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Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near. — Isaiah 55:6 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Isaiah declares that God is always close to those who genuinely seek after him and call on him as their God. In fact, God is fully present as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in us, with us, and making his home in us when we obey him ( John 14:15-17, 18, 23 ). The real problem is that we can drift away from him, lose interest in him, and leave his presence ( Hebrews 2:1 , 3:12 ). So let's seek God and receive his grace. Let's obey God and discover that his presence and help are with us, recognizing that he alone truly saves and makes his presence real in us and to us. My Prayer... Father, please help me, through your Holy Spirit, as I grow into seeking you with all my heart. Please be real to me and make your presence known to me as I seek to know you through your Scriptures, your living Word (Jesus), and the Holy Spirit. I long to know you as my Abba Father and be kno...

Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. — Proverbs 27:1 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Don't you have your hands full today? I know I sure do! Don't you find yourself distracted from the urgent and important things of today when you worry about the problems of tomorrow? I know most people do! Don't you occasionally find yourself missing an opportunity today while fantasizing about all the possibilities far down the road? Many people do! Isn't it a waste of time to be anxious about those things over which you have no influence? Why worry so much about tomorrow, next week, and some time in the future? Let's walk with God today and trust in his faithfulness for us tomorrow. As our LORD Jesus commanded us: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." ( Matthew 6:34 ) My Prayer... Holy God, please give me the strength to seize the moment and live tod...

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. — 1 Peter 1:3 Thoughts on Today's Verse... The great truth about Jesus' empty tomb is not just that he is risen, but that he is living! His victory over death wasn't short-lived; it was ultimate. He now lives to intercede for us until he returns and brings us to his home with the Father ( Hebrews 7:25 ). Our life is hidden with him. No one and nothing can take it from us. When Jesus comes again, we will share in his never-ending glory ( Colossians 3:1-4 ) as we are transformed to be like him and see him as he truly is ( 1 John 3:2-3 ). How can we not praise God for such grace and living hope! My Prayer... Almighty God, we praise you from the bottom of our hearts! Your incredible and glorious grace has brought us eternal victory out of mortal anguish. Thank you for paying the price to make this true....

Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the LORD is kept safe. — Proverbs 29:25 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Fear is a paralyzing emotion. It robs us of vitality, decision-making ability, hope, and strength. Courage helps us step out of fear's paralysis and turn its nervous edge into motivation and power. But this kind of courage comes to us fully only when we know that all the evil one and his allies can really have of us are our bodies. The evil one and his allies can take our physical life; but if they do, they send us to be with Jesus ( Philippians 1:20-21, 23-24 ). They cannot take our mind, our attitude, our faith, and, most of all, our relationship with God, given to us through Jesus and secured by the promise of the Holy Spirit's presence. Let's put our trust in the LORD because the fear of man will prove to be a snare. But when we trust in the LORD, our future is kept safe with him, "hidden with Christ in God" until we share in Je...

Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you. — Matthew 5:11-12 Thoughts on Today's Verse... For many of us, the sentiments of this verse feel foreign and upside down to the world we know. However, those who have studied the persecution of Jesus' followers over the centuries remind us that current believers in Christ are enduring perhaps the greatest amount of persecution in the history of Christianity. However, many of us live in places where belief is tolerated. Christians are just considered a bit out of touch with reality and a bit naive, but tolerated. However, with worldliness creeping into God's people from every direction, maybe we should be thankful that Christian living makes us different enough from our cultures to be noticed, even if that notice is a bit unfavorable...

This is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless until the day of Christ. — Philippians 1:9-10 Thoughts on Today's Verse... I don't know about you, but my hardest decisions aren't about choosing between good and bad. I usually know what is good and what is bad, especially when bad involves evil. My toughest choices are when I have to choose between good, better, and best. My love for God usually overcomes my weaknesses, and I choose good over bad - or at least recognize good over bad. But unless I've placed myself before God's word and surrendered my heart to him in prayer, asking to be led by the Holy Spirit, I have a very tough time choosing between good, better, and best. In my heart of hearts, I want "to discern what is best" and "be pure and blameless until the day of Christ." Yet I'm convinced that much of what Go...