Today's Verse - Acts 1:8

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

—Acts 1:8

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

God has a plan to reach the world with his grace. We start where we are and reach out to those around us. We then share the story of Jesus with those in our region. Then we reach out and take the gospel all over the world. As we offer ourselves to be used, we also trust that the Holy Spirit's power and presence will go with us. I liken this to skipping rocks on a still pond. Every time the rock touches the water and skips forward, it sends out ripples that ultimately reach every corner of the pond. We see this happen in the book of Acts as the early church lived out Jesus' mission strategy again and again. Go here where you are now. Go near to the surrounding regions. Go far, to the uttermost parts of the world. Now it is our turn to live out this mission, trusting the Spirit's power to equip, propel, and embolden us to share how Jesus has impacted our lives as his witnesses.

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My Prayer...

Father, please use us to reach those around us with your grace. Bless our congregations, house churches, groups, and mission organizations as we share Jesus with those in our area, nearby regions, and far-off places in today's world. Father, we ask that you bless our outreach efforts so that we honor the LORD's plan to reach all nations with our messages about Jesus as the Holy Spirit empowers us to share our personal testimony of his work in our lives. We pray this in the powerful name of our LORD. Amen.

Today's Verse - 2 Timothy 1:7

For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.

—2 Timothy 1:7

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

When we became Christians, Jesus poured the gift of the Holy Spirit into us (Acts 2:38). The Spirit now lives in us, making our bodies into a holy temple where God lives and we worship him in the ways we use our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The Spirit also blesses us in many ways. Romans 8:1-39 details many of these ways. We can be courageous even in the face of attack, criticism, ridicule, and persecution because of the Spirit's presence in us (Acts 4:23-31). The Spirit is at work in us to produce love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) as the Spirit transforms us to become more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18). The Spirit pours love into our hearts, enabling us to love in supernatural ways (Romans 5:5). The Spirit's presence is our heavenly power source helping us overcome sin and live self-disciplined lives to the glory of the LORD, even in evil times (Galatians 1:4). Because "God did not give us a spirit of timidity," but the Holy Spirit "of power, of love, and of self-discipline."

My Prayer...

Father, thank you for the Spirit's constant presence in our lives. Please empower us with even greater courage and strength as we face the daily challenges in our lives, with the help of this power from the Holy Spirit. May we display the power of the Spirit in our lives in the ways that we love others, seeking to share the love, mercy, and grace of Jesus with them. We also ask for the Spirit's help in putting to death the fleshly desires that interfere with our transformation into becoming more like Jesus. We pray this through the intercession of the Spirit and the powerful name of our LORD Jesus. Amen.

Today's Verse - 1 Thessalonians 3:12

May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.

—1 Thessalonians 3:12

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

"I'm not sure I can love that person any longer! My supply of love feels used up, my capacity for compassion seems to be exhausted!"

Yes, there are times when we feel as if others have exhausted our ability to love, either because their need is so great or because they are unwilling to love us in return. How can we continue to love them? We need a community of love, the fellowship of other believers who will support and love us during our times of spiritual depletion. We need brothers and sisters in Christ who will pray for God to increase our capacity to love and forgive. We need to trust that in response to all of our prayers, God will pour more love into our hearts through his ever-flowing stream of grace, the Holy Spirit bubbling up within us (Romans 5:5; John 7:37-39). When our ability to love feels low, we must not withdraw from people or give up on having relationships. Instead, we need to draw near to God and his people, asking for our Father's grace and the power of the Holy Spirit to help us love and bless people in their time of need as we seek to be JESUShaped people in our broken world.

My Prayer...

Dear Father, please graciously pour your love into our hearts and into the hearts of those in our family and church family. We need your help to love those around us more completely and sacrificially. We ask that the Holy Spirit fill us with grace so we can more perfectly live out our LORD's teaching, demonstrated in his life and through his death. O Father, help us display our Savior's love to others. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.