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"I, even I, am the LORD, and apart from me there is no savior. I have revealed and saved and proclaimed — I, and not some foreign god among you. You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "that I am God." — Isaiah 43:11-12 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Peter reminded us that we are here as God's chosen people, his witnesses, to "declare the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his wonderful light" ( 1 Peter 2:9 ). We have experienced God's saving work in our lives. We have experienced God's saving work in our lives. We know he is the LORD. We are the recipients of his blessings and grace. We know our God is the true God. We are the people who anticipate his mighty deliverance yet to come. Our God is the God of the first and the last, the one who is and was and is to come. So, how can we remain silent? How can we remain bitter, pessimistic, or discouraged? The God who made the tomb empty and made the corpse of Jesus our livin...

O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. — Psalm 63:1 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Addiction has sometimes been defined as "God-hunger directed to the wrong source of soul satisfaction." Psalm 63:1 reminds us this is true. Deep in us is a desire to seek after God because he is not far from us and longs to be known by us ( Acts 17:26-28 ). Unfortunately, far too often when our souls crave God deeply, he is the last place we turn for satisfaction and fulfillment. Let's earnestly seek God, have our souls thirst for him, and recognize when our bodies long deeply for him. Then let's refuse false substitutes for our soul-thirstiness and seek God above all things, because God is our God. When we earnestly seek him, and our souls thirst for him, and our bodies long for him, we can find satisfaction in him! My Prayer... O, Abba Father, please fill my heart with longing fo...

Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, theLORD is the Rock Eternal. — Isaiah 26:4 Thoughts on Today's Verse... When we see mountains, we can feel small and insignificant by comparison. We know they are not only much more massive than we are, but also have existed much longer than we have. The LORD, however, was and is and will be present far longer than any mountain ( Revelation 1:8 ; Isaiah 41:4 ). The LORD is the only true rock of security and stability, our fortress in the middle of life's chaos ( 2 Samuel 22:2 ). All the forevers we have in our existence are found in God Almighty alone! So, we join with Isaiah and encourage each other with these words of everlasting truth: Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD is the Rock Eternal. My Prayer... Eternal God, you are the great I Am, the one who is and was and will be forever. We trust that you are and always will be our God, our Redeemer, our Savior, our Shepherd, our strong fortress, our mighty rock, and our ete...

Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. — Isaiah 55:6 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Isaiah declares that God is always close to those who genuinely seek after him and call on him as their God. In fact, God is fully present as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in us, with us, and making his home in us when we obey him ( John 14:15-17, 18, 23 ). The real problem is that we can drift away from him, lose interest in him, and leave his presence ( Hebrews 2:1 , 3:12 ). So let's seek God and receive his grace. Let's obey God and discover that his presence and help are with us, recognizing that he alone truly saves and makes his presence real in us and to us. My Prayer... Father, please help me, through your Holy Spirit, as I grow into seeking you with all my heart. Please be real to me and make your presence known to me as I seek to know you through your Scriptures, your living Word (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. I long to know you as my Abba Father and be kno...

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. — Proverbs 27:1 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Don't you have your hands full today? I know I sure do! Don't you find yourself distracted from the urgent and important things of today when you worry about the problems of tomorrow? I know most people do! Don't you occasionally find yourself missing an opportunity today while fantasizing about all the possibilities far down the road? Many people do! Isn't it a waste of time to be anxious about those things over which you have no influence? Why worry so much about tomorrow, next week, and some time in the future? Let's walk with God today and trust in his faithfulness for us tomorrow. As our LORD Jesus commanded us: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ( Matthew 6:34 ) My Prayer... Holy God, please give me the strength to seize the moment and live tod...

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. — 1 Peter 1:3 Thoughts on Today's Verse... The great truth about Jesus' empty tomb is not just that he is risen, but that he is living! His victory over death wasn't short-lived; it was ultimate. He now lives to intercede for us until he returns and brings us to his home with the Father ( Hebrews 7:25 ). Our life is hidden with him. No one and nothing can take it from us. When Jesus comes again, we will share in his never-ending glory ( Colossians 3:1-4 ) as we are transformed to be like him and see him as he truly is ( 1 John 3:2-3 ). How can we not praise God for such grace and living hope! My Prayer... Almighty God, we praise you from the bottom of our hearts! Your incredible and glorious grace has brought us eternal victory out of mortal anguish. Thank you for paying the price to make this true....