Today's Verse - Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

—Romans 15:13

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Hope, joy, and peace sound terrific. The problem for us as mere mortals is that we live on a flawed planet with flawed people and with tendencies to go to war with each other. How are we going to find hope, joy, and peace? We for sure won't find them in the sloganeering, the sappy marketing version of hope, joy, and peace we hear from people with simplistic solutions that don't work in the real world. We need answers from someone who has lived with the grit of the real world, experienced the highs and lows that mortality brings, and yet still managed to live with hope, joy, and peace. That someone is Jesus, who loved deeply, gathered people to himself openly, blessed powerfully, and could calm raging seas or endure the worst kind of torture with grace and forgiveness!
Two moves are vital for us to find this kind of hope, joy, and peace:

• First, we must trust our Father in heaven to meet us in our mortal struggles and get us where we need to be when we need to be there - like Jesus, who lived on his Father's time (Galatians 4:4-6; James 4:13-17; John 2:4, 7:6-8, 12:20-26).
• Second, we must expect the power of the Holy Spirit to bless, guide, and empower us to be like Jesus, who lived with hope, joy, and peace (2 Corinthians 3:18; Galatians 5:22-23).

As we draw near to Jesus, the Holy Spirit will lead, guide, and fill us to overflowing with the hope, joy, and peace of God!

My Prayer...

Great and Mighty God, please bless me with hope, joy, and peace from the Holy Spirit as I follow Jesus as my Savior and LORD. As I follow Jesus, please bless me with greater trust that you are nearby and with me, helping me overcome life's trials and embrace life's blessings. Dear Father, bless and empower me to be the person you want me to be. Fill me with your Spirit so I may live my life more like Jesus. In the name of the Savior, 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 - Psalm 23:1-3

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

—Psalm 23:1-3

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

"He restores my soul."
My, that sounds so good, doesn't it? But David's shepherd psalm (Psalm 23:1-6) and Jesus' promises as our Good Shepherd (John 10:14-15) are far more than sweet religious talk. When we've reached that point where we don't think we can continue, our Shepherd blesses us with the strength so that we can keep on walking. When we're in a struggle and things are tough, his power upholds us, so we run and not grow weary. When we're winning victories in his name, we can soar on wings like eagles because he supports and sustains (Isaiah 40:28-31). God the Son is our good Shepherd who loves us, sustains us, nourishes us, stills us, and restores us.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not be in want. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul.

My Prayer...

O Gentle yet mighty Shepherd, please bless me with rest tonight, strength today and for tomorrow, perseverance for my times of trial, and confidence that you are nearby with grace and power to sustain me. In the name of Jesus, my Good Shepherd, 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 - Colossians 3:12

As God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

—Colossians 3:12

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

"I wonder what we should wear to that meeting?" This is an expected question when we are invited to an event or an occasion of great honor. In this passage, Paul reminds us to put on the set of clothing that is always in style, especially with God. We should clothe ourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience! We wear this clothing because we are special. We are God's chosen people who are holy and dearly loved. This clothing is from the Ultimate Designer's "Godly Character Collection." We should best wear it when with other people, and when we are alone by ourselves, and we think no one is looking. These qualities are hard to wear, but always a blessing to those who meet us when we're decked out in this wardrobe. Our prayer is that when we put on these clothes, others will not notice us, but the gracious God who chose us, loves us, and made us his holy children!

My Prayer...

Abba Father, thank you for bringing me into your family. May I never disappoint you in the way I treat others. May they see in me the qualities of character that they can only attribute to your presence and grace in my life. To you be the glory and the honor, forever and ever, in the name of Jesus and in the compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience in my life by your grace. 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.