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.
Today’s Verse – 1 Thessalonians 3:12
May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you. —1 Thessalonians 3:12 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… “I’m not sure I can love that person any longer! My supply of love feels used up, my capacity for compassion seems to be exhausted!” Yes, there are times when we feel as if others have exhausted our ability to love, either because their need is so great or because they are unwilling to love us in return. How can we continue to love them? We need a community of love, the fellowship of other believers who will support and love us during our times of spiritual depletion. We need brothers and sisters in Christ who will pray for God to increase our capacity to love and forgive. We need to trust that in response to all of our prayers, God will pour more love into our hearts through his ever-flowing stream of grace, the Holy Spirit bubbling up within us (Romans 5:5; John 7:37-39). When our ability to love feels low, we must not withdraw from people or give up on having relationships. Instead, we need to draw near to God and his people, asking for our Father’s grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to help us love and bless people in their time of need as we seek to be JESUShaped people in our broken world. My Prayer… Dear Father, please graciously pour your love into our hearts and into the hearts of those in our family and church family. We need your help to love those around us more completely and sacrificially. We ask that the Holy Spirit fill us with grace so we can more perfectly live out our LORD’s teaching, demonstrated in his life and through his death. O Father, help us display our Savior’s love to others. 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.
22 Oct 2025
What credit can the Israelites take for the events of Exodus 14:17-30? What role did they play in that amazing episode? They were totally helpless and had to depend on the Lord 100%. In a state of utter helplessness, we must learn to depend on God fully, then allow Him to take all the glory. He sometimes allows us to be in such situations so that we acknowledge that without Him, we are cooked.
Today’s Verse – 2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. —2 Corinthians 1:3-4 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… The Father of compassion comforts us because we are heartbroken The Father of compassion comforts us because we need a blessing. The Father of compassion comforts us because God loves us. The Father of compassion comforts us so we can comfort others. While each of the above statements is true, the last one is the most crucial. We cannot fully realize true comfort until we receive it and then share it with someone else. Sharing the comfort we have received is that final step in the healing process of grief, disappointment, hurt, and loss. Until we share the comfort we have received, until we pass it on to others, our understanding of God’s comfort is incomplete, shallow, selfish, and limited. We have a Father of compassion and comfort. He wants us, as his children, to pass that comfort to others! My Prayer… O LORD, God of heaven and earth, Creator of the universe, thank you for knowing my heart, caring about my concerns, and comforting me when I am wounded. Please help me share your grace, mercy, and comfort with someone who needs it today. 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.
21 Oct 2025
Sometimes, our faith can be shaken by events. We may be unable to comprehend why we go through suffering and pain. When we can’t understand or explain, the best thing is to allow the Lord to fight for us, to comfort and encourage us. May we allow Him to minister to us. He speaks through His word, circumstances, people, a song, etc. Be still and listen. Exodus 14:10-16.
Today’s Verse – Psalm 34:22
The LORD redeems his servants; no one will be condemned who takes refuge in him. —Psalm 34:22 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God not only buys out our bondage and debt to sin, but he also assures us that he will provide refuge for those who trust in him. Our future is tied to God and not to our ability to provide and protect what we need. He is our refuge and strength, our ever-present help in times of trouble (Psalm 46:1, 11). My Prayer… O LORD, God of heaven and earth, I place my life and my future in your hands. Please use me to bless others and help them find refuge in your gracious love. 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.