Bible Verse for Today

Once you were alienated from God ... but now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.
— Colossians 1:22 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse..."Christians aren't perfect, just forgiven!" You've probably seen this bumper sticker or something similar. In one sense this is absolutely true. But, from God's point of view, Christians ARE perfect. That's the incredible message Paul gives the...

 

See, the LORD your God has given you the land. Go up and take possession of it as the LORD, the God of your fathers, told you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
— Deuteronomy 1:21 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...A word of encouragement is indispensable at the start of a new journey, especially when the journey demands your leadership. Joshua is no longer second chair. He is no longer the backup to all-pro Moses. Now it is his turn to lead. The people he leads have only known...

 

For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
— Romans 1:20 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...What an incredible world we live in! The expanse of space is humbling. The majesty of the mountain peaks takes away our breath. On and on we could go, describing all the beautiful, magnificent, and awe-inspiring wonders of the universe. The...

 

I pray ... also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know ... his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength, which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead...
— Ephesians 1:17-20 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...I still don't understand resurrection. I get the concept. I believe God did raise Jesus. Every once in a while, I experience that power through the Spirit's work in my life...

 

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.
— 1 Peter 1:18-19 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...A: "How much did it cost?" B: "What? This old thing? This sack of bones and blood and brain? This heart and mind and soul that live inside?" A: "Yeah! How much did it cost?" B: "It cost the greatest...

 

Learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow.
— Isaiah 1:17 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse..."A man's got to take care of himself!" Yeah, we do have to be responsible folks. But, part of being responsible, part of being blessed -- at least as God sees it -- is to care for others, to stick up for the disadvantaged, and to intervene when someone else is being exploited. After all, we are our "brother's and...

 

Ruth replied, "Don't urge me to leave you or to turn back from you. Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God."
— Ruth 1:16 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...This beautiful statement of loyalty makes its way into thousands of weddings each year. Incredibly, this wasn't originally a pledge of a bride or groom. Instead, it was the pledge of Ruth to her mother-in-law -- some would call her an ex-mother-in-law since Ruth's...

 

To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.
— Titus 1:15 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Rust stains, grass stains, blood stains, chocolate stains -- ARGH! Those stains are real nightmares in the laundry room. They don't just leave a stain on the surface of the fabric, but they also leave a residue that infiltrates the fibers of our clothes. Evil is that way. We must not...

 

[You were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,] who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession -- to the praise of his glory.
— Ephesians 1:14 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...God is true to his word. He keeps his promises. But, that was not enough for him. He gave us a down payment, a deposit, so we could be sure of our inheritance and look forward to the full realization of our salvation. He gave us the Holy...

 

For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
— Colossians 1:13-14 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Rescued! Redeemed! Forgiven! Those are the three concepts in this short passage. But, maybe the most important one of all is represented by the phrase, "Son he loves." God didn't save us with a plan, or a message, or a clean and immaculate process. Instead, he took what was...