Bible Verse for Today

If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
— Matthew 6:14 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...As Christians, we live in the environment of forgiveness and grace. As we forgive others, the basis of that forgiveness is the incredible debt that God has already forgiven us (Matthew 18). But at the same time, as God sees that his forgiveness is kept in circulation and passed on to others by us, he joyously pours out more forgiveness on us. As...

 

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.
— Acts 3:19 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...I'm not sure what we fear about repentance (turning our hearts and lives to God). God will not only receive us; he will also redeem us and remake us. But that repentance is often so hard for us to do. We get stuck in old patterns of destructive and addictive behavior. We believe Satan's deceptive lies. We use self-deprecating...

 

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
— John 4:24 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Without the Spirit, we are not children of God. Without the Spirit, the cleansing power of Jesus' sacrifice would not be fully implemented in us. Without the Spirit, we cannot worship God in the ways he wants because God is Spirit. Our worship must be "Spirit to Spirit" and done in a way that pleases God and that is according to his will.

My Prayer...Holy and Almighty...

 

Be careful not to do your "acts of righteousness" before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
— Matthew 6:1 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Why do we do the things we do? What is the motivation for our behavior? It's so easy to fall into the trap of doing religious things so we will look good to others. This is true even when culture reacts negatively to our faith. Those around us who know about our faith and the Christians around us...

 

But go and learn what this means: I desire mercy, not sacrifice. For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.
— Matthew 9:13 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...God is merciful. Yes, we do remember those blazing occasions when he was fed up and furious with the unrighteousness and rebellion of his people. But, we remember them precisely because they were so striking and because they did not occur that frequently in the hundreds of years he led the Israelites. God has shown us...

 

A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
— Proverbs 11:25 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...God is a giving and generous God. He longs for his children to be like him in this grace. Our place on earth is not to be hoarders or collectors of blessing, forgiveness, wealth, and opportunity. No, following the lead of our Eternal Father, we are to be conduits of blessing, forgiveness, wealth, and opportunity. As we are generous like God, we trust that...

 

May the Lord show mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, because he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains.
— 2 Timothy 1:16 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...A friend in Christ that will faithfully serve others is a wonderful gift of refreshment. Yet as humans, we are tempted to be fickle friends -- there for a bit of time while they need us, but often tiring over the long haul of extended recovery from illness, grief, or the consequences of previous sin or addiction. Is...

 

By God's will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed.
— Romans 15:32 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Our lives, our futures, and our plans are in God's hands. This inescapable reality is the basis of our existence. It is also the foundation of our joy and refreshment when we are with each other. Think about it a second: our meetings with each other, and our ministry to each other, are not chance happenings. They are acts of God's grace that gives us a chance to...

 

People were bringing little children to Jesus to have him touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these."
— Mark 10:13-14 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...We humans are always trying to define our place in the "pecking order" of life. Jesus reminds his disciples that they have to throw away the everyday rules of the pecking...

 

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
— Matthew 7:12 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Ah! The "Golden Rule" is so straightforward, isn't it? Sometimes we make things, especially religious things, far too complicated and complex. I love the Bible because it is so often practical and plain when God deals with our behavior. You want to know how to treat someone? Then do for them what would be a blessing if it was...