Good Words for Today

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

"He knows the way that I take. When he has tried me, I will come forth as gold" (Job 23:10). Life is a journey with many twists and turns. As I approach my 65th birthday next year, I find that I believe in the sovereignty of God more than ever before. I have what I have because God has willed me to have it. I live where I live because God has willed me to live here. I was born in Tennessee, raised in Alabama, met my wife in Chattanooga, and we now live in Dallas--all of it by the hand of God. We have three sons, three daughters-in-law, and six grandchildren because God has willed it so. Even my problems (which aren’t many) are apportioned to me by the hand of a loving God. I am what I am and who I am and where I am by the sovereign grace of God. That means there is no such thing as luck or fate or chance. I heard about a little girl who, when asked what she had learned in Sunday School, said that she had learned that “God never says ‘Oops!’” That’s comforting because we live in a world where mistakes are made all the time, often by well-meaning people. As we wind up 2016, let's say what Job said as we look to the future: "He knows the way that I take." Be of good cheer. We can trust God with all our tomorrows because nothing that surprises us ever surprises him.  

"There is an hour in God’s time when Christ will return to this world. The Bible is clear in declaring that Christ will return. God has not forgotten the world, and from the burning embers of a smoldering civilization, God will shape and form a Kingdom in which Christ will be King. Thus Christ will at long last have taken his rightful place to rule this earth." Billy Graham

"Walk in the Spirit" (Galatians 5:16). The text does not say "fly in the Spirit" or "run in the Spirit." It doesn't even say "jog in the Spirit." It says to walk. What is walking? It's a series of small steps in the same direction over a long period of time. Walking isn't as exciting as running, but it will get you from where you are to where you need to be. That’s why walking is the perfect picture of the Christian life. It describes the ordinary action of ordinary people in their ordinary routine. Just walk, walk, and keep on walking, and you will end up exactly where you need to be. Do not despair about your spiritual progress. Some days we "fly" and some days we "run," but most days we walk. Walking days are good days if we are walking with God.   Don't give up. Just keep on walking. God's plan works. If we take small steps in the right direction, the Lord will see to it that we end up in the right place. Keep walking!

Lord Jesus, thank you for moving into our neighborhood. If you had stayed in heaven, we would never have met you. You are welcome in my heart and my home today! Amen

Martin Luther wrote many hymns, most notably "A Mighty Fortress." His best-known Christmas carol is "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come." Luther originally wrote it for his family's Christmas Eve devotions in 1531. The version printed in the Lutheran Hymnal contains 15 stanzas. Here are two from the middle of the song: Ah, Lord, who hast created all, How weak art Thou, how poor and small, That Thou dost choose Thine infant bed Where humble cattle lately fed! Were earth a thousand times as fair, Beset with gold and jewels rare, It yet were far too poor to be A narrow cradle, Lord, for Thee. This stanza seems like a fitting Christmas Eve prayer: Ah, dearest Jesus, holy Child, make now a bed, soft, undefiled within my heart, a quiet place, a holy chamber for Your grace.

Here is the good news of Christmas: God has done it all. God wrapped up his Son in swaddling clothes and said to the whole world, “This is my Christmas gift to you.”

The world believes "God helps those who help themselves." Christmas proves the opposite. He helps those who admit they can't do it on their own.

“If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness.” (Psalm 130:3-4). I love that phrase–“But with you there is forgiveness.” God makes a habit of forgiving sin. He does not delight in punishing our sin. He looks for chances to forgive us because forgiveness is in his nature. That’s a huge insight because it touches how you see God. He is eager to forgive. He is ready to forgive. He wants to forgive you. God is in the pardoning business, and he pardons abundantly. The familiar line from "O Little Town of Bethlehem" says, "The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight." We hope we can be forgiven, but we fear our sins are too great, that we have failed too many times, that we have blown our best opportunity to be right with God. If Christmas means anything, it means that a Savior has been born who will save us from our sins. God is in the forgiving business, and he proved it by sending his Son to the earth 2000 years ago.

Christmas is only a few days away. It strikes me that we have a wonderful opportunity to set our hearts right. Christmas is not about snow and candy canes and stockings by the chimney. Christmas is about transcendent truth; God has at last visited his people. All the rest is window dressing. Good news! The Visitor from heaven is here at last. Will you drop everything and welcome him into your heart? Or are you too busy this year to be bothered with Jesus?

If you ever visit the Holy Land, one of the sites you will visit is the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem. The church was built over the reputed spot where Mary gave birth to Jesus. To get inside, you first walk across a broad plaza and then come to a very small entrance. In fact, it's so small you have to duck down low to get inside. The entrance is deliberately made low because several centuries ago the local big shots liked to ride their horses right into the sanctuary. The priests felt that was inappropriate so they lowered the entrance to force the great men to dismount before entering the church. The same is true of salvation. If you want to go to heaven, you've got to get off your high horse. Until you do, you'll never be saved.

My God, grant that I might not be so busy that I miss the joy of Christmas. Open my heart so that I might believe all over again. Amen.

Many of us approach the holidays burdened with care. There are career questions, health issues, family problems, financial difficulties, and a host of unfulfilled dreams. We worry because we don't feel equal to the challenges we face. Christmas reminds us that God is God and we’re not. He can arrange for a virgin to become pregnant. He can cause a Roman ruler to order a census at precisely the right moment in history. He can ensure that the baby will be born at exactly the place prophesied 700 years earlier. He can bring together angels, shepherds and Wise Men to celebrate that miraculous birth. And he can take a tiny baby born in a stable and make him the Savior of the world. Now if God can do all that, what are you so worried about?

"He has brought down the mighty from their throne and exalted those of humble estate" (Luke 1:52).  There are many right ways to celebrate Christmas, and only one completely wrong way. We miss Christmas completely when we think it is about us. Christmas is about what God has done for us that we could never do for ourselves. Grace always comes down. Pride always goes up. The lower you go, the closer you come to Bethlehem. When we finally go low enough to kneel before the manger, then the "dear Christ enters in."

Holy Lord, thank you that your shoulders are strong enough to carry all my burdens today. Amen.

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Isaiah 9:2).  Christmas is not about self-improvement. It's about walking out of the darkness into the light. That's why the angel said, "I bring you good news of great joy." "Try harder" is good advice. "I am the light of the world" is good news. The world doesn't need more good advice. It desperately needs the good news that a Savior has been born.

"Prince of Peace, control my will; Bid this struggling heart be still; Bid my fears and doubtings cease, Hush my spirit into peace."  Mary Barber

No question plagues the mind more than this: "If God loves me, how can he allow this to happen?" In moments of great anguish we are prone to think that God has forgotten us. But it is not so. Does God still love you when your marriage breaks up? Does God still love you when your career takes a wrong turn? Does God still love you when you end up in jail? Does God still love you when your wife has an affair? Does God still love you when the doctor says, "I’m sorry. There’s nothing we can do"? If you are a parent, you already know the answer. Do you still love your children when they get into trouble? Do you love your daughter when she lies in bed writhing in pain? Do you love your son when he loses his job? Every Mom and Dad knows the answer. Of course you do. If possible, you love your children even more when they are in trouble. Let Paul ask and answer this question:  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?  Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? . . . No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:35,37). When we struggle, we may doubt many things, but let us rest on this great truth: The God who loved us enough to send us his Son will not forsake us now.

Love God. Love people. Serve God. Serve people. Everything else is details.

What difference does being a Christian make? Jesus Christ has died; he has risen from the dead. In his death he defeated sin; in his resurrection he defeated death. Our two greatest enemies lie at his feet: Sin Death He utterly defeated them both. And the Lord Jesus has purchased us with his blood and brought us into God's family, guaranteeing our salvation. No wonder the Bible says, "If God be for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31)

Christmas brings good news and bad news. The bad news is that we were so messed up Christ had to come and save us. The good news is that he saves anyone willing to admit the bad news is true.

Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us (Romans 8:33-34). Will my enemies condemn me? No, God justified me. Will my friends condemn me? No, God justified me. Will the demons condemn me? No, God justified me. Will Satan himself condemn me? No, God justified me. Will Jesus turn against me? No, he died for me. Will my sins rise up to condemn me? What sins? My sins are gone forever. My slate is wiped clean. Will my conscience condemn me and guilt overwhelm me? Maybe on earth but not in heaven. Up there the record is clear forever. I'm justified. I am declared righteous in the eyes of God. I am acceptable to him because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Wholly apart from my works. Only through faith in Jesus Christ. Best of all . . . God is not confused by my confusion. He does not doubt because I doubt. He is fully satisfied with Jesus.  Because I have put my faith in Jesus, God is satisfied with me. I'm justified.

A minister once visited a famous china factory in Derby, England. While there he saw artisans applying various colored paints to the china—yellowish-brown, bluish-black and dirty-looking red. They circled the edge of the china with black paint. The end result of the painting was an unattractive mixture of dark colors. But when the china was placed in the furnace, the fire worked an amazing transformation. To the minister’s surprise, when the pieces were removed, they were exquisitely beautiful. The black had become bright gold. The blue and red had become lustrous and gleaming. In the unerring wisdom of God, some of his choicest saints are subjected to the fiery trials of life. What seems on this side to be all dark colors will one day come forth as the brightest colors of the rainbow. And those who amid suffering seem to be common earthenware will eventually be transformed into the very image of Jesus Christ.

Too much knowledge can be a dangerous thing at Christmastime. If we think, "I've heard all this before," we risk becoming like the scribes who knew just enough to miss the birth of Jesus altogether. The lowly shepherds ran to Bethlehem, and the Wise Men brought gifts. But the people who knew the Word the best, or thought they did, missed the birth of the Author of the texts they studied. How ironic, how sad, and what a warning to us. Lord God, we pray for hearts warm to the truth of Christmas. May our knowledge lead us to worship and our worship lead us to joy. Amen. 

Christmas teaches us the truth about human nature. We were in so much trouble that we needed a rescue mission from heaven. If there had been some other way to save us, Christ would not have come. Christmas proves the depth of our sin and the determination of God to do something about it.

Lord Jesus, we pray today for those who are struggling to know you. Pull back the curtains of unbelief so that they might be filled with faith to believe in you. Amen.

God uses suffering to teach us many lessons we couldn't learn any other way. Three positive things happen when we go through hardship and difficulty—no matter what the cause: We slow down . . . and begin to think. We calm down . . . and begin to listen. We look up . . . and begin to learn. Why doesn’t that happen every day? Because we go so fast that we don’t have time to think about what we are doing.  God has to slow us down, and often the only tool he has is suffering. It’s not that God isn’t willing to speak to us in the midst of life; we’re usually too busy to pay attention. Slow me down, Lord, so I can hear your voice speaking to me. Amen. 

"It was good that I had to suffer in order to learn your laws" (Psalm 119:71). This is a verse you learn about the hard way, or you never learn it at all. We learn very little from success, but failure is a wonderful teacher. Ask anyone who's ever gone bankrupt . . . or anyone who has gone through the agony of divorce . . . or watched their children struggle . . . or experienced the pain of losing a job . . . or watched a loved one die slowly. In the dark moments of life, when time slows down to a crawl, when we sit in the waiting room while the minutes become hours, it is then that we begin to learn what life is all about. When the psalmist declares "it is good," he means pain taught him something he couldn't learn any other way. C. S. Lewis remarked that God whispers to us in our pleasure but shouts to us in our pain. Many of God's children can testify to that truth. It is a great advance in the spiritual life to thank God for your hard times. Suffering purifies the heart, clears the mind, and refines our affections. God uses everything and wastes nothing, and that includes our tears. Lord Jesus, teach me to trust you even when I don't understand. Amen. 

"Being a Christian isn't for sissies. It takes a real man to live for God — a lot more man than to live for the devil. If you really want to live right these days, you gotta be tough." Johnny Cash

"For whatever does not proceed from faith is sin" (Romans 14:23). Here is a shocking truth: Some things are wrong for you that are right for others. And some things are right for you that are wrong for others. That statement means that you can't always know in advance what will be "right" or "wrong" for another Christian brother. Sometimes your conscience will tell you, "Don't do that. Don't touch that. Don't join that club. Don't take that job. Don't go to that movie. Don't date that girl (or guy)." In those cases, the Bible says you should follow your conscience. In short, don't do something you believe to be wrong even if others are doing it. I confess that in my rule-keeping days, I regarded this as a weak principle. But I now see that it is just the opposite. Only the strong can say "no" when everyone else is saying "yes." It's the weak who give in to pressure.

The power of the church lies not in money, plans, buildings, preachers, programs, or anything else that comes from the hand of man. Our only true power is the power of prayer. When we pray, God moves from heaven. When we pray, things happen that would not otherwise happen. By prayer all things are possible. If we want to see the church move forward and the kingdom of darkness vanquished, we must pray and pray and pray. We have no other secret. If prayer won’t do it, there is no Plan B.

"Don’t let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold" (Romans 12:2 Phillips). G. K. Chesterton remarked that a dead thing goes with the flow, but only a living thing can go against it. The world constantly pushes us to "go with the flow." These days too many Christians seem eager to oblige. But it is a mark of living faith that you actively "swim upstream" by going against the current because you refuse to give in to the call of the world. This world is passing away. Don't be swept away with it. Keep swimming upstream with Jesus.

In the morning, when I rise In the morning, when I rise In the morning, when I rise Give me Jesus Give me Jesus Give me Jesus You can have all this world Just give me Jesus

Sometimes the best therapy is simply rising from your seat of despair and disappointment and tackling the job in front of you.  So many people live in defeat because they can’t climb the steep mountain before them. Just remember this: You don’t have to climb the mountain. You just have to take the next step with God. He’ll take care of the rest.

Our Father, we thank you that the gospel is truly the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Give us the desire to share the message with those we meet. Make us bold in the face of opposition. Grant us an eternal perspective so that we will not be discouraged when the results seem to be small. Help us to see that even one life saved is a miracle that will last forever. Help us to find common ground with unbelievers, so that through our witness many people will come to faith in Jesus Christ. We pray to do our part, knowing that if we do what you have asked us to do, you cannot fail to do what you have promised. So let the gospel go forth with life-changing power to the ends of the earth. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

"All I have needed Thy hand hath provided; Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!"

"All these toys were never intended to possess my heart. My true good is in another world, and my only real treasure is Christ." C . S. Lewis

“Go from here and turn eastward and hide by the Kerith brook, which is east of the Jordan. You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there" (1 Kings 17:3-4). One writer commented that we would have been less surprised if God had used a robin redbreast or a meadowlark or a turtle dove to bring the food. But that is not how God works. He routinely chooses the despised things of the world in order to confound the mighty, and he uses the foolish to bring the strong down to nothing. As you look at the course of life, you may think that God is going to use some rich uncle or a wealthy friend to help you out. But experience shows how unlikely that is. He is much more likely to meet your needs through the ravens of the earth that fly to your need when you least expect them. The Lord has plenty of ravens to supply the needs of his children.