A Verse, A Comment, A Prayer, A Blessing

A Verse Ephesians 3:20-21 Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. A Comment I fear that we often project our own limitations back onto God without truly contemplating not only His greatness but His eagerness to a...

A Verse John 10:11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. A Comment In today’s passage, Jesus not only declares Himself to be the good shepherd, but He defines His goodness in terms of sacrifice on behalf of His sheep. Just as Psalm 23 spoke of the LORD as our shepherd who cares for us in our need, so here, in John 10, we are reminded of God’s commitment to car...

A Verse Luke 11:28 Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it. A Comment In a response to a blessing being pronounced on his mother, Jesus shifts the focus of the audience to hearing and obeying God’s Word. It was not that Jesus’ mother was not blessed, but that the pronouncement of blessing by the woman in the crowd was lacking. While in the ancient context, one’s status as ble...

A Verse Romans 5:1 Therefore, since we have been justified through faith , we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. A Comment Before God, we have been declared righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. We are accepted on the basis of Jesus. We could never achieve this on our own. It is only by grace through faith in Jesus. A Prayer O’ Jesus, thank You for saving us. Fill our hearts wit...

A Verse Psalm 117:1-2 Praise the LORD, all nations! Extol Him, all peoples! For great is His steadfast love toward us,and the faithfulness of the LORD endures forever. Praise the LORD! A Comment How wonderful is it that God’s love toward us is not only great, but it is also steadfast! God’s love is not fickle. It is not subject to change. It is fixed. God’s love is immoveably great toward His peop...

A Verse Hebrews 12:1-2a Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.  A Comment We have been called to be passionate runners in the race of faith. We are surrounded by thos...

A Verse Hebrews 2:1 We must pay the most careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. A Comment The author of Hebrews warns us that we must be sober-minding, paying attention to God’s call on our lives through the Gospel. When we focus on other things, we will be prone to drift away from the LORD. This passage warns us for our own good. We should not move on f...

A Verse Titus 2:11 For the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.  A Comment God’s grace is offered to all people. It is available to all people through Jesus Christ. It is powerful enough to save any and all who call upon Jesus in faith with repentance. The offer of God’s grace knows no limits. All who would come to Him will be saved by Him. A Prayer O’ LORD, grant us to b...

A Verse 2 Timothy 1:7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. A Comment We have not been filled with God’s Spirit to be fearful. Instead, we have been given God’s Spirit that we might live in power, love, and self-control. The power we possess is power from God. The love that we express is empowered by God. The self-control that we practice...

A Verse 1 Timothy 1:15a Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners A Comment The apostle Paul was acutely aware of his unworthiness, yet full of gratefulness for God’s grace toward him in Christ Jesus. When we remember the condition in which Christ found us and even reflect on the lack of progress that we have made in holiness since...

A Verse Hebrews 13:5 Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” A Comment If you are in Christ, God promises to never leave you nor forsake you. Even when gas prices soar, God will never leave you nor forsake you. Even when times are hard, God will never leave you nor forsake you. Even when you fail and fall...

A Verse Romans 13:10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. A Comment Obedience to God’s law is not a loveless act of duty. Rather, it is an act that reveals love to God and others. Where there is no love, there is no true obedience either. Thus, let our hearts be stirred by God’s Word to treat our neighbors with love and thus fulfill the law of Christ. A Pr...

A Verse Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. A Comment We do not have to fear being generous. God has promised that He will meet all of our needs according to His riches. We can trust Him. He cares for us. And because He cares for us, we are free to care for others. A Prayer O’ LORD, free us from fear that prevents us from livin...

A Verse Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. A Comment Unlike when the LORD commanded Moses to put limits around those who would attempt to approach the LORD (Exodus 19:23-25), Hebrews reminds us of the grace of God that we possess in Christ, which commands us to approach God with a bold...

A Verse Luke 20:38 He is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive. A Comment In a showdown with a group of Sadduccees, Jesus proclaimed the hope of the resurrection. The Sadducees denied the resurrection and typically only accepted the first five books of the Old Testament as Scripture. Jesus’ points them to Exodus 3:6, where God is described as the God of the patriarchs, A...

A Verse 1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near. Therefore be alert and of sober mind so that you may pray. A Comment Many of us have drunk so deep of the things of the world that we are no longer sober-minded. We need to be aroused from our stupor and alert so that we might pray as a people who live with a holy expectation of the return of our Lord. A Prayer O merciful God, revive us. Have merc...

A Verse Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. A Comment We do not drive out fear by our own effort. It is not a matter of willpower. It is a matter of God’s presence with us. He promises to strengthen and help His people. His righteous right hand will uphold us. He i...

A Verse James 4:8a Come near to God and he will come near to you. A Comment It is an amazing thought that we not only can come near to God through Jesus but that He will come near to us. Though full of great glory, He gives great grace, welcoming us to come near to Him as He comes near to us. A Prayer O’ Lord, what a privilege to come near to You and to know that You will come near to us. Thank yo...

A Verse Matthew 5:6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. A Comment When we hunger for the things of God, God is faithful to satisfy our hunger. The problem is never that God is unwilling to satisfy us but that we often hunger not for righteousness, but for the things of this world. A Prayer O’ Lord, grant us to hunger and thirst for You. Let us no lon...

A Verse Hebrews 7:25 Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. A Comment Robert Murry M’Cheyne said, “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” What a comforting thought? Even as you find yourself struggling to pr...

A Verse Job 19:25-27 I know that my redeemer lives, and that in the end he will stand on the earth. And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God; I myself will see him with my own eyes - I, and not another. How my heart yearns within me! A Comment When we are living through the darkest times, literally in the shadow of death, O’ how comforting to know that our Redeemer live...

A Verse 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies. A Comment We belong to God. Our lives ought to reflect that we belong to Him. This includes what we do to and with our bodies. Our bodies are not dispensable, unimportan...

A Verse Luke 5:31-32 “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” A Comment If we fancy ourselves to be healthy with no needs before Jesus, He would tell us that He did not come for us. Yet, the reality is that we all are infected with a cancer that though sometimes undetected is still a terrible threat to our lives. Thu...

A Verse Luke 5:13 Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him. A Comment The man that Jesus touched had likely not been touched by others for years, except for maybe the touch of another leper. He was an outcast because of his disease. He was expected to announce his presence with a cry of “unclean.” Yet, Jesus did not d...

A Verse Exodus 2:23-25 During that long period, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God. God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob. So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them. A Comment It might not always seem like it, but th...