From Heartlight.org

Deuteronomy 7:9 (03-11-10)

Daily Verse - 12 hours 18 min ago

The Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

— Deuteronomy 7:9 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...God is faithful and his covenant is a covenant of love. He will not forsake us but will treat us better than we deserve, just as a loving parent treats a rebellious child better than she or he deserves. But our hearts must be tuned to honor God as God, not as just a good luck charm or a weekly guest into our otherwise busy lives. What we do must be done in awareness that it is done before and for him!My Prayer...Faithful God, thank you for loving me so sacrificially and steadfastly. Thank you for the way you preserved your promises to the Israelites and brought Jesus just as you promised. I trust your promise to send him back to bring me home to you. Please receive the deeds and words of this day as my thanks to you for your covenant of love with me and those I love. In the name of Jesus, your gift of love, I pray. Amen.

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1 Peter 3:15 (03-10-10)

Daily Verse - March 10, 2010 - 3:00am

In your hearts, set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.

— 1 Peter 3:15 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...We are to be ready and able to tell folks about the hope that Jesus has brought to our lives! But when we share this hope, two things are important: our credibility -- is Jesus really Lord of our hearts -- and our character -- do we show gentleness and respect in our persuasion approach. The goal is not to win arguments but hearts to the God of character!My Prayer...Holy and Loving Father, thank you for speaking your grace in Jesus. I'm not sure I would have heard any other message. Give me the conviction I need to share my hope in Jesus, but in a way that reflects your grace. Through my Living Hope I pray. Amen.

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2 Timothy 1:9 (03-09-10)

Daily Verse - March 9, 2010 - 3:00am

God has saved us and called us to a holy life -- not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time.

— 2 Timothy 1:9 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...Before the beginning of time! How do you understand when that was? God first thought of us at a time we cannot even begin to understand! His reason for thinking of us was to demonstrate his grace and call others to his side. Jesus has always been God's plan and we have always been his goal. Let's make sure we respond by living his holy life!My Prayer...Thank you so much, Father, for knowing me and thinking of my needs even before there was a world. I dedicate this day, the days that follow, to your honor as I try to live a life that reflects your righteousness and grace. In the name of Jesus, the one who had no sin, I pray. Amen.

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2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (03-08-10)

Daily Verse - March 8, 2010 - 3:00am

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all of our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.

— 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...We are comforted to comfort others. God doesn't bless us with his presence and comfort of his Spirit because we are somehow better than everyone else. No, he comforts us to equip, empower, and encourage others. God has human hands, but only when I use mine to his glory and for others comfort.My Prayer...Tender Shepherd, there have been times when I was so broken I could not go on. I know my strength to continue came from your rich grace and mercy. Please use me this week to offer your comfort and love to others so they may feel your warm embrace and come to yearn more for the day we see you face to face in heaven. Through my brother Jesus, I pray. Amen.

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Psalm 139:23-24 (03-07-10)

Daily Verse - March 7, 2010 - 3:00am

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

— Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...God does know us. We cannot pretend we are something we are not with him. He knows us - inside and out, through and through. This should liberate us to share a remarkable degree of intimacy with him, but most of us run from such a close relationship with our Father. If our desire, however, is to become more like him, the only way to be transformed is by inviting him in to look at our hearts, our motivations, and our desires.My Prayer...O God, I know you are the one who "searches hearts and minds." Yet because of the grace you demonstrated in Jesus, I am confident that you love me. My heart is sorry for the sin I have committed, but I am really trying to serve you in honor and purity. Please fill me with your Spirit to enable me to become more like Christ. In the name of your holy Son I pray. Amen.

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Isaiah 25:1 (03-06-10)

Daily Verse - March 6, 2010 - 3:00am

O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago.

— Isaiah 25:1 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...God's actions are not reactions to current situations, but part of his long term plan to bring redemption. Yes, he has done marvelous things: he took the evil intent of a mob who cried "Crucify him" and turned it into an opportunity to fulfill the prophets and redeem us. He is perfect in faithfulness and has done marvelous things.My Prayer...Holy God, you surprise me with new wonders and new things daily. Yet deep in my heart I know they are not new to you. Thank you for not making life boring or predictable so I might thirst after you, you who are forever fresh, new, exciting, and marvelous. In the name of my Savior, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

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Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (03-05-10)

Daily Verse - March 5, 2010 - 3:00am

These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.

— Deuteronomy 6:6-7 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...We are to begin each day with God. Every breath we take should be a powerful reminder that our Father has granted us another day of life to serve him. Each heartbeat is God's drumbeat of love, reminding us that we are blessed with another minute to offer him our best. This blessing is so easily forgotten. We best remember these truths when we teach them and show them and live them with and before our children. But, let's not leave their learning these truths to our example alone. Let's find teachable moments to explain our faith, to praise our Heavenly Father, and to teach God's truth.My Prayer...Almighty God, Gracious Sustainer, and Undeserved Friend, thank you! Thank you for this breath I take and for the heartbeat that sustains my life. Make me aware as I travel and talk and rest and work that you are there and are worthy of my intentional best. In the name of Jesus, my gracious sacrifice I pray. Amen.

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Joshua 1:9 (03-04-10)

Daily Verse - March 4, 2010 - 3:00am

"Have not I commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

— Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...Never alone! What a promise. God will go with him, and us, through all the seasons of life, through all our ups and downs, through temptations and triumphs, even through death (cf. Psalm 139). So we can take courage and feel his strength. We are not alone!My Prayer...O God who is and was and is to come, thank you for being there and staying there when all others forsake and leave. You are the one constant in my life so full of change. Help me become more steadfast and faithful in my commitments and relationships to honor you and to learn more about you. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

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Isaiah 55:8-9 (03-03-10)

Daily Verse - March 3, 2010 - 3:00am

"My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord. "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."

— Isaiah 55:8-9 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...No matter how hard we try to perceive the awesomeness of God, he is still God and we are not. We must forever remember that the original, and still primary, sin was to try to become like God in terms of knowledge and understanding. We are to know God, but we can never fully know everything about him. We are to take on his character, but we cannot approach his majesty, righteousness, or holiness on our own. This is both exciting and frustrating. But, the promise remains that one day we will be like him and see him as he is (1 John 3:1-3) and know fully even as we are fully known (1 Corinthians 13:11-12).My Prayer...Tender Shepherd, thank you for being so patient with me when I cannot fully understand and appreciate your holy and transcendent character. Thank you for sending Jesus so I can know you better and trust you to know me better than I know myself. I look forward to seeing you face to face when Jesus comes to bring me home. Until that day, please know I love you. In the name of Jesus I offer my thanks and praise. Amen.

Categories: From Heartlight.org

Job 23:10-11 (03-02-10)

Daily Verse - March 2, 2010 - 3:00am

He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.

— Job 23:10-11 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...How we long for this to be our true confession. We are not yet gold, but long to be. We are not yet fully following his steps, but are trying. We have tried to not turn aside, but we sometimes falter. Thank God for his grace until our intentions and desires are fulfilled in our discipleship!My Prayer...Magnificent Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, I confess my sin and my inadequacy in following your paths. Forgive me as I recommit my life to serve you in holiness and joy. Thank you for your grace which covers my sin and perfects in me the character of Jesus. Through him I pray. Amen.

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Psalm 73:25-26 (03-01-10)

Daily Verse - March 1, 2010 - 3:00am

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

— Psalm 73:25-26 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...What can truly fulfill and sustain us? Maybe the best way to answer that question is by asking another: What can we keep when our bodies are placed silently in their graves at death? Only our relationship with God and his people lasts beyond the grave. If he is what lasts, then how can we displace him for anything that doesn't?My Prayer...Mighty Yahweh, Strength of Israel, Keeper of the Covenant and Fulfillment Maker of every prophecy, you are my hope, my strength and my future. I live this day in wide open amazement that the Keeper of the Universe knows my name, hears my voice, and cares for me. Thank you for being my past, my present, and my future, the Great I Am. Through my Savior I pray. Amen.

Categories: From Heartlight.org

2 Timothy 1:7 (02-28-10)

Daily Verse - February 28, 2010 - 3:00am

God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.

— 2 Timothy 1:7 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...Power! We like that concept. When it is godly power, might does make right because godly power is accompanied by love and self-discipline. These three together make a person's life effective, constructive, and corrective. Live life to its fullest: not as a closet Christian afraid of standing true and firm, but one who lives by God's power, shares God's love, and displays God's virtues.My Prayer...Holy God, you are without compare in your majesty and might. I have no right to come into your presence and yet you have invited me here by your love and your grace. You are my Rock, my Fortress, and my Strength. I depend upon your guidance and your mercy to sustain me through my storms and reclaim me from my stumbles. Holy God, you are without compare and I worship you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Categories: From Heartlight.org

1 John 3:18 (02-27-10)

Daily Verse - February 27, 2010 - 3:00am

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

— 1 John 3:18 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse..."Talk is cheap!" "You can tell me with your words, but I'll show it with my life." "Put your life where your mouth is." We know the slogans; now let's love in truth. In a world where barter has replaced sacrificial and steadfast love, let's go against the grain and truly love in our words and actions.My Prayer...Sacrificial Father, I confess to you that at times I am selfish. Other times my intentions are good but my follow through and faithfulness are lacking. Use your Spirit to empower and enable me to be what I hope to become to your glory. May your love be seen in my actions of genuine concern today. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.

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1 John 4:9 (02-26-10)

Daily Verse - February 26, 2010 - 3:00am

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

— 1 John 4:9 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...Love is an action. The Bible stresses this truth again and again. Love must not only be spoken, it must also be shown. The beginning of love is God. He showed his love in the most sacrificial of ways so we could know our incredible value to him. The price of our adoption was the emptying of heaven of its greatest treasure, God the Son, who is our Savior.My Prayer...Loving Father, thank you for adopting me into your family. I can never thank you enough or repay you for your kindness, but please receive the service of my life as my ongoing thanksgiving for your grace and my small way of trying to share the love you have given me. Through my Brother and my Ransom I pray. Amen.

Categories: From Heartlight.org

Matthew 22:37-39 (02-25-10)

Daily Verse - February 25, 2010 - 3:00am

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.

— Matthew 22:37-39 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...Some things are just not very complicated. Living for Jesus can be boiled down to two principles: love God with everything I am and have and love others and treat them like I would like to be treated. Not too hard to understand. I guess it's the living it that is the challenge!My Prayer...O Living and only True God, please accept the work of my hands, the words of my mouth, the moments of my rest, and the love of my heart as my worship to you this day. I pray that these are pleasing and refreshing to you. In the name of your Son, my Lord Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Categories: From Heartlight.org

1 John 4:19 (02-24-10)

Daily Verse - February 24, 2010 - 3:00am

We love because [God] first loved us.

— 1 John 4:19 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...It's all very simple. God is love. He is love's origin, example, and architect. I love because he loved me first. I know how to love because he has demonstrated it. I can love because he made me in his likeness and to share his character. He is the fountain, the motivation, and the pinnacle of love. I love because he does, first, last, and always.My Prayer...God of comfort, thank you for comforting me with your love. Just as a child learns from parents how to do so many things, I want to learn to love as you do: sacrificially, selflessly, and submissively so that others may know that they do not have to earn your love, only receive it. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

Categories: From Heartlight.org

Ephesians 2:4-5 (02-23-10)

Daily Verse - February 23, 2010 - 3:00am

Because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved.

— Ephesians 2:4-5 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...Of all things to be rich in, I cannot think of anything I'd prefer the Holy God to be rich in than mercy. I know my failures, shortcomings, sins, and transgressions. Without his mercy, to pardon again, and without his grace to send Jesus to pardon at first, I would be lost and without God. Now, because of his rich mercy, my life is tied to Jesus' future and not the one I earned for myself.My Prayer...Father of all grace and mercy, thank you. Thank you for being God like you are God. Thank you for extending grace when I have not deserved it. Thank you for giving mercy when I most needed it. Thank you for giving life when I thought my life was doomed and hopeless. May my wealth be in mercy and grace much more than money and gold. Help me be more like you. In the name of Jesus, my older Brother and Savior, I pray. Amen.

Categories: From Heartlight.org

1 John 4:18 (02-22-10)

Daily Verse - February 22, 2010 - 3:00am

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.

— 1 John 4:18 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...What is there to fear since God sent his Son to die to redeem us? What is there to fear since we cannot be separated from the love God has for us in Christ Jesus? What is there to fear except ourselves, and God has poured his Spirit into our hearts to reassure us and strengthen us in our weakness! As we love God and his children, we are reminded of his love for us which is far better than our meager love for others. Rather than run from him in fear, we bow before him in thanks knowing that he who hears our prayers is also he who loves us and yearns to calm our fears.My Prayer...Loving Father, thank you that I can reverence you without fearing your wrath. Thank you that I can revere your word and yet not be terrified with my inadequacies. May your love in me produce a closer likeness to your holiness, righteousness, justice and mercy than all the laws, threats, and judges combined. I pray in the mighty name of Jesus, who ransomed me from sin and poured out his love upon me. Amen.

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Romans 13:9-10 (02-21-10)

Daily Verse - February 21, 2010 - 3:00am

The commandments, "Do not commit adultery," "Do not murder," "Do not steal," "Do not covet," and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this one rule: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Love does no harm to its neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

— Romans 13:9-10 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse...Wouldn't it be great if we didn't have to have laws to keep people in line! That's the point behind Paul's message here. Treat our neighbors like we would like to be treated. Love them as we like to be loved. If we do that, then we're not going to do anything that would hurt them, much less violate a command of law!My Prayer...God who gave Moses the Law on tablets of stone, please write your character and will on my heart that I might be a living stone, testifying to your righteousness and grace. Help me to think more carefully about how my neighbors feel before I act or react to them -- not just today, but every day! In the name of your Son, Jesus I pray. Amen.

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Proverbs 17:9 (02-20-10)

Daily Verse - February 20, 2010 - 3:00am

He who covers over an offense promotes love, but whoever repeats the matter separates close friends.

— Proverbs 17:9 (NIV)

Thoughts on Today's Verse..."It's just a little harmless gossip." The Wise Teacher reminds us that gossip is neither little or harmless. Its consequences are huge and its damage horrible. Instead, it is much better to be a peacemaker and an offense mender.My Prayer...Father of Glory, I confess that I am often more a peace lover than a peacemaker. Give me the character not to repeat gossip and instead have the wisdom and strength to be an offense mender. Through the Prince of Peace I pray. Amen.

Categories: From Heartlight.org