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.
20 Jun 2024
I am convinced that holding on to God is better than holding on to the world. I therefore choose faith in God, because with it comes victory over the world. 1 John 5:1-5.
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.
19 Jun 2024
I have purposed to be hopeful and to have faith concerning the situations I find myself in. I may not fully understand them, but as I seek to know the mind of God concerning them, I will keep trusting in Him to help me through them. Hebrews 10:19-23.
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.
18 Jun 2024
May the Lord show Himself faithful on your behalf. May He hear when you call and meet you at your point or need. May the God of Jacob find you worthy and grant you the desires of your heart. Psalm 20:1-4.
Daily Prayer for June 18
So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. He has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time. 2 Timothy 1:8–9, NIV Lord our God, radiant, light giving, and almighty God through all the ages, be with us in our time too. Strengthen the grace we have received from Jesus Christ, and let it be known over all the world so that your name may be honored everywhere. Bless us, we pray, and let your blessing spread from us to others, to the glory of your name. Grant that the good may be strengthened in us, the good you have let us hear about for so many years. May everything that belongs to your Word come alive in us and in the world. May your blessing be on our actions, for we want to remain under your blessing, to the glory of your righteousness and truth. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Send Us Your Surplus Matthew Loftus South Sudan’s kids thank you for that shipment of hip-joint ball bearings. Read now Practicing Christianity Andrew Prevot In Christianity as a Way of Life, Kevin W. Hector says faith is about what we do, not just what we believe. Read now The Case for Not Sanitizing Fairy Tales Haley Stewart Fairy tales are the best way for children to learn that the world contains evil, violence, and danger. Read now A Father’s Final Gift Klaus Bonhoeffer Days before his execution by the Nazis, Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s brother sent his children this letter. Read now The Mysterious Barricades between Fathers and Sons Joel Clarkson Filmmaker Terrence Malick finds a musical expression of the father-son dynamic in François Couperin’s rondeau “Les Barricades Mystérieuses.” Read now
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.