Today's Verse - Job 23:10-11

He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.

—Job 23:10-11

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

How we long for Job's words in this verse to be our true confession. We are not yet gold, but long to be. We are not yet fully following the LORDs steps, but are trying to follow faithfully. We have tried not to turn aside from God's ways, but we sometimes falter. Thank God for his grace until our intentions and desires are fulfilled in our genuine discipleship. Until that day, we pursue Jesus as we seek to reflect his character and compassion, trusting in the Holy Spirit to do the work of transformation (2 Corinthians 3:18) so that the following may be true of us as it was in Jesus:

He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.

My Prayer...

Magnificent Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, I confess my sin and my inadequacies in following your paths completely. Forgive me as I commit my life to serve you in holiness and joy. Thank you for your grace, which covers my sin and perfects in me the character of Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. In the name of my Savior, Jesus, I pray. Amen.

Today's Verse - Psalm 73:25-26

Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

—Psalm 73:25-26

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

What can truly fulfill and sustain you? Maybe the best way to answer that question is by asking another: What can we keep when our bodies are placed silently in their graves at death? Only our relationship with God, our Christ-like character, and our loving relationships with Jesus' disciples are permanent. These last beyond the grave. So, if these are lasting, then why would we displace them for anything that isn't lasting? Earth's treasures fail, wither, dissolve, and decay. What we have in God is forever!

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

My Prayer...

Mighty Yahweh, Strong One of Israel, Keeper of the Covenant and Fulfillment-Maker of every prophecy, you are my hope, my strength, and my future. I live this day in wide-eyed amazement that the Keeper of the Universe knows my name, hears my voice, and cares for me. Thank you for being my past, my present, and my future. You are the Great I Am. You, O God, are the strength of my heart forever! In the name of Jesus, my Immanuel, I pray. Amen.

Today's Verse - 2 Timothy 1:7

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...

Power! We like that concept. Power! But if it is to be godly, power alone does not make us right. Godly power must be accompanied by love and self-discipline. These three together make a person's life effective, constructive, and godly. Live life to its fullest: not as a closet Christian afraid of standing true and firm, but as a disciple who lives by God's power, shares God's love, and displays God's virtues through a disciplined life of love and grace and power.

My Prayer...

Holy God, you are without compare in your majesty and might. I have no right to come into your presence, and yet you have invited me here by your love and your grace. You are my Rock, my Fortress, and my Strength. I depend upon you for guidance and mercy to sustain me through my storms in life and reclaim me from my stumbles. Holy God, I want to be strong in you, to be like you in my love, and to reflect your character through my self-discipline and graciousness. I ask for this balanced grace in my life to be more like Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.