Bible Verse for Today

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...

 

He leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.
— Psalm 23:2-3 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...When we are exhausted, depleted, and on the edge of burn out, we need to have our souls restored! But who can restore our souls? Only the One who will lead us beside still waters! The Lord is our Shepherd. He alone can fully bring the nourishment and replenishment that we need. Yet why do we sometimes find it so hard to set aside time to be with him? Could it be that we keep our lives...

 

I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.
— John 10:11 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...How do we determine who we will follow? How can we tell the religious predators, shysters, and charlatans from those who truly speak for God? Jesus comes and shows us the ultimate test; will the Shepherd lay down his life for them?

My Prayer...Thank you, Lord God, for sending Jesus to be my Shepherd. I praise you for his faith, his courage, and his conviction that...

 

Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.
— John 6:27 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...What are you spending the biggest bulk of your life working for? Is it a boss, a promotion, a sense of importance, a secure lifestyle ...? If it can be taken from you, or you can be removed from it, then it's not very permanent, is it! Only what Jesus gives us is truly...

 

Six days do your work, but on the seventh day do not work, so that your ox and your donkey may rest and the slave born in your household, and the alien as well, may be refreshed.
— Exodus 23:12 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Refreshed! Boy that's often hard in any time, but it's especially hard in August, isn't it? It's either the dead of summer or the dead of winter depending on which side of the equator you find yourself. Either way, we need to hear God's desire for all of us to...

 

A bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!"
— Matthew 17:5 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on the "Mount of Transfiguration" before Jesus' closest disciples. This was the ultimate honor for them as faithful Jews. God, however, wanted them to know that as important as Moses and Elijah are, only Jesus is his Son. His Son's words are the ultimate authority...

 

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day...
— 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...I am so thankful for Paul's confidence as he faces his death. He is all but abandoned and is worried about the future of the Church, but he knows two things: he has served the Lord faithfully and the Lord will receive him when he...