Good Words for Today
"I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments" (Psalm 119:60). Delay is deadly to the spiritual life. We can always find reasons to procrastinate if we don't want to obey God. How blessed as those who are eager to do God's will. Delayed obedience is disguised disobedience. May God make us quick to . . . Hear his Word, Seek his face, Repent of our sin, Forgive others, Speak for Christ, Serve others in Jesus' name.
"Whenever God means to use a man for big things, He breaks him into little pieces first." Charles Spurgeon
Have you prayed about it? You tried worrying, and that didn't help. You tried ignoring it, and that didn't help. You tried complaining, and that didn't help. Just do what God always intended for you to do. Pray about it.
Lord, if I can’t change the whole world, help me to improve my little corner. Amen.
"I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" (1 Corinthians 3:6). We all have a part to play. Some plant the seeds, others water the ground, but only God can bring forth new life. Be glad for the part God has given you, and do it as well as you can. Don't spend time worrying about what anyone else does. Our job is to plant and water. If we do our part, God cannot fail to do his. Be faithful today. Harvest time is coming.
"To keep your marriage brimming, With love in the loving cup, Whenever you're wrong, admit it; Whenever you're right, shut up." Ogden Nash *Incidentally Mr. Nash titled this poem "A Word to Husbands." Just thought I'd throw that in for your consideration.
"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up" (James 4:10). If we do not humble ourselves before the Lord, he will do it for us. Nebuchadnezzar learned that the hard way (see Daniel 4). God knows how to humble the proud. Better to humble yourself now and save a lot of heartache later.
Lord, help me to pick my fights wisely so that I won't be embroiled in arguments all day long. Amen.
"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing,but to us who are being saved it is the power of God" (1 Corinthians 1:18). The world is offended by the cross. If that is your situation, then I have nothing to say except that I pray God will change your heart. The world is judged by the cross. As long as you cling to the filthy rags of your own self-righteousness, the cross stands in judgment over you. The world is saved by the cross. This is our hope and this is our message to anyone who will listen.
"God promises a light unto our feet, not a crystal ball into the future." Max Lucado
"He is not righteous who does much, but he who, without work, believes much in Christ." Thesis 25, Heidelberg Disputation, 1518
"Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God" (Romans 12:19 LB). Seeking revenge turns us into perpetual victims. Revenge makes you go through the hurt over and over again. You never really get over it. Ultimately, it drags you down to the sewer where your enemies dwell. While you are staying up late at night stewing in your juices, they are out on a yacht on Lake Michigan, having a party. When you give in to the temptation to get even, your enemies have won twice: When they hurt you the first time and now when you can’t get it out of your mind. Let God take care of making things right. Do that and you will sleep better tonight.
"God is love, but He also defines what love is. We don't have the license to define love according to our standards." Francis Chan
O Lord of All, give me eyes to see your hand at work in my life. Teach me your ways, O Lord, that I may love you more and serve you better. Amen.
"But my friends, anger is right sometimes, anger is sometimes necessary. I would not give much for a man who is not sometimes thoroughly angry. A man that knows not how to burn with moral indignation at the wickedness he sees around him and the wrongdoing, there is something wrong in him." John Broadus
"What would you say of the man who saw his neighbor's house in danger of being burned down, and never raised the cry of 'fire?' What ought to be said of us as ministers if we call ourselves watchmen for souls, and yet see fires of hell raging in distance, and never give the alarm? Call it bad taste, if you like, to speak of hell. Call it charity to make things pleasant, and speak of smoothly, and soothe men with constant lullaby of peace. My notion of charity is to warn men plainly of danger. My notion of taste in the ministerial office is to declare all the counsel of God. If I never spoke of hell, I should think I had kept back something that was profitable, and should look on myself as an accomplice of the devil." J. C. Ryle
"So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up" (Galatians 6:9). Sometimes we feel like giving up. I met a man who serves Christ in a distant land where it is not easy to be a Christian. Though he as brave as any man I know, he said that not long ago he felt like giving up. The burdens were so great, the needs so many, and his strength so limited. Wiping the tears away, he said, "I felt like giving up." All of us have felt that way, most of us many times. Sometimes we may feel as if our words make no difference. But there never was a word spoken for Christ that was spoken in vain. Jesus remembers what we forget, and he records it all in heaven. Here is all God asks of us: Don’t give up! Don’t stop! Don’t grow weary! Keep on going. There will be a wonderful harvest to come. That harvest will partly come in life and much of it will come when we finally get to heaven. Nothing done for Jesus is wasted--in this life or the life to come.
A Sunday school teacher finished her lesson on forgiveness and decided to review it with the children in her class. “Can anyone tell me what you must do before you can be forgiven of sin?” After an uncomfortable silence, one child volunteered an answer; “We have to sin.” I’m sure we’ve all fulfilled that requirement—I know I have. And precisely to the extent that I see my own sin will I be willing to forgive the sins of others.
"The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for repose, I will not, I will not desert to its foes; That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, I'll never, no never, no never forsake." From the hymn "How Firm a Foundation," 1787.
Salvation is either a free gift or it's not a gift at all. If you could earn it, you wouldn't need it.
"First take the log out of your own eye" (Matthew 7:5). Christian love is not blind. God never says, “Ignore the faults of others.” But He does say, “Take care of your own faults first.” Look in the mirror! Ask God to show you your sins. The familiar words of Psalm 139:23-24 come to mind: “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” If we would pray that way and mean it, we would do a lot more confessing and a lot less judging.
I am more like my enemies than I care to admit. Until I see that, I will never forgive them and I certainly won't love them.
“Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord” (Psalm 130:1). We will never fix ourselves because we lack the inner resources to solve our own problems. That flies in the face of the self-help gurus who say the answer is within us. The Bible says the opposite is true: The problem is within us. The answer lies outside of us. As long as you think you can solve your own problems, you can only get worse. When you finally say, “Lord, please help me. I can’t do it on my own,” then you’re a good candidate for salvation.
Sinners need salvation, not reformation. They need forgiveness, not lectures on morality. They need a new life, not a new leaf.
"The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10). The word “lost” has almost gone out of style in Christian circles. We talk of being estranged from God, of being confused about our purpose in life, and about needing a new beginning. All of that is true, but it is hard to improve on the simple Bible word “lost.” Search the pages of God’s book from cover to cover. Read everything from Adam’s great sin in Genesis to the final great battle in Revelation. Then pick up the morning newspaper and see if you don’t agree with Jesus. Men and women are lost without God. Until we grasp that truth, we can never be saved. The gospel is good news because the bad news is so bad. Once we see our true condition, then we will understand that Jesus is the Savior we need.
Years ago I read about a Chinese prayer that goes this way: “O Lord, change the world. Begin, I pray thee, with me.” That's where we always must begin. If you want to see the world changed, the place to begin is in your own heart. Let revival begin there and there is no telling where it will end.
"He is the greatest Master I have ever known. If there is anyone greater, I do not know him. Jesus Christ is the only Master supremely worth serving. He is the only ideal that never loses its inspiration. He is the only friend whose friendship meets every demand. He is the only Savior who can save us to the uttermost. We go forth in His name, in His power, and in His Spirit, to serve Him." David Livingstone
Somewhere I read about a missionary who returned home after a lifetime difficult spent serving Christ in a faraway land. He was old and worn down from many years of toil. When someone asked if he regretted how he had spent his life, he said, "Oh no. I settled that long ago." Then he told this story. As a young man, he had struggled mightily with surrendering his life to God. He told God he would serve him but only if certain conditions were met. But that gave him no peace of heart. Finally after many days spent wrestling with the Lord, he finally came to a point of full surrender. Taking a blank sheet of paper, he signed his name on the bottom and said, "Lord, you fill in the details." Everything else in his life flowed from that commitment. Many of us are unhappy because we're trying to bargain with God. When will he learn that he doesn't make deals? We would all be happier if we simply signed on the bottom line and said, "Lord, you fill in the details."
When people ask about the “secret” of knowing God’s will, I tell them it begins in the morning when you say, “Lord, let me take the next step with you today."
“My dear children, for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you" (Galatians 4:19). Here is the true goal of all ministry: To help others become like Christ. John Calvin remarked that “if ministers wish to do any good, let them labor to form Christ, not themselves, in their hearers.” We must labor to form Christ in our hearers, not an image of ourselves. It doesn’t matter if a pastor is known as a wonderful preacher so long as the people go away knowing that Christ is a wonderful Savior.
"Pray for one another" (James 5:16). Prayer bridges the gap between people. Through prayer miracles of reconciliation happen. Prayer overcomes the misunderstanding that separates us. Prayer leaps across the bad memories that pull us apart. Prayer nullifies the estrangement that keeps us from speaking. There can be bitterness and anger between you, even years of alienation. But that doesn’t matter when you pray because prayer bridges the gap between you and those you love. Your heart can touch their heart by the simple act of praying. What starts in your heart goes first to the Father’s heart, and purified by the sunlight of his love, your prayer falls like an arrow in the heart of the one you love. Prayer can do that! It enables you to touch people who won't speak to you. Pray, pray, and keep on praying. You never know what God will do.
Sovereign Lord, we do not pray to be cast into a den of lions, but we ask for the courage to go there if that be your will for us. Deliver us from fear of tomorrow so we can serve you with joy today. Amen.
"Take your share of suffering as a good soldier of Jesus Christ" (2 Timothy 2:3). Sometimes I talk with believers who complain about the difficulty of being a Christian in a secular environment. And sometimes they relate stories of how they suffer ridicule and humiliation because of their faith. Certainly I do not doubt the truth of what they say. But at some point we have to say to each other: Stop complaining. Stop playing the victim card. Stop talking about how hard you have it. Working in a high-rise office building isn’t like working at a church camp. So be it. We have to face the fact that not everyone shares our faith, and then we have to go on from there. You can live for Christ on the job, in your office, in your classroom, or in your neighborhood. There is always a way to compromise for those who want to compromise. And there is always a way to obey God for those who want to obey God.
Written by Welsh preacher William Williams in 1745, "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah" has become a favorite of Christians around the world. Williams combined images of the wilderness wanderings of the Jews to evoke a sense of God's guidance through the trials of life. The God who provided for his people in the desert is the same God who provides for us today: "Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, pilgrim through this barren land. I am weak, but thou art mighty; Hold me with thy powerful hand. Bread of heaven, bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more." Here's a version of this great hymn sung by a vast congregation at Royal Albert Hall in London:
“What God says is best, is best, though all the men in the world are against it.” John Newton
“A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship, and he who plants kindness gathers love.” St. Basil of Caesarea, AD 330
"Here I raise my Ebenezer, Hither by Thy help I’ve come." When Robert Robinson wrote those words in 1748, he could be reasonably confident that most of people would know what he was talking about. But when we sing those words today, as the second verse of "Come, Thou Fount," we generally have no idea what they mean. The word Ebenezer in the hymn has nothing to do with Ebenezer Scrooge, which is probably the only other time we see it. Ebenezer literally means "stone of help" and refers to a monument the Jews raised after a great victory over the Philistines in 1 Samuel 7. The monument served as a public reminder of God's deliverance in the time of trouble. To "raise an Ebenezer" means to publicly recall the blessings of God, to give the Lord credit for what he has done for you. I can't think of a better day to "raise an Ebenezer" than New Year's Day. Has God been good to you? Raise an Ebenezer! Has God delivered you from trouble? Raise an Ebenezer! Has God helped you survive a crisis? Raise an Ebenezer! The next line of the hymn reminds us that we will need God just as much in the coming year as we did in the last year: "And I hope, by thy good pleasure, Safely to arrive at home." We will never make it without the Lord, but with him above us, beneath us, in front of us, and behind us, we can face whatever comes in 2017. Start the year right by remembering what God has done for you. If you do that, you will have many more reasons to "raise an Ebenezer" one year from now. To help get you started, here's a newer version of "Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing" by Page CXVI:
God is not worried about 2017. Why are you worried? Do you know something God doesn't? Didn't think so. Sleep well tonight.
"I think unlovely orthodoxy, unbeautiful Christianity is a tragedy. We have pugilistic Christians; we have acrobatic Christians; we have athletic Christians; we have big-domed, learned Christians. We have all kinds of Christians, but where are the beautiful ones, those who shine with inner beauty? I am looking for them, and I pray that God will send us a revival, not of noise and nonsense, but of beauty with God dwelling in us.” A. W. Tozer
"When I reach the end of my days, I must look backward on something more meaningful than the pursuit of houses and land and machines and stocks and bonds. Nor is fame of any lasting benefit. I will consider my earthly existence to have been wasted unless I can recall a loving family, a consistent investment in the lives of people, and an earnest attempt to serve the God who made me. Nothing else makes much sense." James Dobson