Today's Verse

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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John 1:14
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

— John 1:14 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

God's message wasn't content to stay confined to a book, a prophecy, or a scroll. Praise God! This Message, this Word, took on flesh and blood and bones! Praise God Almighty! This Message, this Word, didn't remain far off, distantly holy and unapproachable. Praise the LORD, God of Israel! He came to us in human flesh, bringing us love, hope, redemption, mercy, salvation, joy...

My Prayer...

Almighty God, I praise and exalt your name above all names. Your love is greater than the volume of all of our oceans. Your mercy stretches farther than the great expanses of our known space. Your grace is beyond calculation. Your salvation is marvelous beyond compare. Thank you for blessing me with all of these in Jesus, who came and lived in my world so I can make my home in yours. In the name of Christ the Lord, I praise you. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
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John 3:16
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

— John 3:16 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

God wants us to have life! Real life. Life that lasts forever with him! That's why he sent Jesus, so we could have life. That is why Jesus left him and came to earth. That is why Jesus endured the Cross and its humiliation. That's why Jesus rose from the dead. God loves us with an everlasting love in Jesus! What other Christmas gift can compare? "O come, let us adore him!"

My Prayer...

Of all your gifts, loving Father, none can compare to Jesus. You are worthy of praise simply because of who you are. You are worthy of honor because of all that you have done. You are worthy of praise because of your mighty acts. Most of all, you are worthy of my heart, soul, mind, and strength because of your love demonstrated in Jesus. Thank you for the greatest gift of all! In Jesus' name I praise you. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
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John 3:17
For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

— John 3:17 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

God is not about condemnation. I know that Satan got the rumor started a long time ago, but don't believe it. God is not some fiendish teacher looking to flunk and embarrass his students. He is not some cantankerous judge looking to shame, humiliate, and punish all who interlope into his court, innocent or not. He is not some gossip spreading rumors about our shortcomings across the neighborhoods of heaven. No, this God wants to bless us with his salvation. He wants to dispense mercy and grace. He wants us to be his children. Yet he is also holy, righteous, awesome, and just. So when these two realities of God collide, there is only one solution: Jesus! God sent Jesus to save people of all nations and races and cultures from sin and death -- yes, even us!

My Prayer...

I praise you, O God, for your desire to save me. I thank you for demanding holiness from me to save me from the havoc sin causes in my life. I thank you for calling me to righteousness, so that my life will be a blessing to others and not a burden. I thank you for challenging me to have your character, so that others can see your glory in my good deeds. So please use me, Father. I know I am flawed, but I want to be one of your tools letting the lost know about your mercy and grace in Jesus. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
Free By RSS News From Heartlight
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2 Corinthians 9:10
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.

— 2 Corinthians 9:10 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

God has blessed us so much in Jesus. Yet God longs to bless us even more. Why? God longs to bless us because ... he is a generous God ... because he is our loving Father ... because that is his nature ... because he wants us to be like him! God blesses us to be a blessing to others!

My Prayer...

You have so richly blessed me, LORD, so please help me see the opportunities you build into each day for me to bless others. Make me a conduit of your blessings. I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Romans 16:25-27
Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ ... to the only wise God be glory forever through Jesus Christ! Amen.

— Romans 16:25-27 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

God doesn't just bless us. He establishes us! He makes us strong! He matures us into solid and true disciples. He does this in many ways. One of the most important, however, is through the words the Holy Spirit inspired and shared with us through Jesus' early disciples. As this year moves towards its close and another stands at the door, let's make a renewed commitment to spend time each day in the Bible. Let's not let this powerful tool and great resource for living be relegated to being a coffee-table book or a good luck charm to take with us to church.

My Prayer...

I thank you, O God, for your Spirit that breathed out your message through human agents. I thank you for those human partners who shared the Spirit's message with us in Scripture. I thank you for the many fine translations of the Bible that are available to us today. I thank you for the freedom to have a copy of the Bible in my home. Please help me not squander the incredible blessing of your written word. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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James 3:16
For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

— James 3:16 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

So, what are your goals and plans for the New Year? Do you have great dreams and laudable goals? I hope so. But, please join me as I seriously look at why I set the goals I do and make the plans I make. In the afterglow of Christmas, that great season of giving, let's make sure our plans for the future are not selfish or based on envy, lust, or greed. Instead, let's set our hearts to reach great heights for God's glory and to do great things to be a blessing to others. Otherwise, all our attempts to reach great things ultimately will end in chaos, heartbreak, and destruction.

My Prayer...

Eternal God, please be with me as I seek to set goals for the coming year. I want to do great things for your glory. Please use me to accomplish your will in the world in which I live and in the group of people to whom you have sent me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Isaiah 42:8-9
"I am the LORD; that is my name! I will not give my glory to another. ... See, the former things have taken place, and new things I declare; before they spring into being, I tell you of them."

— Isaiah 42:8-9 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

No matter what happens over the next few days, months, or years, God is already there! He is not bound by space and time. He creates reality by his powerful word. While some may tremble with fear because of the unknown, Christians can take comfort in knowing that wherever we find ourselves, our Father is already there. He is already working on our deliverance and salvation. Even now he is declaring new things for us -- things about our future that we cannot see. So as we journey into our unknown future, let's make sure we journey with the one to whom the future is not unknown.

My Prayer...

Thank you Father! You know where my life and my world are headed. With so much tumult about the changing of the year and the passing of time, I consciously and confidently trust that my future is in your hands. There is no other place I would rather it be! Please bless me with confidence and banish anxiety from my heart as your future unfolds before me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Revelation 1:8
"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

— Revelation 1:8 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

From beginning to end, our God is there! What is there for us to fear? What can happen that can change this one undeniable reality? We belong to the God who is always there, who always cares for us, and who will always work to bring us salvation! No matter what happens to us tomorrow, or the next day, or the one after that, our destiny lies with the God who stretches from beginning to end and who secures for us life that never ends.

My Prayer...

Father God, thank you for the blessings of this past year. Please guide me as I seek to use your blessings in the coming year. Inspire my confidence about your future for me and fill me with joy because of your salvation. For all that has been good, holy, and gracious, I give you thanks and praise. For all the ways I've sinned, failed, or stumbled, I ask for your forgiveness. And for tomorrow, and another new day and another new year, I await with anticipation and gladness for I know that I will see them come or I will be at home with you where days and years no longer matter. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Genesis 1:1
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

— Genesis 1:1 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

We are creatures of the earth. Yes, we are much more than that, but occasionally we need to be reminded of that! We can't truly understand existence before time, yet before the beginning of time as we know it, God existed -- he has revealed himself as "I Am," the one who was and who is and who is to come. Before there was an ordered universe to provide the basis of our existence, God is "I Am." He had existence before, beyond, and without our created universe. We can't even truly comprehend this in its entirety. That's why every new beginning -- whether it is a day, a week, a year, or a millennium -- should begin with God. He alone is the ultimate Genesis, our beginning.

My Prayer...

Almighty Creator and God of all of the universe, I praise you for your incomparable power and your incomprehensible glory. As I begin this new year, I know that my future rests in your will, your grace, and your salvation. Please go with me as I journey toward this future. Please be glorified in the way I live my life today, this year, and for as long as you give me earthly life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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John 1:2-3
He [the Word, Jesus] was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.

— John 1:2-3 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Jesus was there. He was with God in the beginning. But he was more than just a witness of Creation; he created it! Jesus, who allowed himself to be limited to human flesh and to die a cruel and agonizing death on the Cross, was there at the beginning as the Word speaking our world into existence. He made it. It is his. Yet he came and died to redeem it. More specifically, he came to redeem you and me. So when the Word speaks to us telling us how to live to please God, don't you think we'd better pay attention? Better yet, don't you think we ought to do it?

My Prayer...

Holy Father, your plan to save me overwhelms and humbles me. That you would send Jesus, the Word who created the world that I know, is more wonderful than I can fully grasp. That he would allow himself to be limited to the world he had made boggles my imagination. That he would die for me so that I can live with you captures my heart! Please help me as I seek to live my life based on his teachings and your will. In the name of Jesus, the Living Word, I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Hebrews 1:3
The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

— Hebrews 1:3 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

We talk about Mother Nature, but did you know that Scripture identifies Jesus as the power behind the order of our universe? He sustains our world by his powerful word. Not only did he save us by the sacrifice of his life, but he also sustains us by his word. He sustains us spiritually by his word of teaching and sustains our world by his word of power and grace.

My Prayer...

Please be with me, Almighty God, as I commit to live for you based on Jesus' word. Help me as I seek to understand it and apply it. More than that, dear Father, please help me to come to know you through his words. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Philippians 1:4-5
In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now...

— Philippians 1:4-5 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

As we begin this new year, let's remember those with whom we are partnered in mission and outreach. If we are evangelists or missionaries by calling, then let's make a commitment to pray a prayer of praise and thanksgiving for our supporting partners. If we are members of a supporting congregation, then let's give thanks for being able to support those who share the Gospel in foreign lands and those who work among different cultures and in different locations in our own country. To share in God's work with God's people is truly a great blessing and privilege!

My Prayer...

Father of all peoples, give your Church a greater sense of partnership in reaching those who do not know your saving grace. Bless those everywhere who share the truth of Jesus with love, courage, and faithfulness. In the name of the only true Savior, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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2 Peter 1:5-7
Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.

— 2 Peter 1:5-7 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Sometimes we get so frightened by the thought of "works-won" salvation that we forget that love and grace ultimately call us to action, and not just reflection. Action means effort. That's exactly what Peter is calling us to make -- "every effort." Peter explains why this effort is important in the next few verses. "If we possess these qualities in increasing measure," they help us be productive in our knowledge of Jesus! Let's be productive! As we make "every effort," we can be assured that the Holy Spirit is the power at work producing the fruit that makes effectiveness possible! (cf. Galatians 5:22-25)

My Prayer...

Mold me and make me, Father, more perfectly conformed to your will and more perfectly consistent with your character. I do not pray this for my glory, but so that you can more effectively use me to share your blessings and grace with those around me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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1 John 1:7
If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

— 1 John 1:7 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

As we draw near to the Lord and live for him, two amazing blessings come our way. First, we find that our sins are forgiven and we're cleansed of those sins thanks to the loving sacrifice of Jesus. Second, we find that we are not alone in this wonderful cleansing. True fellowship among believers is built when folks seeking the Lord find each other in his presence. This fellowship isn't forced or contrived, just heavenly.

My Prayer...

Almighty and holy God, I want to honor Jesus' sacrificial death by living a life that is pure, honorable, and holy. Thank you for providing my cleansing through Jesus' blood and leading me to others who live for you. Please intensify my hunger to know you, your Son, and other believers more. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

[nChrist]

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Today's Verse
By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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1 Thessalonians 1:6
You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit.

— 1 Thessalonians 1:6 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

We find it so easy to let our circumstances determine our moods. Paul reminds this group of new Christians under attack that their new life in Christ had brought them joy despite the outwardly harsh circumstances they were facing. Their joy was not the fleeting, circumstance-determined veneer. Instead, they had welcomed the powerful message of salvation with joy! This joy was not dependent upon their circumstances. It was rooted in their Savior's example, in his abiding presence through the Holy Spirit, and the salvation available through Jesus.

My Prayer...

Dear heavenly Father, please make my joy immune to outward circumstances and please empower that joy by your Holy Spirit. Please bless me as I seek to conform my life and attitude to the example of my Savior. Please help me become a better example of spiritual joy to those around me. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.