Today's Verse - Romans 8:35-37

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or sword? ... No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

—Romans 8:35-37

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

We win! We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. When you open up the final book of the Bible, Revelation, that is the message: Christians win because Jesus is the one true and lasting conqueror. No matter how the battle is going for you right now - no matter how bad the trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or sword may be at the moment - we can remember that in the end, we win. We are more than conquerors through him who loved us.

My Prayer...

El Shaddai, God Almighty, we thank you for securing our ultimate victory by raising Jesus from the dead and promising to send him back for us as your Conquering King. We know he is coming with victory on the day you have determined. We pray that we will live victoriously for you until that day when we joyously sing:

Great and marvelous are your deeds, Lord God Almighty. Just and true are your ways, King of the nations. Who will not fear you, Lord, and bring glory to your name? For you alone are holy. All nations will come and worship before you, for your righteous acts have been revealed. (Revelation 15:3-4)

Today's Verse - 1 John 3:11

This is the message you heard from the beginning: We should love one another.

—1 John 3:11

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

The original message? Love one another. The enduring message? Love one another. The most convincing message? Love one another. The most difficult message? Love one another. The clearest message? Love one another.
This call to love one another reminds me of the convicting verse I once heard a preacher use about loving our brothers and sisters:

To dwell above with saints we love,
O that will be glory.
But to dwell below with saints we know,
Now that's another story.

But it's the story we're called to write with our lives. Love one another. It's Jesus' enduring message to us is clear: Love one another!

My Prayer...

Loving Father, I commit to you that I will intentionally show my love for your children in what I do and say. I do this trusting in your grace and the Holy Spirit to empower me to do more loving things and be more loving than I could be on my own. I want to obey my Lord's command to love others as he did. Through Jesus, my Savior, I pray. Amen.

Today's Verse - 1 John 4:10

This is love: not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

—1 John 4:10

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

God loved us first! He sent his Son to save us regardless of our decision to believe or reject his grace. But what does Jesus being an atoning sacrifice for our sins mean? It means that Jesus' sacrifice removes our sins and allows us to be "at one" with God again, presented to the Father by the Son as holy and blameless and above reproach before him (Colossians 1:22). God loved us first! We were once offenders of God's gracious holiness - we were weak, ungodly, sinners, and enemies (Romans 5:6-10) of God and his holiness - yet God paid the cost to bring us back to Himself in holiness and honor. God loved us first!

My Prayer...

Precious King, God Almighty, why would you love us so much that you would send your Son to die as the atoning sacrifice for our sins? We know that you gave us this gift of love when we were undeserving. We confess that we will never fully comprehend the depth of such sacrificial love as you demonstrated to us. However, we are deeply touched and thank you for your gracious love for us in Jesus. We pray in your name, LORD Jesus, by the power of your intercession and thankful that God loved us first! Amen.