Bible Verse for Today

[Jesus said,] "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...At the end of the year, it sure is nice to be invited to rest in Jesus. So before we begin a new year, let's pause and place our hopes, our future, our dreams, and especially our burdens down at his feet and let him give us rest.

My Prayer...Teach me, O God, to learn to rest in your grace and providence more and worry less. I want to surrender my...

 

Praise the Lord, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits.
— Psalm 103:1-3 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Praise must not just come from our lips. Praise must emanate from deep within our soul, recognizing all the great blessings God has given us. While God is worthy of praise because he his holy and majestic and mighty, we have even greater reasons to praise him. He has been so very gracious to us!

My...

 

Simeon took him [Jesus] in his arms and praised God, saying: "Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace. For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel."
— Luke 2:28-32 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...God's gift to Simeon was truly precious and touching. Yet Simeon is just the embodiment of all of every nation, race, and culture who are...

 

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
— Isaiah 9:6 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...While Jesus is God's Son and Mary's son, according to Isaiah's prophecy, he is also shared with us. Jesus is the child given to the world so you and I can become God's child. What greater gift can we have than Jesus, and through Jesus, God as our Father...

 

[The shepherds] hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby [Jesus], who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed ... But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
— Luke 2:16-20 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's...

 

[An angel of the Lord said,] "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."
— Luke 2:11-14 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...The sign to the shepherds was a baby in a feed trough. Pretty...

 

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord."
— Luke 2:8-11 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Shepherds and the glory of the Lord...

 

While [Joseph and Mary] were [in Bethlehem], the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
— Luke 2:6-7 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...I've always been amazed at how God chose to place his Son into our world. He could have done it any way he wanted. But he chose this way -- to enter the world in difficult times under difficult circumstances as a...

 

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ... So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child.
— Luke 2:1 and 4-5 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Isn't it amazing at how many inconveniences in our lives the Lord uses to...

 

[Zechariah prophesied concerning John,] "You, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for him, to give his people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins, because of the tender mercy of our God."
— Luke 1:76-78 (NIV)
Thoughts on Today's Verse...Where does salvation come from? Does it come from our sense that something is desperately wrong and we need to change and make it better? Does it come...