Today's Verse - Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

—Galatians 2:20

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

When we were baptized into Christ, we shared in his crucifixion and burial, and were raised to be a new person through our faith in the power of God (Romans 6:3-7; Colossians 2:12-15). Christ is not only alive in us, but our life and future are joined with him in his glory (Colossians 3:1-4). The real challenge is for us to be Christ's presence to our broken world!
How do we do this? We do this as we live by faith in Jesus, who gave himself for us.
Our motivation to do this? It is not to earn our salvation, which has already been given to us by grace, and we received it by faith. Now, we do it to honor him who sacrificed his all to save us.
We can say with the apostle Paul:

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

My Prayer...

Thank you, God, for loving me and sending Jesus to redeem me from my sin. I commit to you today that I will live by faith in your Son, who gave himself so I can spend eternity with you. I ask for the Holy Spirit's power and help so that Jesus' presence comes alive in me. Through Jesus, I pray and seek to live for your glory. Amen.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

Today's Verse - James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

—James 5:16

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

To confess and be rid of our guilt of sin is to do three things with our sin:

1. Recognize sin for what it is in God's eyes - to confess literally means to call our sin the same thing God does.
2. Get rid of our secrets and be honest with another Christian about that sin.
3. Receive prayer from a righteous disciple of Jesus and receive forgiveness and healing from that sin.

James' language is powerful and clear. He wants us not only to experience forgiveness, but he also wants us to be healed from our past sins. Rather than hide, rationalize, dismiss, or ignore our sin, James and his brother Jesus want us to embrace God's path to full healing. Let's confess our sins to one another so we can be healed!

My Prayer...

Holy Father, I have sinned. I now confess my own personal sin of ____________. I ask for your forgiveness and for your Spirit to strengthen me in overcoming temptation. I want to live for you and not let my sin, present or past, entangle me and draw me away from you. In addition, dear Father, I commit to confess this sin with at least one righteous and spiritual friend who will pray with me for my forgiveness and healing, as well as walk beside me as I walk away from this sin. I pray and am determined to follow through with this commitment to honor you and discover your healing grace. Amen.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.

Today's Verse - 2 Corinthians 5:14-15

For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

—2 Corinthians 5:14-15

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

What are you living for?
What drives your life?
What is the compelling motivation for your life?
While these are all important questions, the most important question, however, is this:
"Who am I living for?"
Only one person can ensure that my life will count in meaningful ways after my body quits working (1 Corinthians 15:57-58). Only Jesus enables me to confidently know that I will never die (John 11:25-26). He has already died for me and conquered death! If my body fails, the living part of me will go to be with Jesus, awaiting the resurrection (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18; Philippians 1:19-24). If he was willing to do all of this for me, then I'm for sure going to live for him as long as we have breath in our lungs!

My Prayer...

Victorious LORD, thank you for giving me triumph over death through Jesus, my Savior. Thank you for giving me victory over sin through his sacrificial death. Thank you for giving me victory today in my life, as I live for him based on his resurrection. Through the precious name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.