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.

Today's Verse - 1 John 3:18

Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.

—1 John 3:18

Thoughts on Today's Verse...

"Talk is cheap!"
"You can tell me with your words all you want, but I won't believe it until I see it in your actions."
"It's time to put your life where your mouth is."

There are many slogans, but let's get down to the nitty-gritty and really live and love in truth. In a world where barter has replaced sacrificial, steadfast love, and as lust has become the modern definition of love, let's go against the cultural grain and truly love with our words and actions. Genuine love must be like God's love. It must involve emotion, commitment, and action. This is love in actions and in truth!

Video Commentary...

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My Prayer...

Sacrificial Father, I confess to you that at times I am selfish. Other times, my intentions are good, but my follow-through and faithfulness are lacking. I can sometimes have emotional love, but it never becomes part of my expressed love through my actions. So, I invite your Spirit to empower and enable* me to be what I hope to become: a genuine disciple of Jesus who loves with actions and truth. May your love be seen in my actions of genuine concern today. I pray this in Jesus' name. Amen.