Category: Verse of the Day

The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.

Psalm 32:8

The Best Path

What a great promise from the Lord! He will guide us and show us the path for our lives. He will advise us in the way we should go and watch over us. He is such a good caretaker over us. Why would we want to try and do things ourselves? Why would we try and plan out our own lives? Yet, even though we know that God can care for us and knows the best path for our lives, we still try to take things into our own hands.

This Psalm of David is a conversation between David and the Lord. The verse before (in verse 7) says, “For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.” David hid himself in the Lord and knew that in Him he would find protection and victory. Verse 8 is God’s response to David. When we hide ourselves in Him as David did, we will find protection, guidance, and ultimately victory.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
You are my protection. You are my way of life. In you I find victory. Thank you Lord for always watching over me. Amen.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10

God’s Masterpiece

We are God’s masterpiece. His greatest creation. We are the only ones that He chose to have a relationship with, not the animals or beasts of the sea, but human beings. He fashioned us in His image. Not only that, but from the beginning of time, He had great things planned for us. He knew that man would sin and would need a reckoning, so He planned to give up His Son Jesus so we would be restored.

Psalm 139 describes this masterpiece in greater detail. Verses 1-2 tell us that He examines our hearts and knows every thought in our heads. Verses 3-6 say that He knows where we go, what we will say before a word is on our tongues, and describes how He goes before us and follows us. We can never hide from His Spirit as verses 7-12 tell us. Then, the chapter tells us in verses 13-16 how He knit us together in the womb, He formed us completely, every cell and every hair on our heads. He saw every day before they occurred and knows exactly how many days we have. He is trustworthy because He is Creator, He is Savior, and He is the Orchestrator of it all.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
You created me and know every part of me. Thank you for being my creator God and my Savior. Amen.

Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.

Matthew 7:25

The Wise Man

If you have been a Christian very long, then you are familiar with the children’s song about the wise man and the foolish man. Just like the song, Matthew 7:24 states that “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” Though the torrential rains come and the floodwaters and winds threaten to destroy the house, it will not be destroyed because the wise man built that house on solid rock.

The Christian life is the same way. The wise Christian builds his life on the strong foundation of God, the salvation of Jesus, the work of the Holy Spirit, and the guidance of the Word of God. The foolish person tries to build his life on only one of these instead of recognizing how it all fits together. That life will not last. Only the Christian life built on the things of God will last forever.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Thank you for being my foundation. May I build my life on godly things instead of my own strength or things of this world. Amen.

That is what the Scriptures mean when they say,
 "No eye has seen, no ear has heard,
     and no mind has imagined
 what God has prepared
     for those who love him." 1 Corinthians 2:9

His Beautiful Plan

God has a beautiful plan for those who love Him and choose His salvation. Jeremiah 29:11 says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord. ‘They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.'” He has good plans for His people. His plans include a joyous life with Him on earth and in heaven. We cannot even imagine all He has planned for us as 1 Corinthians 2:9 quotes. Just as a parent longs to shower their child with blessings out of their love for them, so the Lord is with us. He showers His children with blessings out of His love for us. These blessings are not necessarily physical blessings, but spiritual. A life spent with God is the greatest blessing we can have.

Do you believe the good that God has prepared for you? Do you spend time looking for the physical and material good or are you more focused on the spiritual blessings? A life spent with God is a blessing that surpasses anything else.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
You are such a blessing in my life. May I bring honor and glory to you all my days.

Stop being angry!
     Turn from your rage!
 Do not lose your temper-
     it only leads to harm. Psalm 37:8

Anger Does Not Produce Righteousness

Anger can be one of the most dangerous emotions. It can start as just a little spark and then, before you know it, it erupts into a flame and starts a fire. Temper turns into rage. The Psalmist is warning the reader to stop being angry and turn from rage. If you lose your temper it could only lead to harm. We see this in the world today in politics, relationships, celebrities, and more. Countries against countries, families against families, politicians against politicians and sides against other sides. Anger ignites.

James 1:19-20 tells us, “Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires.” We should be quick to listen to each other and slow to speak and get angry. Be patient with one another in love. Offer grace and forgiveness. Then we will be able to produce righteousness.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Help me be quick to listen and slow to become angry. May I be gracious and forgiving when others wrong me. May I follow your example. Amen.

Lord, accept my offering of praise,
     and teach me your regulations.
 My life constantly hangs in the balance,
     but I will not stop obeying your instructions. Psalm 119:108-109

An Offering to Give

Even though we do not have to bring offerings to the altar anymore like they did in the Old Testament, we can still offer up ourselves to the Lord. The offerings in the Old Testament served as sacrifice for sins. Each offering represented a different kind of sin and the purpose was to make the believer clean again. When Jesus died on the cross, He died once for all, to rid us of our sins and the punishment of death. Once He died and we accepted His salvation, there was no need for another sacrifice.

Even though there is not a need for a sacrifice, we can still offer ourselves to the Lord as a living sacrifice, as Romans 12:1 says. We can daily submit ourselves over to the Lord. In this Psalm, the writer is offering up his praise. He also is offering his life; he is willing to be a student and learn from the Lord. He is willing to trust the Lord with his life. As Christians, we should be willing to live for the Lord everyday. That is how we can offer ourselves as offerings.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Thank you for sacrificing your Son as the ultimate sacrifice for my sins. May my life be an offering before you. Amen.

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.

Psalm 119:105

A Lamp For Our Feet

Sometimes walking in this world can feel like walking in a dark room. It can be difficult to see which way to go when there is no light to be found. Luckily for the Christian, we do not have to walk through the darkness without the light. God’s Word is our light. It is the lamp to guide our feet and a light for our path to show us which way to go. We do not have to guess which way or stumble through the darkness, we can see what is right in front of us.

However sometimes, even as believers, we set the light down and try it on our own. We fall and stumble even though the lamp is right beside us, waiting for us to pick it up and use it. The same can be true of God’s Word. It radiates light, but only if we choose to pick it up and take it with us. If we leave it behind, it is of no good to us. We must seek the wisdom of God in the words of His scriptures to lead us through this life. We have the manual teaching us and telling us where to go and what to do. We must choose to take that manual and use it. Spend some time in prayer today asking God to give you a desire for His Word. May it be a lamp to your feet and a light for your path.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Thank you for your Word. May it be living and active in my life. May I use it to lead and guide me. Amen.

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world.

1 John 4:4

Children of God

If you know Christ, then you are one of God’s children. You are a daughter or son of the King! Because you are a child of God, then the victory has already been won over your life. You do not have to worry about the enemy’s attacks because Jesus won the victory over you when He died on the cross. And that victory is greater than anything that can happen in your life. The Spirit that lives in you is greater than the spirit that lives in the world. God has crushed the enemy under his feet, so we do not have to worry because God is in control and Christ is king. We will still go through troubles and trials, but we will not have to worry about what happens at the end of our lives.

Have you ever been to a funeral of someone who did not know Christ? It can be very devastating to watch and listen to others as they mourn the loss of their loved one, knowing that their life on earth was the end. But for the Christian life in this world is not the end, it is the beginning! That is all the more reason to share the good news about Jesus with our fellow man. When life ends on this earth, it can be seen as a celebration instead of mourning. The believer has passed from one life to the other. Yes, we still grieve the life of our loved ones, but we grieve for ourselves, not for them. We know that they are in eternity with God the Father and Jesus the Son. So, take heart when you go through suffering in this life and know that it is only momentary. There is so much more that we can live for.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
You have overcome this world. You sent your son to overcome the grave. May I look forward to eternity instead of focusing on the momentary troubles of this world. Amen.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

1 Corinthians 15:58

Be Strong and Immovable

So while you are on this earth and living for God, be strong and immovable as this verse says. Think of something that is strong and immovable. The strongest building can not withstand a hurricane with its fierce winds and waves. Water is too strong. But there are things in God’s natural creation like rocks and mountains that are immovable. The mountains do not give way to the seas. They will not be moved or shaken. Your foundation in Christ should be so strong that nothing can move it or shake it. If your foundation is found in Him, then when the storms come, He will not be overwhelmed because God is not overwhelmed.

The second part of this verse tells us to always work enthusiastically as if working for the Lord, not for men. We know that everything we do in the name of the Lord is useful, not useless. If we place our trust in God and live according to His will, then when we serve Him, even if we do not see it come to fruition, He will still do a work. Sometimes we do not get to see the fruits of our labor. But God always does. He always comes through. Someday we will see the rewards of that work.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
God, may my foundation be found in you. I know that you are the only one who can withstand the storms of life. May I work enthusiastically for you. Amen.

In his kindness God called you to share in his eternal glory by means of Christ Jesus. So after you have suffered a little while, he will restore, support, and strengthen you, and he will place you on a firm foundation.

1 Peter 5:10

We Do Not Suffer Without Hope

Before we knew God, we were doomed to eternal death. A life without God and instead, eternal suffering. So in His kindness, God called us to share in His glory. Out of His love for us, He made a way for us to be in His presence and live in His glory forever. That means that in this life, while on earth, we must suffer for a little while. But, we do not suffer without hope. We have the hope of Jesus Christ and eternity living in our hearts forever. We have the hope that someday, God will restore us to himself. He made a way through Jesus Christ, and He continues to make a way and prepare a place for us while we are on this earth. He will continue to support and strengthen us so that someday we will be ready for His eternal glorification.

God also promises to give us a firm foundation if we are living according to His will. As long as we keep our eyes focused on Him and not on this world, He will be our foundation, and He cannot be shaken.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Be my foundation. I know you are preparing me a place with you, so give me strength to endure suffering in this life. Amen.