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"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven." — Matthew 5:43-45 Thoughts on Today's Verse... We often talk about the privileges of being a child of God. We're blessed with things like forgiveness, salvation, an eternal future in glory with him, the gift of the Holy Spirit, and our ultimate victory when Christ comes. One of the greatest privileges we get, however, is the opportunity to act toward those who dislike and even hate us in ways that reflect the character of God as demonstrated by Jesus. Anyone can return hate for hate, but it takes children of God to return a blessing and a prayer of deliverance for their enemies. My Prayer... Father, thank you for loving me when I was still an enemy to you - ungodly, powerless, and a sinner ( Romans 5:5-8 ). Thank you for using the death of your Son to gain my attentio...

Let those who love the LORD hate evil, for he guards the lives of his faithful ones and delivers them from the hand of the wicked. — Psalm 97:10 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Hate - what a bold and powerful word. Jesus does not want us to hate people, not even our enemies ( Matthew 5:43-48 ). However, we MUST HATE evil and the evil one. While balancing our hatred of the evil one with our love for others can be challenging, it is absolutely vital. Evil is here because of the evil one - the champion of hate, lies, murder, and death ( John 8:44 ). We can and must daily pray for deliverance from evil and the evil one ( Matthew 5:13 ). So, when evil rears its ugly head, let's be courageous and oppose the evil one and his work. As we resist the evil one, he will flee from us ( James 4:7 ) as we draw near to God and are strengthened by his presence ( James 4:8 ; Hebrews 10:22 ). Let's choose to be used by God to be redemptive as we pray for those trapped by evil and the evil one...

He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity, and honor. — Proverbs 21:21 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Isn't it sad that when we set off to find happiness, joy, significance, or meaning, we seldom find it the way we hope to find it? Instead, when we offer ourselves to serve others and give ourselves wholeheartedly to the LORD and his work, it is then that we find what we most need and what is most fulfilling. Plus, in doing this service to others, we resemble our Savior ( Mark 10:43-45 ) and are assured that God is honored and will honor us ( Philippians 2:6-11 ), because of how we live. Video Commentary... ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer... O Giver of every good and perfect gift ( James 1:17-18 ), please bless me with opportunities to serve others and honor you in ways that demonstrate your grace and bring the reign of your kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. When, in the process of serving others, you choose to meet the needs of my ...

The word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does. The LORD loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of his unfailing love. — Psalm 33:4-5 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God is faithful. We can trust God to keep his promises, and his purposes for us are always for our ultimate good ( Romans 8:28-29 ). How do we know? The sunrise each morning is a reminder that the Father of heaven and earth is at work keeping his universe in working order through Jesus ( Colossians 1:17 ; Hebrews 1:3 ). Since it is true in nature , it can be true in the spiritual realm as well. Greet each sunrise as a reminder of God's faithfulness and that Jesus, who came to earth as Immanuel, God with us ( Matthew 1:23 ; John 1:1-18 ), is holding us, our hopes, our futures, and our world together. My Prayer... O Magnificent and Majestic Creator, I greet today as your gift and a reminder of your faithfulness. Each day the sun rises, I anticipate the day you honor your promise to sen...

I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. — Psalm 18:1-2 Thoughts on Today's Verse... We sing it, and we say it in our public prayers: "Father, God, we love you." But notice the beginning phrase of our verse very carefully. "I love you, O LORD..." Even in public, community worship, we are taught the importance of a personal expression of love to God. When is the last time you told the Creator of the universe, "I love you! I love you, O Lord my strength ." My Prayer... Father in heaven, I love you. I love you because you are more than worthy of my love. I love you because you have first loved me. I love you because you sent your son to be my big brother and friend,* who paid the price for my adoption into your family. I love you because of your faithfulness. I love you because you have permitted me in your grac...

I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. — Psalm 59:16 Thoughts on Today's Verse... So many things in our lives can be stolen away by natural disasters, aging, greedy people, addictive appetites, our own laziness, many distractions, and untimely death. These subtle temptations lead me to believe the evil one could be appropriately called "The Thief of Always."* God, however, is immovable, and what he offers us is unstealable! We can invest ourselves in him and know our futures are secure in his care. God is our fortress and our refuge. We can run to our Father in heaven, find his grace and protection from the evil one, and build our lives on his solid promises and find that our future is secure with Jesus ( Colossians 3:1-4 ). * This name is borrowed from Clive Barker's dark fantasy tale of that same title, a classic tale of temptation, consequences, and the battle for one's soul...