Bible Verse for Today

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.
— John 6:66 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...This verse haunts me. Not just because of the three numbers in the reference, but because it is a great reminder that many folks simply gave up following Jesus when things became hard to understand. When he shattered their preconceived notions of religious things, when he confronted them about their motives, they went away. What will I do when things get difficult...

 

Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."
— Mark 9:30-31 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...We often seek to attract large crowds to our churches, crusades, and rallies. Jesus also ministered to large crowds. But his strongest teaching on discipleship occurs away from the crowds, when he is alone with his...

 

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.
— Jeremiah 31:25 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...In the overwhelming, hair-raising, and depressing prophecies of Jeremiah, God repeatedly told his people he would destroy them for their obstinate and hardened hearts. Yet in the middle of these powerful and scorching warnings, God also slips in passages that soar with hope and grace. Can you think of anything more reassuring than God's promise to "refresh the weary and satisfy the...

 

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
— Matthew 11:28 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Where do you go when you are exhausted and in need of rest? No bed, no vacation, no retreat can give us a truly refreshing rest if that rest doesn't involve coming to Jesus. So what are you waiting for? Come to Jesus and enjoy the blessings of his presence, his love, his forgiveness, his grace, and his rest!

My Prayer...Almighty God, your Son Jesus is my strength...

 

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...