Who Leads in Your Dance of Life?
Note from Jesus Dear Child of the King, You may have noticed in our time together the last few days that I have had you read from Galatians and/or James in your Bible. These two letters were written to very different groups of people, with different religious backgrounds, but with similar concerns. Those concerns as stated from the viewpoint of the recipients of the letters were these: How am I supposed to live a righteous life if I don’t live by the law? Can I call myself a disciple of Jesus if I don’t do what the Father says, and I don’t display the Father’s righteous character and gracious compassion in my life? What about those who live in ways that are in rebellion to the character of the Father — don’t they need to live under the law? What about those who claim to be Christians, but don’t live righteously and appear to be hypocrites? In today’s verses, Paul emphasizes that the law cannot do what the Spirit can do to answer these questions. The Spirit comes and brings My power to transform you. Remember what I promised shortly before My death, burial, resurrection, and ascension: “I tell you the truth: whoever believes in Me will be able to do what I have done, but they will do even greater things, because I will return to be with the Father. … I will ask the Father to send you another Helper, the Spirit of truth, Who will remain constantly with you.” (John 14:12, 16) Through prayer and the empowering presence of the Spirit within you individually, as well as the Spirit working through you collectively, I AM at work in you. I AM also at work through you to do these “greater things.” The law cannot give you this power and cannot fulfill this promise. Only the presence and power of the Holy Spirit can. You began your walk with Me through the work of the Holy Spirit. I have done great things among you, within you, and through you by the power of the Spirit. Do not depend on law-keeping in an attempt to be holy and to live righteous lives. I want you to understand that life, especially a life of character and devotion to God, is like a holy dance. In this dance of life, you can lead the dance and allow the sinful desires of the flesh to control the direction of your dance. Or, you can be led by the Spirit, and the Spirit’s fruit of holy character — “unconditional love, joy, peace, patience, kindheartedness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control” — will shine through in your life. How are you going to be led by the Spirit? I want you to know that the dance of life with the Spirit in the lead begins here: [S]et aside [y]our self-interests and work together to create true community instead of a culture consumed by provocation, pride, and envy. After committing yourself to Me, your first step in this dance of holy living is to consciously set aside your own desire. Give up your fleshly focus and self-interest. This submission is keeping “each step in perfect sync with God’s Spirit.” Keeping in step with the Spirit happens because you consciously and willfully ask the Spirit to take the lead in the dance of your life. As you offer yourself to Me, ask that the Father keep pouring the Spirit’s power and presence into your life (Luke 11:13; 1 Thessalonians 4:8). The Holy Spirit is like a permanent heavenly guest in your life. The Spirit will not intrude into the secret places of your self-will and self-interest unless you invite Him and yield to His leading in your dance of life. However, the more you consciously and intentionally ask your heavenly guest to take control, the more the Spirit will exert His influence. The apostle Paul pointed to the following ways to offer the Spirit the lead in your dance of life: Speak to one another in songs, hymns, and spiritual songs. Sing. Make music in your heart to God. Give thanks in all circumstances. Submit to one another as you reverence Me in your heart. Let the message about Me be your strong defense against the influence of evil in your life. Pray consciously depending upon the Spirit to be at work in your prayers. Be alert. (Ephesians 5:15-21; Ephesians 6:17-18) You began your holy dance being led by the Spirit. Continue to invite the Spirit to lead. As you do, you will notice your life becoming more and more like the life you saw Me live (2 Corinthians 3:17-18). Verses to Live Dear follower, know that I long to do greater things in you and through you and for you through the power of the Holy Spirit. So let the Spirit lead the dance of your life. When you do, you will find that you will not need a law to tell you what to do. Rather than trying to obey a law, you will find “each step in perfect sync” with the Spirit! Galatians, don’t act like fools! Has someone cast a spell over you? Did you miss the crucifixion of Jesus the Anointed that was reenacted right in front of your eyes? Tell me this: Did the Holy Spirit come upon you because you lived according to the law? Or was it because you heard His message of grace through faith? Are you so foolish? Do you think you can perfect something God’s Spirit started with any human effort? Have you suffered so greatly for nothing — if it was indeed for nothing? You have experienced the Spirit He gave you in powerful ways. Miracle after miracle has occurred right before your eyes in this community, so tell me: did all this happen because you have kept certain provisions of God’s law, or was it because you heard the gospel and accepted it by faith? (Galatians 3:1-5) Here’s my instruction: walk in the
Today’s Verse – James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. —James 1:22 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Most of us try to live by the old proverb: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Well, the proof of biblical wisdom and understanding is in the living. Knowing the truth doesn’t mean much; living the truth is everything. Jesus said that knowing the truth and not living it makes us foolish and brings destruction on ourselves and our efforts (Matthew 7:21-27). No wonder that James, Jesus’ brother, made Jesus’ point very clear: we must obey what we know to be the truth, or we deceive and destroy ourselves! My Prayer… O LORD God, please empower me with your Spirit as I seek to not only “practice what I preach,” but also show my obedience to your will and live consistently to honor and obey you in my daily life. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, my LORD, and ask for the Spirit’s help to be an authentic disciple of my Savior who doesn’t just listen to his words, but I do what they say. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Wisdom, Peace, and Righteousness
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, When James wrote about wisdom and peace, he used terms whose meanings were rooted in what you call the Old Testament — The Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. To fully appreciate what James taught in today’s verses, you must understand what peace and wisdom meant when he used those terms. For James, peace was much more than an absence of conflict. Peace was living in true shalom — the state of blessing and wholesomeness in life that comes when people live in complete harmony with the Father’s will. For James, righteousness would flourish, and compassion would be displayed when the joy of right living produced the place and the people where the Father’s presence would love to dwell. True shalom for them, and for you, is the blessing of living Our life in your world. True shalom is experiencing the blessedness of the Father’s presence and rule over every area of life. For James, wisdom was not some theoretical attainment of mental excellence, but a life full of all the goodness and true shalom that come from the Father’s grace. This life flowed out of a person’s commitment to living the Father’s values in his or her world. James emphasized that this wisdom would be shown by a disciple’s example of good living. This kind of wisdom was not just the subject of some philosophical speculation. Instead, this true wisdom was about life being tuned to Our righteous character and gracious compassion. Wisdom would mean living in reverential respect for Us and living in harmony with your neighbor. This reverential respect for Us would then be the beginning of all wisdom: The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. (Psalm 111:10 ESV) What I taught as the two greatest commands captures both elements of true wisdom — living in reverential respect for the Father and loving your neighbor: And again the crowd was amazed. They were astonished at His [Jesus’] teaching. Hearing that Jesus had silenced the Sadducees, a group of Pharisees met to consider new questions that might trip up Jesus. A legal expert thought of one that would certainly stump Him. Pharisees: Teacher, of all the laws, which commandment is the greatest? Jesus (quoting Scripture): “Love the Eternal One your God with all your heart and all your soul and all your mind.” This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is nearly as important, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” The rest of the law, and all the teachings of the prophets, are but variations on these themes. (Matthew 22:33-40) Wisdom springs from living these two principles. However, when jealousy and selfish ambition are found in a group or culture, true wisdom and peace go out the window. Chaos and evil flourish as each person competes for his or her own interest at the expense of others. Loving God is soon forgotten in the love of power, the pursuit of prestige, and the jockeying for position. Love of neighbor is ignored in the rush to love oneself and forget about others. This kind of selfishness that masquerades as worldly wisdom has given the world the mess in which it finds itself. This selfishness is one way the evil one captures the hearts of people and enslaves them in what is not wise. This kind of selfishness never brings true wisdom and true shalom. So rather than focusing on what you can get for yourself, center your focus on how to live the character and compassion that you see in Me. Also, notice the characteristics that James said are from the devil and should not be found among My disciples: Jealousy Selfishness, selfish ambition Pride Now notice the character qualities that James urges you to pursue: Purity Peace Gentleness Deference Mercy Other good fruits untainted by hypocrisy Make this last set of attributes the goal to bring forth in your daily life. If you do so, you will find yourself in God’s peace, the true shalom that brings real life. This harmony is true wisdom! Verses to Live James spoke in clear, simple language to remind you that heavenly wisdom and true peace will be found where the life of God is lived. Righteousness is the natural result of such a life lived in the Spirit. Who in your community is understanding and wise? Let his example, which is marked by wisdom and gentleness, blaze a trail for others. If your heart is one that bleeds dark streams of jealousy and selfishness, do not be so proud that you ignore your depraved state. The wisdom of this world should never be mistaken for heavenly wisdom; it originates below in the earthly realms, with the demons. Any place where you find jealousy and selfish ambition, you will discover chaos and evil thriving under its rule. Heavenly wisdom centers on purity, peace, gentleness, deference, mercy, and other good fruits untainted by hypocrisy. The seed that flowers into righteousness will always be planted in peace by those who embrace peace. (James 3:13-18) Response in Prayer O Father, please bless me with true wisdom. I commit to pursuing the things that bring peace and demonstrate wise living. Forgive me for the times that I have put my own desires and my own yearning for things and status above developing the true wisdom that brings peace. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – Matthew 25:21
“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ “ —Matthew 25:21 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… We want it all now! Or, at least most of us do. We don’t want to have to wait for anything. But God has a vital principle: he will only entrust us with much only after we have been faithful with a little. Patience is not just a virtue important to God; patience is a necessity to be faithful to God as he fashions us for greater service! So let’s not discount our moral choices about “small and inconsequential matters.” How we handle those kinds of things as we patiently “wait for the blessed hope — the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 3:13) is essential. How we handle these during our times of waiting reveals who we are and often determines who we become. My Prayer… Holy and Righteous Father, please give me wisdom to discern the way of faithfulness and righteousness in all my dealings. I want to demonstrate proper patience as I am faithful in the small things, so that you can also entrust me with your larger things that matter more to the Kingdom. Please purify my heart and use my gifts and actions to bring you glory, both now in my times of waiting and later when I experience the full measure of your plans for me. In Jesus’ name, I ask this. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
The Power of Your Speech
Note from Jesus Dear Beloved, Learn to wait and think before you speak. Give the Holy Spirit an opportunity to guide your conversation instead of being thrust into overly hasty speech on the whim of your emotions, especially your anger. Your speech can bring a great blessing to others, but it can also wound others deeply. Part of controlling your speech involves protecting your heart from exposure to evil in all of its forms. Solomon said it this way: Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life. Avoid all perverse talk; stay away from corrupt speech. (Proverbs 4:23-24) In the verses below, My half-brother, James, connects the purity of your heart and the control of your speech. That’s because your heart influences your speech, and your speech impacts your heart. Here is what I taught My disciples: “Count on this: no good tree bears bad fruit, and no bad tree bears good fruit. You can know a tree by the fruit it bears. You don’t find figs on a thorn bush, and you can’t pick grapes from a briar bush. It’s the same with people. A person full of goodness in his heart produces good things; a person with an evil reservoir in his heart pours out evil things. The heart overflows in the words a person speaks; your words reveal what’s within your heart.” (Luke 6:43-45) So listen first. I created you with two ears to listen and one voice to speak. Let that priority of importance — listening is more important than speaking — rule your conversation. And when you speak, speak words of blessing that bring your hearers what they need most: Don’t let one rotten word seep out of your mouths. Instead, offer only fresh words that build others up when they need it most. That way your good words will communicate grace to those who hear them. (Ephesians 4:29) Verses to Live James’ words are clear and easy to understand. As you read them in the verses below, firmly resolve to put them into practice. You have a very high-powered gift in your ability to speak. Use it to be a blessing! Listen, open your ears, harness your desire to speak, and don’t get worked up into a rage so easily, my brothers and sisters. Human anger is a futile exercise that will never produce God’s kind of justice in this world. So walk out on your corrupt liaison with smut and depraved living, and humbly welcome the word of truth that will blossom like the seed of salvation planted in your souls. (James 1:19-21) My brothers and sisters, do not encourage a large number of you to become teachers because teachers will be held to a higher standard. We all stumble along the way. If a person never speaks hurtful words or shouts in anger or profanity, then he has achieved perfection. The one who can control his tongue can also control the rest of his body. It’s like when we place a metal bit into a horse’s mouth to ride it; we can control its entire body with the slightest movement of our hands. Have you ever seen a massive ship sailing effortlessly across the water? Despite its immense size and the fact that it is propelled by mighty winds, a small rudder directs the ship in any direction the pilot chooses. It’s just the same with our tongues! It’s a small muscle, capable of marvelous undertakings. And do you know how many forest fires begin with a single ember from a small campfire? The tongue is a blazing fire seeking to ignite an entire world of vices. The tongue is unique among all parts of the body because it is capable of corrupting the whole body. If that were not enough, it ignites and consumes the course of creation with a fuel that originates in hell itself. Humanity is capable of taming every bird and beast in existence, even reptiles and sea creatures great and small. But no man has ever demonstrated the ability to tame his own tongue! It is a spring of restless evil, brimming with toxic poisons. Ironically this same tongue can be both an instrument of blessing to our Lord and Father and a weapon that hurls curses upon others who are created in God’s own image. One mouth streams forth both blessings and curses. My brothers and sisters, this is not how it should be. Does a spring gush crystal clear freshwater and moments later spurt out bitter salt water? My brothers and sisters, does a fig tree produce olives? Is there a grapevine capable of growing figs? Can salt water give way to freshwater? (James 3:1-12) Response in Prayer O Father in heaven, please forgive me for the times I’ve failed to use my speech to be a blessing. Forgive me for the times I’ve not listened or have spoken impulsively, defensively, and angrily. Forgive me for not speaking encouragement into the lives of those around me who have needed it. Forgive me for saying critical things, hurtful things, about people or to people. I ask now for the help of the Holy Spirit to use my speech to be a blessing. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2025, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Today’s Verse – John 17:20-21
My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. —John 17:20-21 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Few things are more precious than knowing that on the night he was betrayed, Jesus not only prayed for his first disciples, but also for us who have come to believe because of their testimony! So often, we read the words of John 17:1-26 and study them as a prayer for Jesus’ apostles in the upper room. However, if we examine this prayer closely, we see that Jesus also prays for us, for you and me, who believe in Jesus because of the apostles’ message. He knew us, looked forward to us being his disciples, and prayed for us on the night he was betrayed. And, dear friend of the Savior, the LORD wants us to be one! He wants us to live with the same unity, purpose, and character of God that he, as the Son, did. If we do not live and love in unity, then how will the world know that God sent his Son? Notice how Jesus ties our unity to the world, knowing the Father sent him — John 17:21, 23. How will they know what to believe? How will they find Jesus as their Savior? We must be one! My Prayer… Father, forgive us, change us, and help us see what is most important in our lives as your disciples. Break down the barriers that divide us into different religious groups and help us find unity around the One who matters most to all of us, Jesus. It is in his name that we pray for us to be one, just as our Savior prayed on the night he was betrayed. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Find Glory in Only This
Note from Jesus Dear Child Saved by Grace, When you offered your heart to Me in faith trusting in My death to pay the penalty for your sins, the Father counted you righteous. The law could not make you righteous. Your works could not make you righteous. Only your trust and participation by faith in My sacrifice could do this for you. The law, however, did play a role in your coming to God. The law showed you where you have sinned and fallen short of Our holiness. The law reminded you that you did not measure up to the righteous character and gracious compassion of your Father. Like looking in a mirror, reading the law could point out what was wrong with you; however, the law had no power to correct what was wrong in you. But when your faith was expressed in baptism, when by faith you shared in My crucifixion, burial, and resurrection (Romans 6:3-7), you put on Me like a new garment and you became righteous (Galatians 3:26-29; 2 Corinthians 5:21). You were saved by grace based on your absolute trust that what I did for you would make you righteous. As Paul said it below in his teaching on law and grace: I [Paul] have been crucified with the Anointed One — I am no longer alive — but the Anointed is living in me; and whatever life I have left in this failing body I live by the faithfulness of God’s Son, the One Who loves me and gave His body on the cross for me. There is no room for you to glory in your national origin, your racial heritage, or your religious pedigree. None of those things can save you or make you righteous. Your source of glory and your source of righteousness are found only in My death and resurrection. My death and resurrection have liberated you from the burden of law-keeping as an attempt at righteousness. My death and resurrection have provided the basis for your adoption into Our spiritual family, “the Israel of God.” (Compare Galatians 3:29.) There will always be religious people who will pressure you to accept some basis for your salvation other than faith in My death, burial, and resurrection. However, there is only one gospel that can save you (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)! There is only One Who can bring you salvation (Acts 4:12). There is only One Who is the way to the Father (John 14:6). Don’t retreat from the grace that you have found in Me. Know and rely on the source of your identity, your glory, and your salvation. I died for you. You died with Me. You died to the law and to the concept that law-keeping can be the way to be made right with God. I am now alive in you and you are part of My people, “the Israel of God”! No law can do that for you. No religious leaders, no matter how important they appear to be, can offer you more. Any other gospel is not really good news. Don’t forsake the one gospel by which you were saved! Verses to Live As you read through Paul’s complex reasoning below, remember to grab hold of what is said near the end: “God’s new creation is what counts, and it counts for everything.” Remember what matters: My death, your faith, the Father’s grace, and the power to make you into a new creation and a part of Our forever family! But when Cephas came to Antioch, there was a problem. I [Paul] got in his face and exposed him in front of everyone. He was clearly wrong. Here’s what was going on: before certain people from James arrived, Cephas used to share meals with the Gentile outsiders. And then, after they showed up, Cephas suddenly became aloof and distanced himself from the outsiders because he was afraid of those believers who thought circumcision was necessary. The rest of the Jewish believers followed his lead, including Barnabas! Their hypocritical behavior was so obvious — their actions were not at all consistent with everything the good news of our Lord represents. So I approached Cephas and told him in plain sight of everyone: “If you, a Jew, have lived like the Gentile outsiders and not like the Jews, then how can you turn around and urge the outsiders to start living like Jews?” We are natural-born Jews, not sinners from the godless nations. But we know that no one is made right with God by meeting the demands of the law. It is only through the faithfulness of Jesus the Anointed that salvation is even possible. This is why we put faith in Jesus the Anointed: so we will be put right with God. It’s His faithfulness — not works prescribed by the law [or any law] — that puts us in right standing with God because no one [in all humanity] will be acquitted and declared “right” for doing what the law demands. Even though we are seeking a right relationship with God through the Anointed, the fact is we have been found out. We are sinners. But does that mean the Anointed is the one responsible for our sins? Absolutely not! If I reconstruct something I have worked so hard to destroy, then I prove myself a sinner. The law has provided the means to end my dependence on it for righteousness, and so I died to the law. Now I have found the freedom to truly live for God. I have been crucified with the Anointed One — I am no longer alive — but the Anointed is living in me; and whatever life I have left in this failing body I live by the faithfulness of God’s Son, the One Who loves me and gave His body on the cross for me. I can’t dismiss God’s grace, and I won’t. If being right with God depends on how we measure up to the law, then
Today’s Verse – Isaiah 43:1
But now, this is what the LORD says — he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” —Isaiah 43:1 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… We belong to the LORD, God of all creation, and the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. We are his (1 Peter 2:9-10). We are recipients of God’s grace and are blessed by his love for Israel’s fathers, along with physical Israel (Romans 11:28). We don’t have to fear because God is in control of our future, just as he worked through the history of his chosen people to send the Messiah. God will accompany us through the difficult trials we will face. He will make sure our redemption is realized. Why? Because we belong to him. We are his. He knows us. He formed us. God’s people are his possession forever. We are children of the almighty and the eternal God! Video Commentary… ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer… Almighty and Sovereign LORD — God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob — we praise you for your faithfulness to your promises. We thank you for your redemptive work through many generations. We deeply appreciate you sending your Son and our Messiah to redeem us. We praise you for inspiring the Scriptures to teach us your truth. Please know that we are deeply grateful for the blessing of belonging to you and for knowing that we can trust our future with you. Please bless us, your people, with an awe-filled sense of your abiding presence and use us to bring you glory. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
A Clear Command
Note from Jesus Dear Lover of God, During My earthly ministry, I was asked: “which commandment is the greatest?” (Matthew 22:36). Quoting Old Testament Scriptures, My reply was “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matthew 22:37-39 NLT) In this two-part answer, it is essential to remember that the first part, loving God, is the basis for the second part, loving your neighbor. As John said, We love because He [God] has first loved us. If someone claims, “I love God,” but hates his brother or sister, then he is a liar. Anyone who does not love a brother or sister, whom he has seen, cannot possibly love God, whom he has never seen. He gave us a clear command, that all who love God must also love their brothers and sisters. (1 John 4:19-21)Sometimes theologians make things so much more complex than they really are. They did it in My day when I walked the streets of Galilee, Judea, and Samaria. Some still do it in your day. However, as John said, here’s “a clear command”: “Love your neighbor as yourself”! This command is what I want to emphasize today and what I want you to live in your life every day. Arrogance, prejudice against the foreigners, bigotry toward other races, playing favorites based on earthly status, judging people by their appearances, murder, adultery, and covetousness can all be countered by a simple, yet profound, concept: “Love your neighbor as yourself”! This command is the Father’s royal law. This order is the law that gives you freedom. This charge is the only debt you should ever owe anyone. Faithfully living this one principle satisfies the heart of the law as you live in relationship with others with the righteous character and gracious compassion of your Father in heaven! Remembering this principle is important because I care deeply about how you talk to each other and how you talk about each other and how you interact with each other. How you treat those on the margins of your society matters deeply to Me. Whether you care for the widows, orphans, and foreigners among you reveals how closely your heart is aligned with My heart. How you treat the poor, hungry, imprisoned, sick, and those without shelter matters to Me immensely. I care so deeply about these things and these people that your treatment of them will be one of the ways you will be judged to be My disciples on the last day (Matthew 25:31-46). So practice love and mercy! Give graciously to those in need. Speak blessings and not curses into the lives of those around you. The list could go on and on, but I don’t need to get so specific. I want to remind you again of a clear command, pure and simple. Don’t just know the words, but evaluate how you treat everyone by this standard: “Love your neighbor as yourself”! Verses to Live As I’ve already emphasized, what I want you to understand from the following verses is really pretty simple: “Love your neighbor as yourself”! The Father said it in the law. I said it in My ministry. James and John taught it in their writings. The apostle Paul proclaimed it repeatedly in his letters. So quit quibbling over the details of Scripture. Live the heart of Your Savior. Reflect the character of your Father in heaven. Display the fruit the Spirit longs to bring into your life. Obey this clear command: “Love your neighbor as yourself”! If you put yourself on a pedestal, thinking you have become a role model in all things religious, but you can’t control your mouth, then think again. Your mouth exposes your heart, and your religion is useless. Real, true religion from God the Father’s perspective is about caring for the orphans and widows who suffer needlessly and resisting the evil influence of the world. My brothers and sisters, I know you’ve heard this before, but stop playing favorites! Do not try to blend the genuine faith of our glorious Lord Jesus, the Anointed One, with your silly pretentiousness. If an affluent gentleman enters your gathering wearing the finest clothes and priceless jewelry, don’t trip over each other trying to welcome him. And if a penniless bum crawls in with his shabby clothes and a stench fills the room, don’t look away or pretend you didn’t notice — offer him a seat up front, next to you. If you tell the wealthy man, “Come sit by me; there’s plenty of room,” but tell the vagrant, “Oh, these seats are saved. Go over there,” then you’ll be judging God’s children out of evil motives. My dear brothers and sisters, listen: God has picked the poor of this world to become unfathomably rich in faith and ultimately to inherit the Kingdom, which He has pledged to those who love Him. By favoring the rich, you have mocked the poor. And, correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t it the rich who step on you while climbing the ladder of success? And isn’t it the rich who take advantage of you and drag you into court? Aren’t they the ones mocking the noble name of our God, the One calling us? Remember His call, and live by the royal law found in Scripture: love others as you love yourself. You’ll be doing very well if you can get this down. (James 1:26-27; James 2:1-8) Don’t owe anyone anything, with the exception of love to one another — that is a debt which never ends because the person who loves others has fulfilled the law. The commands given to you in the Scriptures — do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not take what is not yours, do not covet — and any other command you have heard are summarized in God’s
Today’s Verse – John 17:18
As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. —John 17:18 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Jesus’ words to his disciples shortly after he appeared to them following his resurrection remind us of an incredibly significant truth about our place in God’s world. We are not here by accident! God has a purpose and plan for each one of us. He has had this plan for us since our conception (Psalm 139:13-16), and he wants to reawaken us to our significance in his kingdom mission now that we are disciples. Jesus has sent us into the world to touch it with his redemptive love and make a positive impact on others so they can discover the love God has for them. We are not just saved FROM sin, death, and hell (Ephesians 2:1-5); we are saved FOR redemptive work in the world (Ephesians 2:10; Philippians 3:13). Jesus didn’t just SAVE us; he also SENT us to continue his work of redeeming a lost world! My Prayer… O LORD God Almighty, please give me wisdom and courage to see your will for my life and know I am sent to be your servant of grace to the lost world. In Jesus’ name, I pray that I can live into your plan for my life in your world. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.