13 Aug 2025
If we are going to walk in step with the Holy Spirit, there are a few things we need to consider. The church in Corinth was having a challenge with lifestyle and Paul’s advice in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 hopefully helped them. May we try and honour the Lord by the way we live.
Today’s Verse – Proverbs 3:11-12
My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in. —Proverbs 3:11-12 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Discipline is considered onerous, irritating, and unnecessary. The lazy and sinful parts of us want no boundaries, even if they are good. We resist any guardrails to our behavior because we do not wish to receive any direction that might conflict with what we want to do. But the LORD disciplines out of love to bless us. It is a sign of his delight in us. Why? Because he is not content to leave us unchanged, unmotivated, and disinterested in what real life is. He does not want to see us deceived, misled, or captured by the evil one’s lying ways. He wants to move us closer to our goal: Jesus, and our eternal destiny with our LORD! My Prayer… I confess, Righteous Father, that I don’t like discipline. However, Father, deep down, I know that your discipline is for my spiritual good and eternal blessing. Please help me better understand and use the situations in my life that you use to discipline me, so that I can become more like Jesus, in whose 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.
12 Aug 2025
The Father’s plan was to bestow the Holy Spirit upon His children after the resurrection of Christ. After the amazing ministry of Jesus on earth, the body of Christ needed a Helper to teach us all things and remind us of what Christ had done and taught. We need the Holy Spirit to thrive and be effective in our kingdom assignment. John 14:26.
11 Aug 2025
May the Spirit of the Lord rest upon us and give us wisdom and understanding. May He empower us to do the will of God every moment. May He help us to grow in our knowledge of God and cause us to revere Him always. May our lives reflect the presence of God. Isaiah 11:2.
Daily Prayer for August 11
How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation, who say to Zion, “Your God reigns!” Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices; together they shout for joy. When the Lord returns to Zion, they will see it with their own eyes. Isaiah 52:7–8, NIV Lord our God, grant that we may be your watchmen, who can understand what you mean for our time. We thank you for all you have already done, for every change to the good among the nations. For the nations must bow to your will so that nothing happens unless accomplished by you. Judge us wherever necessary. Open our eyes to see where we are wrong and where something does not go according to your Spirit. Be with us and give us strength. Raise up more watchmen everywhere, in every place and in every home. Wherever something happens to move people’s hearts, let the watchmen proclaim, “This comes from God. It does not matter how much we suffer. This comes from Jesus Christ, who suffered and died, but who rose again.” Raise up such watchmen among young and old everywhere on earth, to the glory of your name. Let there be a people who go to meet you with shouts of joy and thanksgiving. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Artist Not for Hire Daniel Domig A contemporary painter describes how he balances his artistry with earning a living and parenting. Read now Should Disabled Parents Have Kids? Jenna Klaassen What should I make of online comments advising me not to pass on my genetic condition? Read now What I Learned at Ravensbruck Corrie ten Boom A concentration camp prisoner turns to prayer. Read now Growing Roots in Portugal Claudio Oliver A small intentional community moves continents and finds new neighbors. Read now Christian Nonviolence and Church History Ronald J. Sider What would happen if all the Christians in the world refused to kill? Read now
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.