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Verse of the Day – 2 Corinthians 7:1

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God.

—2 Corinthians 7:1

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

In a world so full of distractions and temptations, purity is difficult. Even more than difficult, the call to purity often goes forgotten and ignored. “Cheap grace” (Jude 4) is substituted for a call to passionate living. While we never want to give in to a works righteousness, we also must remember that impurity through laziness or lack of commitment or simple rebellion are contaminating to those claiming to be Christians and ruin our influence before the watching world.

My Prayer…

Purify my heart, my life, my body, my influence, O God. May my words and my thoughts be blameless in your sight. I want to be holy as you are holy and honor you as only you are worthy of honor. You alone are God! Through Jesus I ask it. Amen.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today’s Verse are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@verseoftheday.com.

© 1998-2018, Heartlight, Inc. Verseoftheday.com is part of the Heartlight Network. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. | Privacy Policy

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Heart Hunger

Riding along with my husband on some errands, I scrolled through emails on my phone and was surprised at an incoming advertisement for a local donut shop, a shop we had just passed on the right side of the street. Suddenly my stomach growled with hunger. I marveled at how technology allows vendors to woo us into their establishments.

As I clicked off my email, I mused over God’s constant yearning to draw me closer. He always knows where I am and longs to influence my choices. I wondered, Does my heart growl in desire for Him the way my stomach did over the idea of a donut?

In John 6, following the miraculous feeding of the five thousand, the disciples eagerly ask Jesus to always give them “the bread . . . that gives life to the world” (vv. 33–34). Jesus responds in verse 35, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” How amazing that a relationship with Jesus can provide constant nourishment in our everyday lives!

The donut shop’s advertisement targeted my body’s craving, but God’s continuous knowledge of my heart’s condition invites me to recognize my ongoing need for Him and to receive the sustenance only He can provide.

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Verse of the Day – Romans 14:8

If we live, we live to the Lord: and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

—Romans 14:8

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

One of the incredible realizations we have as Christians is that our relationship with the Lord is eternal. As we seek after him, he is always there and no one can separate us from his love. Even when we die, we go to “be with the Lord.” When we sleep in death, we are still “in the Lord.” When he returns in glory we will go to “be with the Lord forever.” Everything we have on earth is temporary except our love for the Lord Jesus, our praise of God through him, and our friends with whom we share that love and praise!

My Prayer…

Almighty God, thank you so much for binding yourself to our world in Jesus and binding me close to you through his lordship in my life. I look forward to the day when the Lord I kneel to worship today will be recognized by all the living and the dead as the One True Lord. I commit to live this day to honor him, and I know dear Father, that by honoring him I honor you. I praise and thank you for the gift of Jesus’ eternal and abiding lordship in the name of the Christ my Lord. Amen.

Today and over the last several weeks, our brothers and sisters in Iraq and many other places in the Middle East and Africa, have had to make the ultimate sacrifice for their faith. They have been servants to the end. Some have been crucified. Some have seen their children beheaded before they were killed. They have had their earthly lives destroyed. Please take a minute and go to Voice of the Martyrs and learn more about their plight and pray about ways you can help. Thank you!

Phil Ware & the Heartlight.org, VerseoftheDay.com, and aYearwithJesus.com team.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today’s Verse are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@verseoftheday.com.

© 1998-2018, Heartlight, Inc. Verseoftheday.com is part of the Heartlight Network. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. | Privacy Policy

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The Lord Speaks

We can find nearly every argument in the book of Job about why there is pain in the world, but the arguing never seems to help Job much. His is a crisis of relationship more than a crisis of doubt. Can he trust God? Job wants one thing above all else: an appearance by the one Person who can explain his miserable fate. He wants to meet God Himself, face to face.

Eventually Job gets his wish. God shows up in person (see Job 38:1). He times His entrance with perfect irony, just as Job’s friend Elihu is expounding on why Job has no right to expect a visit from God.

No one—not Job, nor any of his friends—is prepared for what God has to say. Job has saved up a long list of questions, but it is God, not Job, who asks the questions. “Brace yourself like a man,” He begins; “I will question you, and you shall answer me” (v. 3). Brushing aside thirty-five chapters’ worth of debates on the problem of pain, God plunges into a majestic poem on the wonders of the natural world.

God’s speech defines the vast difference between the God of all creation and one puny man like Job. His presence spectacularly answers Job’s biggest question: Is anybody out there? Job can only respond, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know” (42:3).

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Verse of the Day – Revelation 3:14, 20

These are the words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the ruler of God’s creation. … “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

—Revelation 3:14, 20

Thoughts on Today’s Verse…

It has always fascinated me that this verse has often been cited by those calling others to conversion when it is primarily written to lukewarm Christians needing to rekindle their love relationship to the Lord. As believers, we need to ask the Lord Jesus into our hearts, our home, and lives. It’s not that he’s not there, it’s just that he awaits our invitation — he will not barge in. He only inhabits hearts into which he has been invited!

My Prayer…

Holy Lord and Savior, I know you long to share your presence and fellowship with me. I know you are nearby as I draw each breath. But I confess that I am often unaware, and even sometimes unappreciative of your presence. I ask you this day to come into my heart and fill my life with your presence, comfort, and power. I want my life to be lived for you and with you. Holy and Almighty God, thank you for providing Jesus as my Lord and Savior. In his name I offer my thanks and praise. Amen.

The Thoughts and Prayer on Today’s Verse are written by Phil Ware. You can email questions or comments to phil@verseoftheday.com.

© 1998-2018, Heartlight, Inc. Verseoftheday.com is part of the Heartlight Network. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. | Privacy Policy

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Riding the Rapids

The rafting guide escorted our group to the river’s edge and directed us all to put on life jackets and grab paddles. As we climbed into the boat, he assigned us seats to balance the boat’s weight, providing stability when we encountered rapids. After highlighting the thrills the watery voyage ahead would hold for us, he detailed a series of directions we could expect to hear—and would need to follow—to effectively steer the boat through the whitewater. He assured us that even though there might be tense moments on the way, our journey would be both exciting and safe.

Sometimes life feels like a white-water rafting trip, one that contains more rapids than we might like. God’s promise to Israel, through the prophet Isaiah, can guide our feelings when we fear the worst is happening: “When you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you” (Isaiah 43:2). The Israelites faced an overwhelming fear of rejection by God as they went into exile as a consequence of their sin. Yet instead, He affirms them and promises to be with them because He loves them (vv. 2, 4).

God won’t abandon us in the rough waters. We can trust Him to guide us through the rapids—our deepest fears and most painful troubles—because He also loves us and promises to be with us.  

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