Today’s Verse – Matthew 6:20
“But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” —Matthew 6:20 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Where’s your treasure? What are you doing to invest in true, incorruptible, long-term security? Why not make sure your most important investments are guaranteed a great return! Store up your treasure with God! My Prayer… Abba Father, I know the only trustworthy security I can ever have is in you. Please give me wisdom as I seek to use my time, talents, and treasure to honor you, bring others to you, and invest my treasures with you. In Jesus name, I 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.
Today’s Verse – 1 Corinthians 6:19-20
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… Yesterday, the Scriptures reminded us of Solomon’s moving dedication speech of the Temple. Incredibly, Paul asserts in today’s verse that God has now chosen to invest his presence inside of us through the Holy Spirit. God lives in us as majestically in our day as in Jerusalem’s Temple in Solomon’s day. Our acceptability to God as his holy dwelling came at a great price to him — the death of his Son! How can we refuse to honor his divine presence in us? How can we not live a holy life in response to his grace? My Prayer… Forgive me, dear Father. I know there have been times when I have lost sight of the wonder of your glorious presence within me. The gift of your Spirit is a dazzling and humbling grace. Once again, Father, I pledge to present my body as a living sacrifice to please and honor you as your Temple. At the same time, I acknowledge I need the presence and power of your Holy Spirit to honor you as your holy dwelling place. Lead, cleanse, purify, and make me like Jesus each day by the transforming power and presence of your Holy Spirit. 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.
Today’s Verse – 2 Chronicles 6:18
[Solomon declared as he dedicated the Temple:] “But will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” —2 Chronicles 6:18 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… As Solomon dedicated the Temple, he realized that this tremendous accomplishment of great beauty was far too insignificant and small to honor or house the Creator of the Universe. However, God did choose to dwell with mortals, and the Temple would be a special place where the LORD manifested his presence. God’s dwelling among his people personally came through Jesus’ incarnation (John 1:11-18). God is awesome and beyond description, far too holy to be expected to associate with flawed human beings or contained in a grand building. As God, however, the LORD has chosen to love and live with us as one of us in Jesus. God did this so that we can return to him and share in his glory. Nevertheless, the building of Solomon’s Temple was an outstanding achievement and brought God great honor! My Prayer… Almighty God and Sovereign Father, you are more magnificent than my words can describe and more gracious than my heart can fully grasp. Thank you for your glory, which is beyond human comprehension, and your grace, which bridges the tremendous distance between us. Thank you, dear Father, for being God. In Jesus’ name, I praise you. 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.
Today’s Verse – Romans 6:17
But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were entrusted. —Romans 6:17 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… In Romans 6, Paul stresses that obeying God’s will does not mean we are manipulated or put under arbitrary rules or laws. Obedience arising out of our grace-filled God is liberation through our faith in Jesus means freedom from our bondage to sin and the certainty of death, freedom from the haunting memories of that sin and its effects has on our hearts, and freedom to become the people we were created to be! This freedom is rooted in God’s grace (Romans 6:14) and our participation with Jesus in his death, burial, and resurrection through faith in baptism (Romans 6:3-7). We are liberated through our obedient faith in Jesus! My Prayer… Heavenly Father, my head understands that obeying your will is a blessing, not a restriction. I know you have given me your truth to protect and save me. You demonstrated this truth in sending Jesus, so I want to wholeheartedly obey your will. Please forgive me for sometimes doubting and looking elsewhere for the joy and delight only you provide. In Jesus’ name, I 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.
Today’s Verse – Galatians 6:16 (verse 15 follows)
Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule — to the Israel of God. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. —Galatians 6:16 (verse 15 follows) Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Paul ends his breathtaking letter about God’s grace to Galatians with this incredible reminder: both Jews and Gentiles who are justified by faith in Jesus Christ are God’s people, his Israel. Like Abraham, who left on a long journey trusting in God’s Promise, all who are “the Israel of God” follow God’s lead and cling to God’s Promise through faith in Jesus Christ. Like those delivered through the Exodus from Egypt by the power of God and with the sprinkled blood of the Passover lamb, God’s people today have been blood-bought and delivered from their bondage to sin and death. In Christ, both Jews and non-Jews are included in God’s Promise by grace through their faith in Christ Jesus. There is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave nor free, male nor female; we are one in Christ Jesus (Galatians 5:26-29). As God’s people, they are the recipients of mercy and peace — mercy and peace that God’s people should now practice with each other. My Prayer… El Shaddai, LORD God of the Covenant, thank you for our great Patriarchs of faith who kept the faith and trusted in your Promise. Thank you for fulfilling your Promise to us, and all people, in Jesus. Thank you for blessing me and including me as one of your children through my faith in Jesus. Now, may we, your people, bring you praise, in the name of Jesus our LORD. 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.
Today’s Verse – Matthew 6:15
[As Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he reminded them:] “But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” —Matthew 6:15 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Can you think of a more frightening thought than God not forgiving our sins? We know how much Jesus paid so our sins could be forgiven! We know how much the LORD loves us. We know how much our heavenly Father wants us to have a relationship with him. So why would any of us withhold our forgiveness of others when God has so lavishly given his forgiveness to us? When we don’t forgive, we demonstrate that we have not graciously received the LORD’s forgiveness or did not understand that our forgiveness is not confirmed until we share it with others! God is graciously forgiving and will not accept those not graciously forgiving of others! My Prayer… Holy God, there are those whom I find difficult to forgive. Right now, while I’m praying, please soften my heart with your Spirit, cleanse my soul of any bitterness or resentment, and empower me to let go of the pain of the past and forgive. I thank you for this grace to not only be forgiven but also forgive. In Jesus’ name, I 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.
Today’s Verse – Galatians 6:14
May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. —Galatians 6:14 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Do you have a basis for pride? What is your source of that pride? Paul reminds us that our one, true, and dependable source of boasting is boasting in what the LORD has done for us on the cross and through his resurrection. This one source of boasting has absolutely nothing to do with anything that we have done, attained, or accomplished on our own. All other reasons to boast are fleeting glimpses at hollow fame compared to the joy and assurance of sharing in Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. May our boast be in the LORD and his sacrificial triumph through the cross! Video Commentary… ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer… Forgive me, O Abba Father, for the times I have thought myself important because of some transitory accomplishment. Thank you for giving me a bedrock source of boasting in Jesus’ love and Jesus’ grace demonstrated in the Cross. In Jesus’ name, I thank you. 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.
Today’s Verse – Ephesians 6:13
Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. —Ephesians 6:13 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Since we are in a spiritual war, we must put on our spiritual armor. More than saying our daily prayers and perfunctorily reading our daily Scriptures, we must learn to recognize the spiritual armor God has given us that Paul details in the following verses (Ephesians 6:13-20). This spiritual armor is for our spiritual protection to help us prepare for spiritual warfare. We should approach each day, each task, each Scripture, and each challenge with a sense of urgency because we know we are at war. The day of evil will come. The evil one will get some of his attacks against us to penetrate our hearts. So, let’s be ready to take our stand using the tools God has supplied and the power he provides. My Prayer… Dear Father in Heaven, please empower me with your Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:14-21). I want to boldly serve you because of your heavenly calling on me. Please inspire me to be spiritually courageous because of Jesus’s example and his repeated triumphs over the evil one. In his name, I 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.
Today’s Verse – Ephesians 6:12
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. —Ephesians 6:12 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… We are at war! We face daily battles, and those struggles are not just with sin and temptation. We have a real foe who desires our destruction. But, our enemy has already been defeated, and his angels stand rebuked. So, let’s keep our spiritual vigor, knowing that we’re not playing church, but we are fighting for the Kingdom. No wonder Jesus taught us to pray the following in the LORD’s model prayer: “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one” (Matthew 6:13). Yes, we are at war with the evil one — against his lies, and his desire to destroy us. But we can be confidently courageous and joyous because our LORD has overcome the evil one and his malevolent grip on our world (John 16:33; Colossians 2:15). My Prayer… Almighty and Victorious King, I praise you for conquering sin, death, hell, and the evil one for us. You have made us righteous and sinless through your victorious sacrifice, ensuring our victory with you. Thank you, LORD Jesus! 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.
Today’s Verse – Galatians 6:10
Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. —Galatians 6:10 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… We are to be people who do good deeds. That’s a very significant part of who we are as Jesus’ followers. Do you want to find a real disciple of Jesus? Find someone doing good to and for others! So, let’s look for the many opportunities that God places in our paths to bless others in the name of Jesus. Paul’s emphasis here is that we especially do good to those in “the family of believers” — other Christians. Rather than arguing and fussing over our preferences and politics, let’s demonstrate kindness and love to each other as we use all of our blessings and our opportunities to bless others and bring God glory! My Prayer… Almighty LORD, please give us the eyes to see and the hearts to be touched by those around us who need to see your goodness and grace demonstrated through our compassion, concern, and good deeds. In Jesus’ name, we pray that you help us be generous with good deeds. 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.