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To all who received him, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. — John 1:12-13 Thoughts on Today's Verse... We live in a time and culture of rights. "It's my right to..." - and you can fill in the blank with almost anything. But we don't have the right to be God's child. God's grace gives us that right at great cost to God. Jesus, God the Son, came to earth, lived, died, and was raised from the dead. We receive this grace through faith: God gives us new birth as we trust in Jesus as LORD and we share in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection in baptism ( Romans 6:3-7 ; Colossians 2:11-12 ), as by faith we are reborn through the power of the Holy Spirit ( John 3:3-7 ; Titus 3:3-7 ). To be "born of God" - to be "born from above," to be "born again" - is the gift of adoption into Go...

"You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." — Matthew 5:14-16 Thoughts on Today's Verse... These words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount remind us that our lives must not be allowed to be simply neutral. We will either point others away from God or show them that allegiance to God is essential. We must have a passion for walking in God's light. If we are going to reflect his light, we must live in that light. Let's make an intentional effort today to shine the light of God's holiness, love, and grace in all we do and say around others so they can find their way to the one who is truly the Light of the World ( John 8:12 ). My Prayer... O God, may the words of my mouth, the actions of my life, and the influence of my deeds show others your holiness, love and grace. May my influence lead others to Jesus so they can find your life and come to know Jesus as their true Lig...

I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life. — Psalm 119:93 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Much like the rules parents have for young children - don't drink what's under the cabinet, don't play in the street, don't walk out from behind parked cars - God's guidance is not to restrict us, but to protect us. His commands, his principles, his precepts, both the positive and prohibitive ones, are for our protection and perfection. By them we find life and have it preserved. The Old Testament Law had all sorts of cleanliness laws that did not make any sense at all until thousands of years later, when modern science taught us about bacteria and viruses. All through these years, the Israelites were preserved by God's commands when they had no real understanding of why God had given the laws in the first place. God's precepts bring us protection and natural rewards that go with living a wholesome and wise life ( Deuteronomy 6:1-3 ; Psa...

I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus. — Philippians 3:14 Thoughts on Today's Verse... I've been told that the way to walk a tightrope is to keep one's eyes focused on the goal, never looking down at the ground or over one's shoulder at what lies behind. I know that is a pretty good way to live life - to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and his victory, which awaits us when he returns. We must not allow ourselves to look over our shoulder, focusing on our past successes or failures. Our goal must be to keep walking toward Jesus until we are transformed to be like him, and then walk with him into glory ( Colossians 3:2-3 ; 1 John 3:1-3 ). My Prayer... Glorious and gracious LORD, I look forward to the day when you call me by name, as I see you face-to-face, and as you walk hand in hand with me in glory. Until that day, I ask the Holy Spirit to keep my eyes fixed on Jesus and what you want me to do and become. By y...

Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. — Hebrews 12:1 Thoughts on Today's Verse... With the example of all the great heroes of the Bible, both big and small, we can do God's work with confidence. But for us to boldly go where he wants us to go, we must first let go of "the sin that so easily entangles", our lives, distorts our vision, enlarges our doubts, and robs us of our spiritual vitality and stamina. As we put those things away from our lives, we can then look "to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith" and we can "not grow weary" or "lose heart" ( Hebrews 12:2-3 ). We can join the apostle Paul when he said he had fought the good fight, had finished his race, and could trust that God's bountiful grace had great things in store for him ( 2 Timothy 4:6-8 ). Let's...

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. — Hebrews 11:1 Thoughts on Today's Verse... While the road ahead of us may be clouded with questions and concerns, we can look back and see the many ways God has acted on our behalf in the past to get us to the places we need to be today. But beyond us, we also see his work throughout history, as he has provided guidance and protection to his people, Israel, throughout the Old Testament, and to his people in the early church, the disciples of Jesus in those early days in the book of Acts. We can take assurance that God's promises are true and our victory is certain in him because we have seen him act in the past. We can be sure of what we hope for, and we can be certain of what we do not yet see because of our faith! My Prayer... Almighty God, we believe that before there was a world, you existed. We trust that even now you sustain our world with your words of grace. We are confident that before the futu...

I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. — Psalm 119:60 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Obedience is faith put into practice. Without actions and good deeds, Jesus' brother James reminds us that our faith is not genuine - it is false faith ( James 2:14, 17, 26 ). So, without arguing or procrastinating, let's quickly obey - let's "hasten and not delay to obey" - even when we don't fully understand why. We've seen God's love demonstrated to us in Jesus, so we should obey because we know he loves us. Most of us have also seen the blessings that flow from obeying him. So, let's "hasten and not delay to obey" God's commands! My Prayer... O God, please give me a heart that is quick to obey and a faith that hastens to express itself in loving actions to you through obedience. I want to please you with my words and thoughts, but even more, dear Father, I want to live a life full of your character, wisdom, grace, and generosity. H...

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. — Psalm 112:5 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Generosity is love expressed in practical ways with joy. Generosity and justice are two character traits more needed in our selfish world - and these are also traits of God who characterized himself as having righteous character, gracious compassion, and justice with faithful lovingkindness ( Exodus 34:6-7 ). Generosity and justice are traits that come into our world from hearts touched by our Father. They are people who have been transformed to more nearly reflect the nature of God. We see this in the Gentile Macedonian believers, who sacrificially and graciously helped their fellow believers in Jerusalem, who were Jewish. Paul describes it this way: Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to t...

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." — Matthew 19:14 Thoughts on Today's Verse... In an age that neglected children and held them in low regard, Jesus' love for children and his tenderness with them are powerful reminders that God values every person, young or old, born or not yet born, rich or poor, impoverished or born to wealth. Jesus is God's great reminder of his love for the people the world often neglects, abuses, and abandons. Jesus calls us to love the unloved, the forgotten, the abused, and the neglected. Why? Because that is what Israel was before God chose them ( Ezekiel 16:4-5 ), that is who Jesus was at Calvary ( Galatians 3:13 ), and that is who we were without grace ( Romans 5:6-11 ; Ephesians 2:1-5 ). How can we claim to know salvation but not share grace with others who need God's love, mercy, and grace - especially when those others are children? How can ...

"What about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." — Matthew 16:15-16 Thoughts on Today's Verse... There is no other name under heaven that can save us other than Jesus ( Acts 4:12 ). He is the way, the truth, and the life - the only way to the Father ( John 14:6 ). We are to confess Jesus before people, knowing that when we do, we can be sure he will confess us before the Father and his angels in heaven ( Matthew 10:32-33 ). Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our Savior and LORD. We may not know all the theological gravity of those words - after all, Peter didn't when he confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God - but we can commit to knowing Jesus and following him until we know more of what those words mean. Jesus asks us to open our hearts to his lordship and begin the journey toward fuller knowledge and experience of him as the Holy Spirit informs us ( 1 Corinthi...

I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws. — Psalm 119:30 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Jesus challenged us with this strong call: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me" ( Luke 9:23 ). "The way of truth," the way of Jesus, is a daily choice. Not intentionally putting Jesus at the center of our lives and not seeking to please him as our top priority means we slip a little further away from the life he is calling us to live. Any decision made without consciously seeking to please him and obeying his commands ( Matthew 28:20 ) is choosing to place Jesus at the periphery of our lives. So let's set our hearts on him. Let's choose his way and his truth so we can live his life ( John 14:6 ) in our world. Yes, we have chosen the way of truth, and we have set our hope on Jesus, who is the fulfillment of God's laws ( Matthew 5:17-28 ). My Prayer... Heavenly Father, I choose to ...

If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. — 1 John 1:7 Thoughts on Today's Verse... As we seek to please God and trust in his grace, more grace is supplied. As we walk openly, transparently, and bring who we are to the Light ( John 3:19, 21 ), we are forgiven our sins and cleansed of their stains ( 1 John 1:8-9 ). This grace gives us an ongoing relationship with each other for fellowship, encouragement, and mutual support, and it also brings us into deeper fellowship with our Father in heaven. Jesus' death was "once for all" ( Hebrews 7:27 , 9:12 , 26 , 10:10 ); its cleansing power goes on and on for each of us, as long as we tune our hearts to the Father's grace, we are open about our sinful failures, and our hearts return to the path that seeks the Father's will and live in the Light of Jesus. My Prayer... Loving Father, thank you for the gift of Jesus and ...

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." — Isaiah 41:10 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Fear saps our willpower and leaves us feeling depleted and hopeless. Feeling depressed, discouraged, and dismayed saps our emotional resources and takes the passion out of our spiritual service. Yet very few of us have ever experienced a defeat so complete and bitter as the one God's people faced when Isaiah shared this message of hope. The preservation of Israel through their horrors of defeat, humiliation, and loss from their times in exile until the time of Jesus is a many-centuries-long reminder of God's miraculous and faithful fulfillment of his promises and love. Later, when all appeared lost, the ongoing survival and triumph of Jesus' disciples through centuries of persecution and opposition powerfully remind us that underneath us are the everlasting arms ...

I will praise you with an upright heart as I learn your righteous laws. — Psalm 119:7 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Praise is integrally connected with our character. For us to worship God properly, the intent of our hearts and the effort of our lives must show our determined desire to know and live his will as we reflect his holy character, gracious compassion, and faithful loving justice. While we will never do this perfectly, his grace covers us as we seek to live for his glory, and as the Holy Spirit is always at work transforming us into greater Christlikeness ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 ). However, we must never use God's grace as a pretense to excuse spiritual laziness, intentional weaknesses, and persistent sins. True praise comes from an upright heart and a life aligned with our Creator's loving purposes, and reflected in our knowing what he wants and obeying what he calls us to do. My Prayer... Holy God, I want to be more like you in character, even though I will never f...