Today’s Verse – Psalm 84:11-12
For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you. —Psalm 84:11-12 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… These promises are made to the true worshiper of God (Psalm 84:1-10). This worshiper delights to be in the presence of God and yearns to be with God in worship. This worshiper trusts fully in God as the source of strength, hope, victory, and joy. For this kind of worshiper, God has left an incredible set of promises! Very similar to Romans 8:32-39, and its hallmark passage in Romans 8:28, God promises to work out things for good and bless those who “love him and are called according to his purpose”. Paul goes on to say that God will “graciously give us all things” in Christ (Romans 8:32). Notice how this is very similar to our Psalm today: “…no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Why these lavish promises? Because God is for us! He is our sun and shield. He lavishes his grace and glory upon us. He will not withhold any good thing from us as we seek to have a walk that is blameless. My Prayer… O dear Father, how can I thank you? You have lavished your grace upon me in Jesus. You have promised me victory and heaven. I praise you for your grace. I thank you for sharing your glory with me. I rejoice knowing that you long to bless me. Now, dear Father, help me through your Holy Spirit to be the faithful person you long for me to be. “Make my life a holy praise unto you.”* In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen. * From the song, “On Bended Knee” by Robert Gay and Jimmy Orr. 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 – Psalm 103:8
The LORD is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love. —Psalm 103:8 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God is holy, righteous, and just. As important as these qualities are, he reveals them within his compassion, graciousness, and patience with overflowing mercy and love. We can obey, worship, and show reverent respect to God. We can also love, appreciate, and adore our Father in heaven for his loving grace! Then, we can lean into his challenge to reflect his righteous character, gracious compassion, and faithful lovingkindness! We can be “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love,” like our Father! My Prayer… LORD God Almighty, I not only trust in you, but I appreciate your faithfulness, your mercy, your love, your graciousness, and your patient compassion. Please help me display each of these virtues you regularly share with me to others more perfectly. In the name of the LORD Jesus, I ask for your help to reflect your nature to those who need to see your love and grace. 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.
08 Aug 2025
May our testimony bring hope. May our legacy bring encouragement. May our ministry transform lives. May our words and actions bring life. May our lives glorify God. 2 Kings 13:21.
Saved From… Saved For!
We don’t want to be swimming with Jonah on the shoreline! Jonah may be the most classic “Saved at Sea” story in the Bible! You have a storm, a boat, sailors in panic mode, a man thrown overboard, the lives of tens of thousands of people at stake, and you have a runaway prophet with a suspect pedigree. You don’t get a much better story line anywhere. Only this “Saved at Sea” story has an important point that often gets lost — lost in the Jonah story and lost in modern evangelicalism. God saves us FROM sin, death, and hell FOR his purpose of redeeming a lost world. This was true when God called Abraham and gave him the great promises (Genesis 12:1-3). It is true for us today. We aren’t saved to go to church, to be nice, or to control politics. We’re saved for the same reason Jonah was: God graciously loves us and wants to give us the privilege of living out his divine purpose for us: For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:8-10). So there’s today’s message tucked into one nice long paragraph with a Bible verse. But if you quit reading now, you will miss a whale of a story! A little over a week ago, I was on a bus traveling through the slums of northern Lima, Peru. I was praying and trying not to hold my breath because I was so excited. Nelvis wanted to be baptized. Nelvis is an incredible young man I have known for several years from la Communidad de los Niños — Sagrada Familia. Nearly always in such situations, the devil throws a curveball or two. He did that morning as well, but Jesus helped us hit those curveballs out of the park! I was privileged to baptize Nelvis in the Pacific before our church service. Later, Donna and I sat by Nelvis as he took Communion for the first time with a small congregation that has been planted at this special place for 950+ kids ranging in age from 9 months to 19 years. (You see Nelvis and I arm in arm headed to a cave in that rock formation under the yellow sign in the picture below. The cave was our changing room after the baptism.) Every night for weeks to come, Donna and I will think of Nelvis going out to live alone in the shantytown near Sagrada Familia. He will go into a 10 ft. x 10 ft. one-room, thin-walled wood structure with a tin roof. His mother is dead. His dad works far away. His older siblings are at the university paying their own way. And Nelvis is my son in the faith thousands of miles away in a dangerous place alone. He is part of a community of children that Donna and I have served over six years. You can see over 1000 of us crammed into a space the size of the gym getting ready to rock the place with songs of praise. God has called us to be part of the team that brings Jesus to these kids. Of course, my dream was to help plant a church among the children and families nearby. When we first came to Peru, we began working with 3 to 6-year-olds who are now older. While we spend about 90 minutes among the little ones in the morning, most of the day is with teenagers who are serious about Jesus and about studying the Bible in English. The community of children and the surrounding poor neighborhoods are part of metropolitan Lima — approximately 10 million people. What you see here is the beautiful area of Miraflores near where we stay. Like several other cities in South America, I feel a special love and responsibility for Lima. But Lima is extra-special. Our 24-year-old Spanish translator for VerseoftheDay.com also lives here, and he is like a son to us. I’m coaching several on the team there who are not yet Christians, but who help us in our week on the ground. I love that God called me to Lima to be a part of this special week and stay in contact throughout the year! Jonah was called to go speak for God to one of the great ancient cities of the world. This great city had a large population with incredible buildings and structures. That city was Nineveh. You are looking at a painting of the Assyrian palaces of ancient Nineveh. This is where God called Jonah to go preach. There was, however, one problem… a huge problem… a major problem… Nineveh was the most dangerous enemy of the Israelites in Jonah’s day. They were terrifying warriors known for their brutality and the obliteration of people groups and their identities. Assyria’s domination and destruction of Israel may be one of the reasons why ISIS targeted Mosul, Iraq, as their first major city to capture. Mosul is the modern city built upon the ancient city of Nineveh. Jonah was called by God to preach to Israel’s most feared, most hated, most violent, and most threatening enemy. Is anybody volunteering to do the modern going to Nineveh equivalent today? Yeah, now you get a glimpse of how Jonah felt. This why the story of Jonah should resonate so powerfully for us today. This isn’t just a story from long ago and far away, but it’s from yesterday’s newspaper and this morning’s CNN report. So let’s do a 30,000-foot flyover of the story of Jonah: God called Jonah to go to Nineveh. Instead, Jonah went in the opposite direction on a ship for Tarshish (Jonah 1:3). God tried to get Jonah’s attention through a great storm on the sea.
Today’s Verse – 1 Timothy 6:7-8
For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. —1 Timothy 6:7-8 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Godliness with contentment is great wealth (1 Timothy 6:6). So, what does it take for us to be content? Jesus and Paul remind us that as long as we have food and clothing, we should be content (Matthew 6:24-25; Luke 12:23). When our desires get out of that channel of need and when covetous greed takes over, our lives go off the rails and we replace God with a repacious desire for what becomes our idol (Colossians 3:5). God wants us to let him be enough and see the rest as the overflow of his grace! My Prayer… Holy God, forgive me for being caught up in the lifestyle of greed and covetousness, of excess and extravagance. These values of the world around me seem to be tearing us apart. Oh, Jesus, I don’t want these things to dominate my heart. Please help my heart to be content with the blessings you have so lavishly poured out on me, and for me to find my joy in you and your people whom you have put into my life. 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.
07 Aug 2025
After Nehemiah had completed the rebuilding of the wall and reinstated temple worship, he went back to work. Afterward, he applied for leave and went back to Jerusalem to correct some things that were not right. His dedication was admirable. He requested the Lord to remember His labour. May the Lord help us see what we can do for His kingdom and enable us to do an amazing job. Nehemiah 13:14, 22, 29, 31.
Today’s Verse – 1 Corinthians 13:6
Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. —1 Corinthians 13:6 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Love does have its delights. One of those delights is in what is authentic, genuine, and true — love rejoices in TRUTH! So, as Jesus’ disciples, we are not deceitful, manipulative, or coercive in our relationships. Instead, we strive to be transparent, intimate, honest, and vulnerable. Why? Because true love delights in truth. My Prayer… O LORD, God of love and truth, as you pour your love into my heart through your Holy Spirit,* please refine my love to be genuine and true, without guile, manipulation, and deceit. In Jesus’ name, we pray, asking that we can be people of love and truth. Amen. * Romans 5:5; 1 Thessalonians 4:8-9.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.
06 Aug 2025
The rules the Israelites had to follow to achieve the threshold of righteousness before the coming of Jesus were not easy to adhere to. I would have been a frequent offender. Yet they still followed Nehemiah in rededicating themselves to God. They made an effort to live according to the ordinances. What is expected of the Christian today? Is it as complicated as it was before Christ’s coming? May we put in effort to live for God. Nehemiah 10:28-39.
Today’s Verse – Zechariah 4:5-6
He answered, “Do you not know what these are?” “No, my lord,” I replied. So he said to me, “This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ ” says the LORD Almighty. —Zechariah 4:5-6 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… There are times in each of our spiritual lives when we face challenges far too big for our own resources and strengths. Zerubabbel faced such a challenge. God sent a prophet to remind him, and remind us through him, that our greatest victories will not be won by our power and might. No, these most significant victories — the ones that catch us up in God’s great story of salvation — will occur when we trust that God’s power is greater than our weakness and God’s might is greater than our insufficiency (2 Corinthians 12:9-10; Ephesians 3:14-21). The real question that each of us must face is very simple: in our personal lives, and in our ministry efforts, where do we place our trust, and what is the source of our confidence? Are they in our abilities, skills, insight, and strength, or God’s? My Prayer… Please forgive me, dear Father and God the LORD Almighty, for trusting in my own power too much and not leaning into you and your might. Forgive me, God, for being overwhelmed and afraid by the obstacles, challenges, and opportunities placed before me. Through your great stories of faithfulness and victory in the Old Testament, please stir me to trust that your power is at work in me and your people, as you empower us through the intervention of the Holy Spirit. 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.
05 Aug 2025
Following God’s ordinances guarantees life, and the opposite is also true. May the Lord give us wisdom to determine how to live. May we not be arrogant when we are enjoying peace, rest, and abundance. May we remain humble and purpose to live in accordance with His will. May we value our walk with Him enough to remain in His will. Nehemiah 9:22-38.