you through the events of life. But he does much more than that. He goes ahead of you, clearing the way, arranging the details of life, so that when you get there, you can have confidence that God has already been there before you. Are you worried about next week? Forget it. He’s already there. What about that  crucial meeting? Sleep well. He’s already there. What about that tough decision that looms ahead of you? Fear not. He’s already there. That's our God! He goes before his people. He’s at work in the future while we live in the present. With that encouraging  thought, I wish you a very good day.

If you could lose your salvation, you would. We are kept by the power of God, not by our own efforts.

He who makes light of sin makes light of forgiveness. If you don't think you need forgiveness, you will not seek it or find it, which is why hell will be filled with people who are quite surprised to be there.

"Faith is a living, daring confidence in God's grace, so sure and certain that a man could stake his life on it a thousand times." Martin Luther

The only people who think forgiveness is easy are those who never tried to do it. To forgive a deep hurt will cost you greatly. The only consolation is, unforgiveness costs far more.

Praise lifts us. Prayer strengthens us. Trials purify us. Failure humbles us. Forgiveness heals us. Friends encourage us. God works in all these things for our good.

"Be doers of the Word" (James 1:22). When a man left the church service earlier than usual, a friend asked, "Is the sermon done?" The answer came, "No. It is preached, but it is yet to be done." Lord, help us to be hearers and doers today. Amen. 

He who waits to do something great for God will likely end up doing nothing at all.

Simple obedience matters more than passing popularity.