Today's Verse

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By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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2 Corinthians 10:17-18
"Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

— 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

We live in a world with skewed values, false promises and fleeting fame. What can we boast in other than the steadfastness of the Lord's love, the incredible riches of the Lord's grace, the incomparable supply of the Lord's blessings, the sweetness of the Lord's people, the mercy of the Lord's plan for our salvation, the promise of the Lord's tomorrow, the ...? What other meaningful boast is there than the Lord and his eternal grace?

My Prayer...

Lord of majesty and mercy, every good and enduring thing in my life I have because of you. While these words are simple, they are heartfelt. In Jesus' name, thank you!

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By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Philippians 1:21
To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

— Philippians 1:21 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

The truth is often as simple as it is sweet -- if Jesus is our life, then our lives have no end. Death does not strip life from us, but ushers us into life in Jesus' very presence!

My Prayer...

Eternal God, thank you for sending Jesus to show me your love and thank you for sending him again soon to take me home. He is my anchor in the storms of life and my light in the darkest nights reminding me that you love me with an undying love. In the name of Jesus, the Resurrection and the Life, I pray. Amen.

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By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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1 John 5:12
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.

— 1 John 5:12 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

This statement is both a reminder of God's glorious grace and also of our need to share that grace with others. Life is such a precious gift, it would be a shame for anyone we know and love to miss out. God gave up the life of his Son so that in finding him, we too could share in his life.

My Prayer...

Father of all nations, resurrect in your people a desire to spread your grace to every language, tribe, nation, and people. Empower us with your Spirit so that we will speak the Gospel of Jesus with boldness and respect to a world who does not know him. Use us to help others come to life in the Son! Through the name of Jesus your Son, we pray. Amen.

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By Phil Ware, Heartlight Magazine
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Psalm 16:8
I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

— Psalm 16:8 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

There are many things that can trouble our lives, but none that can shake us loose from the grip of God's grace if our hearts remain pointed at Jesus as our Lord and our hope remains focused on the Lord's return. If Jesus is our Lord, then all of life's greatest blessings lie ahead of us and he will let nothing rob us of this coming glory!

My Prayer...

Holy Lord, you are worthy of majesty, honor, and praise. I lift up your name, O God, and place it above every name. As I look to the future, I want to honor you and I want to journey with you there. Since I believe you will never leave or forsake me, I will always look ahead to find you leading the way. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

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Psalm 42:8
By day the Lord directs his love, at night his song is with me -- a prayer to the God of my life.

— Psalm 42:8 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

I have always loved music. To this day, songs help unlock the part of me that is most yielded to God. It helps me declare my love for him and my praise to him. But as the psalmist says, at night, especially on those nights when sleep is hard to come by, his song is with me.

My Prayer...

O God of my life, thank you for music and song. Thank you for giving me so many good things to sing joyfully about. Thank you for hearing my heart when I sing and not just my words and the song's melody. I long, dear Father, for the day I get to hear you sing and I join the heavenly chorus around your throne. Until then, fill my life with your song. Through Jesus' name I ask it. Amen.

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Romans 8:32
He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all -- how will he not also, along with him, give us all things?

— Romans 8:32 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

If God gave up his Son to save us, what would he not give up to bless us and keep us! That's Paul's point. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, he tells us we are bought with a price to encourage us toward holiness. Here, he makes the same point, but to give us assurance. Isn't it amazing how the truth of God's grace contains such a multifaceted blessing.

My Prayer...

Almighty God, I am overwhelmed at your sacrificial love offered to me in Jesus. Father, please use your Spirit to stir me to service in response to your grace and have this Comforter build my assurance in your salvation and in your longing to give me your rich blessings. In Jesus' glorious name I pray. Amen.

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Psalm 94:18-19
When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul.

— Psalm 94:18-19 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

We are amazed at the vastness of God's reach, the awesome breadth of his power, and the glorious sweep of his majesty. An additional truth, incredible as it may seem, is God's personal nearness to us. He chooses to know us and be actively involved in the trials and triumphs we face each day. How will today, or tomorrow, be different because you are aware of his presence and companionship? What difference does it make to know he supports you when your foot slips or that his consolation is nearby when anxiety rises?

My Prayer...

Loving God, who is everywhere yet always near, please hear my heart. I am overwhelmed at your presence near me and within me. The comfort you bring when I am under siege, the strength you offer when I am weak, the courage you give when I am under attack, and the hope you instill when all seems hopeless -- these gifts of your presence are precious to me. Without your presence I would not know where to go or why I am here. Thank you for knowing me. I look forward to knowing you one day as you know me today. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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Psalm 116:1-2
I love the Lord. He heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live.

— Psalm 116:1-2 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Understanding the Lord's love, presence, and nearness should lead us to serve him and to deepen our relationship with him. While we love God for many reasons, we want to express our love to him today especially for his personal concern for us. In a world where important people refuse to spend time with those "beneath" them, we are truly blessed with an incomparable God who listens to our every cry, recognizes our very own distinct voice, and tunes his ear to hear every one of our whispers. Yes! I will call on him, praise him, thank him, confess to him, and speak with him as long as I live!

My Prayer...

Father, you know each hair on my head and every thought on my heart. Thank you for hearing my prayers. Thank you for answering so many of them with the answer I sought from you. Give me patience when I cannot see your hand in the other answers that do not come as soon or do not bear the result that I request. I believe and trust that you are there and working for my good even when I can't see it. I believe you always answer to your glory and my best interest. But please, dear Father, strengthen my faith so that I will never outlive my trust and faith in you. In the name of Jesus I ask it. Amen.

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Psalm 119:165
Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

— Psalm 119:165 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

As someone who had a very clumsy stage of life, this promise is almost beyond believing -- nothing can make me stumble! But when it comes to living life, if I know God's will, love it, and do it, then nothing can make me stumble. There is great peace knowing that the Father loves me and doesn't want me to fall.

My Prayer...

Thank you God for this day. Thank you for all that lies ahead. Thank you that I don't have to face today or tomorrow with doubts about my basic values and without a sense of your will for my life. Stir in me a love for your will and your word so that nothing can make me stumble. Empower me by your Spirit and guide me by your truth so that I may more perfectly reflect your character. In Jesus' name I thank you for hearing my prayer. Amen.

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Romans 12:4-5
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

— Romans 12:4-5 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

One of the key realities of Christianity is belonging. I belong! I belong to God. I belong to Jesus. I belong to Jesus' body, the Church. I have a place and a purpose in that body. I belong! I am needed! I have a job to do! I belong!!

My Prayer...

Help me, Father, to find the place where I'm supposed to fit into your body. Until then, I pledge to try all sorts of ministries so that your Spirit, and not just my own preference, will guide me into your place for me to serve. Thank you for giving me a place to belong. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

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Isaiah 26:3
You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

— Isaiah 26:3 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

While it is naive, on one hand, to think that trusting in God makes all of our problems go away -- Christians have many of the same problems that unbelievers do because they share the same mortal flesh, on the other hand it's true. If we trust in God, we believe our work stands or falls in his hands and that ultimately we will share in his victorious and glorious presence. It means our lives will not be lived in vain. That's not just confidence; it's the foundation of true peace -- life lived to its fullest and richest knowing that it matters and we don't need to be anxious about its results.

My Prayer...

Almighty Father of Peace, thank you for giving me the assurance that my life will not be lived in vain. May I share that peace with others today. In the name of Jesus, my Prince of Peace, I pray. Amen.

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John 6:29
Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: To believe in the one he has sent."

— John 6:29 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Do you believe in Jesus? Do you really believe? Shortly after Max Lucado came back from his mission work in Rio, Brazil, he shared with a group of his closest friends that his theology was pretty simple. He didn't have a handle on a lot of the big difficult theological problems that divide folks. But Max said he came to the firm and deep conviction that God loves us and he showed that love by really sending Jesus to live among us, to die for us, and to be raised from the dead so that we could be raised from death, too. This is the work of God -- amazingly simple and awesomely powerful.

My Prayer...

Holy God, I do believe that Jesus came to earth, died, and was raised from the dead. Please help me show and share that message with those around me looking to find hope and help. Holy Spirit, open my eyes to those around me who are searching and give me courage and sensitivity to share Jesus with them. Father, I want so much to share in your work; please help me as I rededicate myself to it today. In the name of Jesus my Savior I pray. Amen.

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Galatians 3:28
There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

— Galatians 3:28 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Wouldn't it be great if we could tear down all the walls that divide us -- racial, social, economic, and gender. The apostle Paul spent his entire life trying to do just that: to tear down the walls that divided people by bringing them to Jesus and the cross. There are no positions of superiority or inferiority at the foot of the cross, only a place for those who discover God's might displayed in sacrifice and God's love displayed even when under attack at the hands of human cruelty. While the forces of culture and human selfishness are always finding ways to divide us, we must remember that in Jesus, and only in Jesus, can we be one.

My Prayer...

Forgive me, O God, when I have let prejudice and suspicion keep me from fully enjoying fellowship with those whom you have claimed as your children. I pray that my life will be an example of redemption and unity as I seek to love your children as you do. In the name of Jesus, whose dying prayer was for unity I pray. Amen.

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Ephesians 2:19
"You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household."

— Ephesians 2:19 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Those of us who have been Christians a long time sometimes forget that we have no claim or right to the grace we have received. When we feel we deserve it, that it is ours by right, it is no longer grace and we no longer live in it. To be a part of God's family is grace. For the Holy One who spoke into existence the universe (in which we are a submicroscopic speck), grace is simply and magnificently a gift from the One who knows how to share and love in ways we can't even imagine.

My Prayer...

For the incredible and boundless love you have given to me, O Almighty God, I can only fall to my knees and thank you. Your power is beyond my comprehension. Your awesome holiness is beyond my understanding. Yet your infinite grace is mine because of your love which cost you so much. Thank you. A million times over I say it, "Thank you!" In the name of Jesus my Lord. Amen.

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Psalm 95:6-7
Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the Lord our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.

— Psalm 95:6-7 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Worship is more than our heart, soul and words offered to God. It also involves our posture. When we understand the grace God has given us to be called his children, what else can we do but bow down or kneel before him in his majesty and might. We come to him, a conquering ruler, offering ourselves in full submission. God chooses, however, to treat us tenderly like a loving shepherd who longs to care for us. Such grace leads us to bow and kneel in heartfelt worship.

My Prayer...

Shepherd of my soul, I come to you seeking your protection and rest as one of your sheep. I often find myself harried and driven by life's pressures and temptations. But I come to you submitting myself to be used for your glory -- not just today, but for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.