Today's Verse - Proverbs 31:9

Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.

—Proverbs 31:9

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

"No room in the inn!"
"Placed him in a manger!"
"Take the Child and flee to Egypt!"

Those were the kinds of words to describe the birth of Jesus, the Son of God, and our Savior, whose earthly parents were powerless and poor by the world's standards. Our LORD was born into a world that played favorites and often despised the poor and powerless.

So often today, we also play favorites with the rich, beautiful, powerful, famous, and prestigious. Isn't it interesting that God revealed himself as the defender of the widow, the orphan, and the foreigner (Psalm 68:5; Isaiah 1:17; Zechariah 7:10) and then entered the world as the child of a Jewish carpenter and a young virgin from a small town. God wants us to notice those in need around us. He wants it to be more than an annual good gesture at Christmas. He wants us to be advocates for folks like Joseph, Mary, and Jesus. We're not just told to be fair; we're told to defend and to plead the rights of those in need. When we do, we do it for him and to him. Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40).

My Prayer...

Please soften my heart as you make me more aware, Holy Father, of those around me who need your love and grace. Please use me as your person of grace to defend the powerless and serve those in need. Open my eyes to see Jesus in the faces of those in need and bless them as I would my LORD. In the name of my Jesus, my Savior, and Savior of all peoples, 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 - 2 Corinthians 4:17-18

For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

—2 Corinthians 4:17-18

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Life can be very tough. Eventually, our bodies are going to wear out and die. In the process of living, we're going to face some challenging circumstances and experience some awful pain. I don't mean to be pessimistic, but I do want to be real about life in our decaying world. So, as bad as life's harshest realities can be, we are never abandoned by God (Romans 8:35-39) and are headed for an eternal glory beyond what we can imagine. Life's difficulties can't compare to this glory that awaits us (Romans 8:19). Our pain is "light and momentary" when compared to our future glory. The things that cause our pain are temporary. The treatments, the prescriptions, the therapies, the surgeries, the setbacks are all temporary. All these things that we have seen and experienced in our decaying world are passing. At the same time, our eternal glory, that fantastic future that we cannot yet see, is eternal... forever... incorruptible... and reserved for us as God's precious children! Hallelujah! Let's focus on what is unseen and eternal!

My Prayer...

Dear God, my Abba Father, please be with me during the painful and difficult passages of my life. Help me keep my heart fixed on what is unseen. In addition, dear Father, I pray that you will be tangibly present in the lives of the following people I love... (Pray for people personally you love, here!) Please grant them healing. Please pour your love into their hearts through the Holy Spirit and give them rugged perseverance and indestructible hope. Help them see your glory and anticipate the greater glory that awaits them. In Jesus' name. 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 - 1 Thessalonians 5:6

So then, let us not be like others, who are asleep, but let us be alert and self-controlled.

—1 Thessalonians 5:6

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

So many sleepwalk through life. They are never really spiritually awake enough to be fully alive. However, as followers of Jesus, we choose not to do that with our lives! We are awake. We are alive because we know Jesus has come and brought us life eternal (John 5:24; 1 John 5:11-13). The Son has shown us how to live. So we are going to be alert. We are going to be self-controlled. We're going to be fully alive because we know Jesus' return is imminent, and our day of salvation and deliverance is near. Until then, we are not going to be like others - those who sleepwalk through life - we are going to be alert, self-controlled, and anticipating the day of our Savior's return.

My Prayer...

Forgive me, Heavenly Father, for the times that I have lost my sense of urgency to live for Jesus. Please use the Holy Spirit within me to arouse my passions to serve him with my eyes wide open and heart set on great and heavenly things. I know you can and will do more than I can ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20-21), so please, awaken me to dream great dreams and imagine great things for your glory, then astound me with even more. In Jesus' name 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.