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Verse of the Day

Deuteronomy 6:5-6

And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today.

Deuteronomy 6:5-6

Love Him with Everything

Love the Lord with every part of who you are. Once you understand that He is the king and Lord of all, He alone sits on the God throne, then you can love Him with everything you are. Love Him with all of your heart. Don’t give your heart over to lesser things. Love Him with all of your soul. Think about Him daily and pray through His Word! Love Him with all of your strength. While we may not have strength like He does, we can give everything we are over to Him. And most importantly, commit yourself to Him and His commands. Give Him everything. Do everything for Him. Let Him be your motivation and your purpose in life.

When you love Him in these ways, you will experience all He has for you.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
I love you with all of my heart, my soul, and my strength. You are my life. May I commit my life to you. Amen.

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Verse of the Day

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Deuteronomy 6:4-5

The Lord is Our God

There is no other. God is the only God. Before Moses gave the 10 commandments, he started off by saying that God is the only God. Why would he say that? Why would it be important? The people were notorious for trying to serve other gods. After all, they had lived among the Egyptians for hundreds of years and had picked up some of their habits and beliefs. It was important that Moses remind them that God alone is God.

This is an important reminder in our world today as well. While we may not serve other gods as they did then, we may not build golden idols for ourselves, we serve little “g” gods all the time. We put people and things in that God role all the time. We serve our materials when we spend more time, energy, and money on them than we do the Lord. We serve people when we make them more important than God. We must remind ourselves that He alone is God!

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
You alone are God and sit on the throne of my life! Remind me everyday that you are the most important one in my life. May I only serve you. Amen.

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Verse of the Day

Luke 6:35-36

Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.

Luke 6:35-36

Love to All

Love your enemies. What a difficult thing to do. Loving your enemies is more than just tolerating someone. This verse goes even further than that. This verse says to lend to them. Be kind to them. Be compassionate with them. To truly love someone, you have to treat them no different than you would anyone else. What a difficult thing to do! It definitely shows the human side of who we are. To love as God loves, we have to first accept His love, and then pattern the way we love after Him. Then we will be able to show love to our enemies, our neighbors, our friends, and family.

Do you love as God loves? Who is someone you need to show love to today? Who do you need to show love to today? Maybe you need to pray and ask God to help you really love others as He loves them.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Help me love as you love. Help me be a light to my enemies and neighbors. I know that I only know how to love because you first loved me. Thank you. Amen.

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Verse of the Day

Ecclesiastes 7:8

Finishing is better than starting. Patience is better than pride.

Ecclesiastes 7:8

Patience Better than Pride

Have you ever started something and then gave up in the middle? Maybe it was a project that you just didn’t have time to finish. Maybe it was a hobby that you thought you enjoyed in the beginning but as it went on you decided it wasn’t as much fun as you thought. Maybe it was a service project that you thought would go great, but people lost interest as it went on. These things happen, don’t they. However, this verse says that finishing is better than starting and patience is better than pride.

When we do anything outside of God’s will (even if it’s for the church), then it will not be as successful. If we do anything and take credit for it or allow our pride to get in the way, then we will not find the joy of the Lord. Instead, we should bathe everything with prayer, give careful attention to detail, and give all credit to the Lord. He should always be our purpose and motivation.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
May everything I do be of you. May I always finish what I start and have patience rather than pride. Amen.

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Verse of the Day

Proverbs 15:18

A hot-tempered person starts fights; a cool-tempered person stops them.

Proverbs 15:18

Peace in the Storm

Have you ever been in the heat of a fight? Perhaps it was a fight with a spouse, and neither one of you would give way. Perhaps it was a fight with a sibling or parent, and your emotions got the better of you. Perhaps it was a fight with your children, and you said something you regret. Whatever the situation was, in the heat of the moment hot tempers can ruin relationships and destroy friendships. There is nothing that is worth getting hot tempered. That is exactly what the enemy wants. If he can sew discord in your family or your relationships, then he can get a foothold into your life. It is important to be a cool tempered person who stops this from happening. How is this possible?

First, you cannot allow your emotions to be out of control. This starts in everyday life, not just in the heat of the moment. A little out of control goes a long way and can brew into something worse. Second, pray and seek God‘s wisdom before having a difficult conversation. He will help lead you through it, and even if it is not received well, a cool tempered person is able to maintain a relationship better than a hot tempered person. so pray and ask God for wisdom today to help get control of your emotions so that you can better serve Him.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Lord, help me in my relationships to remain cool tempered. May I sew unity and peace instead of discord. Help me not lose control. Amen.

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Verse of the Day

Matthew 5:9

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.

Matthew 5:9

Peacemakers

There are not many peacemakers in the world today. But peacemakers is exactly what this world needs. Christians are called to be peacemakers. So what exactly does that mean? A peacemaker is not someone who just gives in to what others want, nor is it someone who gives in to other belief systems because they don’t want to make waves. Instead, this versus says a peacemaker is someone who looks for peace in the midst of the storm. When the enemy threatens to divide God’s children, a peacemaker is the bridge to help overcome the gaps that sin and discord can create. A peacemaker seeks to bring about unity so that God’s people can work toward a common goal. A peacemaker seeks all those who don’t know Christ and shares the gospel and the good news to help heal their hearts.

Are you a peacemaker or someone who desires peace? A peacemaker is driven by the peace that lives inside their hearts. So if this is something you desire, come and pray to the God of peace, that He will place peace in your heart to share with the world around you.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
May I be a peacemaker in the midst of a world in turmoil. Help me bring peace to the world around me. Amen.

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Verse of the Day

Romans 8:6

So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace.

Romans 8:6

Spirit-Controlled

There are consequences for every type of action. This verse says that when you allow the spirit to control your heart and mind you will find peace and even life. But when you allow your sinful nature, which we all have, control who you are, you will find only death. We will all struggle in this life to constantly allow the spirit to be in control. We were all born into sin and continue to struggle with sin even after salvation. But it does not have to control us. When Jesus is Lord of your heart, He is in control. When he went to death on the cross, he reserved the right to be in control of your life. You just have to decide that is what you want.

It is no different than driving a car. When you drive a car, do you want to be in control or do you want the person riding with you to be in control? God wants to be in control. He can see the journey and the road ahead, so let Him drive!

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
May my life be led by the Spirit instead of by my sinful nature. Lead me, Lord. Be my life. Be in control of my life. Amen.

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Verse of the Day

Matthew 7:22-23

On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’

Matthew 7:22-23

Know Him

This verse is a devastating verse if you really think about it. In our world today, there are so many people who claim to know Christ. They claim to be a Christian but deny him by the way they live. Jesus’ words for these types of people are very harsh. He says even though they will say all of the things that they have done in His name, He will say the key is not just in being a Christian. It is more than just the actions or the words you say. It is a lifestyle. It is the motivation behind why you do what you do. It is the breath that breathes throughout your body. Others around you should know that you are a Christian buy your fruit. There shouldn’t be a shadow of a doubt who you belong to and who you serve.

Do you know Christ in this way? Does his blood run through your veins? Or is it more of a religion to you? Take some time to really examine why you are a Christian and how others know you are a Christian. Make Him the true Lord of your heart today.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
I want others around me to know I am a Christian. Give me the words to say when I am afraid. Give me the actions that show good fruit. Amen.

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Verse of the Day

Matthew 7:17-18

A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit.

Matthew 7:17-18

Good Fruit

Have you ever heard the lyrics “you will know they are Christians by their love”? These lyrics really pinpoint what it means to be a Christian. The evidence of our Christianity is in the fruit we bear. It is in the goodness that we show others. It is in the patience we have with those around us. It is in the love we give to our neighbor and even our enemies. It is in the peace that we have in our hearts that allows us to get along with others. A good tree will produce these kinds of fruit. A Spirit filled life that is following the Lord will produce the fruit of the spirit. A bad tree, however, will produce bad fruit. It cannot produce good fruit. It is difficult to find good fruit from a tree that is not rooted in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Which tree describes your life? Are you a good tree that is following after the Lord? Have you planted yourself in Him and Him only? Or are your roots shallow and easy to destroy? Root yourself in him and you will find all of these fruits.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
May my life produce good fruit. May I be rooted in you so that others see the good fruit in my life. Amen.

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Verse of the Day

Ephesians 5:17

Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.

Ephesians 5:17

Seek the Lord

Some Christians try desperately to figure out the will of the Lord and what He wants to do in their life. Other Christians completely disregard what God wants to do and live their life with themselves in mind. God wants us to follow Him and seek Him and all that we do. We should always give careful thoughts to decisions, especially big decisions, and try and understand what it is He would have us to do. He does care about the little things in our lives because they can lead to the big things.

Give careful thought to your words and actions. They can have great consequence both for you and others around you. Pray and ask God how you can serve Him with the decisions you make, the words you say, and the thoughts you think.

A Prayer to Remember

Dear Lord,
Help me keep my mind pure and help me serve you. May I involve you in little decisions and big decisions and always give careful thought to everything. Amen.