Today's Verse

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By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Isaiah 2:22

Stop trusting in man, who has but a breath in his nostrils. Of what account is he?

— Isaiah 2:22 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

How many times have you been disappointed by someone for whom you voted, been betrayed by a friend, abandoned by a loved one, or let down by a church leader? While we love others and care about them, every other person in our world is just like us -- a flawed human being who breathes the same air and walks the same ground as we do. Only One is worthy of our ultimate trust. He showed his trustworthiness to us by sacrificing what was most precious to him so we could know his love. Let's not put our hope in other mere mortals; only God can safeguard our trust. Let's put our hope in him!

My Prayer...

Father, you know the broken places in my heart that were caused by the failure of people in my life. I confess that I have sometimes become disillusioned with your way because of the failures and inconsistencies in your people. Deep down I know, dear Father, that their failures do not mean your failure, but it is hard for it not to feel that way. Call me close to you. Give me a more gracious heart toward those who fail me. Establish my faith, strong and firm in you, O LORD. In you I put my trust. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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Romans 15:14

I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

— Romans 15:14 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

While we may be flawed and imperfect, Paul reminds us of how important, competent, and useful we can be to each other. While our hope is in God, he has given us each other in our walk of faith. Let's not live as isolated islands of faith, but lean on each other and learn from each other as we look to Christ for our salvation and strength.

My Prayer...

Thank you, dear Father, for placing the people in my life who have shaped, taught, corrected, and supported me in my life with you. I am thankful for your support of me through their words, example, and touch. Thank you for giving me a family to travel with on my journey home to you. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

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By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Psalm 103:12

As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.

— Psalm 103:12 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Now that's a long way - from sun rising to sun setting, that's how far God has removed our sins. But the key word is removed. When we sin and come to God in repentance, God doesn't just forgive our sin; he purifies us of all unrighteousness. What was unholy in me is made righteous in him. What was impure is now clean. What was stained is spotless. Why? How? We can now see more fully what the Psalmist could know only in part. God doesn't see our sin, but rather he sees Jesus' sacrifice. His blood purifies and cleanses us! Our sin is gone and we are clean.

My Prayer...

Father of mercies, thank you for not only forgiving my sins, but for removing them. I thank you that I can stand before you holy and without fault because of the blood of Jesus and your gracious desire to forgive. I now ask, Righteous Father, that you strengthen me with your Holy Spirit so that my conduct will reflect the way you see me in Jesus. In the name of the Christ, your Son and my Savior, I pray. Amen.

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By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Acts 4:12

Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

— Acts 4:12 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

While many substitute-Messiahs have been offered, only the True Messiah saves. While we often live for many lords, only one Lord liberates and sets us free from sin and death. While many ways are claimed to bring us close to God, Jesus insists that he is the only way. So we're driven to one ultimate question: do we believe salvation is in Jesus alone, or do we not? It's our choice. But what we decide about Jesus is really deciding about everything. Is Jesus your Lord? Is Jesus the name above all names in your life? Is Jesus your Savior? If not, then please reconsider, for the Bible says: "Salvation is found in no one else."

My Prayer...

Thank you, Almighty God, for choosing to share your grace with me in Jesus. May I never take the precious name of Jesus in vain. May Jesus himself come and reign as Lord in my heart and in my life. May Jesus be seen in the way I treat others. May Jesus know that there is no rival for my allegiance to him. In that precious name of Jesus, your Son and my Savior, I pray. Amen.

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Colossians 1:15

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

— Colossians 1:15 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

If we had been alive when Jesus worked in the carpentry shop in Nazareth or walked along the Sea of Galilee near Capernaum, we could have said, "There goes God," and been right. The amazing reality of Jesus is that he was God among us. Matthew calls him Immanuel, "God with us." In Colossians 1, Paul pours out every superlative he can use to describe Jesus' preeminence over everything and everyone. He is God with a human face. He is the ruler, the transcendent one, who reigns above all creation. He is also our Savior and our sacrifice.

My Prayer...

Almighty God, why you should love us so much, I can't comprehend. We have rejected you, spurned you, ignored you, blasphemed you, and sought to place you on the periphery of our lives. Yet time and again, you are there to hear our cries and save us from ourselves. Forgive me, Father, for not reverencing you more. Forgive me for not recognizing the greatness of Jesus and the utter humility it took for him to sacrifice himself for me. But Father, thank you! Thank you for being patient, sacrificial, and long-suffering. Thank you, in Jesus' name. Amen.

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Proverbs 19:2

It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.

— Proverbs 19:2 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Maybe one of the most important things we can do to grow in spiritual maturity is to find the right things to get passionate about. We can get riled up about some of the most inconsequential issues. We can get wildly passionate about everything from sports to chocolate pie. But zeal, passion for an issue, must be anchored to spiritual wisdom and understanding. We can get worked up over something and completely miss the will of the Lord because we were blinded by our own passions. While I want zealous people around me, I want them to be zealous for God's things and for Kingdom issues.

My Prayer...

Powerful and perfect God, I find it so easy to get "all wound up" about something and then lose my zeal for it by the next morning, or I get so roused to action, I go off half-cocked and do terrible damage. Dear Father, please give me the wisdom to see what is best and right and true. Holy God, I want to serve and honor you and bless others in your name. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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1 John 5:20

We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true -- even in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.

— 1 John 5:20 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Jesus came to reveal God to us. He has given us the clearest picture yet of what God is really like. Because of Jesus, we can know God, the only one who is truly genuine. Because we are in Christ, we share that special bond with the Father and find in him a whole new quality of life. This life won't end when our bodies die, and eternal life begins in this life, as we walk with him each day and extends unto forever. For the eternal and transcendent God to make himself known to us is grace. For him to do it in Jesus is salvation!

My Prayer...

Holy and awesome Father, I know that because my life is joined to you through Jesus, I will enjoy your presence forever. I love you for all you have done for me and the terrible price you paid to redeem me from my sins. I love you for creating me and having a plan for my life when no one else knew I was even conceived. Most of all, I love you for being God and choosing to be the kind of Father who wants his children to know and love him. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Isaiah 51:5

[The Lord said,] My righteousness draws near speedily, my salvation is on the way, and my arm will bring justice to the nations. The islands will look to me and wait in hope for my arm.

— Isaiah 51:5 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

God's promises stand through the ages. He has fulfilled them in many different ways. He has punished evil nations, he has redeemed Israel according to his promises, and he has sent Jesus as Savior and redeemer. But most importantly of all, Jesus stands at the edge of history waiting to return and bring full redemption for God's people and salvation for those everywhere who long for his return.

My Prayer...

Sovereign Lord, I see so much injustice in the world and I long for truth, righteousness, and justice to triumph. While I long for the return of Jesus, my heart also breaks for the many who do not know Jesus and for those who are in rebellion to your will. I don't know what to ask other than that your will be done on earth as it is in heaven and may the triumph of your will begin with me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Colossians 1:16

For by him [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

— Colossians 1:16 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

"Jesus is Lord!" That doesn't just mean that we have yielded our lives to his will and trusted in his grace. "Jesus is Lord!" This means that everything that is created is his. All angels, demons, and spirits are below him and their purpose is to honor and serve him. Even though demons have chosen not to honor and serve him, that decision does not change what their purpose should be or the fact that Jesus showed his superiority over them in his crucifixion and resurrection. The universe, with its vast expanse and glory, was made by him and made to declare his glory. As God's image to us, God's presence for us to know and see, he is our King, Lord, and Savior. If our lives are in his hands and our hearts are yielded to his will, then no one and nothing can prevent his ultimate victory for us and in us.

My Prayer...

Holy and Almighty God, thank you for revealing yourself in Jesus. Thank you for triumphing over all powers and created beings. Thank you for giving me the confidence that since I belong to you, no outside force or any power of creation can have what belongs to you. In the name of the Creator and King of all I pray. Amen.

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Psalm 121:7-8

The LORD will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

— Psalm 121:7-8 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

One of my hardest challenges as a parent is knowing that I can't ultimately protect my children from some hurts and heartbreaks. Some of their pain is necessary to help them mature and grow. Some of it is just the agonizing result of living in a fallen world. But, we can be fully confident that if we share the Lord with them, if they give their lives to his will, nothing can steal them from his ultimate victory, care, and reunion with us and with him. Knowing how we love our children, imagine how much the Father loves us and longs to bring us to that place of safety in his house! Until we get home, isn't it comforting to know that he is watching over us and those we love, now and forevermore?

My Prayer...

Watching and waiting Father, I too look forward to our first face-to-face meeting. O Father, I know you see me and watch over me, but sometimes I miss seeing you and find it hard to wait to be comforted and blessed in your presence and my eternal home. Until then, I recognize your watching care over all of my ways and thank you now for everything I will one day receive. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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1 Peter 3:15

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. 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 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Having Jesus as our Lord does not mean that we bulldoze over others with this important eternal reality. Gentleness and respect are the character traits of those who have Jesus as their Lord. After all, Jesus loved others enough to die for them. Jesus even asked for those who crucified him and those who mocked him as he died to be forgiven. Having such a Lord means we have prepared a response when we are given an opportunity to share the basis of our hope in him. Those around us may not appear interested, but many are seeking for something they have not yet identified. Let's be ready when their time is right to meet Jesus!

My Prayer...

Holy and gracious God, please give me wisdom to see the opportunities to share the love of Jesus with those around me. I ask you to especially help me be able to share Jesus with several of my friends that I now mention by name ... Father, please give me the gentleness to do this redemptively, showing them the same respect Jesus did to those to whom he ministered. In the name of the Savior, your Son Jesus, I pray. Amen.

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Acts 2:36
Mark read
Today, 2:00 AM
God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.

— Acts 2:36 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

More than titles, these two names of Jesus are the pillars around which we can build our new lives in God's Kingdom. Jesus is Lord! He is our Ruler and King. He is our Master and Teacher. Our hearts are yielded to his will and open to his leading. We hold no rival to Jesus in our hearts and lives. Jesus is the Christ! He is the Messiah, the promised Savior of the Old Testament. He is the one of whom the prophets spoke. Ruler and Savior, Master and Messiah, Jesus is God's gift to bring us home. Jesus is the one who went to the Cross to bring us forgiveness, redemption, and salvation. The Crucified One is both Lord and Christ.

My Prayer...

We praise your mighty Name, O Lord, and thank you for your gracious and sacrificial love. We praise you dear Father, for sending your Son Jesus to die for our sins and to be raised for our hope and salvation. Please help me, Sovereign God, to yield my heart to Jesus my Lord as well as open my lips in praise to the Christ of my salvation. In the mighty name Jesus and through the intercession of the Spirit I pray. Amen.

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Psalm 86:6-7
Mark read
Today, 2:00 AM
Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.

— Psalm 86:6-7 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Sometimes there are no immediate answers. We have prayed and cried and tried and gone sleepless and mourned and shouted. Still there are no answers. The days roll by in an agonizing parade of pain. Still there are no answers we can identify. What do we do? We go to the Psalms. We let them raise up our heart's cry. We are honest with the God of the entire universe and yet we can still anticipate mercy from him. We are convinced that in our troubles, he will not only hear us, but he will also care about what is happening in our lives.

My Prayer...

Almighty God, the only true Healer of disease and Mender of broken hearts, please hear the cry today of those I love who are in such desperate situations. May your will be done in every one of their lives with tenderness, grace, and a sense of your presence. And Lord, please be near me, and help me see your answer to my prayers. Forever yours in the name of Jesus. Amen.

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Isaiah 51:6

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear but like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.

— Isaiah 51:6 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that sometimes the Bible is so brutally honest it hurts! We consider our world, our earth, to have been here a long time and assume it will be here a long time more. But God reminds us that it is temporary! We are even more temporary: just like flies, we're here for a short while, and then we're gone. But not gone, gone! Christians are just gone from the temporary existence of earth because our lives are caught up with Christ in God's salvation which lasts forever and God's righteousness that will never end or fail.

My Prayer...

O Righteous Father who hears my prayers and strengthens me for the journey, thank you for the assurance that what I have as a Christian with you goes beyond the boundaries of death, the limitations of my humanity, and the vulnerabilities of my weaknesses. Thank you that I am tied to you and your salvation and that because of Jesus, you see me as your righteous and holy child. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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Colossians 1:17

He [Jesus] is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

— Colossians 1:17 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Before there was an earth, universe, or nature, there was Jesus! He was before they were made. He will be after they are long gone. In fact, his power and his presence are what hold our world, our universe, and our nature together. He is the sustaining force, the enabling power, and the generous preserver of life as we know it. So since he could provide us these things and they are but a faint anticipation of what is yet to be, won't it be great to see him, just as he is, and share in his glory with him?!

My Prayer...

Thank you, Jesus, for your gracious providence this day. Thank you for creating this incredible world in which I live. You are worthy of all praise, honor, glory, and thanks! I look forward to the day, dear Lord, when I can worship you face to face, and give thanks to our Father with you, for his wonderful love. To you, and in your name, dear Jesus, I offer all my thanks and praise. Amen.