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Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care. — Psalm 95:6-7 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Worship is more than our hearts, souls, and words offered to God. It also necessarily involves our physical bodies, our strength, and our posture ( Mark 12:29-30 ). When we understand the grace God has given us to be called his children, what else can we do but bow down or kneel before him in his majesty and loving grace? We come to him, a conquering ruler, offering ourselves in full submission. God chooses, however, to treat us tenderly like a loving shepherd who longs to care for us, and our Abba Father who is full of tender love for us. We must not forget the parable of the lost sheep ( Luke 15:3-7 ) and the lost sons ( Luke 15:11-32 ) as we pray this truth! Such grace leads us to bow and kneel in heartfelt worship before the LORD, our maker. My Prayer... Shepherd of my soul, my lo...

"You are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household." — Ephesians 2:19 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Those of us who have been Christians a long time sometimes forget that we have no claim or right to the grace that we have received. God offered his grace freely to all people who are willing to call on Jesus as LORD and Savior, then live for him wholeheartedly ( Titus 2:11 ; Acts 2:21, 41 , 16:22 ; Romans 10:13 ). When we feel we deserve our place in "God's household" , that it is ours by right, we are no longer living under grace. To be a part of God's family is a gift. The Holy One who spoke into existence the universe - and we are a submicroscopic speck in comparison - has given us grace to be adopted into his family. Being part of God's people, God's household, is simply and magnificently a gift from the One who knows how to share grace in ways we can't even imagine. My Pra...

There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. — Galatians 3:28 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Wouldn't it be great if we could tear down all the walls that divide us - racial, social, economic, gender, and political. The apostle Paul spent his entire life trying to do just that: to tear down the walls that divided people by bringing them to Jesus and the cross. In fact, Paul emphatically proclaimed that Christ "has made us ... one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility" ( Ephesians 2:13-14 ESV ). There are no positions of superiority or inferiority at the foot of the cross; only a place for those who discover God's might displayed in sacrifice and God's love displayed even when under attack at the hands of human cruelty. While the forces of culture and human selfishness are always trying to divide us, we can remember that in Jesus, and only in Jesus, we can all be truly one. My Pra...

Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: To believe in the one he has sent." — John 6:29 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Do you believe in Jesus - not just "kinda believe" in Jesus, but do you really believe? Years ago, shortly after Max Lucado came back from his mission work in Rio, Brazil, he shared with a group of his closest friends that his theology was pretty simple. He didn't have a handle on a lot of the big, difficult theological problems that divide folks. However, Max said he came to the firm and deep conviction that God loves us, and he showed that love by really sending Jesus to live among us, to die for us, and to be raised from the dead so that we could be raised from death, too. This is the work of God - amazingly simple and awesomely powerful. I believe in Jesus. I pray that you believe in Jesus. While we may be uncertain about many specific details of complex doctrinal issues, the work of God we need is to genuinely "believe in the one h...

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. — Isaiah 26:3 Thoughts on Today's Verse... It is naive, on one hand, to think that trusting in God makes all of our problems go away. Christians have many of the same problems that unbelievers do because they share the same mortal flesh and live in the same broken world ( Romans 8:18-21 ). Some of our brothers and sisters are suffering hardship and persecution because of their faith. However, there is also a sense that trusting in God does make our problems go away - or at least helps us put those problems into perspective. Because we trust in God, our work stands or falls in his hands. Either way, we know that we will share in his victorious and glorious presence forever ( Colossians 3:1-2 ). Our lives are not lived in vain. That's not just confidence; it's the foundation of true peace. We can live our lives to their fullest, knowing that every moment matters. We don't need to be anxi...

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. — Romans 12:4-5 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Three key realities of our discipleship are belonging, usefulness, and connectedness. Each of us belongs! We belong to God. We belong to Jesus. We belong to Jesus' body, the Church. We belong to each other as members of Jesus' body. The Holy Spirit not only cleansed us when we were given new birth in Jesus' family ( John 3:6-7 ; 1 Corinthians 6:11 ), but the Spirit also gifted us ( Ephesians 4:7 ; 1 Peter 4:10 ) and connected us with everyone else in Jesus' body! We each have a place and a purpose for the Church to function as Jesus' bodily presence in our world today. We each have something to bring to the other believers who make us Jesus' body, the Church. Each of us belongs! Each of us is needed! Each of us has an importan...

Great peace have they who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble. — Psalm 119:165 Thoughts on Today's Verse... My doctor likes to tease me when I come in for a checkup: "What is your problem with gravity?" You see, from an early age, my nickname was "Trip"! I am someone who has had several very clumsy stages of life and taken some pretty nasty stumbles. So, I hope you will join me in hearing this most beautiful promise from today's Scripture. For me, this promise is almost beyond believing. "Nothing can make them stumble." When it comes to life, God gives us this promise: as we know, love, and do his will, nothing can make us stumble. There is great peace knowing that the Father loves us and doesn't want us to stumble. Even when we do begin to stumble, if we go back to God and confess those stumbles and sins, he forgives them and makes us clean. It's as if they hadn't happened ( 1 John 1:9 ). God no longer sees it as a stumble...

I love the LORD. He heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy. Because he turned his ear to me, I will call on him as long as I live. — Psalm 116:1-2 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Understanding the LORD's love, presence, and nearness should lead us to serve him and to deepen our relationship with him. While we love God for many reasons, we especially want to express our love to him today for his personal concern for us - individually for each of us! In a world where important people refuse to spend time with those they consider "beneath them," we are truly blessed with an incomparable God who listens to our every cry, recognizes our distinct voice, and tunes his ear to hear every one of our whispers. Yes! I will call on the LORD! I will praise him, thank him, confess to him, and speak of him and his grace as long as I live! My Prayer... Father, you know each hair on my head and every thought in my heart. Thank you for hearing my prayers. Thank you for answering so many...

When I said, "My foot is slipping," your love, O LORD, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. — Psalm 94:18-19 Thoughts on Today's Verse... We are amazed at the vastness of God's reach, the awesome breadth of his power, and the glorious sweep of his majesty. An additional truth is God's personal nearness, tenderness, and attentiveness to our needs - his continual support and consolation. Our Father chooses to know us and be actively involved in the trials and triumphs we face each day. Imagine how today and every tomorrow will be different because we are aware of his presence and certain of his companionship in our lives. Realize the difference knowing that God supports us when our feet slip and how near God's consolation is when our anxiety and fear rise in our hearts. God, the Master of all creation, knows each of us and intervenes in each of our lives to support and console us! My Prayer... Loving God, you a...

He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, give us all things? — Romans 8:32 Thoughts on Today's Verse... If God gave up his Son to save us, what will he not do to bless, guide, and keep us? That's Paul's point in our verse today. God bought us out of bondage to sin, death, and hell so that now we are holy to him ( 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ). Paul was telling the Corinthians that God's overflowing grace should motivate us toward holiness, living wholeheartedly and unabashedly for God while using our bodies to glorify him as a temple to God in the Holy Spirit. In our verse for today, Paul is seeking to motivate us to live for God while also giving us assurance. God was gracious to redeem us when we were undeserving ( Romans 5:6-11 ). Now that we are his children and seeking to honor him, we can trust that he is doing everything to bring his salvation in us to completion! God's initial grace saves us while his ong...

By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me — a prayer to the God of my life. — Psalm 42:8 Thoughts on Today's Verse... I have always loved music. To this day, songs help unlock the part of me that is most open to God. Songs help me declare my love for him and offer my praise to him. But as the psalmist said so many centuries ago, and I find it is still true for me today: his song is with me at night, especially on those nights when sleep is hard to find and I need reassurance of his love. Even when I can't remember what I dreamed the previous night, I often awaken to a praise song that had been sung over me ( Zephaniah 3:17 ), with me, and by me in my sleep - "...at night his song is with me - a prayer to the God of my life ... the LORD [who] directs his love" to me! Video Commentary... ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer... O God of my life, thank you for music and song. Thank you for giving me so many good things to sing j...

I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. — Psalm 16:8 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Many things can trouble our lives, but none can shake us loose from the grip of God's grace as our hearts remain pointed at Jesus as our LORD and our hope remains focused on the LORD's return. If Jesus is our LORD, then all of life's greatest blessings lie ahead of us, and he will let nothing rob us of this coming glory! We have confidence as believers because each of us can say: I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. So, dear friend in Jesus, let's not just say it; let's passionately live it! My Prayer... Holy LORD, you are worthy of majesty, honor, and praise. I lift your name, O God, and place it above every name. As I look to the future, I want to honor you and journey with you, knowing you are with me. Since I believe you will never leave or forsake me ( Romans 8:37-39 ), I...

He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. — 1 John 5:12 Thoughts on Today's Verse... This statement is both a reminder of God's glorious grace and also of our need to share that grace with others. Life is such a precious gift; it would be a shame and a deep loss for anyone we know and love to miss out on the gift of God's life. God gave us the gift of his Son so that in finding him, we too could share in his life, and share that life with others. As Jesus himself said: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" ( John 14:6 ) "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent..." ( John 17:3 ). My Prayer... Father of all nations, please resurrect a desire in your people to spread your grace to every language, tribe, nation, and people ( Revelation 7:9-10 ). Empower us with your Spirit so that we will speak the Gospel ...

To me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. — Philippians 1:21 Thoughts on Today's Verse... The truth is often as simple as it is sweet - if Jesus is our life, then our lives have no end. In faith, we shared with Jesus in his saving death, burial, and resurrection ( 1 Corinthians 15:3-7 ) through our baptism as we called on the name of the LORD to save us ( Colossians 2:12 ). Our lives - our eternal essence and identity - are hidden with Christ and will be fully revealed when we share with Jesus in his eternal glory ( Colossians 3:3-4 ). Death does not strip life from us, but ushers us into life in Jesus' very presence, where no power or event, not even death, can steal us from his grasp ( Romans 8:38-39 ). My Prayer... O Eternal God, thank you for sending Jesus to show us your love, and thank you for sending him again in the future. Jesus is our anchor in the storms of life and our light in our darkest nights, reminding us that you love us with an undying love. In the name of...

"Let him who boasts boast in the LORD." For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. — 2 Corinthians 10:17-18 Thoughts on Today's Verse... We live in a world with skewed values, false promises, lust for notoriety, and desperation for fleeting fame. The real question for us, needs to be this: What can we boast in other than the steadfastness of the LORD's love, the incredible riches of the LORD's grace, the incomparable supply of the LORD's blessings, the sweetness of the LORD's people, the mercy of the LORD's plan for our salvation, the promise of the LORD's tomorrow, and the promise of the LORD Jesus' nearness ( Philippians 4:5 ; Romans 8:38-39 ; Hebrews 13:5-6 ) - who is with us and in us and for us? So, dear friend of Jesus, let's have our only boast be in the LORD because that is where everything else that matters in our lives can be found! My Prayer... LORD of majesty and mercy, every ...

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. — 2 Corinthians 7:1 Thoughts on Today's Verse... In a world so full of distractions and temptations, purity is difficult. Even more than difficult, the call to purity often goes forgotten and ignored ( 1 John 3:2-3 ). "Cheap grace" ( Jude 1:4 ) is sometimes substituted for Jesus' call to passionate, pure, and holy living. While we never want to give in to a works-righteousness approach to salvation, we must also remember that impurity through laziness, lack of commitment, or simple rebellion contaminates those claiming to be Christians and ruins our influence before the watching world. We are called to be at work perfecting holiness in our lives out of our reverence for God! My Prayer... Please purify my heart, my life, my body, and my influence, O God. May my words and my thoughts be blameless in your sig...

If we live, we live to the Lord: and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. — Romans 14:8 Thoughts on Today's Verse... One of the incredible realizations we have as Christians is that our relationship with the LORD is eternal. As we seek after him, he is always there, and no one can separate us from his love ( Romans 8:38-29 ). Even when we die, we go to be "with the LORD" ( Philippians 1:23-24 ). When we sleep in death, we are still "in the LORD" ( Revelation 14:13 ). When he returns in glory, we will go to "be with the LORD forever" ( 1 Thessalonians 4:17-18 ). Everything we have on earth is temporary except our love for the LORD Jesus, our praise of God through him, and our friends with whom we share that love and praise! My Prayer... Almighty God, thank you so much for binding yourself to our world in Jesus and binding me close to you through his lordship in my life. I look forward to the day when the LOR...

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God's creation. ... "Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me." — Revelation 3:14, 20 Thoughts on Today's Verse... It has always fascinated me that this verse is often cited by those calling others to conversion when it is written to a lukewarm church and her members. These disciples, like many of us, need to rekindle their love-relationship with the LORD and demonstrate it by living passionately for Jesus. Along with those believers centuries ago, we need to ask the LORD Jesus into our hearts, lives, and churches today. It's not that he's not there; it's just that he awaits our invitation to enter and take the lead. He will not barge in and dominate, but enters when we invite him into our lives and welcome him to take control. So, dear friend in Jesus, the LORD inhabits hearts into which...

We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. — Ephesians 2:10 Thoughts on Today's Verse... The Psalmist reminded us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made, and that God created us with something definite planned for us to do with our lives ( Psalm 139:13-15 ). We display his craftsmanship, his artistry, his skill when we intentionally live for him and not like the rest of the world. Paul deepens this truth in our verse today as he writes about being saved by grace through faith ( Ephesians 2:8-10 ). We have been recreated in Christ Jesus to continue the good work of Jesus as we become more and more JESUShaped ( Colossians 1:28-29 ) and as the Holy Spirit continues God's transformative work in us, making us more and more like Christ ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 ). So, let's get about doing the work of Christ the Father created us to do! My Prayer... Master, Father, and LORD, please teach me to recognize your ...

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body. — 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Thoughts on Today's Verse... We are God's temple! God lives in us! We are a holy dwelling of the living and almighty God! WOW! We were made Holy by the price Jesus paid to redeem us ( 1 Peter 1:18-20 ). So, now what we do in our bodies is part of the worship we give to God just as much as what we do when we get together with other Christians in worship ( Romans 12:1-2 ). We are called to not only abstain from impurity, but we are called to glorify God in our bodies and honor the sacrifice of Jesus by living holy lives each day. This is worship because we are where God lives through his Spirit. Holy living is not a burden, but a way to say "Thank you!" and offer praise to God for what he has done for us and what he has made in us! We are the temple of ...

I rejoice in following your statutes as one rejoices in great riches. — Psalm 119:14 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Our treasure and our truth come from God's holy Scriptures. The Scriptures are God's guidance for us and his treasures, given to us as the Holy Spirit leads us to understand and apply them as we reach to become more like Jesus ( 1 Corinthians 2:10-12 ). They teach us how to avoid the evil one's harmful traps and to live God's blessed life ( 2 Timothy 3:14-17 ). Rather than seeing God's Scriptures as limiting us in this life, we need to see them as a gift of love to bless us, to prevent us from falling into the traps of this life, and to lead us into life forever with God. We can come to value them more highly than riches, for in them we will find our great reward, both in this life and the life to come ( Psalm 19:11 ). My Prayer... Holy God, thank you for your written Word, the Scriptures, and your "living" Word ( Hebrews 4:12 ), also the S...

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. — Psalm 46:1 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Where can we go when it seems as if all our walls have fallen, all the protection we have has vanished, and our hearts feel as if all hope is lost? We can go to the eternal God, who is also our Abba Father ( Romans 8:15-17 ). He preserved ancient Israel miraculously through their most difficult times in their history, protected the Scriptures from hordes of those who tried to eradicate them, and has led his Church victoriously through all her troubles, trials, and triumphs throughout the centuries. He will do the same with us until he brings us home to himself. For "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble." My Prayer... My Rock, My Hope and My Protector, I thank you for preserving my life. I thank you for hearing my cries for help and healing. I thank you for guiding my feet into ways that have been a blessing. Please, O God, stay close by as ...

Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. — Luke 12:6-7 Thoughts on Today's Verse... In a universe so vast, what is our little planet? On a planet so diverse and so full of life, what are simple, ordinary, and everyday people? Among all the billions of people alive and all those who have lived before us, what significance do I have among so many others? Jesus reminds us that our significance is great-not because we are so important, but because we are known personally by God, who created us, has known us, and has had a purpose for us from the time of our conception ( Psalm 139:13-16 ). We don't have to be afraid; we are known and loved by the One who is and who was and who is to come! As born-of-God believers, we are God’s precious children ( John 1:11-13 , 3:3-7 ). He will never leave us or forsake us ( Hebrews 13:5-6 ; Ro...

For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. — Psalm 149:4 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Jesus left heaven and made himself a servant. No wonder God could say to him, "You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased" ( Luke 3:22 ). God expressed his delight to his Son as he lived as an example of a servant ( Mark 10:45 ). He did so to enable the last of this world to be counted as first in the Kingdom of God ( Matthew 20:16 ). Jesus declared that the servant of others is greater than those who are served ( Luke 22:25-27 ). Jesus demonstrated that those often considered the least important in our world are the most important to him ( Matthew 25:40, 45 ). The arrogant, the abusive, and the parading powerful have found it easy to reject the call of Christ for centuries - after all, Jesus died for the sinful and the weak. They consider themselves "important" and feel that they do not need a Savior. However, those who are hum...

The LORD is our judge, the LORD is our lawgiver, the LORD is our king; it is he who will save us. — Isaiah 33:22 Thoughts on Today's Verse... When we think about God as our Judge, we normally think of falling under judgment and receiving punishment. Isaiah reminds us that God's being our Judge means he will judge us according to his will, rule, and grace. He is on our side and is looking to save us, not condemn us ( John 3:16-17 ). His commands are rightfully given as our Creator and King, yet given to us to protect us and bless us. Using the New Testament idiom, when we stand before our Judge, we see our loving Father, and at his right hand is our Savior, who gave his life for us ( Hebrews 1:3 ). As Paul so beautifully told us: For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back in fear, but you received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our...

All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal. — Psalm 119:160 Thoughts on Today's Verse... The requirements of morality and holiness are not temporary or fleeting because they reflect the nature of our Holy God, who is eternal. They don't shift with the wishes of culture or the trends proposed by the so-called enlightened. God's truth is true across cultures, times, and wishes. We do not adapt God's will to our times, but we redeem our times by adapting our wills to his truth. My Prayer... Righteous God Almighty, may my life reflect your righteous character, gracious compassion, and faithful love and justice. You, your nature, and your values are forever, and I want to invest my life in what endures and is eternal. Please give me wisdom to see through the fleeting temptations of today, the fads of culture, and the degradations of morality, as I seek to do what honors you. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen. The Thoughts and Prayer on Today's Verse are ...