Your Daily Bible

It's easy to love people who love you back. But then there are times when it's not so easy to love. The times you have been hurt and wronged. Are you still supposed to love someone who hurts you? And, if so, how? In 1 John 3:14-15 , John, one of Jesus’ closest friends, warns us that hating someone makes us murderers in our hearts. God wants us to love even those who are hard to love. Our...

Already this week, most of us have probably lost our temper with our kids, ignored an opportunity to be generous, or let the urge to have one more get the better of us. We're not yet who we want to be, but we're not who we used to be either. Before meeting Jesus, we were oblivious to our sinfulness. After meeting Jesus, the Holy Spirit inside of us makes us aware of our sinfulness — not...

Have you ever been through a season where you felt like you weren’t hearing from God or seeing Him work in your life? You prayed, you studied the Bible, but inside you wondered if He even hears you.  After a while, it’s easy to think, "Maybe I’m not even really saved." In 1 John 2:18-29 , one of Jesus’ closest friends reminds us that we are children of God. No matter what we feel on any...

Every Christian wants to know the secret to avoiding sin. When Jesus tells the woman caught in adultery, “Sin no more,” we wonder, “How?” When He tells His disciples, “If you love me, keep my commands,” we ask, “Is that possible?” John, one of Jesus’ closest followers, says it is. In 1 John 2 , John gives us three ways to prevent sin and show Jesus we love Him. 1. Keep His commands. In 1 John 2:3...

When was the last time you sat back, looked around, and realized you were grateful for your life? Joy is what we experience in moments like that. We’re connected to something deeper than surface-level emotions and the positive or negative events in our lives. Joy is an internal contentment regardless of external circumstances. We lose out on joy when we’re separated from God and separated from oth...

When we make the decision to follow Jesus, we start a lifelong journey. But this is not a trip we make on our own. When we ask Jesus into our lives, we join a family of other Christians all around the world who are doing their best to follow Jesus step by step. God is Relational all the way to His core, and he yearns to have a relationship with each of us, and He wants us to grow in our relationsh...

We all know that feeling of walking into a gym for the first time. You want to get in shape, and today is the day you’re going to start! There is one problem: You have no idea what to do. You don’t know anything about fitness or how to use the equipment. You need guidance. There are times in all of our lives where we need counseling to know what to do. At a gym, guidance comes in the form of a per...

Have you ever been in a relationship where nothing you did was ever good enough? If you have, you know it’s frustrating, exhausting, and often heartbreaking. The eventual outcome is that we stop trying, or worse, become bitter toward others and doubtful of our own self-worth. If you’re experiencing the pain of a no-win relationship, here’s some good news: You never have to work to earn God’s accep...

“Don’t drink, smoke, chew or go with girls that do…” For many this is familiar advice. The point is simple: Stay away from bad influences. Date those who follow the rules. It’s well-intentioned advice that misses the point. Instead of focusing on Who people follow, we focus on the rules they follow. This is not a new problem in the church. From the beginning, people have struggled to understand th...

The apostle Paul wrote emphatically that Christians are sons and daughters of God, and therefore, Jesus is the Christian’s brother. Did you hear that? It’s truly remarkable! And this position of son and daughter is not just on paper; you enjoy this position experientially. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, something supernatural occurred. At the moment of your salvation, the Lord...

Galatians 3:15-29 (ICB) 15 Brothers, let me give you an example: Think about an agreement that a person makes with another person. After that agreement is accepted by both people, no one can stop that agreement or add anything to it. 16 God made promises to Abraham and his descendant. God did not say, “and to your descendants.” That would mean many people. But God said, “and to your descendant.” T...

Life as a Christian can seem difficult if not impossible. How easy is it — really — to love our neighbors, to honor our parents, or to forgive someone who has hurt, betrayed or left us? How easy is it to share the Gospel with someone who you work with or sit next to in class? It is impossible to follow Jesus on our own. The good news is Jesus gives us His power, so we’re never alone. In Galatians...

From the time we are babies, we are rewarded for hard work. We are promised a toy if we don’t scream during the shopping trip. When we are brave at the doctor’s office, we get a sucker. Teachers reward good behavior with stickers. As we get older, we work hard for good grades to get into a great college. We bust it at work to earn the promotion. Our whole lives teach us that success is the result...

Everyone knows “that” crowd in high school, the one we let intimidate us by their status or influence. They were cooler, more popular, had the best of everything. But no matter how far removed the in crowd seemed, they are people just like the rest of us. They face the same struggles, hopes and fears. And while we might be intimidated, God sees us all the same. He does not show favoritism . We are...

Pleasing dad is something most of us strive for throughout our lives. No matter how complicated our relationship with our parents might be, something in us desires to please our father. But in Galatians 1 , Paul, a leader in the church, addresses this need to win our earthly fathers’ approval over our heavenly Father’s approval. Paul was zealous for the religious traditions of his family. But afte...

How’s your morning been? Your week? Your month? We live in a world of crazy deadlines, commitments, and opinions. Sometimes it feels like we’re barely keeping our heads above water. Pause, take a breath, and soak in Ephesians 3:14-21 . Paul’s prayer for the church of Ephesus is a wonderful reminder of how much more God wants for our lives than our short-sighted vision shows us. This beautiful pray...

In the movie "Gladiator," Maximus Decimus Meridius goes from being a general in the Roman army to being a slave and gladiator. Maximus is incredibly skilled in combat, but no matter his arena, he never goes out to fight without his body armor, shield and sword. The Greek word for “whole armor” in Ephesians 6 is “panoplia,” which refers to the shield and weapons of a fully armed soldier....

“Thanksgiving is not a day; it’s a lifestyle.” Maybe you’ve heard that phrase or seen it on a church billboard. Learning to be thankful every day is not a new concept. It’s an idea Jesus taught and a principle that Paul, the writer of Ephesians, tried to teach Christians in Ephesus almost 2,000 years ago. Paul was a Christian missionary who was imprisoned for his faith. Yet in Ephesians 5:20 , Pau...

When family and friends get together, sharing food seems to be a required part of the process. Holiday celebrations wouldn’t be the same without everybody’s favorite dish or two. But, we can’t eat every day like it is Thanksgiving. If we do, the impact becomes obvious quickly. Bulges show where we don’t want them. Comfortable clothes aren’t comfortable anymore. Just like with any behavior that is...

Ever noticed how one customer service experience can make or break a business’s reputation? Stories about a bloody Band-Aid can make you avoid chili for the rest of your life, while good reviews on Yelp can be the deciding factor in where you go for dinner. One person’s experience can affect the perception of an entire group. The same can be said for Christians. Often, the people around us are loo...

Have you ever felt ill-equipped to do something you wanted to do or knew you should do? We all feel that way at times. Sometimes we feel that way as we walk with Jesus. We know we should read our Bibles, but it’s difficult to sit down and focus on God’s Word. We want to serve others, but it’s hard to find the time when so many responsibilities demand our attention. We know we should share our fait...

I am a college football fanatic! There is no sporting atmosphere that rivals a good college football tailgate. Thousands of people drive for hours to hang out in a parking lot together. Even if people can’t make it to the stadium, nothing seems to bring people together like football. Fans meet in houses and sports bars just to be around other people who root for the same team. The same way that fo...

Imagine yourself walking into your favorite coffee shop. The barista greets you by name and starts making your drink before you even order. That feeling of being known, of being cared for personally, that’ll change the way you approach your day. In Ephesians 2:10 , the apostle Paul writes that God created each of us to fulfill a plan and purpose. The same way the barista was ready and waiting for...

Ephesians 1:17  "I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. " Now, that is really the major objective of a Christian life -- to know God better. We need to ask ourselves, "Is this happening with us? Are we really getting to know God better?" There is a principle in...

Perhaps it was an athletic team, a special project at work, or the popular crowd at school — we’ve all experienced the feeling of wanting to belong. There is a special feeling that comes from being chosen on purpose. In Ephesians 1:4-5 , Paul explains that God chose us before the creation of the world, and in love, He adopted us as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ. He did all this not becau...