Today's Verse - Romans 5:6-7

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.

—Romans 5:6-7

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Christ died for the ungodly. That's us! We were included in this reality before Jesus! Christ died for me, you, those you love, and even those who do not love you. Without Jesus' sacrificial death and God's amazing grace, we could never save ourselves by our deeds or make ourselves fully righteous. Jesus did for us what we could not do: he lived a perfect life and died a horrible death to pay off the debt of our sin — something we did not have the power or resources to pay. He did it for us, not because we were good enough to be worthy of his sacrifice, but BECAUSE WE COULD NOT BE WORTHY WITHOUT HIM!

My Prayer...

Loving God, we thank you. Sacrificial Savior, we praise you. Holy Spirit, we live through your power. Words cannot adequately and fully express our thanks for the gift of your grace that cost you so much yet means so much to us. We give all honor, glory, and praise to you, GOD, our Father who sits on the throne, the LORD Jesus Christ who went to the cross, and the Holy Spirit who empowers us to live transformed lives. We pray this based on the authority of Christ Jesus, whose grace makes us worthy to come into your presence, dear Father, and through the intercession of the Holy Spirit. 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 5:5

And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

—Romans 5:5

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Hope has become such a "wimpy" term in modern vocabulary. It hardly qualifies as an adequate translation of the meaning in most New Testament passages. Christian hope is the assurance that what we believe will happen. We could call it spiritual confidence. We have that confidence because of what Jesus did historically in conquering death. Our hope is based on more than a mere wish, a fleeting emotion, or something we dream up in ourselves. Our hope is rooted in this promise: just as the power of God raised Jesus from the dead, the almighty and eternal God has chosen to live in us, with power, through his Holy Spirit. When we become disciples of Jesus, our LORD pours out the Spirit upon us (Titus 3:3-7) as God's gift to us (Acts 2:38; Acts 5:32) to cleanse us (1 Corinthians 6:11) and make us God's dear children (John 3:3-7). The Spirit also makes us a part of Christ's Body, his church (1 Corinthians 12:12-13), living inside us as the Spirit pours his love and power into us and works through us. We are not just given the Spirit at our conversion. God keeps refreshing us by continually pouring his love and power into us through the Holy Spirit, just as Jesus promised (John 7:37-39).

My Prayer...

Holy and Almighty God, you are awesome in power and majestic in holiness. Thank you for coming to us in Jesus and living in us through your Spirit. We trust that you are pouring your love into our hearts so that the fruit of your grace may flow from us with your love so they can experience your grace. Thank you, 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 - Romans 5:3-4

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.

—Romans 5:3-4

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

What are you living to produce with your life?

Wealth, fame, status, significance, legacy?

How about character?

Isn't having the character of God our real goal in life?

Perseverance, character, and hope can help us forge a stronger faith as we live for Jesus under the pressure and heat directed at us from the evil one and his demonic forces of evil. Even in our suffering, hardships, and persecution, nothing can steal our desired goal from us — developing the character of God as we live for Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit are transformed to become JESUShaped (2 Corinthians 3:17-18).

My Prayer...

Dear Father, please empower us as we seek to live consistently with your holy character in our fallen world. Please give us hearts of courage and compassion so we can more clearly demonstrate your grace and power as you transform us into disciples of courage, honor, and compassion. In Jesus' name, we 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.