Today's Verse - Deuteronomy 7:26

Do not bring a detestable thing into your house or you, like it, will be set apart for destruction. Utterly abhor and detest it, for it is set apart for destruction.

—Deuteronomy 7:26

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

A little corruption, a little poison, and a little rotten are not all that bad, are they? Of course, they are! God has made us pure and perfect in Jesus (Colossians 1:21-23). What a glorious thought! Why would we want to stain his perfection with what is evil, putrid, rotten, and detestable? Our Father wants us to dedicate ourselves to him and to live as his holy people (Romans 12:1-2; 1 Pet. 1:13-16). God wanted Israel under Moses to know that they MUST stay away from wicked things that God had slated for destruction. In case we want to dismiss this kind of warning, God had Paul write the first-century Christians:

It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; that each of you should learn to control your own body in a way that is holy and honorable, not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister. The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

...reject every kind of evil (1 Thessalonians 4:3-8; 5:22).

Video Commentary...

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My Prayer...

Holy and Righteous God, please empower me to resist temptation and to run away from sin. Give me a more passionate desire to cherish and protect the purity you have given me through the sacrifice of Jesus. Please give me a holy revulsion to evil and wickedness. Draw my heart closer to yours, and give me a passion for your holiness. Thank you for making me holy and precious in your sight. In Jesus' name, I commit my body to honor you. Amen.

Today's Verse - Acts 7:25

Moses thought that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not.

—Acts 7:25

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Timing can be everything. Well, maybe not everything, but an important thing. God's plan and power provide us with everything. Finding God's timing and power for his plan is crucial. When Moses took it upon himself to redeem God's people before God called him to do so, Moses failed. After being humbled in the wilderness for forty years, God then called Moses back to deliver the people of Israel at God's divine moment and according to the Almighty's plan. The results led to the Exodus — the redemption and rebirth of God's holy people from Egyptian bondage. Let's pray for wisdom to understand God's timing so we can live out our lives for his purpose, according to his plan, and based on his power.

My Prayer...

Dear Heavenly Father, I am often impatient and frustrated by having to wait. Please forgive me, dear God, for trying to rush your timetable and assuming my plan is yours. Please give me Spirit-led wisdom to know what to do, where to go, and when to act. In Jesus' name, I pray for this patience and understanding. Amen.

Today's Verse - Romans 7:24-25

What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God — through Jesus Christ our Lord!

—Romans 7:24-25

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Our bodies are mortal and flawed. Our weakness and sin taint them. But, by the grace of God given each of us in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10) and the transformational power of the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17-18), our future does not rest in the dust with our decaying bodies, but in the power of our perfecting LORD. Jesus is our Deliverer and the Holy Spirit — as Paul will explain more fully in Romans 8 — is our Empowerer!

My Prayer...

Almighty God, thank you for the gift of life beyond the death of my mortal flesh. Thank you for giving me holiness beyond my sin-stained flesh. Thank you for delivering me from death and bringing me into your glory. Thank you for providing the power of the Holy Spirit to transform me to become more and more like Jesus. Now, dear Father, may my words, deeds, and thoughts reflect your grace and power in all I do today and each day that follows. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.