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Make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. — Colossians 4:5-6 Thoughts on Today's Verse... When presented with an opportunity, we choose to do and say kind things because Jesus has called us to that. He challenged us to be salt that adds savor and preservation to the world's hopelessness and decay ( Matthew 5:13 ). He called us to be light that casts out the world's darkness ( Matthew 5:14-16 ). We are committed to acting in ways that are kind and beneficial to others, especially with our speech. We pray for opportunities to be kind and encouraging because we want what we say to benefit others ( Ephesians 4:29 ). This verbal kindness is an indication of the Holy Spirit's presence ( Galatians 5:22-23 ) as the Spirit conforms us to our Savior's kindness and character ( 2 Corinthians 3:18 ). This kind of salty speech - not the profane, crude, and coarse speech often...

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. — 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Where does your heart live? That's what these verses remind us to ask ourselves. They challenge us to notice where we spend the most time and what we focus on most in our hearts. Is there a constant awareness in our lives that God is present? Is he the unseen but always present companion in all our ups and downs? Or is God with us when it is convenient and gone when things are busy, or you feel that everything is going well? Joy comes from knowing we are never alone. Prayer is the ongoing conversation we have, spirit to Spirit, child to Abba, human with God. Thanksgiving and joy are great reminders that we have been lavishly blessed, regardless of what our temporary outward circumstances suggest. Being joyful, praying continually, and giving thanks in all situations is God's will for us. Why? Because...

Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. — James 5:16 Thoughts on Today's Verse... To confess our sins means we do two things with our sins: We recognize sin for what it is in God's eyes. We get rid of our secrets and are honest with another Christian about our weaknesses, vulnerabilities, failures, then have them pray for us to overcome those sins. James' language is powerful. He mentions that this confession doesn't just bring forgiveness, it brings healing. So, let's confess our sins to each other, and pray for each other, so we can bring healing to relationships, the family of God, and be a demonstration of reconciliation and healing to the world. My Prayer... Holy Father, I have sinned. I now confess my own personal sins of the following things: ____________. I ask for your forgiveness and for your Spirit to strengthen me to overcome temptation as I pursue Jesu...

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request 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 Thoughts on Today's Verse... God wants to hear our prayers. But to keep them from becoming too self-focused, God wants us always to remember to give thanks ( Philippians 4:6 ). It is so easy for us to turn prayer into a request line. We are the ones who are left bereft when thanksgiving and praise are robbed from our prayers. Without praise, our hearts grow dim because all we think about is our problems, and prayer becomes a wish list of stuff we selfishly want, treating God as our heavenly Santa Claus rather than the Father who sacrificed everything to make us his children! My Prayer... Gracious God, I have so many reasons to praise you. In the face of trial and hardship, I have your promises to reawaken my hope through your p...

If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. — 2 Chronicles 7:14 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Humility is not our culture's most valued asset or most desired character quality. However, humility is what is needed - not so much because it's commanded (though that would be enough), but because we've "earned" our need for humility through our arrogance and abandonment of God and his character, compassion, and faithful lovingkindness. Every year brings another wave of major failures in morality, character, and spirituality among our leaders, both political and religious. Even on our best days, we all fall short of God's holiness. Rather than progressing culturally, we find ourselves slipping, rebelling, and degrading ourselves. Our need to approach God with humility is "earned." So let's b...

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. — Romans 12:12 Thoughts on Today's Verse... Sometimes the key to survival is simply "setting our jaw" and going on, faithfully trusting that God is there helping us, despite the apparent outward circumstances. Choosing joy through hope rather than dwelling on despair, choosing patient endurance in times of affliction, and choosing faithfulness in prayer when all circumstances are tough are all decisions of the will. They show that we trust God, who raised Jesus from the dead, can also change our circumstances because he hears our voice and loves us. Everything seemed to suggest God was silent and had forgotten his Son when Jesus was in the tomb. We know now this wasn't the case at all. We know that our triumph over sin, death, the evil one, and hell was happening during that silence. As we are being "joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer" , let's also remain confident that ...