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Since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. — Hebrews 12:1 Thoughts on Today's Verse... With the example of all the great heroes of the Bible, both big and small, we can do God's work with confidence. But for us to boldly go where he wants us to go, we must first let go of "the sin that so easily entangles", our lives, distorts our vision, enlarges our doubts, and robs us of our spiritual vitality and stamina. As we put those things away from our lives, we can then look "to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith" and we can "not grow weary" or "lose heart" ( Hebrews 12:2-3 ). We can join the apostle Paul when he said he had fought the good fight, had finished his race, and could trust that God's bountiful grace had great things in store for him ( 2 Timothy 4:6-8 ). Let's...

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. — Hebrews 11:1 Thoughts on Today's Verse... While the road ahead of us may be clouded with questions and concerns, we can look back and see the many ways God has acted on our behalf in the past to get us to the places we need to be today. But beyond us, we also see his work throughout history, as he has provided guidance and protection to his people, Israel, throughout the Old Testament, and to his people in the early church, the disciples of Jesus in those early days in the book of Acts. We can take assurance that God's promises are true and our victory is certain in him because we have seen him act in the past. We can be sure of what we hope for, and we can be certain of what we do not yet see because of our faith! My Prayer... Almighty God, we believe that before there was a world, you existed. We trust that even now you sustain our world with your words of grace. We are confident that before the futu...

I will hasten and not delay to obey your commands. — Psalm 119:60 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Obedience is faith put into practice. Without actions and good deeds, Jesus' brother James reminds us that our faith is not genuine - it is false faith ( James 2:14, 17, 26 ). So, without arguing or procrastinating, let's quickly obey - let's "hasten and not delay to obey" - even when we don't fully understand why. We've seen God's love demonstrated to us in Jesus, so we should obey because we know he loves us. Most of us have also seen the blessings that flow from obeying him. So, let's "hasten and not delay to obey" God's commands! My Prayer... O God, please give me a heart that is quick to obey and a faith that hastens to express itself in loving actions to you through obedience. I want to please you with my words and thoughts, but even more, dear Father, I want to live a life full of your character, wisdom, grace, and generosity. H...

Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely, who conducts his affairs with justice. — Psalm 112:5 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Generosity is love expressed in practical ways with joy. Generosity and justice are two character traits more needed in our selfish world - and these are also traits of God who characterized himself as having righteous character, gracious compassion, and justice with faithful lovingkindness ( Exodus 34:6-7 ). Generosity and justice are traits that come into our world from hearts touched by our Father. They are people who have been transformed to more nearly reflect the nature of God. We see this in the Gentile Macedonian believers, who sacrificially and graciously helped their fellow believers in Jerusalem, who were Jewish. Paul describes it this way: Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord's people. And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to t...

Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." — Matthew 19:14 Thoughts on Today's Verse... In an age that neglected children and held them in low regard, Jesus' love for children and his tenderness with them are powerful reminders that God values every person, young or old, born or not yet born, rich or poor, impoverished or born to wealth. Jesus is God's great reminder of his love for the people the world often neglects, abuses, and abandons. Jesus calls us to love the unloved, the forgotten, the abused, and the neglected. Why? Because that is what Israel was before God chose them ( Ezekiel 16:4-5 ), that is who Jesus was at Calvary ( Galatians 3:13 ), and that is who we were without grace ( Romans 5:6-11 ; Ephesians 2:1-5 ). How can we claim to know salvation but not share grace with others who need God's love, mercy, and grace - especially when those others are children? How can ...

"What about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say that I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." — Matthew 16:15-16 Thoughts on Today's Verse... There is no other name under heaven that can save us other than Jesus ( Acts 4:12 ). He is the way, the truth, and the life - the only way to the Father ( John 14:6 ). We are to confess Jesus before people, knowing that when we do, we can be sure he will confess us before the Father and his angels in heaven ( Matthew 10:32-33 ). Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our Savior and LORD. We may not know all the theological gravity of those words - after all, Peter didn't when he confessed Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God - but we can commit to knowing Jesus and following him until we know more of what those words mean. Jesus asks us to open our hearts to his lordship and begin the journey toward fuller knowledge and experience of him as the Holy Spirit informs us ( 1 Corinthi...