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Live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. — Galatians 5:16 Thoughts on Today's Verse... I don't want you to think about an orange rhinoceros flying with blue wings. Now quit it. I don't want you to think about that orange rhinoceros anymore. You know there is no such thing as an orange rhino that flies, much less one that flies on blue wings. Quit thinking about him and his blue wings! Of course, the point is straightforward: the more we try not to do something, the more we focus on it, the more we ensure that we will do what we are not supposed to do. That's why the gift of the Holy Spirit is so important to us as we seek to honor and obey our LORD and Savior Jesus and avoid sin. He enables and empowers us to move beyond our sin and to quit thinking about it. The Spirit empowers us, not by focusing on the sin we want to avoid, but by enriching us and "distracting" us with the important things of God ( Galatians 5:22 ). As ...

Jesus said, "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free." — John 8:31-32 Thoughts on Today's Verse... There are few things more coveted than freedom. People die for it. People pray for it. People strive for it. True freedom comes from knowing truth, the truth, God's truth. Knowing God's truth ultimately comes by living in obedience to Jesus. Truth is not just something we think about or believe in our heads. Truth must be believed in the way we live our lives, in the way we use our words, in the actions we demonstrate toward others, and in our obedience to what Jesus taught. Truth is something we do, we live. As Jesus said: Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them ( John 13:17 ). And Jesus' brother emphasized: ...they will be blessed in what they do ( James 1:25 ). Jesus said: "If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know th...

If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother." — 1 John 4:20-21 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Love! The word can mean almost anything in a world where it is overused and under-practiced. Many in the Christian community have tried to define it by a dictionary or lexicon, not realizing that the key word for love, agape, is defined by action. Before Christians got a hold of agape, it meant basically the same thing our word "love" is used today: just about anything! But if you read 1 John, you see love defined by God through what he does. God demonstrates his love. He asks us to do the same for our brothers and sisters. Love must be more than talk; it must be genuinely demonstrated in loving, selfless actions! For God so loved the world that he gave his one and on...

God has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. — 2 Corinthians 5:19-20 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Jesus has paid the price. God provided the ransom. The LORD's holy judgment was averted, not because of anything we did to appease him, but by the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. If God has gone to such great lengths to reconcile us to himself and adopt us into his family, how can we refuse? We must not! Father God, we offer you our hearts, and we pledge to share the message of reconciliation as ambassadors on Christ's behalf! We will share your message of Jesus and invite, urge, and implore those around us to receive Jesus as their LORD and Savior to be reconciled to you through your Son! My Prayer... O Gracious God, we know our sins have broken your heart and offended your holiness. Words, therefore, cannot communi...

You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. — Galatians 3:26-29 Thoughts on Today's Verse... When we become Christians through faith and our baptism into Christ, the Holy Spirit makes us one with all other Christians around the world. Race, gender, and social status are not what matter in our lives. In fact, those things don't distinguish us from each other. We are brothers and sisters in Christ living for Jesus with those we love. Our lives are his, and thus the Spirit connects us and makes us one ( 1 Corinthians 12:13 ). Our destination is the same: heaven. Our family is the church. No barriers. No closed doors. We are one in Christ Jesus! My Prayer... Abba Father, thank you for adopting me into your family. May we, your children, truly be one on earth now, as we will be when we are a...

In my anguish I cried to the LORD, and he answered by setting me free. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me? — Psalm 118:5-6 Thoughts on Today's Verse... The beginning of the year is a trying time for people I care about. Maybe it's been that way for you or those you love. My prayer for you, and for them, is that they may know the comfort of God's presence. Whether it's the popular little poem " Footprints in the Sand " or the familiar "Yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me..." ( Psalm 23:4 KJV ). The presence of the LORD is absolutely vital to us if we are going to stand up for him and stand firm in the face of trial. The LORD does long to be with us, especially in those moments when we feel most alone and abandoned. He told us that by experiencing anguish himself and being alone on the cross. You can lean in, call upon, and have your hope in Jesus because h...