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It is by grace you have been saved, through faith — and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. — Ephesians 2:8-9 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Don't you love receiving gifts! Especially when they're truly given with no strings attached; we just have to receive them. The greatest gift we've ever received has nothing to do with our efforts. It is a gift from God. We didn't earn it, deserve it, or purchase it. God gave it through his sacrifice so our salvation would not be our boasting, but his loving kindness offered to us in Jesus. This simple, clear, and saving gospel, which finds its origin in God alone, is so important that the apostle Paul warned that no one should change it, or they would face the curse of God ( Galatians 1:8-9 ). Our appropriate response is to receive this gospel with joy by placing our faith in Jesus, then go live for him, doing good things to bless others ( Ephesians 2:10 ). Video Commentary.....

I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God — this is your spiritual act of worship. — Romans 12:1 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Because God went first and sacrificed his most precious gift, Jesus, to save us, he can ask us to surrender ourselves to him. Only one problem: The sorry ol' sacrifice wants to keep crawling off the altar. Let's admit it; talk of sacrifice and being a living sacrifice doesn't sound all that enticing. Except offering ourselves to God is where we find life and find what is most enduring about ourselves. As the famous missionary Jim Elliot profoundly put it: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." We offer ourselves, our will, our time, our heart, our commitment, to God each day because of what he has already done for us, and the greater things he has promised us in the future! My Prayer... Holy and Righteous Savior, I want to sur...

All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever. — 1 Peter 1:24-25 Thoughts on Today's Verse... As the seasons change, the leaves fall, and the grass dies, we are reminded once again of how short our lives actually are. Despite rapid advances in technology, our deepest needs are met only by the eternal, proven will of God in Scripture and through the gift of your Son, your Word in human flesh ( John 1:1-3, 14-18 ). Whether you get your Scripture from the Bible on your mobile device or from an old family Bible, please access it today. You're not here forever, but God is! He wants to bring you close, so that with him, you can stand forever. We each need the blessing of eternal goodness from the well of the Holy Spirit's truth in Scripture ( 2 Timothy 3:14-17 ). My Prayer... As I age, I am constantly reminded, O God, of my transitory stay on earth and your eternal reig...

The word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. — Hebrews 4:12 Thoughts on Today's Verse... How often do you let God do major surgery on your spirit as the Holy Spirit uses God's Word to encourage, judge, motivate, convict, instruct, and inspire you? Open the Bible. Search the Scriptures. Find Jesus in the four Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. With such a great tool so readily at hand for most of us, let's not let a day go by without inviting God to use his words on our hearts and inviting the Holy Spirit to give us understanding as he leads us to become more like Jesus. My Prayer... Almighty God, your will is my heart's desire. But I also realize I need to be fed more consistently by your Word in Scripture and conformed to your ultimate Word, Jesus ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 ). Please give me strength and consistency in my w...

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God  may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. — 2 Timothy 3:16-17 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God wants us to be prepared to do good works. Thankfully, he gave us the Scriptures. Today, the Bible is translated into many different languages, dialects, and versions. We have online Bibles, audio Bibles, and Bibles that can fit into our pockets. Rather than a threat, all these Bibles are a great blessing because they make the Scriptures plentiful, understandable, and available. Oh yes, a few translations are questionable, but nearly all make it clear who Jesus is and how we come to him for salvation. But we must remember that the goal of Scripture is not to be learned but to be lived. God intended his Word to be practical truth - a gift that prepares us to "be thoroughly equipped for every good work." My Prayer... Holy God, it still amaz...

Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the LORD, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. — Ephesians 5:19-20 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Paul emphasizes that hearts full of thanks make for good singing! With Jesus as the source of our salvation and the center of our future, how can we not sing? But singing is not just for God to praise God. God wants our songs to bless others, to speak to others, and to build others up in the hope we have in the Lord Jesus Christ. This means that singing is our ultimate spiritual talk. It blesses God and blesses others! So, let's speak to God in praise with our songs and singing. And let's speak to each other in those same songs and singing, so that we together can anticipate gathering with the saints of all time, blessing each other and God before his throne of grace. My Prayer... O LORD my God, you are awesome and wondrous. You...