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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...

As it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived — what God has prepared for those who love him..." — 1 Corinthians 2:9 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Many of the things we anticipate and dream for the future are much less glorious in real life than they were in our imaginations and dreams. There is one event, however, that is better than we can imagine and beyond our wildest dreams. When Jesus returns to take us home to be with our Father, it will be far better than we can ask, imagine, dream, or think. Maranatha - Come O LORD Jesus ( 1 Corinthians 16:22 ). However, God has not left us alone with our thoughts about what is to come. Paul first quotes the great prophet Isaiah: As it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived - what God has prepared for those who love him..." ( Isaiah 64:4 ). Then, he finishes his thought with this great promise: but "these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spir...

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. — Deuteronomy 6:4-5 Thoughts on Today's Verse... So many times the evil one seduces us into a flat, 2-dimensional Christianity - going to church and doing good things. However, God calls us to a three-dimensional faith - one that involves our heart, soul, and strength (body). He wants us to love him with all of our heart, all our inner being, and all of our actions used mightily for him. God wants us completely aligned with his ways, his character, his compassion, and his faithfulness in every facet of our being. Hear, O [people of God]: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. Yes! Three-dimensional faith. Three-dimensional discipleship. My Prayer... Dear Heavenly Father, I honor you as God Almighty. I appreciate all the kindness and blessings you hav...

You are forgiving and good, O LORD, abounding in love to all who call on you. — Psalm 86:5 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Forgiveness is such a sweet blessing. But God does more than forgive! Jesus cleanses and purifies us, then presents us to God as "holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation" ( Colossians 1:21-22 ). God does not grudgingly meter out his love. He does not ration out his forgiveness. He lavishly pours his love upon us, and into us, as we genuinely seek him as our Father ( Romans 5:5 ; 1 John 3:1 ). So, let's cry out and ask for God's forgiveness as we praise the mighty and holy name of The Almighty, confidently knowing that our Father longs to bless us with his overflowing goodness, mercy, and love. My Prayer... O Precious Father, I call to you, wanting you to know how important your love and forgiveness are in my life. Thank you for sending Jesus to show your love for me and pay the debt of my sin. Please help me to live today as ...

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. — Ephesians 4:2 Thoughts on Today's Verse... "You mean I have to put up with all this from that person!?" There are those folks in life about whom the saying is true: "They are the grit out of which we are to fashion our pearls." Our great example in this challenge - "To be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love." - is Jesus. Jesus has fashioned many pearls from pretty bad grit. Think of what he had to put up with in his 12 disciples. Remember how the LORD's patience and kindness helped transform them. His love persevered through so many of their failures, especially failures in his hardest and darkest moments. In the process, however, Jesus' life of humbleness, gentleness, patience, and love transformed them. Can we dare to do less with those for whom Christ died? Video Commentary... ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Vide...

Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all." — Mark 9:35 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Did you hear that? Last! Last? Nobody likes to be last. When it comes to lines, we all hate to be last! Many of us have a hard time settling for second place, much less last place. Jesus, however, reverses the way the world ranks people ( Luke 22:25-27 ). The person who is most important to him is not the person seeking status, Facebook® likes, a big following on social media, notoriety, or a place of honor at "bigwig" gatherings (events centered on status and influence). The most important person is like Jesus himself: they are willing to give up their rank, status, and place importance to serve the least, last, and lost. Why? Because that's how Jesus was. For Jesus, being last meant being first in service and first in the eyes of God. My Prayer... Magnificent God, my Savior, you have made ...