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I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither present nor the future, nor powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord. — Romans 8:38-39 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Separation is a primal fear, whether it is separation from something we fear, whether it's separation from a child, a parent, a sibling, a spouse, a friend, but especially separation from God is a deep fear for those of us who love him. Jesus endured separation from God by becoming a human and by going to the cross. As Paul put it so eloquently: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God ( 2 Corinthians 5:21 ). Because of Jesus' sacrifice, and our faith that he did it for us, we are in Christ. We know we'll never have to be separated from God's love. He bore the separation so we would never have to fear ...

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. — Romans 8:35-37 Thoughts on Today's Verse... We win! We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. When you open up the final book of the Bible, Revelation, that is the message: Christians win because Jesus is the one true and lasting conqueror. No matter how the battle is going for you right now - no matter how bad the trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or sword may be at the moment - we can remember that in the end, we win. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. My Prayer... El Shaddai, God Almighty, we thank you for securing our ultimate victory by raising Jesus from the dead and promising to send him back for us as your Conquering King. We know he is coming with victory on the day you have determined. We pray that we will live vic...

This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another. — 1 John 3:11 Thoughts on Today's Verse... The original message? Love one another . The enduring message? Love one another . The most convincing message? Love one another . The most difficult message? Love one another . The clearest message? Love one another. This call to love one another reminds me of the convicting verse I once heard a preacher use about loving our brothers and sisters: To dwell above with saints we love, O that will be glory. But to dwell below with saints we know, Now that's another story. But it's the story we're called to write with our lives. Love one another." It's Jesus' enduring message to us is clear: Love one another ! My Prayer... Loving Father, I commit to you that I will intentionally show my love for your children in what I do and say. I do this trusting in your grace and the Holy Spirit to empower me to do more loving things and be more loving ...

This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. — 1 John 4:10 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God loved us first! He sent his Son to save us regardless of our decision to believe or reject his grace. But what does Jesus being an atoning sacrifice for our sins mean? It means that Jesus' sacrifice removes our sins and allows us to be "at one" with God again, presented to the Father by the Son as holy and blameless and above reproach before him ( Colossians 1:22 ). God loved us first! We were once offenders of God's gracious holiness - we were weak, ungodly, sinners, and enemies ( Romans 5:6-10 ) of God and his holiness - yet God paid the cost to bring us back to Himself in holiness and honor. God loved us first! My Prayer... Precious King, God Almighty, why would you love us so much that you would send your Son to die as the atoning sacrifice for our sins? We know that you gave us this gift of love whe...

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another. — John 13:34-35 Thoughts on Today's Verse... How do you recognize Jesus' followers? How do you find true Christians? Many people claim to be followers of Jesus, but are they really? How do we know? In the Gospel of John, Jesus gives us three ways that show we are his true disciples: we abide in his word ( John 8:31-32 ESV ), we bear much fruit ( John 15:8 ), and we love one another ( John 13:35 ). Today, we focus on our love for one another as a mark of true discipleship. Jesus said his disciples would love each other just as he loved them. In the immediate context, this kind of love is defined: like Jesus, we are willing to love and serve each other selflessly and practically - just as he washed their feet and later went to the cross while protecting them. The LORDs ministry revealed he would do almost anyt...

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. — John 3:16 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Did you know the Bible doesn't just say, "God loves you." But don't let me confuse you. Scripture does tell us many times that God loves us. However, don't miss the important truth here. Each time Scripture tells us that God loves us, it also demonstrates that love by something God has done for us. You see, God's love is much more than emotion and intention. God's love is always demonstrated by what he does, has done, or will do. God loved us so much he didn't just say, "I love you." God also showed his love by sending his Son to sacrifice himself for our sins and give us his incomparable and eternal love! We never have to doubt that God means it when he says, "I love you." He always backs up his promises of love with his loving and sacrificial actions toward ...