Today's Verse - 2 Samuel 7:22

How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you, and there is no God but you, as we have heard with our own ears.

—2 Samuel 7:22

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Remember how the Ten Commandments began?

"I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me" (Exodus 20:2-3).

Our God is the Sovereign LORD! No one is like him, and no false god rivals him. So we, Jesus' disciples and children of God today, need to join King David in his praise:

"How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you...!"

Some truths are better acknowledged, believed, and proclaimed than discussed, so today we affirm that truth to ourselves and proclaim it to others rather than waste time on discussing it:

"How great you are, O Sovereign LORD! There is no one like you...!"

My Prayer...

Holy, righteous, and living God, we hold you in the highest place in our hearts. Please forgive us for the times when we do not hold you in the highest place in our lives. Empower us with your Holy Spirit to give up all the little things that distract our allegiance to you and interfere with you being the Sovereign God in our day-to-day lives. In Jesus' name, we offer you our hearts and our praise, for you alone are God. Amen.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

Today's Verse - Romans 12:2

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is — his good, pleasing, and perfect will.

—Romans 12:2

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Don't let the world mold you. Wow, isn't that a tough command to obey? It reminds us that what we allow into our minds makes it a place of spiritual warfare. Sloppy thinking is more than sloppiness; it's dangerous because the world feeds us messages that constantly distort God's truth and the holy values he calls us to live. Rather than being incensed by the world acting like the world, let's be transformed by renewing our minds and by doing what Paul said he did - "take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ" (2 Corinthians 10:5). Let's not let our minds be molded and conformed to the world, but let them be renewed as we are transformed by the power of God's Spirit.

My Prayer...

O LORD, please guard my soul from pride, my heart from callousness, and my mind from too much focus on unimportant or selfish things, and not enough on your things. Please teach me in my heart what it means to be about my Father's business, especially in the world of my thoughts! In the name of Jesus, my greatest example of one who knew and lived your will, I pray. Amen.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

Today's Verse - Jeremiah 29:11

"I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

—Jeremiah 29:11

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

When Israel lay devastated in the face of a ruthless enemy that would rob them of all their glory and strip bare the very soul of God's people, God issued his promise. While the destruction visited upon them was in response to their rebellion and sin, God's punishment wasn't punitive alone; it was also redemptive. In their destruction, God promised prosperity, hope, and a future. That future was in him, not their worthiness or deservedness. Just as a doctor must sometimes cause pain when he or she sets a broken bone so it may heal properly, God's discipline is not capricious but curative and ultimately life-giving. If you are dealing with a hard time when God may be disciplining you, please remember this promise from Jeremiah 29, which is also reflected in Paul's famous promise in Romans 8:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28).

My Prayer...

In my struggles, O LORD, please help me find your grace - not just in my relief from struggle and pain, but also in the redemption and change of my heart and my habits to conform me to your will and bring me to your glory. By your grace and in the name of my Savior Jesus, I trust in your promises. Amen.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.