Good Words for Today
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.”
"Beside us to guide us, our God with us joining, Ordaining, maintaining His kingdom divine; So from the beginning the fight we were winning; Thou, Lord, were at our side, all glory be Thine!" Edward Baker, 1894, from the Thanksgiving hymn, "We Gather Together."
"Be killing sin, or sin will be killing you." John Owen
"All hail the pow’r of Jesus’ Name! Let angels prostrate fall; Bring forth the royal diadem, And crown Him Lord of all!" Edward Perronet, 1780
God honors imperfect faith because that's the only kind we can have in an imperfect world.
Lord of All Things, help me to place myself under your care, holding nothing back, making no excuses, but giving you all things in advance, and letting you fill in the details. Amen.
“If the devil cannot make us bad, he will make us busy.” Corrie Ten Boom
"God will make a way Where there seems to be no way He works in ways we cannot see He will make a way for me." Don Moen
Miracles come in many varieties. Some are outward and spectacular. Some are inward as God gives strength to his children as they suffer for him. Who’s to say which is greater?
Who will dream big dreams for God? Why not you?
"People who do not know the Lord ask why in the world we waste our lives as missionaries. They forget that they too are expending their lives. And when the bubble has burst, they will have nothing of eternal significance to show for the years they have wasted." Nate Saint
Man looks on the outward and makes his judgments that way. God always looks to the heart first and foremost. Where there is no faith, even the finest offering makes no difference.
God loves it when his people dare to trust him.
"How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds In a believer’s ear! It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, And drives away his fear." John Newton, 1779
In light of all that Christ has done, we are invited to trust him as Lord and Savior. But this is not merely an option we can take or leave as if we might find a better offer somewhere else. To say that God commands us to believe in Christ means that if we refuse his offer of eternal life we will regret our wrong decision for all eternity.
"I planted, Apollos watered, but God made it grow" (1 Corinthians 3:6). Our work apart from God means nothing. Without our work, there is nothing to grow. Do not despair if all you are doing is planting seeds. That's where it all begins. Sometimes we are planting and waiting. Sometimes we are watering and waiting. If we do our part, God will not fail to do his. Harvest time is coming. You can count on it.
Sometimes we just have to let go. How hard that is for most of us. Letting go doesn’t exactly mean giving up. It doesn’t mean passively sitting by while the world takes advantage of us. Letting go means giving up the right to always be in control. Letting go means admitting that you aren’t calling all the shots. Letting go means that you choose not to manipulate others. Letting go means admitting that you don’t have all the answers. Letting go means yielding your frantic emotions to the Lord. Letting go means resigning your position as Boss of the Universe.
"My hope is built on nothing less Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame But wholly lean on Jesus’ name." Edward Mote, 1834
Our situation is so hopeless that salvation must come from another place. We need help that comes from outside ourselves. We are not saved by what we do but by what Jesus Christ has done for us.
"My plea is that all of us who love the gospel of Jesus and who love people will not shrink back from speaking boldly and clearly and wisely about the whole counsel of God, including the wonderful truth that Jesus delivers from the wrath of God. Nothing is more terrible than to be the deserving object of the just and omnipotent wrath of God. The world, and everyone in it, needs to know that God has made a way of escape through Jesus Christ. This knowledge is essential to the gospel we preach." John Piper
"Has Christ put away your sin? If he has, be as happy as the days are long in the sweet summertime, and be as bright as a garden in the month of June, and sing like angels, for you have more to sing about than angels have." Charles Spurgeon
"Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share, But our toil He doth richly repay; Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross, But is blessed if we trust and obey." John H. Sammis, 1897