Daily Bible Verse

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Colossians 3:17 KJV
And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.


The Jesus Label

“Son, I don’t have much to give you. But I do have a good name, so don’t mess it up.” Those wise, weighty words were uttered by Johnnie Bettis as his son Jerome left home for college. Jerome quoted his father in his American Professional Football Hall of Fame acceptance speech. These sage words that Jerome has carried with him throughout his life have been so influential that he closed his riveting speech with similar words to his own son. “Son, there’s not much that I can give you that’s more important than our good name.”

A good name is vital for believers in Jesus. Paul’s words in Colossians 3:12–17 remind us who it is that we represent (v. 17). Character is like the clothing that we wear; and this passage puts the “Jesus label” of clothing on display: “As God’s chosen people . . . clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another. . . . And over all these virtues put on love” (vv. 12–14). These aren’t just our “Sunday clothes.” We’re to wear them everywhere, all the time, as God works in us to reflect Him. When our lives are characterized by these qualities, we demonstrate that we have His name.

May we prayerfully and carefully represent Him as He provides what we need.


Reflect & Pray
As you evaluate your wardrobe, how “well dressed” are you with Jesus’ character? How can you seek His wisdom, power, and guidance to reflect Him even more clearly?   

Father, forgive me when I don’t represent Jesus well. Give me strength and courage to be better dressed for Your glory and Christ’s name’s sake.   


Insight
Gratitude is the single theme that unites verses 15–17 of Colossians 3. Without stating specifically what we’re to be thankful for, Paul says that thankfulness to God should characterize our lives. He concludes verse 15 by saying, “And be thankful.” In verse 16, we’re to lift our voices in song with a grateful heart. And in verse 17, we should give thanks to God in whatever we say or do. Each of these admonitions comes from Greek root word charis, which means “grace.” Another form of this word means “properly acknowledging that God’s grace works well.” This suggests that all thankfulness is ultimately rooted in God’s grace to us. The opening verses of this chapter tell us why: we’ve been raised with Jesus, our lives are hidden with Him, and we too will appear with Him when He comes in glory (vv. 1–4). What more reason to be thankful?
 

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1 Chronicles 16:8 KJV
Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people.


Sing Praise to God

The heat and humidity of the Midwestern summer closed in on us all week at the discipleship conference, but on the last day we welcomed a front of cooler air. Giving thanks for the break in weather and the amazing work God had done, hundreds joined voices to worship God. Many felt liberated to sing wholeheartedly before God, offering hearts, souls, bodies, and minds to Him. As I think back to that day decades later, I’m reminded of the pure wonder and joy of praising God.

King David knew how to wholeheartedly worship God. He rejoiced when the ark of the covenant, which signified God’s presence, was placed in Jerusalem—by dancing, leaping, and celebrating (1 Chronicles 15:29). Even though his wife Michal observed his abandon and “despised him in her heart” (v. 29), David didn’t let her criticism stop him from worshiping the one true God. Even if he appeared undignified, he wanted to give thanks to God for choosing him to lead the nation (see 2 Samuel 6:21–22).

David “appointed Asaph and his associates to give praise to the Lord in this manner: Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done. Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts” (1 Chronicles 16:7–9). May we too give ourselves fully to worshiping God by pouring out our praise and adoration.


Reflect & Pray
When have you felt free to worship God wholeheartedly? What led you to that sense of freedom and release?

Creator God, we proclaim Your name above all others. You’re worthy to be praised! We worship You!


Insight
The ark of the covenant was the most important piece of furniture in the tabernacle. The ark the craftsman Bezalel made was an oblong chest (measuring about 45 x 27 x 27 inches) made of acacia wood overlaid on the inside and outside with gold (see Exodus 31:1–5; 37:1–9). Inside the ark were the tablets containing the Law given to Moses (25:16), a pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod (Numbers 17:10). The lid of the ark was called the mercy seat, a slab of gold that fit over the top of the chest and featured two cherubim.
 

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John 15:5 KJV
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.


A True Disciple of Jesus

When Christian Mustad showed his Van Gogh landscape to art collector Auguste Pellerin, Pellerin took one look and said it wasn’t authentic. Mustad hid the painting in his attic, where it remained for fifty years. Mustad died, and the painting was evaluated off and on over the next four decades. Each time it was determined to be a fake—until 2012, when an expert used a computer to count the thread separations in the painting’s canvas. He discovered it had been cut from the same canvas as another work of Van Gogh. Mustad had owned a real Van Gogh all along.

Do you feel like a fake? Do you fear that if people examined you, they’d see how little you pray, give, and serve? Are you tempted to hide in the attic, away from prying eyes?

Look deeper, beneath the colors and contours of your life. If you’ve turned from your own ways and put your faith in Jesus, then you and He belong to the same canvas. To use Jesus’ picture, “I am the vine; you are the branches” (John 15:5). Christ and you form a seamless whole.

Resting in Jesus makes you a true disciple of His. It’s also the only way to improve your picture. He said, “If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (v. 5).  


Reflect & Pray
What things cause you to wonder if you’re a true disciple of Jesus? How might this fear drive you to Him?  

Jesus, I rest in You like a branch clings to its vine.  


Insight
When Jesus spoke of Himself as the true vine and His disciples as His fruit-bearing branches (John 15:1–8), He gave them a word picture they may have heard before. Asaph the songwriter and Isaiah the prophet (Psalm 80:8; Isaiah 5:7) had likened their nation to a vineyard that produced a bitter harvest of violence and injustice. Against that backdrop, Jesus Himself is described as the true and better vine that produces the harvest His Father is looking for. But His disciples still had a lot to learn. They hadn’t yet abandoned Him in a way that would show them why they needed His Spirit to produce within them fruit worthy of this vine (John 15:9–17). Neither had they yet experienced that the harvest the Father was looking for was a Spirit-enabled love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23).
 

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1 Kings 19:18 KJV
Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.


You’re Not Alone

“So great to see you!” “You, too!” “So glad you’re here!” The greetings were warm and welcoming. Members of a ministry in Southern California gathered online before their evening program. As their speaker, calling in from Colorado, I watched silently as the others gathered on the video call. As an introvert and not knowing anyone, I felt like a social outsider. Then suddenly, a screen opened and there was my pastor. Then another screen opened. A longtime church friend was joining the call, too. Seeing them, I no longer felt alone. God, it seemed, had sent support.

Elijah wasn’t alone either, despite feeling like “the only [prophet] left” after fleeing the wrath of Jezebel and Ahab (1 Kings 19:10). Journeying through desert wilderness for forty days and forty nights, Elijah hid in a cave on Mount Horeb. But God called him back into service, telling him, “Go back the way you came, and go to the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also, anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet” (vv. 15–16).

God then assured him, “Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him” (v. 18). As Elijah learned, while serving God we don’t serve alone. As God brings help, we’ll serve together.


Reflect & Pray
What support has God recently sent when you were serving Him? Whom could you invite to serve with you to grow your ministry impact for God?

Dear God, when I feel alone while serving You, remind me that others are with me as we joyfully serve.


Insight
As we look at the story of Elijah’s flight from the threats of Jezebel (1 Kings 19:1–9), we see similarities to Moses’ experiences. Just like Moses, Elijah fled from a ruler who intended to kill him (Exodus 2:15; 1 Kings 19:3). Elijah spent forty days journeying to Horeb, the mountain of God (also known as Mount Sinai), and Moses spent forty days on the same mountain (1 Kings 19:8; Exodus 24:18; 34:28). Both prophets met God there on Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:11; Exodus 24:12–18). When Elijah arrived, he covered his face with his garment, protecting himself (1 Kings 19:13), similar to Moses’ being protected by the rock as God passed by (Exodus 33:21–22). The NIV Application Commentary notes: “The narrative intentionally makes Elijah a prophet like Moses.”
 

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Acts 13:32-33 KJV

32 And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers,

33 God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.


Good News

In 1941, as Hitler’s reign was expanding across Europe, novelist John Steinbeck was asked to help with the war effort. He wasn’t asked to fight or visit troops on the frontline, but to instead write a story. The result was The Moon Is Down, a novel about a peaceful land that gets invaded by an evil regime. Printed on underground presses and secretly distributed throughout occupied countries, the novel sent a message: The Allies were coming, and by imitating the novel’s characters, readers could help secure their freedom. Through The Moon Is Down, Steinbeck brought good news to people under Nazi rule—their liberation was near.

Like the characters in Steinbeck’s story, Jews in the first century were an occupied people under brutal Roman rule. But centuries before, God had promised to send an Ally to liberate them and bring peace to the world (Isaiah 11). Joy erupted when that Ally arrived! “We tell you the good news,” Paul said. “What God promised our ancestors he has fulfilled for us . . . by raising up Jesus” (Acts 13:32–33). Through Jesus’ resurrection and offer of forgiveness, the world’s restoration had begun (vv. 38–39; Romans 8:21).

Since then, this story has spread throughout the globe, bringing peace and freedom wherever it’s embraced. Jesus has been raised from the dead. Our liberation from sin and evil has begun. In Him we’re free!


Reflect & Pray
Compared to other rulers, how does Jesus bring peace to the world? How can you join Him in this work?

Jesus, my ultimate Ally, I surrender to Your rightful rule.


Insight
In Acts 13, Paul and Barnabas were on their first missionary journey. When they arrived in Pisidian Antioch, the two missionaries entered the synagogue (v. 14), and there Paul delivered his first recorded message in the book of Acts. Speaking as a reputable Jewish scholar and to a committed Jewish audience, it’s no surprise that he made substantial use of the Old Testament in his presentation of the good news about Jesus. After reciting Israel’s history and showing how it pointed to Jesus, Paul landed on Psalm 2 (see Acts 13:33) to support his argument that Jesus was and is the Son of God. This was strategic because the Jewish people viewed Psalm 2 as a messianic psalm where the Father and the Son speak with one another of fulfilling the promise of David’s “greater son”—Jesus (see Luke 1:31–33)—who would one day rule over the entire world.
 

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Job 38:4 KJV
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.


God’s Amazing Creation

What began as a simple spring nature walk turned into something special as my wife and I trekked along our hometown’s Grand River. We noticed some familiar “friends” on a log in the rippling water—five or six large turtles basking in the sun. Sue and I smiled at the amazing sight of these reptiles, which we hadn’t seen for many months. We were delighted that they were back, and we celebrated a moment of joy in God’s magnificent creation.

God took Job on quite a nature walk (see Job 38). The troubled man needed an answer from his Creator about his situation (v. 1). And what he saw on his journey with God through His creation provided the encouragement he needed.

Imagine Job’s amazement as God reminded him of His grand design of the world. Job got a firsthand explanation of the natural world: “Who laid its cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (vv. 6–7). He got a geography lesson regarding God’s imposed limitations of the seas (v. 11).

The Creator continued to inform Job about the light He created, snow He produces, and rain He provides to make things grow (vv. 19–28). Job even heard about the constellations from the One who flung them into space (vv. 31–32).

Finally, Job responded, “I know that you can do all things” (42:2). As we experience the natural world, may we stand in awe of our wise and wonderful Creator.


Reflect & Pray
How can nature bring you closer to God? How does it remind you of His great creative power and love?

Dear God, thank You for creating such a magnificent, diverse, fascinating world. Help me to appreciate Your workmanship and realize that You’re in control.


Insight
An important answer to Job’s crisis of faith hinges on the words, “Then the Lord spoke to Job out of the storm” (Job 38:1). Instead of answering in a gentle whisper (see 1 Kings 19:12), God showed up from within blinding flashes of lightning and the roaring voice of dark clouds (Job 37:1–5, 14–16). God also didn’t tell him about the accuser, Satan, that our preamble to Job explains for us (chs. 1–2). Instead, from within the power and violence of a thunderstorm, the God of creation used the beauty and wonder of the world He’d made to help the servant He loved trust Him.
 

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Romans 8:35 KJV
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?


Nothing Can Separate

When Pris’ father, a pastor, answered God’s call to pioneer a mission on a small island in Indonesia, Pris’ family found themselves living in a rundown shack once used to house animals. Pris remembers the family celebrating Christmas sitting on the floor and singing praises while rainwater dripped through the thatched roof. But her father reminded her, “Pris, just because we are poor doesn’t mean God doesn’t love us.”

Some may see a life blessed by God as one that’s filled with riches, health, and longevity. So in times of hardship, they may wonder if they’re still loved by Him. But in Romans 8:31–39, Paul reminds us that nothing can separate us from Jesus’ love—including trouble, hardship, persecution, and famine (v. 35). This is the foundation for a truly blessed life: God showed His love for us by sending His Son Jesus to die for our sins (v. 32). Christ rose from death and is now sitting “at the right hand” of the Father, interceding for us (v. 34).

In times of suffering, we can hold fast to the comforting truth that our life is rooted in what Christ has done for us. Nothing—“neither death nor life . . . nor anything else in all creation” (vv. 38–39)—can separate us from His love. Whatever our circumstance, whatever our hardship, may we be reminded that God is with us and that nothing can separate us from Him.


Reflect & Pray
How can you remind yourself that nothing can separate you from Jesus’ love? How can knowing this truth change the way you respond to life’s challenges?

Heavenly Father, open my eyes and heart to understand more of Your love, and help me realize that Your love is enough for my life.


Insight
In Romans 5–8, Paul shared with the Roman believers in Jesus what Christ had done to save them and enumerated the spiritual blessings they had in Him. In Romans 8:31–35, he affirmed the eternal security of the believer. Quoting from Psalm 44:22 (v. 36), Paul made the point that believers aren’t exempt from afflictions and sufferings, even physical death (v. 35). Yet he also affirmed that God protects us (v. 31), saves us (v. 32), no longer condemns us (vv. 33–34), and covers us with His love (vv. 35–39). Three times Paul assured us that we’re safe, secure, and victorious in Jesus’ great love (vv. 35, 37, 39). No wonder the apostle triumphantly declared, “We are more than conquerors through him who loved us. . . . [Nothing] will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (vv. 37, 39).
 

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Deuteronomy 4:11
King James Version
11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness.


Powerful and Loving

In 2020, the Ecuadorian volcano Sangay erupted. The BBC described the “dark ash plume which reached a height of more than 12,000 m.” The discharge covered four provinces (about 198,000 acres) in gray ash and grimy soot. The sky turned dingy and grim, and the air was thick—making it difficult to breathe. Farmer Feliciano Inga described the unnerving scene to El Comercio newspaper: “We didn’t know where all this dust was coming from. . . . We saw the sky go dark and grew afraid.”

The Israelites experienced a similar fear at the base of Mount Sinai, as they “stood at the foot of the mountain while it blazed with fire . . . with black clouds and deep darkness” (Deuteronomy 4:11). God’s voice thundered, and the people trembled. It was terrifying. It’s an awesome, knee-buckling experience to encounter the living God.

“Then the Lord spoke,” and they “heard the sound of words but saw no form” (v. 12). The voice that rattled their bones provided life and hope. God gave Israel the Ten Commandments and renewed His covenant with them. The voice from the dark cloud caused them to quake, but also wooed and loved them with tenacity (Exodus 34:6–7).

God is powerful, beyond our reach, even startling. And yet He’s also full of love, always reaching out to us. A God both powerful and loving—this is who we desperately need.


Reflect & Pray
When has an encounter with God made you tremble? How did He also communicate love?

God, at times I’ve approached You too casually, assumed too much. Thank You for Your patience with me. And thank You for Your love.


Insight
The book of Deuteronomy concludes the five books of Moses (also known as Torah or the Pentateuch). The word deuteronomy means “second law,” which describes the contents of the book—a second telling of the law Israel had received at Mount Sinai (see Exodus 20). This was important because forty years had passed since those days at the base of Sinai. The generation who’d received the law and accepted it had died during their years of wandering in the wilderness. Now a new generation of Israelites stood at the threshold of the land God had promised them. Therefore, it was imperative that the law be reaffirmed as preparation for their entry into the land.
 

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Psalm 27:4 KJV
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.


Let Me Stay!

As they made their way toward their car, Zander escaped his mother’s arms and made a mad dash back toward the church doors. He didn’t want to leave! His mom ran after him and tried to lovingly wrangle her son so they could depart. When his mother finally scooped four-year-old Zander back into her embrace, he sobbed and reached longingly over her shoulder toward the church as they walked away.

Zander may merely have enjoyed playing with friends at church, but his enthusiasm is a picture of David’s desire to worship God. Though he might have asked God to thwart his enemies for his own comfort and security, David wanted peace to prevail so that he could instead “gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple” (Psalm 27:4). His heart’s desire was to be with God—wherever He was—and to enjoy His presence. Israel’s greatest king and military hero intended to use peacetime to “sing and make music to the Lord” (v. 6).

We can freely worship God anywhere, for He now dwells within us through faith in the person of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 3:17). May we yearn to spend our days in His presence and to gather corporately to worship Him with other believers. In God we find our safety and our greatest joy.


Reflect & Pray
When have you experienced a passionate yearning to worship God? What keeps you from experiencing that more frequently?

Father, You’re my delight and my joy. I long to worship You without distraction or interruption.


Insight
Pursued by powerful enemies, David chose to focus on God rather than his difficult circumstances. David speaks of Him as his light as he navigates life’s challenges, guiding him safely into His presence and goodness (Psalm 27:1). God is also his salvation, delivering him from danger and death, and his stronghold, providing a strong fortified place for his security and stability (vv. 1–6, 13; see 23:6; 43:3–4). With these provisions from God, David confidently declares, “Whom shall I fear?” (27:1). Because being in God’s presence gives him such confidence and security, David wants to be found in His presence above all else—to “dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of [his] life” (v. 4). In another psalm, David writes of God leading him to a place of protection and provision: “The Lord is my shepherd . . . . I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (23:1, 6).
 

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Luke 5:10 KJV
And so was also James, and John, the sons of Zebedee, which were partners with Simon. And Jesus said unto Simon, Fear not; from henceforth thou shalt catch men.


Our True Identity

First, the man selected a tackle box. Standing in his town’s small bait shop, he then filled a shopping cart with hooks, lures, bobbers, line, and weights. Finally, he added live bait and selected a new rod and reel. “Ever fished before?” the shop owner asked. The man said no. “Better add this,” said the owner. It was a first-aid kit. The man agreed and paid, then headed off to a day of not catching a thing—except snags on his fingers from his hooks and gear.

That wasn’t Simon Peter’s problem. An experienced fisherman, he was surprised one dawn when Jesus told him to push his boat into deep water and “let down the nets for a catch” (Luke 5:4). Despite a long night of catching nothing, Simon and his crew let down their nets and “caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.” In fact, his two boats started to sink from the haul (v. 6).

Seeing this, Simon Peter “fell at Jesus’ knees,” urging Him to “go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” (v. 8). Jesus, however, knew Simon’s true identity. He told His disciple, “From now on you will fish for people.” Hearing that, Simon “left everything and followed” Christ (vv. 10–11). When we follow Him, He helps us learn who we are and what we’re called to do as His own.


Reflect & Pray
Outside of Jesus, what’s your identity or role in life? When you follow Him, how does your identity change?

Father, when I struggle to know my true identity, remind me to follow You to discover in You my true self.


Insight
Luke 5:1–11 contains the first of two similar fishing stories that frame Jesus’ earthly interaction with Simon Peter. In this account, Peter immediately recognized he’d encountered someone holy (v. 8). It’s also the moment Jesus called Peter as a disciple (v. 10). Three years later, Peter betrayed Christ (22:54–62). Believing everything was over, he returned to his old life as a fisherman. Then a second miraculous catch of fish took place. Again, Peter realized it was Jesus (John 21:1–7). The first miracle was God’s call on Peter’s life; the second brought restoration and a reaffirmation of that call (vv. 15–19).