Author: mary

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Verse of the Day

2 Peter 1:5-7

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.

2 Peter 1:5-7

Loving Others

With godliness comes brotherly affection. When you are striving to lead a godly life, you will be more likely to show love to others. This verse does not say show love to people who you like, or only your friends and family. This verse says to show love to EVERYONE. This includes people who annoy you or anyone else who you may be at odds with. This is how Jesus loved and if we are to be more godly, then we will also want to live this way!

Think about people who are easy to love and those who are not so easy to love. Spend some time in prayer for those who are not as easy to love, that God would give you the ability to love those people without any conditions.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
You are the ultimate example of love. I only know how to love because you first loved me. Thank you for loving me. Help me love others in the same way. Amen.

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Today’s Truth

Today’s Truth: The Gospel is for All

The Gospel truth is for every person: man, woman, and child. It knows no race or culture. It represents freedom for all. Ephesians 3:6 tells us, “And this is God’s plan: Both Gentiles and Jews who believe the Good News share equally in the riches inherited by God’s children. Both are part of the same body, and both enjoy the promise of blessings because they belong to Christ Jesus.” What a beautiful truth! God’s plan from the beginning of time was to offer the Gospel for all man. God cares for every single person; He is the Creator God who cares for us.

We are living in a time of division. People against people. Truth versus lies. Righteousness versus unrighteousness. Good versus evil. Division is everywhere you look, and the enemy, the devil, wants nothing more than to feed it and further cause division in the hearts of the people, some of them even God’s people. We must seek to bring unity to our churches and help them reach people all over. We must be the ones who radiate God’s love.

God is a God of unity and seeks to heal what the enemy wants to destroy. Praise God for His perfect plan that offers redemption for all mankind!

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Verse of the Day

Job 42:10

When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!

Job 42:10

More than Before

If you know the story of Job, then you know that the first part of his story is devastating. Job was a righteous man, so when the devil spoke to the Lord about how he had been patrolling the earth, God asked if he had noticed his servant Job, almost as if He was offering Job up. The accuser, the devil, tells God that He has always protected him, and thus the testing begins. God allows the devil to test Job’s faith and in the process Job loses his livelihood, his family, and even his health. Job’s friends come and try to suggest reasons why Job is going through these test (all of which are wrong) and become discouraging to him rather than lifting him up. However, the way Job reacts to all of it shows his true character. He PRAISES the Lord through it all and even PRAYS for His friends! It is because of this why the Lord not only restores his fortunes, but gives him twice as much as before!

In this life we will go through many tests and trials. Sometimes the Lord even allows these to happen to grow our faith. We choose how we allow these trials to affect us: we can either choose to grow in our relationship with the Lord, or we can run from Him and ultimately end up worse than before. So are you running from the Lord or into His arms?

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Thank you for the tests and trials in my life. I know just like Job, you have given them to me so I might grow in my faith. Help me grow closer to you every single day. Amen

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Today’s Truth

Today’s Truth: God’s Great Plan

God has shown His people His purpose in everything through the Word of God. Ephesians 3:10-11 states, “God’s purpose in all this was to use the church to display his wisdom in its rich variety to all the unseen rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was his eternal plan, which he carried out through Christ Jesus our Lord.” His plan involves the church and using the church to display His wisdom. Isn’t that an amazing thing to think about? We, as His people (the church) can be His ambassadors and bear His name.

I have seen some churches who honor Him through their peace and unity and others who deny Him with their own selfish actions. I have been in services where I felt the Spirit leave because of the disunity amongst the body of Christ. I have also sat in services where the Holy Spirit was moving and working amongst the body of Christ. We, as a church, can either decide to be a part of His plan and work for Him, or work against Him for our own desires. We cannot do both.

Spend some time in prayer today for your own church, that they can serve the Lord and maintain peace and unity.

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Verse of the Day

1 John 4:16

God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

1 John 4:16

God is Love

Do you ever wonder why God didn’t just leave Jesus on this earth? Why would He send His Son Jesus, just to live forty years and then die when there are so many more people who would need Him? God had a divine purpose in sending Jesus when He did and a purpose for why he lived only forty years. Part of that purpose was for us. He wanted us to be His hands and feet after Jesus was gone. He commanded us to go into the world to share the gospel. When we go, we are not alone. He is living and breathing inside of us in the form of the Holy Spirit. It is because of the Holy Spirit that His love grows inside of you and helps you not be afraid when you bring the gospel to the world. He is right there with you. Your love for the lost world will grow the more you pursue Him.

Even though Jesus died while on the earth, God raised Him from the dead, and even after He went to heaven, God sent the Holy Spirit, so you are never alone. Do not be afraid, but have confidence!

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,

Thank you for always walking alongside me and giving me courage to bring the gospel to my friends, family, and everyone around me. Amen

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Today’s Truth

Today’s Truth:The Body of Christ

Ephesians 4:16 says, “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” If you are a Christian, then you are part of the body of Christ. Each part of that body has a different function just like every part of your own body has a function and serves a great purpose. Christ is the head of that body and holds the entire thing together. Just like this verse says, the body of Christ fits together perfectly. Think about that for a minute. God created a perfect puzzle to fit together.

Are there people in the body of Christ that you do not get along with, or perhaps do not like? According to this verse, they have a purpose, and they fit together perfectly with you and the rest of the body. As Christians, we should want to strengthen all parts of the body. If there’s a part that maybe isn’t as strong, then we should want to encourage and support that part of the body. Just like if you hurt your arm or another part of your body, you would need help to strengthen it back to where it was before, maybe through physical therapy, or another means. If a part of the body of Christ is struggling, then it is our job to strengthen and encourage that person.

Think about this the next time you get in an argument with someone, or get mad at someone who knows the Lord. Spend some time today, in prayer, asking God to help you love all members of the body and thanking him for Christ, the head of the body.

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Verse of the Day

Hebrews 11:13

All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth.

Hebrews 11:13

From a Distance

The men and women of faith mentioned in this chapter died on the other side of the salvation promise. They did not get to see their hope fulfilled in this life, but they went to their graves believing in it. That is hard for us to grasp because we live with the promise behind us instead of in front of us like they did. We even take that for granted sometimes. They did not see the fruit of salvation, but it still drove them and their faith. They knew that they were simply stopping by on this planet earth; there would be a greater hope to come. They trusted in this hope.

Today we live on the whole other side of the promise. It is different because we know the salvation of Christ, so our hope is in his promised return for us. Heaven is our hope. Just as they lived with salvation in their view, so we should live with heaven, knowing God will make good on His promise.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
May I always live with the hope of heaven in my view. May it drive me and my faith. Amen.

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Today’s Truth

Today’s Truth: Fill the Universe

After Jesus descended to the earth to live, walk, and breathe just as we do, He ascended back to heaven. Ephesians 4:10 says, “And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.” He ascended into heaven to take His place beside God the Father. The purpose was to fill the entire universe with Himself!

What a great purpose Jesus has! He is meant to fill the Universe! How does it accomplish this? Through the work of the Holy Spirit. When we are following the words of Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit, we are allowing Him to fill us up! When we meet with other believers, we are allowing the Holy Spirit to fill the place! We take Him with us wherever we go and allow Him to fill the universe when we submit to Him and follow His leading!

How can you follow Him and serve Him? Pray and ask God to give you opportunities to do just that!

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Verse of the Day

2 Peter 1:1

I am writing to you who share the same precious faith we have. This faith was given to you because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ, our God and Savior.

2 Peter 1:1

A Shared Faith

This Christian faith is shared with people all over the world in many different countries. How high and wide is the love of Christ! It reaches from ocean to ocean and sea to sea. It is incredible to think about how we share that faith with so many people. To think that our faith was given to us because of the justice and fairness of Jesus Christ. He is just, wanting everyone to choose Him. Even the thief on the cross, who chose Him in the last possible minutes, came to know the faith that we also have. This is because God is a just God. He is a fair God, too. He judges every person fairly. It does not matter the depths of the sins; He will offer His forgiveness to anyone who calls upon His name.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
You are a just God. You give your forgiveness freely and without hesitation. Thank you for your forgiveness and grace. Amen.

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Today’s Truth

Today’s Truth: One God

“There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all,” Ephesians 4:5-6 says. God is authority over all creation. This is hard for the non believer to understand. If you believe that the earth came to be in a different way than through God’s spoken voice, then it will be hard to understand God as the authority over Earth. However, if you believe that God created the earth and everything in it, then you probably have a good understanding of His authority as this verse states.

God is, over all. Everything will bow down to Him and submit to Him. Through Him. So through Him are all things. God is in His creation. His fingerprints on every living thing. Just as an artist puts pieces of his experiences, his voice, himself into his work, so was the same with God. He created us in His image. This means that we belong to Him. We are like Him. We have His qualities. He is living through us!

Do you believe this? Do you believe that there is one God, one faith, one baptism, and one God? Spend some time in prayer today, thanking Him for His authority over your life!