Today's Verse - 1 Peter 2:15-16

It is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.

—1 Peter 2:15-16

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

What does the world most need to see and hear from you and me today? I believe the world needs to see our lives tuned to the melody of grace we claim comes from God in Jesus. Doing good and being like Christ is Peter's answer to opposition, cynicism, and even persecution (1 Peter 3:15-19). We are free in Jesus, but freedom doesn't mean we have to flaunt it pretentiously. Instead, we can live for Jesus, who died to conquer death and renounced the evil one's power over us, to give us heavenly freedom so we could find life in him (Philippians 2:6-11). Like Jesus, we can live as servants to bless others, and we can serve God as we seek to lead others to discover Jesus!

Video Commentary...

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My Prayer...

Holy Father, our great Emancipator, you have freed us from sin, law, and death at the cost of your precious Son. Jesus, we recognize that you gave up your rights and your freedom to serve us and save us. We open our hearts to your grace, forgiveness, and freedom. Thank you for your gift of redemption and the freedom it brings from fear, sin, death, hell, and purposelessness. Please accept the actions of our lives, the words of our mouths, the thoughts of our minds, and the emotions of our hearts today as our offering of thanks as we serve others in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Today's Verse - Colossians 1:9

Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

—Colossians 1:9

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

In a world where we can feel so isolated and alone at times, despite all the ways we can connect online, it's important to know someone is praying for us and our spiritual needs. That also means we need to let others know we are praying for them, and tell them what we are praying for them! As I think of the hundreds of thousands who are a part of Verse of the Day, I cannot help but pray that each of them, that you specifically, are blessed by knowing that you share a spiritual journey with people all over the world, and that today, we will be praying for each other. And of course, there can be no better prayer than the one that Paul prayed for the Colossian friends he had never met:

[I ask] God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.

My Prayer...

Oh precious and divine Father, today we pray for the other believers in our worldwide family of faith, believers seeking to live for Jesus. Though we live all over the world and have all sorts of needs, we also realize that our deepest need is to know you, the true and living God, and to live out your will confidently, believing that you know us and love us. Please fill us with the true knowledge of your will through Spirit-led wisdom and understanding. We want to know, honor, serve, and ultimately, see you and each other face-to-face in glory. In the name of our older brother Jesus, we pray. Amen.

Today's Verse - 1 John 2:15-16

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world — the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does — comes not from the Father but from the world.

—1 John 2:15-16

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Love for things, especially temporary ones, can sure get us into trouble. We can begin to assume that these worldly things will make us happy or fill the empty places in our souls. These assumptions soon become cravings. Acting on these lusts, cravings, and pride then drives, enslaves, and addicts us. Not only do these false allures from the evil one leave us unfulfilled, but they also lead us away from the LORD and the life he longs to share with us (John 1:4, 10:10). Only when we truly place our hopes and yearnings in our Abba Father, seeking to know and experience him in our lives, do we find truly satisfying and lasting life (John 17:3).

My Prayer...

Please give me wisdom, righteous Father, to see beyond the evil one's false advertising - his mirages of life that entrap and enslave us. I ask for the Spirit's help to fully invest in you and what truly matters. I confess to you that my eyes and my heart are often distracted by the glitzy, temporary "stuff" that appeals to my fleshly cravings, selfish lusts, and egotistical pride. Please stir my heart to yearn for you - to find lasting life in Jesus as the Holy Spirit empowers me to know and experience you. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray and turn my heart fully toward you. Amen.