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Love the LORD, all his saints! The LORD preserves the faithful, but the proud he pays back in full. Be strong and take heart, all you who hope in the LORD. — Psalm 31:23-24 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Love the LORD! Be strong because of your hope in the LORD. Admit where your strength lies. Acknowledge your source of grace. Give praise to God for his abundant mercy and power lavished upon you through his Holy Spirit. The LORD preserves his people. He honors faithfulness even if it is mocked in this world. The LORD will bless his people and deal justly with those who mock and abuse them. But we can be "strong and take heart" because we "hope in the LORD!" My Prayer... Give me strength, O LORD, for I find myself in trying times with enemies at my door and opponents on every side. Please give me wisdom to see your grace that leads me when I am under fire. Please give me the courage to stand up for what is right, pure, and holy. Please bless me with the vision to ...

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. — 2 Corinthians 7:1 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God has blessed us with so many wonderful promises. He secured them by sending his Son "to conquer death and bring life and immortality to life" ( 2 Timothy 1:10 ). He will "transform our lowly bodies to be like his glorious body" ( Philippians 3:21 ). He will take us home to be with him eternally, but until that day, he will live inside us, make his home in us, and reveal himself to us ( John 14:20-23 ). He will make us more than conquerors and will not allow anything to separate us from his love ( Romans 8:32-39 ). So what should our response be? We should offer him praise, but we must not limit our praise to just words ( Colossians 3:16-17 ). God wants our lives to be pure, staying away from what is evil, vile, putrid, and corrupt ( 1 John 3:1-3 )...

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. — Ephesians 3:20-21 Thoughts on Today's Verse... What grand "Kingdom dreams" do you have for God's glory? What incredible ideas can you imagine requesting that God would bring to fruition? What are your expectations of heaven with God? Now that you have stretched your mind a little, challenged your imagination a bit, and loaded up your expectations for the future, are you ready for some down-to-earth truth straight from the true Marvel of heaven, God Almighty? God "is able to do immeasurably more" than any of that. God's "power at work within us" will do his glorious will and accomplish his eternal purposes, which far exceed what we can imagine, ask, or even believe. We must not set our sights too low and expect too li...

When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul. — Psalm 94:19 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God is our comforter, sustainer, and LORD. Only his gracious presence and tender blessings can bring consolation and comfort to our restless and discouraged souls. Let's turn our hearts toward God, honestly confessing our sins, sorrows, and anxieties. Let's ask him to restore our passion, joy, and confidence in our salvation. As the apostle Paul told the Philippians when he wrote them from prison: Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus ( Philippians 4:6-7 ). My Prayer... Almighty Shepherd, I need your consolation in my soul. The noise and confusion of my thoughts weary my spirit. The burdens and concerns I feel for others weigh down my heart. Please minister...

Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. — Romans 14:19 Thoughts on Today's Verse... "Let us... make every effort!" That's quite a challenge. But notice where that exertion is to be focused: peace and mutual edification. Both sides of this exhortation are two-way responsibilities. I must pursue and share peace if I am going to have it myself. I must edify, and be open to being edified, if mutual edification and encouragement are going to happen. In other words, we live with other people in God's family. He wants us to be responsible for making relationships work in our spiritual family. He reminds us it will require strenuous effort. But, isn't that true in every family relationship? Love means sacrifice, effort, and concern for others, as well as love, generosity, and encouragement given to others. When we share our love willingly and peacefully, we're much more likely to see them both coming back to us more ...

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. — 2 Peter 3:18 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Where do you need to grow in your walk with the LORD? How about setting the tandem goal of growing in the grace of God and knowledge of Christ Jesus, our LORD and Savior? So often we pursue one or the other, grace or knowledge. However, something comes unhinged in our soul when either of those becomes more important than the other. Let's keep grace and knowledge together, because we see them united in the Father's gracious sending of His Son and our Savior, Jesus Christ, who created everything and was before anything ( John 1:1-3 ; Colossians 1:15-17 ) My Prayer... Holy God, I desire to grow into becoming more of JESUShaped. I know I cannot do that without the power of your Holy Spirit, and my heart desiring such growth. I also want to grow into a more gracious person as I know and experience Jesus' presence and...