Good Words for Today

Never let someone else determine God's will for your life. No one else can understand God's unique call on your life as clearly as you can.  

"Maybe we shouldn’t be so quick to question the unfairness of God. Maybe the unfairness works out in our favor in the long run. It is grace gone wild. He is a Father who loves extravagantly. He gives grace that overwhelms those who don’t deserve it. Sometimes we just have to wait for it." Heather Zempel  

"So I'll stand with arms high and heart abandoned In awe of the One who gave it all So I'll stand, my soul Lord to You surrendered All I am is Yours." From "The Stand," Hillsong Music

Lord of Time and Eternity, if I should have less than I want today, may I be content in the knowledge that I already have everything I need.  Amen.

It all depends upon God. Everyone comes to that conclusion sooner or later. Unfortunately, some people have to die to find it out.

When you are tempted to start bragging today, remember this: Every good gift comes down from the Father of lights above (James 1:17). What do you have that you did not receive? (1 Corinthians 4:7)

Lord, I pray for the strength to do right when those around me are doing wrong. Amen.

As we pray for our prodigals, we must remember that the first change needs to happen in us. Until we are changed, and our anger is turned to love, we will become bitter and hardened ourselves. Though our prodigals may have left the Lord, he has not left them, not even for a second. They may be “lost” to you, but they are not “lost” to him. He knows exactly where they are and what they are doing at this very moment. He loves them more than you do. And he leads them even when they don’t know they are being led. Do you have a loved one who is far from the Lord? Does it seem totally impossible that he or she will ever change? Do you get angry thinking about their foolish choices? Do your prayers seem useless to you? Pay no attention to your feelings. There is more going on in the heart of your loved one than you can know. Don’t give up. Keep on praying. Keep believing. You never know what God will do.

Many contemporary Christians have never heard of a man named Polycarp. The early believers knew all about him because he was one of the first well-known martyrs of the Christian faith. In his youth he was a disciple of the Apostle John. For many years he served as Bishop of the church in Smyrna. During a wave of persecution in AD 155, when a mob demanded his death, Roman officials tried to save his life by offering him repeated chances to deny his faith in Christ. He refused each time. When given one final chance to save his own life, he replied in words that echo across the centuries: “For 86 years I have served him, and he has done me no wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?” As the soldiers prepared to nail him to the stake, he refused, saying, “Leave me as I am. For he who grants me to endure the fire will enable me also to remain on the pyre unmoved, without the security you desire from nails.” The fire was lit and Polycarp burned to death. As the flames consumed him, he was heard to pray, “I thank you, O Lord, that you have deemed me worthy this day and this hour to take up the cross of Christ with many witnesses.” Death has no power over the believer who remains faithful.

“Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days” (Revelation 2:10). Think of it this way. If Jesus says you will suffer for ten days, no force on earth can make it last eleven days! It won’t end early, but it won’t go long either. The time limit on our trials has been determined by the Lord. That is why he says, “Fear not.” The Lord knows what he is doing, and he is doing it. He will accomplish his purpose concerning us.

“King shall shut their mouths because of him” (Isaiah 52:15). This verse describes the reaction of the kings of the earth when they finally stand before Christ at his Second Coming. All the jabbering and boastful talk will come to an end. The majestic presence of the King of Kings will “shut the mouths” of all earthly kings. When he came the first time, they laughed at him. They hated him, rejected him, and eventually crucified him. The religious leaders teamed up with the political leaders to nail him to the cross. But much to their astonishment, he wouldn’t stay dead. He rose from the grave, rallied his disciples, gave them their marching orders, and then he returned to his Father in heaven. Meanwhile his followers began to spread the news, “He’s alive!” Two thousand years have come and gone and still the flame spreads to every corner of the earth. A day is coming when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord (see Philippians 2:9-11). If you think the kings are shocked now, just wait for that day!

It’s easy to become insensitive to sin because you think you are above it. Martin Luther remarked that pride is so deep within us that we must “repent of our repentance,” by which he meant that even our repenting is tinged with pride, e. g. “Look at me! I’m honest enough to repent of my sins. I’m not like you. I don’t cover things up.” Sin is so much with us that even our confession contains within it the seeds of our next transgression. Were it not for grace, none of us could ever stand before the Lord.

"In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war . . . but David stayed in Jerusalem" (2 Samuel 11:1). When speaking of David, Matthew Henry said it well: "If he had been at the front, he wouldn't have been on the wall. When we are out of the way of duty, we are in the way of temptation." David is now an accident waiting to happen. —He's alone. —He's the king —He's accountable to no one. He's got too much time on his hands so he stays busy doing nothing. "Idle hands are the Devil's tools." In this case the Devil didn't have to try too hard. David was sitting around taking it easy. How true this is today. Much of our struggle with lust comes because we stay in Jerusalem taking it easy when we ought to be on the front lines with the bullets whizzing overhead.

"This is my Father’s world. O let me ne’er forget That though the wrong seems oft so strong, God is the ruler yet. This is my Father’s world: The battle is not done: Jesus Who died shall be satisfied, And earth and Heav’n be one." From "This is My Father's World" by Maltbie Babcock, 1901

“I  know . . . your poverty-yet you are rich!” (Revelation 2:9) These words are literal, not metaphorical. Christians in Smyrna evidently came from the lower rungs on the economic ladder. If they once had been rich in worldly goods, those days were long past. No doubt many had lost their jobs in the trade-guilds because they would not say, “Caesar is Lord." To these poverty-stricken Christians, Christ says, “But you are rich!” Is he mocking them? It all depends on how we value time versus eternity. If this life is all that matters, then the words of Jesus are nothing more than pious nonsense. What good is it to say, “You are rich!” to those who are starving? It all depends. No man who knows Jesus is ever truly poor. No man without Jesus is ever truly rich.

"True worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks" (John 4:23). We are not used to thinking about God seeking anything, but this passage tells us that God in heaven is looking for people on the earth who will worship him. We were made to worship. If we don’t worship God, we will find something else to worship. That explains the unhappiness of so many people in the world. Augustine said, “Oh Lord, you have made us for yourself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in you.” We've all heard about the God-shaped vacuum inside every human heart. If you don’t fill that God-shaped vacuum with God, you will fill it with something else. God seeks worshipers. We were made to worship God. Therefore, only the worship of God can fully satisfy us.

I used to listen to a preacher who liked to lean forward and say, "If you're going to be a Christian, be one!" We need that more than ever today. In a world where our brothers and sisters in Pakistan are being killed for their faith, we all need to decide which team we're on. If you're on the world's team, put on their jersey. If you're on Team Jesus, put on His jersey. In these difficult days, we need Christians who aren't ashamed of their faith. Let me assure you of this: Compromise will win you no friends. You'll be "too Christian" for the worldly crowd and "too worldly" for the Christian crowd. Might as well stand up and be counted. If you're going to be a Christian, be one!

If you’re a child of God, you’re in good hands. Your past is forgiven, your present is secure, and your future is guaranteed. For the child of God, the best is always yet to come.

"Predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son" (Romans 8:29). If God’s #1 goal is to make me like Jesus Christ, then he has many lessons to teach me. Most of those lessons can only come through heartache and difficulty because most of us learn more through the hard times than we do through the good times. Little by little God chips away at your weak points and slowly develops the character of Jesus Christ within. We aren't there yet, but God isn't finished yet. Our prayer should be, "Father, do whatever it takes to make me more like Jesus today. Amen."

"If you would be trusted, first learn to be honest; if you would rule, first learn how to obey; if you would rise to a more important position, fill the place where you are to overflowing with yourself, and God will soon beckon you to a wider sphere." Thomas Kelly

True religion always begins with humility. The proud go to hell because they will not bend the knee to Jesus Christ. Only the humble can ever be saved.

How does one develop humility? C. S. Lewis says that the first step is to admit that you are a proud person. This is not easy to do because there is something in us that rebels at the thought of admitting that we are filled with pride. But if pride caused Lucifer to fall from heaven, should we be surprised that pride still lurks inside the human heart? Are you a proud person? The answer is yes. Am I? Same answer. Let’s admit it and then move on from there.

Heavenly Father, it is much easier to listen to a sermon than to put it into practice. We confess that our problem isn’t information. We already know what you want from us. You have already given us everything we need to obey. Help us to do it. Give us the mind of Christ that we might love as he loved, serve as he served, and give as he gave for others. In Jesus' name, Amen.

"Being one in spirit and of one mind" (Philippians 2:3). I like Peterson’s paraphrase: “Be deep-spirited friends.” This touches how we relate to each other. The Greek literally means “same-souled.” It has the idea of such a deep unity that your souls are “unanimous” in their love and respect for each other. A. T. Robertson says that when we have this kind of unity, we will be “like clocks that strike at the same moment.” We may say it very simply. A united church experiences God's power--and a divided church does not.

"The world is filled with men and women who have vainly sought everywhere for peace and light and help, but they found it not until they found it in Jesus. These men and women have tested Him, and in their deepest consciousness they know better than they know anything else that through Him their darkness has been dispelled, their burdens lifted, their victories won." George W. Truett

When will we discover that God’s laws cannot be broken? When you sin you don’t break God’s laws, you are broken by them. It’s like the man who jumps off a cliff and lands on the rocks below. He doesn’t break the rocks; the rocks break him. Likewise, when we experiment with sexual promiscuity, we are broken by the laws of God we chose to ignore.

"His delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night" (Psalm 1:2). When our roots are deep in the Word, we will be given whatever we need, whenever we need it. This sort of supernatural life happens as we continue to walk with the Lord and to delight in his Word.

No one is more miserable than the person who harbors secret hatred and wishes for revenge. No one is happier than the person who finally opens the door to the Holy Spirit and says, “Come in and do your work in me.” In the moment when you say that, healing begins on the inside. Instead of hatred there is love; instead of bitterness, kindness. Instead of revenge, forgiveness. If I am describing your life, then God’s word to you is: “Open the hidden door and let my Spirit come in.”

"Resist the devil and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). This is both a command and a promise. If we will submit to God, we may be sure that when we resist the devil, he will flee from us. We have no power in ourselves against the devil, but he has no power to use against us when we fight with God’s power. By ourselves we can’t win; with God’s help, we can’t lose.

Thanks be to God for the empty tomb. As much as I marvel at the Virgin Birth of Jesus, as much as I wonder at his sinless life, as much as I glory in the cross of Jesus, it is the resurrection of Jesus that makes Christianity unique among all of the world religions. Doubt if you will, but the tomb is still empty because he is not there. He is risen, just as he said.

"I learned his character at once from what he said about others." Charles Spurgeon

"I hear the Savior say, 'Thy strength indeed is small, Child of weakness, watch and pray, Find in Me thine all in all.'" "Jesus paid it all, All to Him I owe; Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow." From "Jesus Paid It All" by Elvina Hall, 1865.

I heard of one preacher who said that being saved is like the frog in a pail of milk. He kept kicking until he churned a pat of butter. He hopped on the butter and then jumped out of the pail. The moral was: Just keep on paddling and everything will turn out okay. Again, that may be good advice for everyday life but it’s terrible advice regarding how to go to heaven. God’s salvation is not a do-it-yourself kit. If you want to go to heaven, the first step is to stop trying to earn your way there. You have to “stop working” and “start trusting” if you want to be saved.

"The trouble is that I'm in a hurry but God isn't." Phillips Brooks

"Keep yourselvcs in the love of God" (Jude 1:21). Power may cause a man to be feared. Authority may earn respect. Money may bring popularity. Education may lead to eminence. Genius may be praised. But only love can change the world. Love binds one heart to another. Love comes from God and leads us back to God. When we love, we prove we are truly born of God.

If God were not omnipotent, Jesus would still be dead. But if God can raise the dead, he can do anything. Let that thought encourage your heart as you face the impossibilities of life.

"God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him" (Acts 2:24). Death will not have the last word for Jesus has conquered the grave. Because he rose, we too shall rise. The power that raised him will one day raise us. When our Lord came out of the tomb, all of his people came out with him. Because Christ rose on the third day, death is not the end of our story.

The burial of Jesus shows us the true end of our rebellion and lawlessness. Left to ourselves, we end up in the grave—which is where our Lord ended up after he had suffered for our sins.

Start anywhere in the Bible and the result is the same—all roads lead inexorably to the cross. The cross is God’s solution to man’s sin. And since sin is the ultimate problem of the human race, the cross is God’s ultimate answer.

"What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered, was all for sinners’ gain; Mine, mine was the transgression, but Thine the deadly pain. Lo, here I fall, my Savior! ’Tis I deserve Thy place; Look on me with Thy favor, vouchsafe to me Thy grace." From "O Sacred Head Now Wounded," attributed to Bernard of Clairvaux, ca. 1150