28 Oct 2025
I may be mortal and fallible, but I serve the Lord God almighty. He is my ever present help, a resource that is always available to me. I choose to depend on Him, not on my own strength. I purpose to fear and honour Him. May I find favour in His sight. Psalm 103:15-18.
27 Oct 2025
I purpose to invoke faith continuously as I journey through life. I have decided to make the Lord’s presence my dwelling place. I am tired of looking over my shoulder in fear. I will rest in the shadow of His wings and depend on Him. I will trust in His help. Psalm 91:1-16.
Today’s Verse – Ephesians 6:10
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. —Ephesians 6:10 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Some of our strength in fighting evil comes from the spiritual experiences in our past, the encouragement of other believers, and our knowledge of the truth from Scripture. Ultimately, however, our power comes from God’s mighty power, the Holy Spirit. Paul uses his letter to the Ephesians to remind Christians that the power of the Holy Spirit, which raised Jesus from the dead, is at work in us now (Ephesians 1:17-20, 3:14-16). Through the Spirit’s power at work in us, God can do much more than we can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21). As we put on our spiritual armor and dedicate ourselves to spiritual discipline, God blesses us with his power and his might to live holy lives of courage and grace. God enables us to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power”! My Prayer… O LORD God Almighty, my Abba Father and loving Shepherd, strengthen me with your might and grace so that I can withstand the attacks and temptations of the evil one. In Jesus’ name, I ask for the might of the Holy Spirit to be at work in me for your glory. 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.
Daily Prayer for October 27
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 2 Corinthians 4:8–10, NIV Lord God, we thank you for your voice even when it is stern and we must go through hardship and suffering. Your voice speaks to us, and in your voice we can be glad and victorious in our life on earth. Come into our lives. May each of us realize that all we have gone through has been for the good. Be God and Lord over the nations. Be a refuge for all people. Grant that the sin and distress of this terrible time may soon pass and that we may hear your words, “Be comforted. I will come soon. All these terrors must pass by. My will is being done. My name must be honored. My kingdom and my rule are coming. So take heart and at all times look to your God and Father in heaven.” Amen. Recent articles on Plough Choose the Cashier Midge Goldberg Here’s one simple thing we can all do to stay human, love our neighbor, and build community. Read now The Dazzling Light of God Madeleine Delbrêl To have living faith is to be blinded by it, in order to be led by it. Read now Poem: “After Helping My Father Rake the Leaves” Jean L. Kreiling A daughter remembers raking leaves with her father, an effort he made despite battling depression. Read now Two Millennia of Christian Community Alden Bass Christians throughout history have found new ways to emulate the communal ideal of the early church. Read now A Book to End All Walls Uk-Bae Lee and Chungyon Won Korea’s demilitarized zone has become an accidental nature preserve that gives hope for a brighter future. Read now
Today’s Verse – Ephesians 5:15-16
Be very careful, then, how you live — not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. —Ephesians 5:15-16 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Even though we are God’s holy children, we also need to be aware of the time it is in our world. The evil one still exercises his control over the hearts of many people. Temptations abound. Evil people seek to distort the truth and malign the way of God. Our Father in heaven wants us to “make most of every opportunity” – literally, “redeem the time” – making the most of every opportunity we have to touch the lives of others with God’s grace, resist worldly temptations, and overcome the opposition of the evil one by the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:17-20, 3:14-16). My Prayer… Give me wisdom, O LORD, to discern the best ways to use my time and my influence to honor you and bless others. Please open my eyes to see the temptations the evil one puts in my path. Please grow my courage so I can boldly stand for you in the face of our often perverse world. In addition, dear Father, please grant me the spiritual sensitivity to discern the best ways to bless others according to their needs. In Jesus’ name, I pray, asking for your gracious help to make this so. 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 1:4-5
For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will. —Ephesians 1:4-5 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God wanted us to be His children. That was his plan for us even before the world began. While we cannot be holy and blameless on our own strength alone, God paid the huge price of our adoption into his family through the sacrifice of his Son, our older brother, Jesus. Because of our faith in Jesus and God’s grace, the Father cleansed us from our sins and brought us into His family as his sons and daughters. God’s motive in doing this? His desire and delight in loving us as his children. Our response? Seek to live holy lives that honor our Father by living his values in our broken world. My Prayer… Loving Father and Holy God, my words cannot adequately express all of my appreciation for your love and grace. I am honored to be one of your adopted children and want to bring you joy in the way I live. Please forgive me for the times I have disappointed you or not lived up to what you desire of me. Even in those times, your love and grace have brought me back to you, forgiven me, and cleansed me. I want my life to be a holy thanksgiving to you for your love, mercy, and grace. I pray in Jesus’ name for the Holy Spirit to help make this so in my thoughts, words, and 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.
Today’s Verse – Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. —Acts 1:8 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God has a plan to reach the world with his grace. We start where we are and reach out to those around us. We then share the story of Jesus with those in our region. Then we reach out and take the gospel all over the world. As we offer ourselves to be used, we also trust that the Holy Spirit’s power and presence will go with us. I liken this to skipping rocks on a still pond. Every time the rock touches the water and skips forward, it sends out ripples that ultimately reach every corner of the pond. We see this happen in the book of Acts as the early church lived out Jesus’ mission strategy again and again. Go here where you are now. Go near to the surrounding regions. Go far, to the uttermost parts of the world. Now it is our turn to live out this mission, trusting the Spirit’s power to equip, propel, and embolden us to share how Jesus has impacted our lives as his witnesses. Video Commentary… ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer… Father, please use us to reach those around us with your grace. Bless our congregations, house churches, groups, and mission organizations as we share Jesus with those in our area, nearby regions, and far-off places in today’s world. Father, we ask that you bless our outreach efforts so that we honor the LORD’s plan to reach all nations with our messages about Jesus as the Holy Spirit empowers us to share our personal testimony of his work in our lives. We pray this in the powerful name of 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.
24 Oct 2025
Whether we have all that we need or we are in distress, our perspective of God should not change. He remains God. Being content, whatever the circumstances would help us a great deal. Having the confidence that He can help us irrespective of what we are faced with would not only encourage others. It would also require a lot of faith and build our trust in Him. Philippians 4:10-13
Today’s Verse – 2 Timothy 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline. —2 Timothy 1:7 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… When we became Christians, Jesus poured the gift of the Holy Spirit into us (Acts 2:38). The Spirit now lives in us, making our bodies into a holy temple where God lives and we worship him in the ways we use our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The Spirit also blesses us in many ways. Romans 8:1-39 details many of these ways. We can be courageous even in the face of attack, criticism, ridicule, and persecution because of the Spirit’s presence in us (Acts 4:23-31). The Spirit is at work in us to produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) as the Spirit transforms us to become more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Spirit pours love into our hearts, enabling us to love in supernatural ways (Romans 5:5). The Spirit’s presence is our heavenly power source helping us overcome sin and live self-disciplined lives to the glory of the LORD, even in evil times (Galatians 1:4). Because “God did not give us a spirit of timidity,” but the Holy Spirit “of power, of love, and of self-discipline.” My Prayer… Father, thank you for the Spirit’s constant presence in our lives. Please empower us with even greater courage and strength as we face the daily challenges in our lives, with the help of this power from the Holy Spirit. May we display the power of the Spirit in our lives in the ways that we love others, seeking to share the love, mercy, and grace of Jesus with them. We also ask for the Spirit’s help in putting to death the fleshly desires that interfere with our transformation into becoming more like Jesus. We pray this through the intercession of the Spirit and the powerful name of our 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.
23 Oct 2025
Jehovah is merciful and knows what we are all going through. Nothing catches Him by surprise. He promises over and over again that He will take care of us. Psalm 34:15-18 is one such promise. May we experience His love when we are brokenhearted.