Daily Bible Verse

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Joel 2:13 KJV

And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.


The Gift of Repentance

“No! I didn’t do it!” Jane heard her teenage son’s denial with a sinking heart, for she knew he wasn’t telling the truth. She breathed a prayer asking God for help before asking Simon again what happened. He continued to deny he was lying, until finally she threw her hands up in exasperation. Saying she needed a time out, she began to walk away when she felt a hand on her shoulder and heard his apology. He responded to the convicting of the Holy Spirit, and repented.

In the Old Testament book of Joel, God called His people to true repentance for their sins as He welcomed them to return to Him wholeheartedly (2:12). God didn’t seek outward acts of remorse, but rather that they would soften their hard attitudes: “Rend your heart and not your garments.” Joel reminded the Israelites that God is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (v. 13).

We might find confessing our wrongdoing difficult, for in our pride we don’t want to admit our sins. Perhaps we’ve fudged the truth, and we justify our actions by saying it was only “a little white lie.” But when we heed God’s gentle yet firm prompting to repent, He’ll forgive us and cleanse us from all our sins (1 John 1:9). We can be free of guilt and shame, knowing we’re forgiven.


Reflect & Pray
How did you feel when you told a “little white lie?” How did the realization of what you did bring conviction and ultimately repentance?

Jesus, You died on the cross so I’d be able to live in harmony with You and the Father. May I accept Your gift of love as I speak truthfully.


Insight
Describing a coming “day of the Lord” (Joel 2:1) in which God would both decisively deal with evil and bring salvation to the world, Joel urged God’s people to repent and pray. For those in rebellion against God, the “day of the Lord” is a cause for alarm and fear (v. 1), “a day of darkness and gloom” (v. 2). “The day of the Lord is great; it is dreadful. Who can endure it?” (v. 11). But soon after these ominous words, Joel described an entirely different way God’s people could experience this “day.” Joel reminded his hearers of who God revealed Himself to be to Moses—“gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity” (v. 13). This was a God who would respond to their repentance not by bringing destruction but by providing restoration and abundance (vv. 14, 21–25).
 

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Colossians 1:17 
And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.


Monkeying with the Cosmos

In the early 1980s, a prominent astronomer who didn’t believe in God wrote, “A common sense interpretation of the facts suggests that a super-intellect has monkeyed with physics, as well as with chemistry and biology.” To this scientist’s eye, the evidence showed that something had designed everything we observe in the cosmos. He added, “There are no blind forces worth speaking about in nature.” In other words, everything we see looks as if it was planned by Someone. And yet, the astronomer remained an atheist.

Three thousand years ago, another intelligent man looked at the skies and drew a different conclusion. “When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” wondered David (Psalm 8:3–4).

Yet God cares for us deeply. The universe tells the story of its Intelligent Designer, the “Super Intellect” who made our minds and put us here to ponder His work. Through Jesus and His creation, God can be known. Paul wrote, “[Christ] existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation, for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth” (Colossians 1:15–16 nlt).

The cosmos has indeed been “monkeyed with.” The identity of the Intelligent Designer is there to be discovered by anyone willing to seek.


Reflect & Pray
In what ways can you see God in every detail of your life? How might you humbly share your confidence in God with someone who doubts His existence?

Thank You, heavenly Father, that You can be known through Your creation. I pray for those who don’t see You. Please draw them to You.


Insight
In important ways, Paul’s letter to the Colossians parallels John’s New Testament gospel. Both describe Christ as the Creator of the universe (John 1:1–3; Colossians 1:13,16–17). Both also show how Jesus came to earth as a servant-king who sacrificed Himself to lead a very different kind of kingdom (John 18:33–37; Colossians 1:9–14).

In the glory days of Rome, Caesar built his empire by the sword and by bribery. It was created on the backs of slave labor and for material glory; he offered wealth and freedom to his friends and serious trouble for those who challenged him. Confessing allegiance to anyone else could get a person beheaded or crucified. Yet that’s the risk John and Paul took and urged others to take. They gave believers in Jesus reason to confess Him as Lord and to model all relationships around the servant example of His Spirit and kingdom (Colossians 3:12–25).
 

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Ephesians 6:12  KJV
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.


The Fierce Struggle

In 1896, an explorer named Carl Akeley found himself in a remote section of Ethiopia, chased by an eighty-pound leopard. He remembered the leopard pouncing, trying “to sink her teeth into my throat.” She missed, snagging his right arm with her vicious jaws. The two rolled in the sand—a long, fierce struggle. Akeley weakened, and “it became a question of who would give up first.” Summoning his last bit of strength, Akeley was able to suffocate the big cat with his bare hands.

The apostle Paul explained how each of us who believe in Jesus will inevitably encounter our own fierce struggles, those places where we feel overwhelmed and are tempted to surrender. Instead, we must take our “stand against the devil’s schemes” and “stand firm” (Ephesians 6:11, 14). Rather than cower in fear or crumble as we recognize our weakness and vulnerability, Paul challenged us to step forward in faith, remembering that we don’t rely on our own courage and strength but on God. “Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power,” he wrote (v. 10). In the challenges we face, He’s only a prayer away (v. 18).

Yes, we have many struggles, and we’ll never escape them by our own power or ingenuity. But God is more powerful than any enemy or evil we’ll ever face.


Reflect & Pray
What fight are you (or someone you love) facing right now? How is God inviting you to stand firm in His strength and fight?

God, the fight is real. The evil is real. I don’t know what to do, but I’m trusting You and Your mighty power to be with me.


Insight
Ephesus was a major Roman city in the ancient world, so the idea of a soldier’s armor would’ve been an easy concept for the Ephesians to grasp. And since Paul wrote this letter while under house arrest in Rome, he would’ve seen many examples of Roman armor on which to base this analogy. The Roman army was a fierce fighting force, and that level of intensity would be needed to do battle “against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” that oppose believers in Jesus (Ephesians 6:12).
 

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Daniel 2:24
Therefore Daniel went in unto Arioch, whom the king had ordained to destroy the wise men of Babylon: he went and said thus unto him; Destroy not the wise men of Babylon: bring me in before the king, and I will shew unto the king the interpretation.


Uncommon Courage

In 1478, Lorenzo de Medici, the ruler of Florence, Italy, escaped an attack on his life. His countrymen sparked a war when they tried to retaliate against the attack on their leader. As the situation worsened, the cruel King Ferrante I of Naples became Lorenzo’s enemy, but a courageous act by Lorenzo changed everything. He visited the king unarmed and alone. This bravery, paired with his charm and brilliance, won Ferrante’s admiration and ended the war.

Daniel also helped a king experience a change of heart. No one in Babylon could describe or interpret King Nebuchadnezzar’s troubling dream. This made him so angry that he decided to execute all his advisors—including Daniel and his friends. But Daniel asked to visit the king who wanted him dead (Daniel 2:24).

Standing before Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel gave God all the credit for revealing the mystery of the dream (v. 28). When the prophet described and deciphered it, Nebuchadnezzar honored the “God of gods and the Lord of kings” (v. 47). Daniel’s uncommon courage, which was born of his faith in God, helped him, his friends, and the other advisors avoid death that day.

In our lives, there are times when bravery and boldness are needed to communicate important messages. May God guide our words and give us the wisdom to know what to say and the ability to say it well.


Reflect & Pray
How has someone’s bravery made a difference in your life? How can you rest in God’s power to act courageously for Him?

Dear Jesus, thank You for the courage You showed during Your life on earth. Fill me with Your wisdom and power when I face tense situations.


Insight
The book of Daniel spans seventy years (605–535 bc) of the Babylonian exile, Judah’s punishment for her covenantal unfaithfulness (Deuteronomy 28:36, 64; Jeremiah 25:11; 29:10–11). Daniel, given the Babylonian name Belteshazzar (Daniel 1:7), was one of the many teenagers of royal and noble descent deported to Babylon and educated in the ways of the Babylonians to serve the victorious Babylonian king (vv. 3–7). Daniel 2 tells of how Daniel rose to become Nebuchadnezzar’s chief adviser and right-hand man. He became adviser and confidante to the kings of Babylon (chs. 1–5) and Medo-Persia (ch. 6)—the superpowers of the ancient world. In chapters 7–12, God gave Daniel four apocalyptic visions of the course of human history, reminding His people that He’s the sovereign God of all creation.
 

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John 6:35
And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.   


Crave Him

Why is it that when we say, “This is the last potato chip I’m going to eat,” five minutes later we’re looking for more? Michael Moss answers that question in his book Salt Sugar Fat. He describes how America’s largest snack producers know how to “help” people crave junk food. In fact, one popular company spent $30 million a year and hired “crave consultants” to determine the bliss point for consumers so it could exploit our food cravings.

Unlike that company, Jesus helps us to long for real food—spiritual food—that brings satisfaction to our souls. He said, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (John 6:35). By making this claim, He communicated two important things: First, the bread of which He spoke is a person, not a commodity (v. 32). Second, when people put their trust in Jesus for forgiveness of sin, they enter into a right relationship with Him and find fulfillment for every craving of their soul. This Bread is everlasting, spiritual food that leads to satisfaction and life.

When we place our trust in Jesus, the true Bread from heaven, we’ll crave Him, and He’ll strengthen and transform our lives.   


Reflect & Pray
Why do you think we crave things we know can never satisfy the deepest cravings of our souls? What are some practical practices that will help you crave Jesus more?    

Jesus, Bread of Life, may I crave You and find all I need in Your perfect provision.    


Insight
The gospel of John includes seven “I am” statements of Jesus. Each of these statements reveals something about Him that helps us understand Him better and is supported by something He’s done. The first of these statements—“I am the bread of life”—comes after Jesus had just fed the five thousand (6:35). The remaining statements are found in chapters 8–15: “I am the light of the world” (8:12); “I am the gate [or door]” (10:7); “I am the good shepherd” (v. 11); “I am the resurrection and the life” (11:25); “I am the way and the truth and the life” (14:6); “I am the true vine” (15:1).
 

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Exodus 16:4 KJV
Then said the Lord unto Moses, Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you; and the people shall go out and gather a certain rate every day, that I may prove them, whether they will walk in my law, or no.


Food from Heaven

In August 2020, residents of Olten, Switzerland, were startled to find that it was snowing chocolate! A malfunction in the ventilation system of the local chocolate factory had caused chocolate particles to be diffused into the air. As a result, a dusting of edible chocolate flakes covered cars and streets and made the whole town smell like a candy store.

When I think of delicious food “magically” falling from the heavens, I can’t help but think of God’s provision for the people of Israel in Exodus. Following their dramatic escape from Egypt, the people faced significant challenges in the desert, especially a scarcity of food and water. And God, moved by the plight of the people, promised to “rain down bread from heaven” (Exodus 16:4). The next morning, a layer of thin flakes appeared on the desert ground. This daily provision, known as manna, continued for the next forty years.

When Jesus came to earth, people began to believe He was sent from God when He miraculously provided bread for a large crowd (John 6:5–14). But Jesus taught that He Himself was the “bread of life” (v. 35), sent to bring not just temporary nourishment but eternal life (v. 51).

For those of us hungry for spiritual nourishment, Jesus extends the offer of unending life with God. May we believe and trust that He came to satisfy those deepest longings.


Reflect & Pray
When did you come to realize your need for Jesus? How have you experienced being spiritually satisfied?

Jesus, thank You for choosing to come to earth to offer Your life so that I could enjoy a relationship with God for all eternity.


Insight
Scholars have attempted to explain the source of manna that fed Israel during the exodus from Egypt. Some have theorized that it was the product of tamarisk bushes that grow in the Sinai region. But this isn’t likely. Such desert plants are insufficient in number to have fed an entire nation. The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible reports another theory, suggesting that manna may have been a type of insect secretion. Regardless of how the manna appeared, the fact remains that God said, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you” (Exodus 16:4).

John 6:30–51 provides insight on this. Here, Jesus referred to “my Father” (v. 32) as the source of the manna. He said, “The bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world” (v. 33). He then applied this to Himself: “I am the bread of life” (v. 35).
 
 

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1 Corinthians 16:18
For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such.


Refreshed at Simon’s House

My trip to Simon’s house was unforgettable. Under the cover of a starlit sky in Nyahururu, Kenya, we made our way to his modest home for dinner. The dirt floor and the lantern light reflected Simon’s limited means. What was on the menu, I don’t recall. What I can’t forget was Simon’s joy that we were his guests. His gracious hospitality was Jesus like—selfless, life-touching, and refreshing.

In 1 Corinthians 16:15–18, Paul mentioned a family—the household of Stephanas (v. 15)—who had a reputation for their caregiving. They’d “devoted themselves to the service of the Lord’s people” (v. 15). While their service likely included tangible things (v. 17), the impact was such that Paul wrote, “they refreshed my spirit and yours also” (v. 18).

When we have opportunities to share with others, we rightly give attention to matters of food, setting, and other things that are fitting for such occasions. But we sometimes forget that although “the what” and “the where” matter, they’re not the most important things. Memorable meals are great and pleasant settings have their place, but food is limited in its capacity to fully nourish and encourage. True refreshment flows from God and is a matter of the heart; it reaches the hearts of others, and it continues to nourish long after the meal is over.


Reflect & Pray
What occasions stand out where you were memorably refreshed by the hospitality or welcome of others? How can you change the way you serve others to make such occasions more spiritually meaningful?

Father, forgive me for the times I’ve made welcoming others more about me than those I seek to serve. Help me to extend myself in ways that truly refresh others.


Insight
In the conclusion of his letter to the Corinthians, Paul reemphasized a central theme of his message to them—to “do everything in love” (1 Corinthians 16:14). One example of what love looks like in action is found in the service of the household of Stephanas, the “first converts in Achaia” (v. 15), who were also baptized by Paul (1:16). Stephanas and his companions had come to Paul delivering a letter from the Corinthians along with an update on the church, and they were also likely the ones to deliver this return letter from Paul. By pointing to Stephanas and his companions’ character as examples of love—“devoted . . . to the service of the Lord’s people” (16:15), Paul could help ensure they’d be received with welcome and respect (vv. 16–18).
 

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Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.


The Fruit Sells the Tree

A nursery owner set out to sell peach trees. She considered various approaches. Should she line up leafy saplings in burlap sacks in a beautiful display? Should she create a colorful catalog picturing peach trees in various seasons of growth? At last she realized what really sells a peach tree. It’s the peach it produces: sweet-smelling, deep orange, and fuzzy-skinned. The best way to sell a peach tree is to pluck a ripe peach, cut it open until the juice dribbles down your arm, and hand a slice to a customer. When they taste the fruit, they want the tree.

God reveals Himself in a wrapper of spiritual fruit in His followers: love, joy, peace, forbearance (patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22–23). When believers in Jesus exhibit such fruit, others will want that fruit as well, and, therefore, will seek the Source of the fruit that’s so attractive.

Fruit is the external result of an internal relationship—the influence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Fruit is the dressing that beckons others to know the God we represent. Like the bright peaches standing out against the green leaves of a tree, the fruit of the Spirit announces to a starving world, “Here is food! Here is life! Come and find a way out of exhaustion and discouragement. Come and meet God!”


Reflect & Pray
What first drew you to Jesus? How are you exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit in your life so that others are attracted to its Source, God?

Holy Spirit, I welcome You to continue to grow Your fruit in my life that others might see You and want You in their lives.


Insight
The apostle Paul has quite a few things to teach us about the Holy Spirit’s role in the life of the believer. The moment a person believes in Jesus through faith, they receive the Holy Spirit (Galatians 3:2, 14). Referred to as “the Spirit of his Son” (4:6), God sent Him to dwell in our hearts, adopting us to become His children and empowering us to call Him “Abba, Father” (4:6–7). Paul warned that the sinful human nature continues to resist the indwelling Spirit (5:17). The key to victory is to live in the power of the Spirit, being led by Him and walking and keeping in step with Him. Only in this way can we overcome the vices of the sinful nature and live in a right relationship with God (5:5, 16, 18, 25). Such a Spirit-controlled life is one that pleases God; it’s a life that bears the “fruit of the Spirit” (v. 22).
 

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Genesis 1:27
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.


Something Deep and Binding

Amina, an Iraqi immigrant, and Joseph, an American from birth, attended a political protest on opposite sides. We’ve been taught to believe that those who are separated by ethnicity and politics carry unbridled animosity toward each other. However, when a small mob accosted Joseph, trying to set his shirt on fire, Amina rushed to his defense. “I don’t think we could be any further apart as people,” Joseph told a reporter, “and yet, it was just kinda like this common ‘that’s not OK’ moment.” Something deeper than politics knit Amina and Joseph together.

Though we often have genuine disagreements with one another—substantial differences we often can’t ignore—there are far deeper realities that bind us together. We’re all created by God and bound together in one beloved human family. God has created each of us—regardless of gender, social class, ethnic identity or political persuasion—“in his own image” (Genesis 1:27). Whatever else might be true, God is reflected in both you and me. Further, He’s given us a shared purpose to “fill” and “rule” God’s world with wisdom and care (v. 28).

Whenever we forget how we’re bound together in God, we do damage to ourselves and others. But whenever we come together in His grace and truth, we participate in His desire to make a good and flourishing world.


Reflect & Pray
Who seems to be completely different from you? What would it be like to spend time with them, sharing what you have in common?

God, the way the world is right now, it’s hard to believe that because of You every person shares something deep inside. Help me see this truth.


Insight
The Latin term imago Dei means “image of God.” Biblically speaking, the lofty notion that humans are created in the likeness of God is rooted in Genesis 1:26: “Then God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.’ ” Contextually understood, humans are created by God and are like Him in unique ways that allow them, on His behalf, to “rule over” (to have dominion over) what He’s created. This grand governing assignment includes the capacity to reason critically, to judge wisely, and to create with beauty and utility. These and other aspects of being like God are included in humans being “crowned . . . with glory and honor” (Psalm 8:5).
 

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2 Timothy 4:7
I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:


In the End

I’m often given the privilege of leading spiritual retreats. Getting away for a few days to pray and reflect can be deeply enriching, and during the program I sometimes ask participants to do an exercise: “Imagine your life is over and your obituary is published in the paper. What would you like it to say?” Some attendees change their life’s priorities as a result, aiming to finish their lives well.

Second Timothy 4 contains the last known written words of the apostle Paul. Though probably only in his sixties, and though having faced death before, he senses his life is nearly over (2 Timothy 4:6). There will be no more mission trips now or writing letters to his churches. He looks back over his life and says, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith” (v. 7). While he hasn’t been perfect (1 Timothy 1:15–16), Paul assesses his life on how true he’s stayed to God and the gospel. Tradition suggests he was martyred soon after.

Contemplating our final days has a way of clarifying what matters now. Paul’s words can be a good model to follow. Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Keep the faith. Because in the end what will matter is that we’ve stayed true to God and His ways as He provides what we need to live, fight life’s spiritual battles, and finish well.


Reflect & Pray
Imagine your life is over and your obituary is published. What would you like it to say? What changes might you make now to “finish the race” well?

Father God, strengthen me to live faithfully for You, right to the end.


Insight
Paul used several word pictures in 2 Timothy 4 to describe his life. He noted that he was “being poured out like a drink offering” (v. 6). This is likely a reference to the sacrificial ceremony instituted by God in Numbers 15:1–10, in which wine was poured out (see Hosea 9:4). However, well before the time of Moses, Jacob “poured out a drink offering” to God at Bethel (Genesis 35:14).

Paul also employed two metaphors from athletic competition, including fighting “the good fight” and completing “the race” (2 Timothy 4:7), references to Olympic sports of the day. And he spoke of “the time for my departure” (v. 6), an image evocative of a voyage. Paul, who’d traveled much during his lifetime to share the good news of Jesus, was now constrained by chains. Yet one final trip awaited him. His cold, damp prison cell served as a port of departure for heaven.