Today's Verse

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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2 Peter 1:21
For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

— 2 Peter 1:21 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Where did Scripture come from? What is the basis of our faith in the Bible and the Gospel? Peter wants us to realize that the prophets of ancient times didn't bake up their own private recipes for their prophecies. Instead, they could only move and respond to what God was doing in them, not what they themselves wanted to do or say. They were human, but their message was God's word because the Holy Spirit moved them to speak and guided their words. This makes what we have in Scripture from the prophets more than precious: we are given the very words of God! (cf. 2 Timothy 3:16-17)

My Prayer...

Almighty God, thank you for inspiring ordinary people to give us your extraordinary message in common, everyday language. Thank you for delivering that essential message to us in the Bible and preserving it through times of persecution, hardship, and opposition. Please use those same Scriptures to ignite a whole new revival in my heart and throughout our land. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Nehemiah 9:6
You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.

— Nehemiah 9:6 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Our praise is pretty irrelevant to everyone and everything but us, those closest to us, and amazingly to God. In a universe so vast, so much bigger than Nehemiah could have imagined, what is our small voice and our song of praise? The billions of stars and innumerable creatures of the immense seas all cry out that our Creator is LORD. God will receive the worship of the angels and all the heavenly beings. What difference does it make if we praise him? To the universe, to be blunt, it doesn't matter. But it does to us! It matters even more to the LORD, who longs to be our Father and wants to bring us into relationship with himself.

My Prayer...

Holy and amazing God, you alone are Lord -- Lord of all creation and Lord of my life. You are praised by all you have made. Your works cry out and declare your creative genius and your loving kindness. Father, I want to add my heartfelt praise to the chorus of creation, the voices of the angels, and the praise of many who have come before me. You are truly worthy to be praised. I gladly offer you my words, my songs, my heart, and my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Zechariah 8:21
The inhabitants of one city will go to another and say, "Let us go at once to entreat the LORD and seek the LORD Almighty. I myself am going."

— Zechariah 8:21 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

This Messianic message from Zechariah anticipates the day of the LORD's redemption. Many different peoples, from all over the world, will come looking for the great mercy of God. God's people will have one key phrase on their hearts: "Let's go seek the presence of God. I'm going; why don't you join me?" As believers, we know Jesus has come, has died, and has been raised from the dead. We know Jesus is returning with salvation for all who truly know and follow him. Let's ask others to join us in going to the great celebration of grace and salvation at his return!

My Prayer...

Loving Father, I seek your presence daily in my life. Without your guidance, love, holiness, and truth, I would be lost and confused. Knowing that my destiny is with you, I look forward to seeing you face to face as your child. Please lead me to those who do not know you, but who are seeking you. Give me eyes to see them, ears to hear their cry, and wisdom to know how to share your grace. Use me to prepare them to meet you at the great Day of Redemption that is coming with your Son. In the name of Christ Jesus my Lord. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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1 Peter 3:18
For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.

— 1 Peter 3:18 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

It sounds so simple and straightforward, doesn't it? Kinda like the newspaper headline about someone dying we don't know. Just cold, hard facts! But we know differently. Underneath this statement of grace lies the broken heart of God, the sacrifice of heaven, the brutality of supposedly religious men, and the searching love of our God who would not abandon us to the cruel "Deathmaster." For those who knew animal sacrifice, with its high personal cost and animal sacrifices, this verse is more than a headline: it is a "graceline." Once for all -- no more sacrifices needed. Bring you to God -- no more distance, no intermediaries between God and us. Jesus is heaven's open door and God's open heart saying, "Come home; we've been waiting for you."

My Prayer...

What words, O gracious Father, can I use to express my appreciation for your sacrifice and grace? I have none sufficient to say what I feel. But even in this realization, I know the gift of your Spirit ensures that you hear my words and my heart. Every good and lasting thing I have comes from your grace. Please receive my undying love and my heartfelt praise for all you are, for all you have done, and for all that you will be. In Jesus' precious name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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1 Chronicles 16:10
Glory in his holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

— 1 Chronicles 16:10 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

What is your glory? Do you glory in your accomplishments, your wealth, your status, your looks, your piety, your humility ...? In the old hymn "Beneath the Cross of Jesus," we confess, "My glory, all the Cross." That's what Christians mean when we "glory in God's holy name." Our full understanding of God's holy name has been greatly expanded by Jesus. He taught us to not only reverence the name of God, but also to call him Father. Any other cause of joy, any other basis for boasting, is a passing illusion. For those whose hearts seek the LORD, glory is found in reverencing the holy name of the Father who gave up his precious Son so we could be his children. He loves us that much. Incredible!

My Prayer...

You have blessed me in so many ways, Father. How can I ever begin to thank you properly? I confess that I sometimes seek notoriety and glory for myself even though I know it is fleeting and often it is only the false flattery of those who want something from me. But deep in my heart, dear God, I know that my true glory is found in the adoption covenant you signed with your grace. Thank you! Words cannot capture my appreciation, but please know that I look forward to being eternally grateful for all that you have done. May the glory be yours in heaven and throughout the earth, both now and forevermore. In the name of Jesus I praise you. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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1 Peter 1:8-9
Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

— 1 Peter 1:8-9 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Can you trust what you don't see? Of course! What kind of question is that? Our lives depend on what we cannot see -- things like gravity and the air we breathe, just to name two. Faith in Jesus is as natural as faith in each of those things. The problem is that our hearts are skeptical. We find it hard to believe that anyone divine would love us so much. Our experience says, "If it seems too good to be true, it is." That skepticism is just the twisted form of the response God longs to see from us: "inexpressible and glorious joy." I don't know about you, but I've tasted both. I prefer joy over skepticism!

My Prayer...

What joy fills my heart, Father, when I anticipate what it will be like to be in your presence -- to have you wipe each tear from my eyes and to have you introduce me again to those I love and to those I've only known by reputation. Please never let me outlive that sense of anticipation and never let that hope dim in my heart, no matter what else may happen in my life here. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Colossians 1:13
For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves.

— Colossians 1:13 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

People from all over the world and from many different nationalities read Today's Verse. While our national origins and ethnic heritages are different, we are members of one Kingdom. Our allegiance transcends race, culture, language, and nation. Why? Because we've been rescued from the dominion that holds sway over race, culture, language, and nation. That dominion divides us and makes us suspicious of each other, leading to hatred and warfare. We've been given a more glorious Kingdom! We've been made into a more glorious and colorful race! We are God's children and part of the Kingdom of the Son he loves.

My Prayer...

Use us, O Father, to break down the barriers that separate peoples on the basis of temporary externals. Make us into a Kingdom of character, hope, and love. Cast all darkness out of our hearts. Shine the light of your grace through us to our world so people can see us a healing for the nations. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, the only true Savior of all peoples, I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Psalm 5:11
But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you.

— Psalm 5:11 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

The last several years have not been easy for believers. Persecution around the world is at an all time high. In the United States, mass murderers specifically targeted those who believed in God. Though executed for their faith, their witness to the LORD has been as inspiring. We have many choices when faced with such reality. Shock probably should not be among them. This is an old horror, going back to the earliest days of the Christian community. It actually originated long before the days of Jesus, when our Jewish heroes were persecuted for two simple reasons: they believed in the One true God and they were Jewish. I believe it's time that we start praying this ancient prayer from today's Scripture in Psalm 5 again. When we pray it, let's remember that no matter what others may do to us, they cannot separate us from God and the deliverance he holds for us in his future.

My Prayer...

Almighty God, please bless our world with a season of peace. Bless us with a respite from the horrors Satan has afflicted on your children through the hatred of men. Give us the courage, in peace or in persecution, to be open about our faith, generous with our forgiveness, and steadfast in our hope. Finally, Father, please bless those whose loved ones were martyred because of their faith in you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Proverbs 19:15
Laziness brings on deep sleep, and the shiftless man goes hungry.

— Proverbs 19:15 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

I was raised in a family with three boys. Dad had a theory: A certain amount of testosterone had to be burned off by each boy every day. If it weren't burned off daily, the house would quickly become unlivable. Dad didn't have to memorize Proverbs 19:15 - it was embedded in his DNA! Growing up, I didn't appreciate the importance of hard work. I knew they didn't call it "hard" by accident! I was content to be a lollygagger (in East Texan English, that's Solomon's ol' lazy, shiftless man). As I've grown older, I've found that working hard with my hands has many redeeming qualities and being a lollygagger has none!

My Prayer...

El Shaddai, God over all things, please teach me the balance between work and rest. Help me to balance both, so that I can bring you honor and display your gracious rule over my heart and my time. In the name of Jesus I ask this. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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1 Corinthians 6:11
That is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

— 1 Corinthians 6:11 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Following a list of vices, both scandalous and common, Paul finishes with this incredible word of grace. We all have a tendency to live in the land of "I-used-to-be." For some of us, our past accomplishments become our excuse to live in the arrogant afterglow of yesterday. Paul wrote Philippians 3:4b-9 for this group. For others of us, the wounds and sins of our past become the bag of rocks we drag with us through the rest of life. We take those "rancid rocks" out and inspect them once again to our misery. We use them as proof of why we can't move on with our lives. What a glorious awakening Paul gives us in this passage. In Christ, there are no more bags and no more rocks. We're clean! We're made holy! We're declared innocent of any wrongdoing. How? Why? Who? The sacrifice and triumph of Jesus and the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.

My Prayer...

Forgive me, Father, for lingering on yesterdays, ruining my todays, and clouding up my tomorrows. Help me with my tendency to live in the land of "I-used-to-be." Give me the courage to believe that you have put my past in its proper place and want to do a new glorious thing in me today, a glorious and gracious thing that brings you honor and me salvation! In Jesus' name I thank you. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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1 Samuel 12:15
If you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

— 1 Samuel 12:15 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said more than 50 years ago that grace had become cheapened. I wonder what he would say today? I'm all for grace, but I'm horrified at the cost by which it came. I can't for the life of me understand how we can so often claim to have received it and yet bear no resemblance in character to the one who gave it. God's Word through Samuel is a harsh one. Yet it is one that I believe we must include in our triumphant song of grace. You see, true grace changes us. It will make us gracious and more like the Grace-giver himself. If not, what we call grace is impotent, powerless, and false. Paul called this a form of religion that denied God's true power in us (2 Timothy 3:5). Let's return obedience back to the pantheon of virtues and rescue it from the attic of our religious past.

My Prayer...

Father, I know that you are disappointed with my sin and yet your grace still flows and covers it. But Father, I NEVER want to presume on that grace. You and I know the deepest struggles of my character and the things I only want to "kinda" give up. Please work your perfection in me through the Holy Spirit, conforming me to be more and more like my Savior Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Romans 5:1-2
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

— Romans 5:1-2 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Peace is more than the mercurial, vaporous, whimsical wish of folks who just want everyone to get along and things to be calm. The peace the apostle Paul is describing here, peace with God, goes much deeper than simply a desire for calm and for a lack of conflict. Jesus, through his sacrificial obedience to God, has made peace with God real for us. Yes, God provided it by grace. Yes, God is the one who insures it because of that grace. But, because this peace is tied to him and his character, we can rejoice and anticipate being caught up in the glory of our glorious God.

My Prayer...

O great Majesty on high, I praise you for the gift of your grace in Jesus. Give me confidence and trust so that I may stand, secure and emboldened to live for you, with a life full of hope and joy. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Exodus 15:11
Who among the gods is like you, O LORD? Who is like you -- majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

— Exodus 15:11 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

With whom do you compare the incomparable? How do you grasp the infinite with a finite mind? When the quintessence of majesty is the God you contemplate, how can you ever speak of majesty about anything else? God exhausts our superlatives. God's glory bewilders our imaginations. God's greatness exceeds our wildest dreams. He is beyond what we can know or believe. Yet the Wonder of all his wonders is simply this: he limited himself to a baby, swaddled by loving parents in strips of cloth, and placed in a feed trough because there was no room for them in the inn. Sometimes the greatest of all wonders are not the ones that require our biggest and best words. Sometimes the greatest of all wonders wrap their tiny fingers around our own and capture our hearts.

My Prayer...

I do not know how to understand your incredible love for us, yes even for me. How could you enter our world in baby Jesus? Like the Magi, I bow and worship you, Lord Jesus, and our Father who sent you. Who is like you, O God? Nobody is even close. Yet for some reason known only to your grace, you have brought us close. I praise you for your majesty and I praise you for your manger. To your glory, precious Jesus, and in your name, I offer this praise. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Exodus 15:13
In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed. In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling.

— Exodus 15:13 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

As a minister, I am privileged to be present at many of the most important events in people's lives. Good or bad, to be there at the crossroads of life is a sacred trust. In those moments that are hardest, dying and death, verses like this one fill my heart with strength and remind me why I answered a call to serve in waters way above my head. God's promise here is a great reminder that what he began when he redeemed his people out of Egypt, he would also complete by bringing them into the Promised Land. Now, we can hear a more powerful promise behind these words. We can find it even more reasonable to trust them. God did what he said for Israel. Since he did for them, can't we say with confidence, "I know you will guide us to your holy dwelling?"

My Prayer...

Tender Shepherd, you have led me through some very difficult times and brought me safely through. Now as I seek to live for you, please make your presence known. I truly believe that you are guiding me to your holy dwelling, but sometimes, I must confess, the way becomes difficult and faith becomes hard. Renew my courage, O Lord, just as you did with reluctant Moses and untested Joshua. Then, dear Lord, please use me to help others find your promise and their way home to you. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Psalm 91:4
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge ...

— Psalm 91:4 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Life is filled with many uncertainties. You never know when something unexpected is going to happen. You have no idea when the next disaster will strike. In a world filled with hate and terrorism, none of us has a clue when the next horrible atrocity will take place. So what do we do when we can't be sure of our circumstances? We take shelter under the wing of the One who is above all circumstances! We take assurance in our Father who has promised to bring us to himself no matter what may happen today ... in our world ... and to our bodies. Our lives are hidden with our Father because we've been joined to Christ. He is our Refuge! His wings are our shelter!

My Prayer...

Father, what words can I offer that are sufficient to thank and praise you for your deliverance that is greater than death? You are the Alpha and the Omega. You are the God who was and is and is to come. You are my Abba Father, who has adopted me and made me your own. I place my trust, my hope, and future in you and I will not be afraid. I find my refuge under your wings! All praise to you in the name of Jesus. Amen.