Today’s Verse – Isaiah 57:15
For this is what the high and lofty One says — he who lives forever, whose name is holy: “I live in a high and holy place, but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite.” —Isaiah 57:15 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Jesus’ gracious and redemptive coming to earth is wholly consistent with the LORD God’s nature, the one who reveals himself in the Old Testament, and fully reveals himself in this passage. God is high and holy. God is righteous and majestic. Yet the LORD God is the God of incarnation — the LORD who sees our needs, hears our cries, and comes down to help us (Exodus 3:7-12). God loves people, especially people who come to him knowing that they need his love and grace. To those who seek him with passion, humility, awe, and reverence, God brings revival that touches the heart and spirit of those who are contrite. My Prayer… Holy and Righteous Father, thank you for loving me and coming to save me in Jesus. Father, I come humbly asking that you fill me with your Spirit in a more powerful way. Revive my heart and stir me to work for your glory in my life today. I know you have come and met me where I am, to lift me up and make me yours. 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 – Matthew 7:3-5
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” —Matthew 7:3-5 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Jesus reminds us in his Sermon on the Mount about a destructive sin that often afflicts his followers: trying to deflect our guilt by finding fault in others. Finding fault with someone else is all too easy for most of us. Finding fault in ourselves is much trickier. Jesus reminds us that we must deal with the shortcomings and sins in our own lives before we start telling others how to live their life. Deflection, blaming, and finding fault are destructive to our allegiance to the LORD and our desire to honor him. So, let’s confess our sins (James 5:16) and not find fault in others (Matthew 7:1-2). Seems pretty simple. But we all know it isn’t. So, dear friend of Jesus, let’s pray for the Holy Spirit’s help to be gracious and forgiving toward others, and humbly confess our faults to one another. My Prayer… Father, please forgive me because I have sometimes been severe, harsh, and judgmental toward others. I am aware that there are issues in my own life that I need to address with the guidance of your Holy Spirit. I confess that there are routine sins that I often excuse in myself. Please, dear LORD, forgive my sins of deflecting my guilt by blaming others and finding fault in others. Please empower me to move beyond it to become a more gracious and redemptive disciple of 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.
Today’s Verse – Isaiah 43:2-3
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior… —Isaiah 43:2-3 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… We must be careful. These verses are NOT promises to an individual, but to Israel, the people of God (Isaiah 43:1). God is reminding Israel that they are precious to him. He formed them and redeemed them. He is not about to abandon them. No matter what challenges or difficulties they face, he will be with them to deliver them and bring them to safety and victory. As followers of Jesus, whom God brought into his people by grace (1 Peter 2:9-10; Galatians 6:14-16), we can accept these promises as God’s people today, as Jesus’ church. As believers in Jesus and part of God’s people, we can see how God has preserved his people and redeemed them time and time again. We can celebrate how God delivered his people from impossible situations and brought them to the Messiah, Jesus. God will not forget us! We know it by promise. We know it from history. We know it because of our faith! God will bring us victoriously to himself with great joy (Romans 8:37-39; Jude 1:24-25). My Prayer… Thank you, Almighty God, for always being near us. We confess that there are times when we are not aware of your nearness and your miraculous intervention in history for us. Nevertheless, we do believe, dear Father, that you are ever-near even when we feel alone. In those times, dear God, please give us confidence and perseverance to stand through the times of trial so that we can also share in your triumphs through us. We believe, O God, that you are with us! In Jesus’ name, pray and confess our faith in 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.
Today’s Verse – John 17:26
“I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” —John 17:26 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Jesus reveals God to us. That’s John’s Gospel in a nutshell, and his clear message in John 1:1-18. Jesus even promised that as we love each other and obey him, he is present with us, reveals himself to us, and he and the Father make their home in us (John 14:21, 23). One of the reasons Jesus does this is so that we can know who God is and what is important to our Father. The most significant thing on Jesus’ heart in this prayer is that we share his love for one another. In this way, Jesus comes to life in us, is real to us, and makes his presence known through us. Video Commentary… ToGather Worship Guide | More ToGather Videos My Prayer… Almighty God and loving Father, please fill me with your love for my brothers and sisters in Christ. I want to honor you in the way I treat them and share the love of Christ in the way I interact with them and serve them. So, please bless me as I seek to be a more gracious child of your love. I pray this in Jesus’ name, so that I may become more like him in his love for your children. 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 – Hebrews 13:2
Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. —Hebrews 13:2 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… What do you do to welcome new neighbors into your neighborhood or apartment complex? How warmly do you personally welcome visitors at your church gatherings or in your Bible study group? When was the last time you invited someone new from your congregation over for dinner or included them in a gathering of your Christian friends? While some have the gift of hospitality, all of us need to be warm and open to folks we don’t know who have joined us for Christian worship, ministry, fellowship, or moved into our neighborhood and need new friends. Why not make a commitment to meet and welcome one new person each week? In a cold, impersonal world, we can make a huge difference in the lives of those seeking the shelter and grace of Jesus and his people. Our worship without hospitality is not authentic worship (Hebrews 12:28-29, 13:15-16). My Prayer… Father, please help me, and please help the fellowship of believers with whom I share my life so that we will all be more open and welcoming to others in our congregation and our daily lives. Help us love, include, and bless new people, those visiting, and those inquiring about Jesus and faith. Please use us to share your grace and provide them a Christian home and friendship. In Jesus’ name and for others to know his grace, I pray 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.
Today’s Verse – John 17:24
Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. —John 17:24 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Wow, what an unbelievable collection of high-powered phrases of truth, promise, and prayer! We are a gift from the Father to Jesus. Jesus wants us to be with him in the glorious presence of God forever. Jesus wants us to see his glory and experience that glory. The Father has loved Jesus from before there was time, before the creation of the world. Think about these things. Ask God to show you how powerfully they reveal our importance to him as Jesus’ disciples. Dream of the day you will see him as he is in all of his glory, and he transforms us to become like him (1 John 3:1-3; Colossians 3:1-4). Now, let’s go live in our world based on the view God has of us. My Prayer… Almighty God and Abba Father, O, forgive me for my often mundane and earthbound view that I have of myself and your other children. Stir me through your Spirit to have a deeper appreciation of all of Jesus’ disciples and how much each one means to you. Please empower me to be more patient, tolerant, forgiving, and respectful of my Christian brothers and sisters’ imperfections, because you accept them just as you accept me with my imperfections. I acknowledge those imperfections and long for the day when we are united in perfection before your holy throne of grace as we praise you and bring you glory. 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 – John 17:23
I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. —John 17:23 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… How will the world come to know that God sent his Son? Through our unity and love for each other! How will the world know that God truly loves us as his children? When we live together in unity! What is that unity? That’s harder to define. The basis of unity is a life of character so consistent with the will of God that he can be seen living in us! Yet for this kind of unity to be seen in the world, it has to be visible in the way we work with each other in the cause of the Gospel, the way we handle our differences, the way as a group that we consistently treat people of the world, and the way we come together in areas that clearly matter to God. Let’s pray and strive to make this unity a reality among us by all coming closer to Jesus, till his life comes to life in us! My Prayer… Father, please help us, your children, come together in ways that honor you, reveal your character, and lead others to call on Jesus as LORD. So, as we draw near to you, draw us closer together in loving unity. In the name of Jesus Christ, we pray 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.
Today’s Verse – James 1:22
Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. —James 1:22 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Most of us try to live by the old proverb: “The proof of the pudding is in the eating.” Well, the proof of biblical wisdom and understanding is in the living. Knowing the truth doesn’t mean much; living the truth is everything. Jesus said that knowing the truth and not living it makes us foolish and brings destruction on ourselves and our efforts (Matthew 7:21-27). No wonder that James, Jesus’ brother, made Jesus’ point very clear: we must obey what we know to be the truth, or we deceive and destroy ourselves! My Prayer… O LORD God, please empower me with your Spirit as I seek to not only “practice what I preach,” but also show my obedience to your will and live consistently to honor and obey you in my daily life. I pray in the name of Jesus Christ, my LORD, and ask for the Spirit’s help to be an authentic disciple of my Savior who doesn’t just listen to his words, but I do what they say. 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 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.
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.