Daily Bible Verse

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Romans 12:12 KJV
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;


Waiting in Hope

Rogelio served as our waiter during our weeklong vacation. In one conversation, he credited Jesus for blessing him with Kaly, a compassionate wife with strong faith. After they had their first baby, God gave them the opportunity to help care for their niece who had Down syndrome. Soon after, Rogelio’s mother-in-law needed live-in care.

Rogelio works with joy, often taking on double shifts to ensure his wife can stay home to care for the people God entrusted to them. When I shared how the couple inspired me to love better because of the way they opened their hearts and home to serve their family members, he said, “It is my pleasure to serve them . . . and you.”

Rogelio’s life affirms the power of living with generosity and trusting God to provide as we serve one another selflessly. The apostle Paul urged God’s people to be “devoted to one another in love . . . joyful in hope, patient in affliction, [and] faithful in prayer” as we “share with the Lord’s people who are in need [and] practice hospitality” (Romans 12:10–13).

Our life can change in an instant, leaving us or those we love in circumstances that feel impossible to bear. But when we’re willing to share all God has given us while we wait on Him, we can cling to His enduring love . . . together.

Reflect & Pray
How can you prayerfully and physically support someone in need today? How has God used someone to offer you tangible support while you waited for Him?

God, please help me love others while I wait for You to work in and through my circumstances.

Insight
Love is the subject of a series of exhortations in Paul’s letter to the believers in Jesus in Rome. Romans 12:9–21 describes in detail what sincere love looks like. One common aspect of each of these expressions of love is that it requires putting the needs and interests of others ahead of our own. In 1 Corinthians 13, Paul reiterates the sacrificial nature of love and describes what love is and what it isn’t. Again, the common aspect of love described in this passage is that it focuses on the good of someone else. Jesus taught that the greatest love is self-sacrificing: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). To say that we love includes placing others ahead of ourselves.
 

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1 John 3:2
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.


Our True Selves

Inside my parents’ old photo album is a picture of a young boy. He has a round face, freckles, and straight, light-blond hair. He loves cartoons, hates avocados, and owns just one record, by Abba. Also inside that album are pictures of a teenager. His face is long, not round; his hair is wavy, not straight. He has no freckles, likes avocados, watches movies rather than cartoons, and would never admit to owning an Abba record! The boy and the teenager are little alike. According to science they have different skin, teeth, blood, and bones. And yet they are both me. This paradox has baffled philosophers. Since we change throughout our lives, who is the real us?

The Scriptures provide the answer. From the moment God began knitting us together in the womb (Psalm 139:13–14), we’ve been growing into our unique design. While we can’t yet imagine what we’ll finally become, we know that if we’re children of God we’ll ultimately be like Jesus (1 John 3:2)—our body with His nature, our personality but His character, all our gifts glistening, all our sins gone.

Until the day Jesus returns, we’re being drawn toward this future self. By His work, step by step, we can reflect His image ever more clearly (2 Corinthians 3:18). We aren’t yet who we’re meant to be, but as we become like Him, we become our true selves.

Reflect & Pray
When songs and films encourage us to find our “true selves,” what do you think they miss? In what area can you step toward Christlikeness today?

Jesus, make me more like You today and every day.

Insight
What makes a true child of God? John answers that question both here in 1 John 3 and in another of his writings. In the account of Jesus’ life we know as the gospel of John, he wrote: “To all who did receive [Jesus], to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent . . . but born of God” (John 1:12–13). Now, in this letter, John notes that as His children “we shall be like him [Jesus]” (1 John 3:2). Later in the chapter, John makes the point that a key evidence of our status as God’s children is our love for each other (v. 10). This is such a vital aspect that John says, “Anyone who does not love remains in death” (v. 14). True children of God will love each other.
 

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Proverbs 14:1
Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.


A Wise Builder

Sojourner Truth, whose birth name was Isabella Baumfree, was born a slave in 1797 in Esopus, New York. Though nearly all her children were sold as slaves, she escaped to freedom in 1826 with one daughter and lived with a family who paid the money for her freedom. Instead of allowing an unjust system to keep her family apart, she took legal action to regain her small son Peter—an amazing feat for an African American woman in that day. Knowing she couldn’t raise her children without God’s help, she became a believer in Christ and later changed her name to Sojourner Truth to show that her life was built on the foundation of God’s truth.

King Solomon, the writer of Proverbs 14, declares, “The wise woman builds her house” (v. 1). In contrast, one without wisdom “tears hers down.” This building metaphor shows the wisdom God provides to those willing to listen. How does one build a house with wisdom? By saying “only what is helpful for building others up” (Ephesians 4:29; see also 1 Thessalonians 5:11). How does one tear down? Proverbs 14 gives the answer: “A fool’s mouth lashes out with pride” (v. 3).

Sojourner had a “secure fortress” (v. 26) in a turbulent time, thanks to the wisdom of God. You may never have to rescue your children from an injustice. But you can build your house on the same foundation Sojourner did—the wisdom of God.

Reflect & Pray
What foundation is your house established upon? How will you build your house this week?

Father, I need Your wisdom to build a lasting legacy for Your glory.

Insight
The “wise woman” of Proverbs 14:1, who “builds her house” rather than tearing it down, finds a fuller description in Proverbs 31:10–31. This “wife of noble character” (v. 10) not only “speaks with wisdom” (v. 26) but manages her household and business affairs with skill and dignity and “opens her arms to the poor and . . . needy” (v. 20). The New Testament women Dorcas and Lydia seem to fit this description in many aspects. Dorcas (or Tabitha) was a disciple who “was always doing good and helping the poor” by making “robes and other clothing.” When she fell sick and died, Peter raised her from the dead (Acts 9:36–42). Lydia was a “dealer in purple cloth” and a “worshiper of God” who opened her home to Paul and his companions (16:13–15, 40). The key characteristic of the wise woman is that she “fears the Lord” (Proverbs 31:30).
 

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Exodus 3:8 KJV
And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.


Divine Rescue

After being informed of a 911 call from a concerned citizen, a police officer drove alongside the train tracks, shining his floodlight into the dark until he spotted the vehicle straddling the iron rails. The trooper’s dashboard camera captured the harrowing scene as a train barreled toward the car. “That train was coming fast,” the officer said, “Fifty to eighty miles per hour.” Acting without hesitation, he pulled an unconscious man from the car mere seconds before the train slammed into it.

Scripture reveals God as the One who rescues—often precisely when all seems lost. Trapped in Egypt and withering under suffocating oppression, the Israelites imagined no possibility for escape. In Exodus, however, we find God offering them words resounding with hope: “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt,” He said. “I have heard them crying out . . . and I am concerned about their suffering” (3:7). And God not only saw—God acted. “I have come down to rescue them” (v. 8). God led Israel out of bondage. This was a divine rescue.

God’s rescue of Israel reveals God’s heart—and His power—to help all of us who are in need. He assists those of us who are destined for ruin unless God arrives to save us. Though our situation may be dire or impossible, we can lift our eyes and heart and watch for the One who loves to rescue.

Reflect & Pray
Where does all seem lost and where do you need God’s rescue? How can you turn your hope to Him in this dire place?

God, I’m in real trouble, and if You don’t help me, I don’t see a good ending. Will You help me? Will You rescue me?

Insight
The book of Exodus describes the culmination of the Israelites’ time in Egypt. They’d been in the land for 430 years (Exodus 12:40) and had become so numerous that the Egyptians decided to treat them harshly to prevent their numbers from increasing (1:6–10). God had made a promise to Abraham to bring his descendants to the land of Canaan (Genesis 15:13–16; 17:8)—“a land flowing with milk and honey” (Exodus 3:17)—and God always keeps His promises. When He appeared to Moses in the burning bush in chapter 3, it was part of His plan unfolding. However, Pharaoh wouldn’t allow the Israelites to go. Chapter 12 describes their final release, but they continued to face many challenges that left them wandering in the wilderness until they finally reached the promised land (see Joshua 3–4).

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Ephesians 4:13 KJV
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:


Moving Toward Maturity

A recent survey asked respondents to identify the age at which they believed they became adults. Those who considered themselves adults pointed to specific behaviors as evidence of their status. Having a budget and buying a house topped the list as being marks of “adulting.” Other adult activities ranged from cooking dinner every weeknight and scheduling one’s own medical appointments, to the more humorous ability to choose to eat snacks for dinner or being excited to stay at home on a Saturday evening instead of going out.

The Bible says we should press on toward spiritual maturity as well. Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus, urging the people to “become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ” (Ephesians 4:13). While we’re “young” in our faith, we’re vulnerable to “every wind of teaching” (v. 14), which often results in division among us. Instead, as we mature in our understanding of the truth, we function as a unified body under “him who is the head, that is, Christ” (v. 15).

God gave us His Spirit to help us grow into a full understanding of who He is (John 14:26), and He equips pastors and teachers to instruct and lead us toward maturity in our faith (Ephesians 4:11–12). Just as certain characteristics are evidence of physical maturity, our unity as His body is evidence of our spiritual growth.

Reflect & Pray
In what ways are you still vulnerable to “every wind of teaching”? How can you continue to grow spiritually?

Loving God, You’re the author of my growth and maturity. Please help me to see where my understanding of You is still immature and teach me more of Your wisdom.

Insight
Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 contain the two main lists of what we call “spiritual gifts” (Spirit-empowered giftedness for serving God and fellow believers in Christ). While these lists are extensive, they’re not necessarily exhaustive. Though some consider Ephesians 4:11 as another list, it seems quite different. The gifts mentioned in Ephesians 4 represent the gifted leaders that God provides for the growth, encouragement, and strengthening of the body. This seems to be the point of verse 12, which reminds us that these leaders were appointed to equip believers in Jesus for spiritual service. As such, these two kinds of “gifts” are connected. The Spirit provides the spiritual enabling, and spiritual leaders are there to train and equip people to employ those gifts in ministry.
 

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Ezekiel 32:2 KJV
Son of man, take up a lamentation for Pharaoh king of Egypt, and say unto him, Thou art like a young lion of the nations, and thou art as a whale in the seas: and thou camest forth with thy rivers, and troubledst the waters with thy feet, and fouledst their rivers.


Who Are You?

The leader of our video conference said, “Good morning!” I said “Hello” back, but I wasn’t looking at him. I was distracted by my own image on the screen. Do I look like this? I looked at the smiling faces of the others on the call. That looks like them. So yes, this must be me. I should lose some weight. And get a haircut.

In his mind, Pharaoh was pretty great. He was “a lion among the nations . . . a monster in the seas” (Ezekiel 32:2). But then he caught a glimpse of himself from God’s perspective. God said he was in trouble and that He would expose his carcass to wild animals, causing “many peoples to be appalled at you, and their kings [to] shudder with horror because of you” (v. 10). Pharaoh was much less impressive than he thought.

We may think we’re “spiritually handsome”—until we see our sin as God sees it. Compared to His holy standard, even “our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6). But God also sees something else, something even more true: He sees Jesus, and He sees us in Jesus.

Feeling discouraged about how you are? Remember this is not who you are. If you have put your trust in Jesus, then you’re in Jesus, and His holiness drapes over you. You’re more beautiful than you imagine.

Reflect & Pray
What image do you have of yourself? How does that compare to the image God has of you?

Jesus, I cling to You. Your love and goodness beautifies me.

Insight
The prophecy against Egypt in Ezekiel 32 is prolonged and graphic underscoring God’s sovereignty over the course of this world and the kings and kingdoms that inhabit it. His message to the king of Egypt, portrayed as causing chaos (“muddying the streams” v. 2), is that his destruction is coming. In verses 3–10, God declares eleven times, “I will . . . .” Though He uses people to accomplish His will (v. 3), He’s the One who brings it about.
 

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1 Peter 1:8 KJV
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:


Unseen Wonder

In the twilight of her years, Mrs. Goodrich’s thoughts came in and out of focus along with memories of a challenging and grace-filled life. Sitting by a window overlooking the waters of Michigan’s Grand Traverse Bay, she reached for her notepad. In words she soon wouldn’t recognize as her own she wrote: “Here I am in my favorite chair, with my feet on the sill, and my heart in the air. The sun-struck waves on the water below, in constant motion—to where I don’t know. But thank You—dear Father above—for Your innumerable gifts and Your undying love! It always amazes me—How can it be? That I’m so in love with One I can’t see.”

The apostle Peter acknowledged such wonder. He had seen Jesus with his own eyes, but those who would read his letter had not. “Though you have not seen him . . . you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy” (1 Peter 1:8). We love Jesus not because we’re commanded to, but because with the help of the Spirit (v. 11) we begin to see how much He loves us.

It’s more than hearing that He cares for people like us. It’s experiencing for ourselves the promise of Christ to make the wonder of His unseen presence and Spirit real to us at every stage of life.


Reflect & Pray
Read 1 Peter 1:3–9 again. In what ways do these words show you how our God makes the inexpressible real to us? How open are you to the Spirit of Jesus, who lives in and among us?

Our Father in heaven, please help me to see the miracle of Your love and presence in Your Son and to believe in Your Spirit.

Insight
The Greek word for hope in the New Testament (elpis) is used in much the same way as the Old Testament words for hope—to emphasize waiting in expectation for God’s promised future (see Psalm 39:7). But the New Testament emphasizes Jesus as the ultimate source for hope and the ultimate demonstration of God’s goodness and faithfulness. In 1 Peter 1, the author describes believers’ “living hope” as rooted securely in the future accomplished by Christ’s death and resurrection (v. 3). It’s this hope that helps believers survive times of great hardship in expectation of the final “salvation” (v. 5) that will “be revealed in the last time.” Here, “salvation” refers to the final and complete deliverance from evil and death that will be accomplished at Jesus’ final return.
 

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Isaiah 43:1 KJV
But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.


He Knows Your Name

After breaking with our longtime church, my husband and I reunited with the fellowship after three long years. But how would people treat us? Would they welcome us back? Love us? Forgive us for leaving? We got our answer on a sunny Sunday morning. As we walked through the big church doors, we kept hearing our names. “Pat! Dan! It’s so great to see you!” As children’s author Kate DiCamillo wrote in one of her popular books, “Reader, nothing is sweeter in this sad world than the sound of someone you love calling your name.”

The same assurance was true for the people of Israel. We had chosen a different church for a time, but they had turned their backs on God. Yet He welcomed them back. He sent the prophet Isaiah to assure them, “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine” (Isaiah 43:1).

In this world—where we can feel unseen, unappreciated, and even unknown—be assured that God knows each of us by name. “You are precious and honored in my sight,” He promises (v. 4). “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you” (v. 2). This promise isn’t just for Israel. Jesus ransomed His life for us. He knows our names. Why? In love, we are His.

Reflect & Pray
Why does God welcome His people back to Him? How has He shown that He knows you by name?

Jesus, when I stray from Your arms and Your fellowship, summon me home by name. I’m so grateful to be Yours.

Insight
In Isaiah 43, we see how the identity of God’s people is totally dependent upon the identity of God Himself. We might expect an Old Testament prophecy to be filled with dire warnings of cataclysmic judgment, and Isaiah certainly contains that. However, the book also provides immense comfort throughout its sixty-six chapters. In chapter 43, God promises to bring His exiled people back home (vv. 5–6). Typically, a conquered nation would be absorbed into the culture of their victorious enemies. But God’s people are different—even when being judged. Despite their long history of rebellion against God, the exiles remained His chosen people. God can’t deny His own character, and He tells His people, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (v. 25). The identity of God’s people is wrapped up in His character.
 

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Mark 10:14 KJV
But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.


The Kingdom of God

My mother has been committed to many things over the course of her life, but one that has remained constant is her desire to see little children introduced to Jesus. Of the few times I’ve witnessed my mother display disagreement publicly, all were when someone attempted to cut a children’s ministry budget in favor of what they felt were more “serious” expenditures. “I took off one summer when I was pregnant with your brother, but that’s it,” she told me. I did a little family math and I realized my mom had been working with children in the church for fifty-five years.

Mark 10 records one of the endearing stories in the Gospels commonly titled “The Little Children and Jesus.” People were bringing children to Jesus that He might touch and bless them. But the disciples tried to prevent this from happening. Mark records Jesus as “indignant”—and rebuking His very own disciples: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these” (v. 14).

Charles Dickens wrote, “I love these little people; and it’s not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us.” And it’s not a slight thing when we, who are older, do all we can to make sure the little children are never hindered from the ever-fresh love of Jesus.

Reflect & Pray
If you were introduced to Jesus as a child, who were the supporting adults in that memory? What kind of impression does Jesus being indignant in this story make on you?

Jesus, help me to reveal Your love and presence to all people, including children. Make me mindful of ways to ensure that they can always come to You.

Insight
In Mark 10:16, we read that Jesus “took the children in his arms . . . and blessed them.” The word used here for blessed is kateulogeo. It appears only in this passage in the New Testament and means “to bless intensely; to confer what is beneficial.” Jesus’ blessing was intense and fervent. He wanted only the best for these children.

On a number of occasions, Jesus described those who are considered “blessed” (makarios). This word means “to pronounce as blessed; to receive God’s favor.” After Peter acknowledged that Jesus was “the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” Jesus told him he was “blessed” (Matthew 16:16–17). This same word is used when Thomas recognized the risen Jesus as his “Lord” and “God.” Jesus told him that those who’ve not seen and yet believe are “blessed” (John 20:28–29). In these passages blessed means receiving God’s favor in response to trusting Jesus.
 

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Psalm 121:2 KJV
My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.


The Power of God

Rebecca and Russell’s doctors told them they couldn’t have children. But God had other ideas—and ten years later Rebecca conceived. The pregnancy was a healthy one; and when the contractions started, the couple excitedly rushed to the hospital. Yet the hours of labor grew long and more intense, and Rebecca’s body still wasn’t progressing enough for delivery. Finally, the doctor decided she needed to perform an emergency C-section. Fearful, Rebecca sobbed for her baby and herself. The doctor calmly assured her, saying, “I will do my best, but we’re going to pray to God because He can do more.” She prayed with Rebecca, and fifteen minutes later, Bruce, a healthy baby boy, was born.

That doctor understood her dependence on God and His power. She recognized that although she had the training and skill to do the surgery, she still needed God’s wisdom, strength, and help to guide her hands (Psalm 121:1–2).

It’s encouraging to hear about highly skilled people, or of anyone, who recognize they need Him—because, honestly, we all do. He’s God; we’re not. He alone “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Ephesians 3:20). Let’s have a humble heart to learn from Him and to trust Him in prayer “because He can do more” than we ever could.

Reflect & Pray
How have you gained an understanding of your own need for God and His power? How is this dependence seen in your daily life?

I need You and Your wisdom and power, God, for decisions, skill, work, relationships—all of my life.

Insight
Psalm 121 is one of fifteen “songs of ascent” sung by the people of Israel as they walked together to the high ground of their temple-city (ch. 120–134). Three times a year, Jewish worshipers traveled in groups from their scattered communities to Jerusalem for the annual feasts of Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles (Deuteronomy 16:16). For such a journey, the opening words of Psalm 121 seem to reflect the fears and hopes of travelers making their way uphill on winding and dangerous footpaths toward the mountaintop city of God. Their confidence was not in these mountains, however. Their hope was in the Creator who, in both life and death, is able to protect His people. Their songs echo the words of Jeremiah who wrote, “Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel” (Jeremiah 3:23 kjv).