Good Words for Today
"Jesus Christ . . . the ruler of the kings of the earth" (Revelation 1:5). We all know that the world is in a mess. That’s why it’s hard to believe that Jesus is the ruler of the kings of the earth. All the evidence seems to move in the opposite direction. The pornographers go free, the baby-killers are untouched, the politicians break the laws they write, the drug dealers make their millions, and the nations arm themselves for total destruction. Without trying very hard, you could make a good case that Satan is the ruler of the kings of the earth. But it only seems that way. Satan has no power except that granted to him by God. In due time and at the proper moment, Jesus will step back on the stage of world history. Think of it. The hands that were nailed to the cross will someday rule the world. Though we do not see it today, it is certain and sure of fulfillment. That’s what the book of Revelation is all about. Read it for yourself and see how the story ends.
“I am trying to be a super hero. Thank God He already sent us a Savior so I can retire my cape." That comes from a friend who is learning about forgiveness and the need to let go and let God do what only God can do. It seems like good advice for all of us. You're not a super hero. Put down your cape. Jesus is not a super hero, but he is our Savior. Relax. Put down your cape. Jesus is all you need for everything you will face today.
“If God used only perfect people, nothing would ever get done.” Rick Warren
God is in charge, but he's not in a hurry.
“Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Don’t ever confuse arguing with answering. If we don’t show respect for them, how will they ever show respect for us or for our message? People know when we are talking down to them or making fun of them or taking them lightly. Treat people with gentleness and respect, and they are likely to listen to what we have to say.
Only Christ matters. In light of eternity, could anything in this world matter more than Jesus Christ? Since this world is passing way, nothing we do or say, nothing we achieve, nothing we own, no fortune we may amass, no empire we may build, no glittering list of friends, none of it matters at all compared to our Lord. Only Christ matters. We need to hear this, to repeat it to each other, and to preach it and teach it to our children.
"Your Father knows what you need before you ask him" (Matthew 6:8). We do not pray to inform God of anything. He already knows what we need. We pray because we need to remind ourselves that God is God and we are not. This means that we don't need loud prayers or fancy words or a particular posture. We don't even have to close our eyes. We don't have to repeat ourselves (though it alright if we do). We don't have to pray a long prayer in order to get God's attention. Just tell him what you need. Unburden your heart. Come with your cares and fears and worries. He already knows, and he invites you to come anyway. So go ahead and pray to our Heavenly Father. He's waiting to hear from you.
Jesus said, “You are the salt of the earth” (Matthew 5:13). But if the salt stays in the saltshaker, what good does it do? There are always reasons for the salt to stay in the shaker. But that’s not where salt belongs. Salt was made for the soup. As long as the salt stays in the shaker, it can’t do any good. But when the salt goes into the soup, two things happen: the salt dissolves and the character of the soup is changed forever. The same thing will happen if you ever decide to get out of the saltshaker and into the soup. You may disappear from our view but you will change the character of the world around you forever. Never fear. Never give in to despair. We were made for times like these. Who knows? A handful of salty Christians can change a classroom, a neighborhood, an office, a company, and even a nation. Get ready, salty saints. Out we go, into the world, for the glory of God.
Just checked. God is still on the throne.
Just in case you were wondering . . . He's got the whole world in his hands He's got the whole wide world in his hands He's got the whole wide world in his hands He's got the whole world in his hands
We may not see a great spiritual awakening even though we pray for one. We certainly will not see one if we don't. Pray on.
"For the Lord is king and rules over the nations" (Psalm 22:28). I ran across a wonderful statement that seems to fit the strange, difficult days in which we live: “Christians should be the calmest people on earth.” What a thought that is. We have no right to run around wringing our hands. Not when our God is on the throne working out his purpose on the earth. .If we lose our cool and give in to fear, it's because we've left God out of our thinking. You can relax--God's got this. You can rejoice--the Lord is king. Keep calm and carry on.
"The blood of Jesus . . . cleanses us from every sin" (1 John 1:7). Think of all your sins. Think of the sins you don't like to think about. Think of the sins you are ashamed to admit. Think of the sins you don't want the rest of us to know about. There is cleansing even for those sins. Yes, even for THAT sin. Whatever it is, the blood of Jesus can wash away the stain, the guilt, and the shame. This is why the gospel is truly Good News. It's what Corrie Ten Boom meant when she said, "There is no pit so deep that the love of God is not deeper still."
"I know the thoughts that I think toward you" (Jeremiah 29:11). God thinks about us! That may be the most important statement you'll ever hear. The God of the universe thinks about us. He considers us, he knows us, he remembers us, he keeps us in mind. He knows who we are and where we are. Not for one second are we ever lost or forgotten for his heart is so big and his knowledge so vast that no one ever gets lost in the shuffle. I find great comfort the following truth. God knows what he is thinking even when we don't. Many times I have said, "Lord, what are you doing? Why is this happening?" So much of life makes no sense. The good and the bad, the happy and the sad, it all gets jumbled together with apparently no rhyme or reason, and even if I say to myself, "God has a plan," it's rarely clear to me. But God knows what he is thinking even when his thoughts are hidden from me. We know so little. We understand so little. We have so many questions. But this much is clear. God is thinking about us—always.
Though blinded by an illness as an infant, Fanny Crosby lived a long and productive life. She began writing poetry at an early age and never stopped. By the time she died, she had written over 8000 hymns, including such favorites as "Blessed Assurance," "Jesus is Tenderly Calling You Home," and "Near the Cross." It's hard to say which one remains most popular today, but it might be "To God be the Glory." Although made popular during the great evangelistic campaigns of D. L. Moody in the late 1800s, it never caught on in the United States. That changed in 1954 when Billy Graham held an evangelistic csmpaign at Harringay Arena in London. Someone suggested to Cliff Barrows that he should add "To God be the Glory" to the official campaign songbook. He did, and the crowd loved it so much that they sang it almost every night. The Billy Graham team added it to their American crusades and it became popular in churches across the US. To God be the glory, great things He has done; So loved He the world that He gave us His Son, Who yielded His life an atonement for sin, And opened the life gate that all may go in. Refrain Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the earth hear His voice! Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, Let the people rejoice! O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give Him the glory, great things He has done. O perfect redemption, the purchase of blood, To every believer the promise of God; The vilest offender who truly believes, That moment from Jesus a pardon receives. Refrain Great things He has taught us, great things He has done, And great our rejoicing through Jesus the Son; But purer, and higher, and greater will be Our wonder, our transport, when Jesus we see. Refrain If you'd like to listen to this great hymn, here's a stirring performance recorded at Royal Albert Hall, London.
"As Christians, we can live on one of three levels. We can return evil for good, which is the satanic level. We can return good for good and evil for evil, which is the human level. Or, we can return good for evil, which is the divine level. Jesus is the perfect example of this latter approach (1 Peter 2:21–23). As God’s loving children, we must do more than give “an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth” (Matt. 5:38–48), which is the basis for justice. We must operate on the basis of mercy, for that is the way God deals with us." Warren Wiersbe
"When You don’t move the mountains I’m needing You to move When You don’t part the waters I wish I could walk through When You don’t give the answers as I cry out to You I will trust, I will trust, I will trust in You!" Lauren Daigle, "Trust in You."
"And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him." From "A Mighty Fortress" by Martin Luther, 1529
Almighty God, we confess that our minds are too much on the things of this world. Forgive us, Lord. As we gather to worship, remind us again of those things that matter most. Fill us with a new ambition for Christ and his kingdom. Amen.
"We encourage you as believers to excel in love even more" ( 1 Thessalonians 4:10 GW). You can never love too much. You never reach the point where love doesn't matter. We can always grow in our love for others. How do we learn to grow in love? There is only one way. God puts us around unlovely people, usually people very close to us. He surrounds us with family and friends who sometimes get on our nerves, and he puts us in situations at work where we have to deal with difficult people every day. Over the years I have observed God do this again in again. He allows two people to have difficulties with each other, often to the point of anger and bitterness. He does it because the only way we learn to love is by dealing with unlovely people. I have seen it happen between husbands and wives, parents and children, between co-workers, neighbors, fellow students, and relatives. I've even seen God do for people who aren't going to vote the same way on Election Day. Right now it feels like we need a few miracles in this area. But God always gives us what we need to obey his command. People who start out disliking each other often end up as dearest friends. They may not agree on everything, but in Christ they learn to love one another. Lord Jesus, help us to grow in love today. Amen.
"Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16). Recently my wife and I spent a week ministering at Word of Life Bible Institute on Jeju Island in South Korea. One evening a friend took us to a restaurant with stunning views of the ocean. As evening came, I noticed dozens of bright lights filling the horizon. Our friend said those were squid boats. Just after sundown, the pilot turns on enormously powerful lights that penetrate the darkness of the ocean. The squid are attracted to the light, and that's how they are caught. Here is a good word for those who despair about the overwhelming cultural darkness. Is the world going to hell? Yes. But the world has always been going to hell. If you believe, as I do, that our current cultural rebellion has taken us into even darker regions, then we ought to meditate on the words of Jesus and the squid boats of Jeju Island. We can't do much in and of ourselves to stop the cultural slide. But we can let our light shine. We can live for Christ. We can serve others in Jesus' name. We can share the Good News of Jesus. As our world continues to move away from God, we can make an eternal difference to the people around us. As they see the light in us, they will see the One who gives us the light. They will be attracted to our Savior and God will get the credit. Don't despair! Don't give up! An ancient proverb tells us that "it is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness." The world is dark and getting darker. It's time to shine the light. Lord Jesus, help me to be a "bright light Christian" today. Amen.
This week I happened to read Isaiah 55:10-11 once again. These familiar words ought to encourage all of us in the work of evangelism: “As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” This is one of many places in the Bible where spreading the good news is compared to sowing seed into the soil. God’s Word is the seed, we are sowers, and the soil is the human heart. God has called us to spread the seed everywhere by every possible means. We do the planting and God gives the harvest—in his own time and in his own way. Isaiah 55:11 reminds us that nothing is ever wasted with God. His Word always accomplishes its divinely-ordained purpose. Our job is to sow the seed, his job is to bring in the harvest. If we do our part, God cannot fail to do his.
"Teach me to do your will, for you are my God" (Psalm 143:10). Doing God's will rarely is easy. We can start by saying something like, "Lord, make me willing to be willing to do your will." Or we can simply say with David, "Lord, teach me to do your will." We don't need more knowledge. We need a heart that truly wants what God wants. God always speaks loud enough for a willing ear to hear.
"Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul" (Proverbs 22:24-25). Sin is contagious. Bad habits rub off. Greedy people attract greedy people. Haters attract haters. Violent people run in packs. Paul reminds us that "Bad company corrupts good morals" (1 Corinthians 15:33). We become like the people we hang around. We like what they like, we talk like they talk, and we learn to blow up like they blow up. We live in strange and dangerous times. One writer said, "Americans hate each other." Believe it or not, he wasn't talking about the election. I ran across that quote a few years ago. But it does feel like the national blood pressure has gone up 100 points in the last few months. We can't do anything about the vitriol being spewed on TV, radio, in print, and on social media. But we don't have to add to it. We need to heed Solomon's wisdom. There are some people who aren't good for us right now. You probably have people in your life who want to provoke you into an argument every time they see you. Avoid them if you can. You don't have to answer every email or every text. Think before you hit the Post button. Don't add to the anger. I don't have an answer to the political dilemma except to say that I'll be glad when this election is over. In the meantime, stay away from angry people, think before you speak, walk away from an argument, and don't get sucked into an online debate. And let's go back to that ancient prayer and make it our own: "Lord, make me an instrument of your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love. Amen."
"I am the LORD! That is my name! I will not share my glory with anyone else" (Isaiah 42:8). Many people have a “Mount Rushmore” religion as a way of covering their bets. When they look up, they see Jesus and Buddha and Mohammed and Moses—and maybe LeBron James and Elvis Presley. They figure as long as Jesus is up there somewhere, they’re going to be alright in the end. But they are badly mistaken. The Lord Jesus Christ will not share his glory with anyone else. He must be worshiped as the one and only way to heaven.
Lord Jesus, I pray for grace to trust you more today than yesterday and more tomorrow than today. Amen
"Take up your cross and follow me" (Matthew 16:24). It's fun to follow Jesus until you find out where he's going." David and Jason Benham
“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:17). My faith is dead if I talk without caring. My faith is dead if I lead without loving. My faith is dead if I quote the Bible without applying it in my own life. My faith is dead if I pray on Sunday and don’t show compassion on Monday. My faith is dead if I give my tithe and spend the rest on myself. Just as I was writing those words, I saw this quote from Christian Hip Hop artist Princeton Marcellis: “My faith is dead if it doesn’t make me move.” I think James would agree 100%. Living faith is moving faith.
“I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers” (Deuteronomy 18:18). When a prophet speaks, you have only two choices: Listen to what he says. Disregard his words. There are no other options. If you say, “I’m going to think about it,” that’s really the same as disregarding him. If Jesus is the True Prophet of God, then you must either receive or reject his words. You have to make a choice. There can be no neutrality about Jesus. You are either with him or against him. You either follow him or you ignore him. What is your verdict about Jesus? Is he really the Son of God? If he is, then crown him King of your life and join the millions who worship him as Savior and Lord. Lord Jesus, may we not waver in our devotion to you, the Son of God sent from heaven. Grant us believing hearts that we might follow you gladly. Amen.
"My faith has found a resting place, Not in device nor creed; I trust the Ever-living One, His wounds for me shall plead. I need no other argument, I need no other plea. It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me." Eliza Hewitt, 1891
"When I see the blood, I will pass over you" (Exodus 12:13). Talk about a moment of decision! This was the decisive break with Egypt and all that it represented. And it was life or death for the firstborn. Either the lamb dies. Or the firstborn of the family dies. God wants to know one thing, "Do you have faith that the blood of Jesus can wash away all your sins?" Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29). The blood of Jesus washes away every sin (1 John 1:7). Never be ashamed of the blood of Christ. We can't go to heaven without it.
Gracious Father, Teach us to trust you more and more. When we are tempted to do it ourselves, bring us down to the place where we must cry out for your help. Forgive us for living as if we were God and you are not. We thank you for giving us exactly what we need, when we need it, not a moment too soon, and not moment too late. Having received so much from you, we ask one thing more. Give us grateful hearts. Amen.
“For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword" (Hebrews 4:12). When you witness, never be ashamed to quote the Bible. God's Word exposes the heart. When Billy Graham was a young man, he discovered the life-changing power of the simple phrase, "The Bible says." But what if people don't believe the Bible? Quote it anyway! Suppose someone says, "I don't believe that sword will cut me." In a literal sword fight, your belief or unbelief doesn't matter. A sharp sword cuts whether you believe it or not. So quote the Bible when you witness. It has the power to change the hardest heart.
"All the Lord’s people . . . left the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:41). It's always easier to stay in Egypt. Plenty of rewards for the home team--at least in the short run. But in the long run Egypt vanishes into the dust, while those who do the will of God abide forever.
"For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay” (Habakkuk 2:3). God may seem slow but he’s never late. He never delays in order to hurt us. He’s an “on-time” God. Have you ever noticed how when you are praying for something really big, the answer seems to take forever to come? When I’m really concerned about something, it seems like I have to wait and wait and wait. Finally I give up. Three days later, after I have slid into agnosticism and despair, and I’m saying to myself, “Where is God? He cannot hear me!” then suddenly the answer comes. Why does it happen like that? There are many answers, I suppose, but chief among them is this: God will not share his glory with anyone. Sometimes he delays his answers so that we cannot later say, “Well, it was my faith that made the difference.” He answers in his own time and in his own way so that we end up saying, “To God alone be the glory!”
"By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter" (Hebrews 11:24). This may seem to be an act of ingratitude since it was Pharaoh's daughter who saved him. From the few details we glean from Exodus 2, Pharaoh's daughter seems like a strong, wise and compassionate woman. She took Moses in and raised him--and yet he refused to be known as her son. Why is that? It cannot be because of basic ingratitude, as if Moses took advantage of the situation but did not love and appreciate what Pharaoh's daughter had done. He owed her his very life. I think the answer lies elsewhere. When Moses got to the height of his power, he gave it all up. Refused it. Relinquished it. Let it all go. It was not an easy decision to make because he knew that no one, least of all Pharaoh’s daughter, the woman to whom he owed his life, would understand. It seemed foolish, as if he was throwing away his whole future. By any normal standard, it didn’t make sense. Don't miss the point. Moses made a choice. Our problem is not that we don't make the choice. It is rather that we don't see that a choice even needs to be made. We think we're supposed to live in Egypt! It hasn't occurred to us to leave. You can enjoy life in Egypt, or you can deliver your people from Egypt, but you can't do both.
"Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD" (Psalm 27:14). Waiting is hard. It's easy to despair. It's easy to lose equilibrium. We may begin to doubt what God is doing. God says, “Will you wait for me?” The world says, “Don’t just stand there. Do something!” God says, “Don’t just do something. Stand there!”
‘‘I have raised my hand to the LORD, God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth, and have taken an oath" (Genesis 14:22). Only when you glimpse the greatness of God will you have the strength to withstand temptation. Some of us spend too much worrying about temptation when we ought to spend more time contemplating the Lord. When your God is big enough, temptation will be small enough that you can win the battle.
"Would you be free from the burden of sin? There’s pow’r in the blood, pow’r in the blood; Would you o’er evil a victory win? There’s wonderful pow’r in the blood. Refrain: There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r In the blood of the Lamb; There is pow’r, pow’r, wonder-working pow’r In the precious blood of the Lamb." Lewis E. Jones, 1899
"I believe the time is coming when we will not be able to take our Christianity as casually as we do now." A. W. Tozer