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
18 Jul 2025
The Lord is a rewarder of those who earnestly seek Him. He is able to raise those He loves. He made us in His image and likeness, and we have the responsibility to be His ambassadors. We can only do that with His help. 2 Samuel 5:10.
One Dad Changes Everything
How much power does one man of God have?! My heart broke.As I gathered in the news of Charleston on Wednesday night, my heart broke at the slaughter of people who came for sanctuary and a time of holy rest in the grace of God. These people of faith were murdered because of hate. My heart broke.I received a Sunday morning email from our VerseoftheDay.com translator in Pakistan. He told about the women and children killed and dismembered by suicide bombers. These women and children had been sharing a Sunday dinner-on-the-grounds while their husbands prayed inside. My heart broke for all whose lives were murdered, bodies damaged, and families wounded because of hate. My heart broke.I have watched while the press has remained largely silent about the methodical rape, selling of young kidnapped girls on the slave markets, beheadings, and crucifixions of fellow Christians at the hands of those who hate. My prayers and support have been offered for the families, churches, cities, and countries as they have endured such barbaric hate. In my own small way, I have come to understand a little of the deep emotion of God as he watched the world that was once “very good” (Genesis 1:26-31) become filled with evil: GOD saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil-evil, evil, evil from morning to night. GOD was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart (Genesis 6:5-6 MSG). What do I tell my son about raising his boys in such a world? What do I tell my grandsons about what it means to be God’s man in such a world? How do I help you understand that our efforts at sharing grace, our desires to tear down walls of racial bigotry, and our prayers to end racial and religious hatred are not in vain? Where are we supposed to turn as darkness descends, and all we can think to do is to adopt the plaintive cry of our Savior and say, “O God our God why have you forsaken us?” (Mark 15:33-34). The plan in our series entitled, “Saved at Sea,” was for us to study the story of Noah this week. Weeks ago, Noah seemed to be the perfect fit for Father’s Day. Now Noah seems even more powerfully tuned to our need of the hour. We need today’s men of God to be the men the Father has called us to be! We need to be like Noah, who “was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God” (Genesis 6:9). While we know that Noah wasn’t a perfect man because of what we read later in the story (Genesis 9:20), he was God’s man. He was God’s man in a time when there weren’t any others — except perhaps for his sons (Genesis 8:1). In reading the Bible story of Noah (Genesis chapters 5-9), we can divide the story into four parts. We have already taken a peek at the first two parts, Breaking God’s Heart (Genesis 6:5-6; Genesis 6:11-12) and Being God’s Man (Genesis 6:8-9; Genesis 8:1). The world broke God’s heart with its evil. Violence erupted and multiplied in the lives of people made for so much more. Noah had distinguished himself from the wickedness of the world because of his righteous life. Stage three of the story is the account of Noah’s obedience as he focuses on Building the Boat of God. He built the ark based on the specifications God had given him. A theme that runs through this stage of the story is that Noah did all that the LORD commanded him to do (Genesis 6:22; Genesis 7:5; Genesis 7:9; Genesis 7:16). The final stage of the story focuses on Bringing God’s Future to the destroyed world. This involved those God saved on the ark: Noah, his family, and the animals. Noah had not brought every animal on the face of the earth into the ark, but the key type or exemplar pair of each animal — “according to its kind” (Genesis 6:19-20; Genesis 7:2-7; Genesis 7:14). God also had Noah bring his sons and their wives along with his own wife into the ark (Genesis 7:7; Genesis 7:13). The LORD then shut Noah in the ark with his family and the animals. God had chosen this group of people and animals to re-begin life on earth. The ark protected Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark from both the flood and the wickedness and violence on the face of the earth (Genesis 7:17-23). God then brought Noah, his family, and the animals out of the ark. The LORD entered into a covenant with Noah and his family (Genesis 6:8), the animals that had been spared, and the earth itself promising never to destroy the world with a flood again (Genesis 8:18-22; Genesis 9:8-17). Then God gave Noah’s family and the animals the charge to bring life in its beauty and diversity back to the earth (Genesis 9:1; Genesis 9:7). As we look at this powerful and bewildering story of God’s work through one dad, we should take some lessons with us for men and dads in our day. This example is especially important for us when our day seems so filled with evil and violence. So let’s grab three important principles from the story of Noah. God can take one man, one faithful dad, and use him to help his family stand against the strong tide of an immoral and violent culture. God notices that man, that dad, and remembers what he does to share his faith, bless his world, and live a holy life (Genesis 6:8-9; Hebrews 6:10). God uses that man, that dad, to bring new life and fresh hope! God can take such a dad and use his efforts and his life to save his family in every way they can be saved — morally and spiritually — because
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.
Just Do It!®
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, Read My harsh words to the Pharisees about their all-talk-legalism and not-much-help religion (Matthew 23:1-36). When you do, you will know that I loathe empty religion full of just religious words with little redemptive action. I want you to read through James’ teaching in the verses below. He is all about caring for the poor and forgotten — underlined in the verses below. James reminds you that you must have a faith that demonstrates itself in action — bold in the verses below. While Nike’s marketing phrase “Just Do It!”® became a registered trademark in your era, that concept has always been at the heart of My kingdom. My teaching was not about just doctrine. My teaching emphasized the necessity of living to please the Father while you live in a world of moral depravity, human need, and religious confusion. I wanted the things I taught My disciples to be done… to be obeyed… to be put into practice. Remember what I taught while on earth? “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven. Simply calling Me ‘Lord‘ will not be enough. Only those who do the will of My Father Who is in heaven will join Me in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) As I was finishing the Sermon on the Mount, I told the story about the wise man who put into practice what I taught,and the foolish man who heard My words and didn’t obey them and his life came crashing down (Matthew 7:24-27). When I washed My disciples’ feet and demonstrated My love for them, I told them: “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them.” (John 13:13-17 NLT) When My own family came to see Me in the crowds, I told My disciples this: “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” Then he [Jesus] looked at those around him and said, “Look, these are my mother and brothers. Anyone who does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:33-35 NLT) Do you remember what I said in the Great Commission about obedience? “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20 NLT) So My question for some of you Christians is really simple: When are you going to quit just talking religion? When are you going to get around to doing what I ask, obeying what I taught, and doing something that makes a difference in the lives of real people? James is pretty clear about what I want from My disciples: Live holy lives and help needy people! It’s really pretty simple to understand. So now I ask that you “Just Do It!”® Verses to Live Although these verses come from two different chapters in James, their thoughts parallel each other and drive home the message I want you to know and follow. All throughout Scripture, We — Father, Son, and Spirit — have called Our people to reflect our righteous character and gracious compassion. My half-brother James reminds you to do the same. Don’t just read these truths; put them into practice! (Underlining highlights instruction about caring for the poor and forgotten while the bold emphasizes the necessity of faith that demonstrates itself in action.) 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. Put the word into action. If you think hearing is what matters most, you are going to find you have been deceived. If some fail to do what God requires, it’s as if they forget the word as soon as they hear it. One minute they look in the mirror, and the next they forget who they are and what they look like. However, it is possible to open your eyes and take in the beautiful, perfect truth found in God’s law of liberty and live by it. If you pursue that path and actually do what God has commanded, then you will avoid the many distractions that lead to an amnesia of all true things and you will be blessed. 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. (James 1:19-27) Brothers and sisters, it doesn’t make any sense to say you have faith and act in a way that denies that faith. Mere talk never gets you very far, and a commitment to Jesus only in words will not save you. It would be like seeing a brother or sister without any clothes out in the cold and begging for food, and saying, “Shalom, friend, you should get inside where