Good Words for Today

Gracious Lord, give me grace to take my stand with Jesus today and never to be ashamed of him. I care not what others say. I will follow Jesus! Amen.

Good thought to start the year . . . I’m not as strong or as wise as I think I am, but God is stronger and wiser than I can imagine.

Happy New Year to everyone who reads these words. The Captain of our Salvation has called us to join his army. Brothers and sisters, it’s time to put on your marching shoes! The cry comes from the front, “Forward by faith.” And off we go, adventuring into this new year. May God help us to press on to serve the Lord in 2016!

  Though most of us have never sung this hymn (if I have, I don't remember it), the message seems especially appropriate for a day when we sum up the year just ending and think about what God has for us in 2016. We could hardly do better than to ponder these words written by Charles Wesley in 1762. He took his inspiration from the Bible commentary of Matthew Henry on Leviticus 8:35. From that unlikely verse (which has to do with the ordination of priests under the Old Testament law) came commentary that led to a hymn that calls each of us to end this year committed more than ever to do the Master's will. "A charge to keep I have, A God to glorify, A never-dying soul to save, And fit it for the sky. To serve the present age, My calling to fulfill: Oh, may it all my pow’rs engage To do my Master’s will!"  

Proverbs 3:6 promises that God will make our way straight as we trust him, but it doesn't tell us how he will do that. Sometimes we get too mystical about God’s will. We want dreams and visions and odd things to happen to us. God doesn’t always work that way. More often God works through the mundane details of life. As you use the means at your disposal, God takes those means and works through circumstances to see that his will is done in your life. That may include some events that seem quite miraculous to us. But whether or not we see the miraculous, our responsibility is to use the information we have to make wise plans for the future.

There are three qualifications for those who would serve the Lord: The first is love. The second is love. The third is love. (See John 21:15-17)

"Heaven came down and glory filled my soul, When at the cross the Savior made me whole; My sins were washed away and my night was turned to day, Heaven came down and glory filled my soul!" John W. Peterson

For those who face loneliness during this season of the year, take comfort in this fact: God’s answer to loneliness is not a theory or an abstract doctrine or a book to read or a seminar to attend. It’s not a better job, more friends, another movie to watch or another song to sing. And it’s not even the beauty of a sunrise or a sunset. God’s answer to loneliness is wrapped up in a person—Jesus Christ. He is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. He is the only one who will never leave you or forsake you. Loneliness can be overcome through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Do you know him?

In an interview with David Frost on PBS, Billy Graham said he hoped the last word he uttered before dying was simply this: “Jesus.” We can’t do any better than that.

"Good Christian men, rejoice, with heart and soul and voice; Now ye need not fear the grave: Peace! Peace! Jesus Christ was born to save! Calls you one and calls you all, to gain His everlasting hall. Christ was born to save! Christ was born to save!" Originally in Latin and German. Translated into English by John M. Neale in 1853.

"God walked down the stairs of heaven with a Baby in His arms." Paul Scherer

"What can I give Him, poor as I am? If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb; If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part; Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart." Christina Rossetti

"It is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas, when its mighty Founder was a child himself." Charles Dickens

This is the central truth of Christianity: God has entered human history in order to provide for our salvation. What we could not do, he did for us through his Son. Everything else flows from this truth. If he had not been born, he could not have died for our sins. And he would not have risen from the dead. He had to become like us in order to save us. There was no other way.

Lord Jesus, grant that in all my going and coming that I might not be too busy for you. You are welcome in my heart and my home today! Amen.

We sometimes hear that Christmas proves how important we are to God. After all, he sent his Son to save us. That's true, but it's not the whole story. Christmas proves how messed up we are. Jesus didn't come for perfect people because perfect people don't need a Savior. If you don't see yourself as a sinner, then Christmas is just another holiday. But if you are wiling to admit that you are lost, then you can be found. Christmas is for broken people who aren't ashamed to admit it. The self-righteous need not apply. They missed him when he came the first time, and they still miss him today.

If the world had needed education, God would have sent a teacher. If the world had needed an army, God would have sent a general. If the world had needed more money, God would have sent a banker. But since the world needed a Savior, God sent a baby! That is the surprise, and the wonder, and ultimately the delight of Christmas. God did what we would never have done, and in so doing, he opened the door to heaven for all of us.

Some people think about Jesus each year at Christmastime. Deeply touched, they resolve to know him personally. Then the moment passes and the pressures of a new year lead them away from the manger. There is great danger in coming near to Christ but never making a commitment. You can’t cram for heaven the way you cram for a chemistry exam. You can’t take a crash course to get into heaven. Sooner or later, you’ve got to make a personal commitment that Jesus Christ will be your Lord and Savior. Every time you put it off, it becomes harder the next time.

"In manger poor the Babe He lies That made the world and rules the skies." From an ancient English carol called "I Heard a Mess of Merry Shepherds," ca. 1611

How far is God willing to go to save you? He’s willing to leave the glories of heaven. He’s willing to be carried in a virgin’s womb. He’s willing to be born in a stable and wrapped in rags. He’s willing to be ignored by the world. He’s willing to become just like you. He’s willing to shed his blood for you. How far is God willing to go? You can’t even imagine the answer to that question. There is no pit so deep that the love of God is not deeper still. At Christmastime, we do not celebrate the birth of some aloof God who stands afar off. No, we celebrate the birth of Immanuel—God with us. How far is God willing to go? Whatever pit you’re in, God is willing to enter that pit and meet you there. That’s what he did 2000 years ago.

"Jesus was the best man who ever lived. None of us has any right to experience less affliction than he did. If we experience less, it is mercy. We don’t deserve the peaceful lives we have. They are merciful gifts. For Jesus it was affliction from the beginning. His birth was scandalous (conceived before marriage). It was in an animal-feeding trough. It was threatened and hated by the political powers (Herod). He barely escaped death as a child and had to become a refugee in Egypt. And so it went until he was accused of sedition against Caesar and crucified… . So the 'great joy' announced by the angels is a very embattled joy. It is a joy to be fought for and a joy always under attack. Always threatened by tribulation." John Piper

Lord Jesus, grant me eyes of faith to see you as you are, King in a cradle and Lord of the universe. Amen.

The coming of Christ means the end of all human boasting. It’s the end of vanity and outrageous ambition. His coming means an end to insatiable greed and uncontrolled lust for power. The mighty are brought down by a baby in a manger.

"Here is love, vast as the ocean Loving kindness as the flood When the Prince of Life, our Ransom Shed for us His precious blood Who His love will not remember? Who can cease to sing His praise? He can never be forgotten Throughout Heaven's eternal days" The song "Here is Love" came out of Welsh revival of 1904. Written by William Rees. Translated from Welsh by William Williams.

"So the question is, 'Who will go? Who will proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ where the church is not yet planted and flourishing?" Should I go? I ask myself this at least once a year. And I mean it seriously. I am willing to go. I think every follower of Jesus is bound by the cords of love and obedience to say, 'I am willing to follow you wherever you lead me.' Every believer in Jesus should say, 'Here am I, send me, if that is your will.'" John Piper

Perhaps you’ve heard it said this way: “Don’t pray for God to bless what you are doing. Find out what God is blessing and go be a part of it.” That strikes me as wise advice. God blesses those who get excited about his plan to bless the world through Jesus.

"I saw more clearly than ever that the first great and primary business to which I ought to attend every day was to have my soul happy in the Lord. The first thing to be concerned about was not how much I might serve the Lord but how I might get my soul into a happy state, and how the inner life might be nourished." George Müller of Bristol (1805-1898) from his autobiography

Praying to God is not like going to the principal’s office. When you are in trouble, you need a friend, not a judge. Thank God, we have a friend in high places. He will not turn us away when we need him most.

Wise words for preachers: "Jesus didn't say, 'Feed my giraffes.' He said, 'Feed my sheep.' Put the hay on the lower shelf where God's sheep can get to it." J. Vernon McGee

"To dismiss the Bible is to dismiss Jesus Christ. Don’t make that mistake." Billy Graham

"Holy Jesus, every day Keep us in the narrow way; And, when earthly things are past, Bring our ransomed souls at last Where they need no star to guide, Where no clouds Thy Glory hide." From "As With Gladness, Men of Old" by William C. Dix, 1860

Father, make me like Jesus, who spoke for the ages and never wasted a word. Amen.

"King of all days, Oh so highly exalted Glorious in heaven above. Humbly you came to the earth you created. All for love's sake became poor." From "Here I Am to Worship" by Tim Hughes

Whatever you have to do this week, God will equip you to do it. No matter how hard the road ahead, God has already started mending your nets and arming you for battle. You don’t even have to ask him; he just does it because that’s the kind of God he is. He never, never, never, never calls you to any hard task without giving you what you need to get the job done.

We all say we want justice until we get in trouble. Then we want mercy. That's why we need Jesus in the first place.

Active faith releases God's power. God told the children of Israel that the walls of Jericho would fall down. But they still had to march. The miracle came after they obeyed, not before.

"From sinking sand He lifted me, with tender hand He lifted me, from shades of night to plains of light, O praise His name, He lifted me!" Charles H. Gabriel, 1905

Occasionally God saves very terrible sinners, Who have lived evil lives, And done terrible things, Who definitely don't deserve saving, Because they are just like us, And we are just like them. If we think anything else, we don't have a clue about our sin or how much we need the grace of God ourselves.

"And now let the weak say, 'I am strong.' Let the poor say, 'I am rich Because of what the Lord has done for us.' Give thanks." Don Moen

We go through life saying, “What have you done for me lately, Lord?” And the Lord replies, “If only you knew.”