Bible Verse for Today

If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
— 1 Peter 4:11 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...We are given gifts to use in God's Kingdom for two reasons: 1) to bring glory to God, and, 2) to bless others. Whether we serve or speak, we are to do so with these two goals in...

 

This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.
— 1 John 4:10 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Love is demonstrated, not just said. Love goes ahead sharing itself instead of waiting until things are easy or safe. Love redeems when all hope seems lost. Love is not only what God is, but it is also what he does and what he gives.

My Prayer...Thank you, dear Heavenly Father, for loving me so extravagantly. Please help me to...

 

Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me -- put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.
— Philippians 4:9 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...I don't know about you, but I truly hope that my life reflects what I say and teach. What a great statement to be able to make to those we lead, whether it is in the classroom, in our families, at work, or at church.

My Prayer...Almighty and Most High God, please bless me with the integrity that comes...

 

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
— James 4:7-8 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...James always packs a lot into a small space. Let's focus on the center of this call to holiness: let's draw ourselves closer to God. When we come into God's presence and draw close to him, we know our thoughts, our motives, and our behaviors...

 

For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit.
— 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...The call to holiness is easy to ignore in a world which lives by much different standards. Satan gets us to compare our lifestyle with those around us, deluding us into devaluing our sins in comparison to others. But the issue is not comparison shopping our sin; the...

 

Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father."
— Galatians 4:6 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...The first vocalizations of many babies are the syllables "ab, ab, ba, ba." Not surprisingly in Jesus' day, that was the name babies used for their fathers. When God saved us, he gave us his Spirit. The Holy Spirit blesses us in many ways, but one of the key blessings is his work with us in prayer. He intercedes for us when...

 

Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.
— Colossians 4:5-6 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Jesus warned about our giving account for every idle word (Matthew 12:36-37). Paul takes it a step further and emphasizes how important this is with those who don't know Christ. We want to seize every opportunity when around those who are not...

 

But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.
— Galatians 4:4 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Wow! What a rich passage full of many wonderful thoughts. Let's put it in cornbread English so that we can not only read it, we can also believe it. God made history ready for a savior and then sent his Son. That Son had to deal with all the difficulties of the Law and faced all...

 

It is God's will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality...
— 1 Thessalonians 4:3 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Sanctified surely does sound "churchy," doesn't it? It means to be special, reserved for God's use and glory, and not common. We are to be an uncommon people! This is especially true in steering clear of sexual immorality. We're to stay far away from it, honoring God with our bodies (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20) while celebrating God's plan...

 

Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.
— Ephesians 4:2-3 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Effort, sweat, and dedication seem to have become the profanity of western Christianity. To our age of grace-abusers, the Holy Spirit reaches out with his truth and reminds us that relationships on earth, even those in Jesus' Church, are going to require a lot of effort, gritty...