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God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline. — 2 Timothy 1:7 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Power! We like that concept. Power! But if it is to be godly, power alone does not make us right. Godly power must be accompanied by love and self-discipline. These three together make a person's life effective, constructive, and godly. Live life to its fullest: not as a closet Christian afraid of standing true and firm, but as a disciple who lives by God's power, shares God's love, and displays God's virtues through a disciplined life of love and grace and power. My Prayer... Holy God, you are without compare in your majesty and might. I have no right to come into your presence, and yet you have invited me here by your love and your grace. You are my Rock, my Fortress, and my Strength. I depend upon you for guidance and mercy to sustain me through my storms in life and reclaim me from my stumbles. Holy God, I want to be stro...

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. — 1 John 3:18 Thoughts on Today's Verse... "Talk is cheap!" "You can tell me with your words all you want, but I won't believe it until I see it in your actions." "It's time to put your life where your mouth is." There are many slogans, but let's get down to the nitty-gritty and really live and love in truth. In a world where barter has replaced sacrificial, steadfast love, and as lust has become the modern definition of love, let's go against the cultural grain and truly love with our words and actions. Genuine love must be like God's love. It must involve emotion, commitment, and action. This is love in actions and in truth! Video Commentary... ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer... Sacrificial Father, I confess to you that at times I am selfish. Other times, my intentions are good, but my follow-through and faithfulness are l...

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. — 1 John 4:9 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Love is an action. The Bible stresses this truth again and again. Love must not only be spoken and felt, but it must also be demonstrated in daily life. The beginning of love is God. He showed his love for us in Jesus so we could know our incredible value to him. The price of our adoption was the emptying of heaven of its greatest treasure, God the Son, who is our Savior, and God's greatest demonstration of love. Because love is not genuine until it is both felt and acted on. "This is how God showed his love among us..." He sent Jesus! My Prayer... Loving Father, thank you for adopting me into your family. I can never thank you enough or ever repay you for your kindness, but please receive the service of my life as my ongoing thanksgiving for your grace and as my small way of trying to share the love you have ...

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. — Matthew 22:37-39 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Some things are just not complicated to understand. However, that doesn't mean putting them into practice is easy for me. Jesus was clear in what he said. Living for God can be boiled down to two principles: Loving God with everything I am and have. Loving others and treating them as I would like to be treated. Those principles are certainly not too hard to understand. It's the living of them that is our challenge. So, let's not just understand these two principles of love; let's live them out in our daily lives: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. ... Love your neighbor as yourself. My Prayer... Dear Father, the one true and living God, please accept the work of my hands, the...

We love because he first loved us. — 1 John 4:19 Thoughts on Today's Verse... It's all very simple. God is love ( 1 John 4:7-8 ). He is love's origin, example, and architect. I love because God loved me first. I know how to love because he has demonstrated it in Jesus. I can love because he made me in his likeness and to share his character, and because God pours his love into my heart through the Holy Spirit ( Romans 5:5 ). He is the fountain, the motivation, and the pinnacle of love. I love because God loves - first, last, and always. My Prayer... God of comfort, God of love, thank you for comforting me with your love. Just as a child learns from parents how to do so many things, I want to learn to love as you do: sacrificially, selflessly, and submissively so that others may know that they do not have to earn your love, only receive it and share it with others. In the name of Jesus, your perfect example of love, I pray. Amen. The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse ...

Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions — it is by grace you have been saved. — Ephesians 2:4-5 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God is rich in mercy and generous with grace! Isn't that wonderful for us? I don't know about you, but I sure know I have failures, shortcomings, sins, and transgressions. Without God’s mercy, I would be lost in my sins ( Romans 3:23-25 ). Without his grace, I would be cut off from the life God longs for me to have ( Romans 5:6-11 ). God is rich in mercy and generous with grace! He acted on our behalf when he sent Jesus to show us his love ( 1 John 4:9-10 ). Now, because of his rich mercy and generous grace, we are dead to that old sinful self, and our lives are now tied to Jesus' glorious future ( Colossians 2:12 , 3:1-4 ). "God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ" ! My Prayer... Father of all grace and mercy, thank you. Thank you fo...

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. — 1 John 4:18 Thoughts on Today's Verse... What is there to fear since nothing can separate us from the love God has for us in Christ Jesus? ( Romans 8:38-39 ) What is there to fear since God has poured his Spirit into our hearts to transform, strengthen, and make us holy? ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 ; Galatians 5:22-23 ; 1 Corinthians 6:11 ) What is there to fear since God sent his Son to die to redeem us and present us to God as holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation" ? ( Colossians 1:21-22 ) As the apostle Paul declared: What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? ( Romans 8:32 ) We are God's children. He loves us. His love for us i...

The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. — Romans 13:9-10 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to have laws to keep people in line! That's the point behind Paul's message here. Treat our neighbors as we would like to be treated. Love them as we want to be loved. If we do that, then we're not going to do anything that would hurt them, much less violate a command of God's law that would hurt them. My Prayer... Loving Father, you are God who gave Moses the Law on tablets of stone. Please write your character and will on my heart ( Proverbs 3:3 ; Jeremiah 31:33 ) that I might be a living testimony of your righteousness and grace toward all peo...

He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends. — Proverbs 17:9 Thoughts on Today's Verse... You've probably heard this poisonous statement many times: "It's just a little harmless gossip." The Wise Teacher reminds us that gossip is neither little nor harmless. Sharing someone else's stumble, offense, failure, or flaws separates friends and causes horrible damage. The consequences of such gossip are severe, and its damage is often lasting and devastating, especially to relationships. Instead, it is much better to be a peacemaker and an offense-mender, someone who covers over an offense with grace, forgiveness, and love. As Jesus said: Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God ( Matthew 5:9 ). A peacemaker is one who covers over an offense and promotes love and peace. Let that be said of us! Video Commentary... ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer... Father of ...

Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. — 1 John 4:11-12 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Can you imagine what an honor it is to have the Creator of the universe, the LORD God Almighty, living inside of you? Yet when we love each other, that is exactly what happens. When our hearts are full of love, there is room for God, a great deal of room for God, because God is love. When they are not full of love, we leave little room for God to take up residence and produce his character in us. Let God complete his love in you: commit to doing loving things for others today, and each day that follows, until you can express your love for your Father, face-to-face in glory! My Prayer... Abba Father, I find it so comforting to know that you are not far away - that I live in you and you live in me ( Colossians 3:1-4 ). Please help me see others with your eyes an...

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 ...

Love does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. — 1 Corinthians 13:6-7 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Life as a follower of Jesus is always about love - loving God and loving others ( Matthew 22:36-40 ), doing the things Paul lists here - not delighting in evil, rejoicing with the truth, protecting, trusting, hoping, and persevering always ! Living this always loving way in a fallen world full of self-centered people is a very tough and tall order and sometimes very tough work. Only God is always . But then Christians are fueled to this always kind of love through the Holy Spirit. Paul tells us that "The love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us" ( Romans 5:5 ). No wonder this love, true love, Christian love, loving like Jesus is always love - it is God's love, demonstrated by Jesus' sacrifice, and now empowered through us by the H...

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. — 1 Corinthians 13:4-5 Thoughts on Today's Verse... True love does not focus on itself, but on others. Each of these qualities of love - patience, kindness, does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not rude, is not self-seeking, is not easily angered, keeps no records of wrongs - is based on an affectionate, compassionate, and forgiving attitude that regards others as valuable to us, and to Jesus. Rather than placing value only on ourselves and our desires, we remember how Jesus lived and seek to have a heart like his ( Philippians 2:5-11 ). This kind of love comes from the power of the Holy Spirit within us ( Romans 5:5 ; Galatians 5:22-23 ). It is part of the Spirit's transforming us into more JESUShaped people ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 ). The old saying is true: "In the middle of all SIN is...

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing. — 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Love! In the days leading up to Valentine's Day, let's remember the real meaning of true love ( 1 John 4:8-12 ) and not dilute it with the many sappy expressions of limited human love, oftentimes based in lust rather than genuine love. I am certainly not against expressing our love to others on Valentine's Day, but it can get so sappy, sentimental, and manipulative. Without our motivations centered on why we are expressing love, all "Christian" activities are more motion and commotion than true love. True love is the expression of Chr...

We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing. — 2 Thessalonians 1:3 Thoughts on Today's Verse... "Please increase my faith, O, LORD." "Please increase my strength, dear God." "Please increase my wisdom, Father." We often pray for these kinds of things, but when was the last time you prayed asking God to increase your capacity to love, and your congregation's capacity to love others? Can you think of anything more exciting to say about your friends and fellowship than to say, "The love everyone has for each other is increasing, and that love for those around them who don't know Jesus is growing!" Let's pray and act to make this dimension of our love real and noticeable to the broken world that is fractured all around us! My Prayer... Holy God, may your love fill me as I seek to share it with those I meet ea...

"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...

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...