Bible Verse for Today

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Peter answered, "The Christ of God."
— Luke 9:20 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...A lot of people have their opinions about Jesus’ identity. The real issue, however, is what you believe about Jesus. What you decide about God’s Son means everything for you and for those you influence. So listen to Jesus' question to his disciples as if he is asking it of you: "Who do you say I am?" I pray that your answer is the same as...

 

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
— 1 Corinthians 9:19 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Grace frees us from the law of sin and death. But, our freedom is not to be used for rebellion or for self-gratification. Instead, we are to use our freedom redemptively, just as Jesus did (cf. Philippians 2:5-11). We can voluntarily limit that freedom to help others still caught in bondage to sin and false ideas about God. We can...

 

Wisdom is better than weapons of war, but one sinner destroys much good.
— Ecclesiastes 9:18 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Just a little leaven and the whole lump is changed. A sinful person can have the same effect on a whole group of people committed to God. So let's be wise and reverence God by obeying him and his Word. Let's be insightful in the way we deal with sin and temptation in our lives. Also, let's be sure to remember that we are at war with the evil one. Then let’s...

 

[Moses reminds the Israelites of his reaction to seeing the golden calf by saying,] "So I took the two tablets and threw them out of my hands, breaking them to pieces before your eyes."
— Deuteronomy 9:17 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Anger, frustration, disappointment, and loss of self-control have sunk many of God's greatest leaders. Leading can sometimes be a horribly disappointing task. Yet God's people would perish without strong leaders full of godly conviction. Despite the...

 

"Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth."
— Genesis 9:16 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...I don't know about you, but I'm a very visual person. I truly appreciate the way God made the world with all its variety, color, and rich diversity. I am thankful for the way he used certain key images in our world to remind us of his daily provision and eternal grace. The...

 

[in talking about others having the right to be supported in their ministry, the apostle Paul says,] But I have not used any of these rights. And I am not writing this in the hope that you will do such things for me. I would rather die than have anyone deprive me of this boast.
— 1 Corinthians 9:15 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Paul was careful not to take support from the Corinthians even though it was his right as a minister of the Gospel. Instead, he knew their problems with...

 

In the same way, the Lord has commanded that those who preach the gospel should receive their living from the gospel.
— 1 Corinthians 9:14 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...One of the great tragedies of our modern world is that while some who preach and teach the gospel are charlatans and cheats, the vast majority of God's servants work just barely scraping by financially. Why not find some underpaid and forgotten Kingdom servant and share a little of the blessings God has given you...

 

He replied, "You give them something to eat." They answered, "We have only five loaves of bread and two fish--unless we go and buy food for all this crowd."
— Luke 9:13 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...I love the way Jesus gets his disciples' attention. "You feed them, boys!" Of course they knew that they couldn't! Yet Jesus showed them that if they brought their meager resources to him, they could do amazing things. When the big picnic was over, each of them got to pick up a basket...

 

On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick."
— Matthew 9:12 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Why did Jesus associate with sinners? Because we need him to associate with us! What's the most crucial part of that truth: Jesus' desire to save or our recognition of our sinfulness? Of course the most crucial part is Jesus' desire to save because without him, recognizing our sinfulness would only lead to despair. But without recognizing our need for...

 

You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.
— 2 Corinthians 9:11 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Why does God bless us with riches? So we can share those riches generously with those in need and so we can bring thanksgiving to God.

My Prayer...Father, thank you for providing me with so many blessings. May my use of your riches bring you glory and bring others a true and genuine...