Bible Verse for Today

God has saved us and called us to a holy life — not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.
— 2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Before the beginning of time! How do you understand when that was. God first thought of us at a time we cannot even begin to understand! His reason for thinking of us was to demonstrate his grace and call others to his side. Jesus has always...

 

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 of 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 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...We are comforted to comfort others. God doesn't bless us with his presence and comfort of his Spirit because we are somehow better than everyone else. No, he comforts us to equip...

 

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
— Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...God does know us. We cannot pretend we are something we are not with him. He knows us - inside and out, through and through. This should liberate us to share a remarkable degree of intimacy with him, but most of us run from such a close relationship with our Father. If our desire...

 

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.
— Isaiah 25:1 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...God's actions are not reactions to current situations, but part of his long term plan to bring redemption. Yes, he has done marvelous things: he took the evil intent of a mob who cried "Crucify him" and turned it into an opportunity to fulfill the prophets and redeem us. He is perfect in...

 

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.
— Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...We are to begin each day with God. Every breath we take should be a powerful reminder that our Father has granted us another day of life to serve him. Each heartbeat is God's drumbeat of love, reminding us that we are blessed...

 

Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
— Joshua 1:9 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Never alone! What a promise. God will go with him, and us, through all the seasons of life, through all our ups and downs, through temptations and triumphs, even through death (cf. Psalm 139). So we can take courage and feel his strength. We are not alone!My Prayer...O God who is and was...

 

"My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
— Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...No matter how hard we try to perceive the awesomeness of God, he is still God and we are not. We must forever remember that the original, and still primary, sin was to try to become like God in terms of knowledge and understanding. We...

 

He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.
— Job 23:10-11 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...How we long for this to be our true confession. We are not yet gold, but long to be. We are not yet fully following his steps, but are trying. We have tried to not turn aside, but we sometimes falter. Thank God for his grace until our intentions and desires are fulfilled in...

 

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
— Psalm 73:25-26 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...What can truly fulfill and sustain us? Maybe the best way to answer that question is by asking another: What can we keep when our bodies are placed silently in their graves at death? Only our relationship with God and his people lasts beyond the grave. If he is what...

 

God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.
— 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Power! We like that concept. When it is godly power, might does make right because godly power is accompanied by love and self-discipline. These three together make a person's life effective, constructive, and corrective. Live life to its fullest: not as a closet Christian afraid of standing true and firm, but one who lives by God's power...