Good Words for Today

“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.

"Love . . . does not keep a record of wrongs" (1 Corinthians 13:5). Try to remember this. You'll probably need it before the end of the day.

If Satan cannot discourage us in our work, he will distract us from our work, and the result is the same.

Loving Lord, when I am tempted to depart from your ways, show me in advance the dangers of disobedience. Amen.

"I preach as never sure to preach again. As a dying man to dying men." Richard Baxter

Years ago a friend told me, “The first price you pay is always the cheapest.” The quicker you deal with your problems, the better off you will be. But we think if we ignore a problem, maybe it will go away. So we avoid confronting a difficult person or we put off a difficult conversation or we see an issue that needs our attention but it's messy so we hope it gets better on its own. That hardly ever happens. The price of solving our problems never goes down. It always goes up. What hard thing do you need to do today? It won't be fun or easy and it may not work out like you hoped it would. That's okay. Do what you need to do today because the price goes up tomorrow.  

"Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will" (Mark 14:29). Don't brag! You never know what you might do under pressure. Peter thought he was stronger than his brothers. Events would soon prove how wrong he was.  

"And when I'm to die, receive me, I'll cry, For Jesus has loved me, I cannot say why. But this I do find, we two are so joined, He'll not be in heaven and leave me behind." Rowland Hill, an influential English preacher, loved this verse from a hymn called "Farewell to the World." He quoted these lines often in the days before his death in 1833.

God knows what he’s doing even when we don’t. He’s never clueless even when we don’t have a clue. Let that thought give hope to your heart today.

If you need a miracle, ask for one. There's no extra charge for big requests.

"In the beginning God" (Genesis 1:1). Wisdom begins with those four words.

You don't get to choose your neighbors. God sends the ones he knows we need. Some will be difficult and grumpy. Love them anyway.

"Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12). Some questions to ponder: Am I up-to-date on my forgiving? Am I holding a grudge against anyone? Am I harboring any bitterness against any person? Am I talking too much about what others have done to me? Have I forgiven those closest to me who have hurt me so deeply? None of this is easy. Forgiveness will cost us a great deal. But we will be helped if we remember how much the Lord Jesus went through in order to forgive us. Jesus died to create a race of forgiving men and women. Forgiven people forgive people.

"God marks across some of our days,'Will explain later.'" Vance Havner  

"What are we to make of Jesus Christ?’ This is a question, which has, in a sense, a frantically comic side. For the real question is not what are we to make of Christ, but what is He to make of us?" C. S. Lewis

"A person without knowledge is no good. A person in a hurry makes mistakes" (Proverbs 19:2 GW). Slow down! That's a good word for the middle of a busy week. It's also a good word for the first day of Lent, the season of reflection that leads us to Holy Week. Across the centuries, Christians have used the metaphor of a journey to think about these days leading up to the cross. One translation of this verse says, "Being excited about something is not enough. You must also know what you are doing. Don’t rush into something, or you might do it wrong." Do you know where you're going today? If you don't, how will you know when you get there? Solomon is not advising us to stay in bed all day. Far from it. He's all in favor of decisive action. But before you launch out on this Wednesday, take a breath. Slow down. Make room for God in your life because without him you're just running in circles.

"Following Jesus seemed easy enough at first, but that was because they had not followed him very far." Robert Coleman

“My Lord, you have fought and won every battle. You are the undisputed Victor. When I am tempted to doubt, remind me of your unlimited power. Amen.”

"Live like someone died for you." Lecrae

"If I have . . . all knowledge . . . but do not have love, I am nothing" (1 Corinthians 13:2). No one cares how much you know, until they know how much you care.    

"An inheritance is what you leave for someone. A legacy is what you leave in someone. Let's leave legacies." Ken Whitten

In 1680 Joachim Neander wrote the hymn "Praise to the Lord, the Almighty" based on Psalm 103 and Psalm 150. Here's one of the verses: "Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee! Surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee; Ponder anew What the Almighty will do, If with his love he befriend thee!" Those words call us to "ponder anew" what the Almighty will do. Take a moment to do that right now. Think about God's power. Marvel at his love. Consider his kindness. Remember how he has helped you in the past. Ask him to help you today. Here's a contemporary version of this great hymn by Fernando Ortega.

God's sovereignty is only bad news for those who reject it.