Daily Bible Verse

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John 15:13 KJV
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.


No Greater Love

Commemorations of the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-Day in 2019 honored the more than 156,000 troops who took part in the largest seaborne invasion in history to liberate Western Europe. In his prayer broadcast over the radio on June 6, 1944, President Roosevelt asked for God’s protection, praying, “They fight not for the lust of conquest. They fight to end conquest. They fight to liberate.”

A willingness to put one’s self in harm’s way to restrain evil and liberate the oppressed brings to mind Jesus’ words: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). These words come in the midst of Christ teaching His followers to love each other. But He wanted them to understand the cost and depth of this type of love: a love exemplified when one willingly sacrifices his or her life for another person. Jesus’ call to sacrificially love others is the basis of His command to “love each other” (v. 17).

Perhaps we could show sacrificial love by giving time to care for the needs of an aging family member. We could put the needs of a sibling first by doing their chores during a stressful week at school. We might even take extra shifts with a sick child to allow our spouse to sleep. As we sacrificially love others, we demonstrate the greatest expression of love.


Reflect & Pray
What is one way you could demonstrate sacrificial love today? What holds you back from loving sacrificially?

Dear God, please help me to look for ways I can love others sacrificially each day.


Insight
Jesus’ teachings about life “in [Him]” (John 15:4) flow from His teachings about the Spirit (14:15–21). Through the Spirit sent from God to live “with” and “in” believers in Jesus (v. 17), they experience the intimate joy of the Father and Son’s love for them (v. 21). Through the Spirit drawing us into the love, joy, and abundant life of the triune God, we’re empowered to keep Christ’s commands (v. 21)—namely, to love as Jesus has loved us (15:12). Biblical scholar Rodney Whitacre says it beautifully: “The obedience Jesus is talking about is an obedience not to societal rules, but to the Father who is all love. To obey him is to conform one’s life to the very pattern of God’s own life . . . which is characterized by harmony, grace, goodness and beauty. We are in intimate union with him and swept up into his dance for which we were created.”
 

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Proverbs 2:6 KJV
For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.


Wisdom and Understanding

In 1373, when Julian of Norwich was thirty years old, she became ill and nearly died. When her minister prayed with her, she experienced a number of visions in which she considered Jesus’ crucifixion. After miraculously recovering her health, she spent the next twenty years living in solitude in a side room of the church, praying over and thinking through the experience. She concluded that “love was his meaning”; that is, that Christ’s sacrifice is the supreme manifestation of God’s love.

Julian’s revelations are famous, but what people often overlook is the time and effort she spent prayerfully working out what God revealed to her. In those two decades, she sought to discern what this experience of His presence meant as she asked Him for His wisdom and help.

As He did with Julian, God graciously reveals Himself to His people, such as through the words of the Bible; through His still, small voice; through a refrain of a hymn; or even just an awareness of His presence. When this happens, we can seek His wisdom and help. This wisdom is what King Solomon instructed his son to pursue, saying he should turn his ear to wisdom and apply his heart to understanding (Proverbs 2:2). Then he would “find the knowledge of God” (v. 5).

God promises to give us discernment and understanding. As we grow in a deeper knowledge of His character and ways, we can honor and understand Him more.


Reflect & Pray
How does God reveal Himself to you most often? When He does, how do you come to understand what He’s revealed?

Gracious God, help me to grow in Your wisdom.


Insight
The book of Proverbs helps us understand theology—the nature of wisdom as centered in God—and also guides us toward practical skill in living. From an ethical standpoint, this leads to flourishing not only for the individual but also for the community. The proverbs of the Bible help guide us toward wise attitudes and behavior and away from foolish ones. Some of the insights found in this book include: relationships (6:16–19), sexual ethics (6:24–29), listening to advice (9:7–9), work ethics (10:4–5), business ethics (11:1, 24–26), planning (16:1–3, 9, 33), dealing with authority (23:1–3), the misuse of alcohol (23:29–35); relationships with friends/neighbors (24:28–29; 27:17), conflict (26:17, 20–21), anger (27:3–4), taking care of the vulnerable (28:27), and the danger of pride (29:23).
 

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Acts 14:21-22 KJV
And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch,

22 Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God.


You Can Do It!

Encouragement is like oxygen—we can’t live without it. This was true for nine-year-old James Savage. The boy swam more than two miles from the San Francisco shoreline to Alcatraz Island and back, breaking the record for the youngest person to accomplish the feat. But thirty minutes into the swim, the choppy, frigid waters made James want to quit. However, a fleet of paddlers called out, “You can do it!” The words gave him the boost he needed to finish his goal.

When the choppy, frigid waters of tribulation made believers in Jesus want to give up, Paul and Barnabas encouraged them to continue their journey. After the apostles preached the gospel in the city of Derbe, they “returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith” (Acts 14:21–22). They helped the believers to remain firm in their faith in Jesus. Troubles had weakened them, but words of encouragement strengthened their resolve to live for Christ. In God’s strength, they realized they could keep pressing on. Finally, Paul and Barnabas helped them understand that they would “go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (v. 22).

Living for Jesus can be difficult, and we’re sometimes tempted to give up. Fortunately, Jesus and fellow believers in Him can provide the encouragement we need to press on. With Him, we can do it!


Reflect & Pray
What people in your circles of influence need to hear, “You can do it!”? What specific words of wisdom and encouragement can you share this week?

Jesus, when I’m tempted to give up, please send people to give me confidence and courage to continue my walk with You.


Insight
Without some familiarity with Paul’s missionary journeys and the geography in biblical times, passages like Acts 14 can be a bit confusing. While verses 21 and 26 both mention Antioch, the places aren’t the same. The one mentioned in verse 21 was in Pisidia (a district in southern Asia Minor); the one in verse 26 was in Syria. These two cities and fourteen others were named in honor of Antiochus, the father of Seleucus I Nicator, founder of the Seleucid Empire (fourth century bc). There were five cities named Antioch in Syria alone. The one mentioned in verse 26 was the third largest city in the Roman Empire in the first century and the most renown of all the cities. It became the hub of missions for believers in Jesus after Christianity took root there (see 11:19–30). In Antioch, the disciples were first called Christians (v. 26) there and all three of Paul’s missionary journeys began there (13:1–4; 15:36–41; 18:22–23).
 

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Psalm 27:14 KJV
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.


Hurry Up and Wait

“What will we do with all our spare time?” That thought was at the heart of an essay published in 1930 by the economist John Maynard Keynes. In it, Keynes proposed that within a hundred years, technological and economic advances would bring humans to a point where we would work only three hours a day and fifteen hours a week.

It’s been more than ninety years since Keynes published his famous essay. But technology, instead of creating more leisure, has made us busier than ever. Our days are full, and while everyday tasks like travel and meal preparation take less time, we’re still in a hurry.

One striking incident from David’s life shows us how to stay steady in life’s rush. When he was fleeing King Saul (who was trying to kill him), he asked the king of Moab, “Would you let my father and mother come and stay with you until I learn what God will do for me?” (1 Samuel 22:3, italics added). David had his hands full. He was trying to escape Saul’s murderous pursuits and also provide for his family. But even in his hurry, he took the time to wait on God.

When life’s frenetic pace sweeps us along, we can trust the One who can keep us in His peace (Isaiah 26:3). David’s words sum up the matter well: “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).


Reflect & Pray
In what ways can you wait on God even when life’s busy? Where do you need His help to trust Him today?

You are my calm in every rush, Father. Thank You for giving me Your peace as I continue to trust You.


Insight
In 1 Samuel 22, David had fled from King Saul to a cave after unsuccessfully hiding out in Gath. In his commentary, David Guzik notes: “He couldn’t go to his house, he couldn’t go to the palace, he couldn’t go to Samuel, he couldn’t go to Jonathan, he couldn’t go to the house of the Lord, and he couldn’t go to the ungodly. But he could go to a humble cave and find refuge. . . . The name Adullam means refuge, but the cave wasn’t to be David’s refuge.” As the opening to Psalm 57 tells us, this psalm was written while David hid in that cave. There he sought and found refuge in “the shadow of [God’s] wings” (v. 1) so that he could declare, “I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; . . . for great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies” (vv. 9–10).
 

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Luke 22:19 KJV
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.


Food That Says I Love You

I attended a family birthday gathering where the hostess wove the theme of “favorite things” into the decor, the gifts, and—best of all—the food. Because the birthday girl loved steak and salad—and white chocolate raspberry Bundt cake—the hostess grilled steak, spun spinach, and ordered that favorite cake. Favorite foods say, “I love you.”

The Bible contains many references to banquets, feasts, and festivals, pairing the physical act of eating with celebrations of God’s faithfulness. Feasting was a part of the sacrificial system of worship practiced by the Israelites (see Numbers 28:11–31), with Passover, the festival of weeks, and new moon feasts held every month. And in Psalm 23:5, God prepares a table with an abundant meal and cups overflow with mercy and love. Perhaps the most lavish pairing of food and wine ever expressed was when Jesus broke a piece of bread and took a cup of wine, illustrating the gift of His death on a cross for our salvation. He then challenged us to “do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).

As you partake of food today, take a moment to consider the God who made both mouth and stomach and offers food to you as a language of His love in celebration of His faithfulness. Ours is a God who feasts with the faithful, pairing His perfect provision with our great need, saying, “I love you.”


Reflect & Pray
What is a favorite food that you use in celebration? How can you thank God as you enjoy food today?

Thank You, God, for all You faithfully provide, including my daily bread and my very salvation.


Insight
In Luke 22, which records the Last Supper, Jesus introduced the Passover meal by declaring how much He anticipated sharing it with His disciples (v. 15). The phrase “I have eagerly desired” is variously translated as “with desire I have desired” or “I have earnestly desired.” The Greek words express a deep and passionate desire that’s expressed in a singular focus and drives a person to action. The base word epithymeō can be, and often is, translated in a negative sense as “lust” or “covet.” The point is the strength of the desire. Christ’s passion for this meal was predicated on the fact that once He’d eaten it, He wouldn’t eat it again until God’s kingdom comes in its fullness (v. 16).
 

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Romans 12:5 KJV
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.


The Dream Team

Together, friends Melanie and Trevor have hiked miles of mountain trails. Yet neither would be able to do so without the other. Melanie, born with spina bifida, uses a wheelchair. Trevor lost his sight to glaucoma. The duo realized they were one another’s perfect complement for enjoying the Colorado wilderness: As he walks the trails, Trevor carries Melanie on his back; meanwhile, she gives him verbal directions. They describe themselves as a “dream team.”

Paul describes believers in Jesus—the body of Christ—as a similar kind of “dream team.” He urged the Romans to recognize how their individual giftings benefited the larger group. Just as our physical bodies are made up of many parts, each with different functions, together we “form one [spiritual] body” and our gifts are meant to be given in service for the collective benefit of the church (Romans 12:5). Whether in the form of giving, encouraging, or teaching, or any of the other spiritual gifts, Paul instructs us to view ourselves and our gifts as belonging to all the others (vv. 5–8).

Melanie and Trevor aren’t focused on what they lack, nor are they prideful of what they do have in comparison to the other. Rather, they cheerfully give of their “gifts” in service to the other, recognizing how much they’re both bettered by their collaboration. May we too freely combine the gifts God has given us with those of our fellow members—for the sake of Christ.


Reflect & Pray
What gifts and abilities has God given you? How can you share them with those around you?

Father, please show me how I can use my resources and abilities to benefit the body of Christ.


Insight
Romans 12:3–8 is well known as one of the New Testament passages that describe spiritual gifts to equip us for spiritual service. These giftings, however, are only half the story. The other half is found in the attitudes with which some of those gifts are to be exercised. What are those “gift attitudes”? Prophesying (preaching) is to be done in “faith.” Giving is to be done “generously,” while leadership is to be exercised “diligently.” Finally, showing mercy is to be done “cheerfully” (vv. 6–8). These attitude descriptors remind us that the mere activity of service isn’t enough—our service must come from a heart that reflects the heart of Jesus. As Philippians 2:5 says, “In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus,” who perfectly modeled for us the heart of a servant.
 

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Zechariah 7:9 KJV
Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and shew mercy and compassions every man to his brother:


Watching Out for One Another

Jose, a seventy-seven-year-old substitute teacher, had been living out of his car for eight years. Every night, the elderly man bunked down in his 1997 Ford Thunderbird LX, carefully monitoring the car battery as it powered his computer for his evening’s work. Instead of using the money earmarked for rent, Jose sent it to numerous family members in Mexico who needed it more. Early every morning, one of the teacher’s former students saw Jose rummaging through his trunk. “I just felt I needed to do something about it,” the man said. So, he launched a fundraiser and weeks later handed Jose a check to help him pay for a place to live.

Though Scripture repeatedly instructs us to watch out for one another, it’s sometimes difficult to see past our own concerns. The prophet Zechariah rebuked Israel who, rather than worshiping God or serving others, were “feasting for [them]selves” (Zechariah 7:6). Ignoring their shared communal life, they disregarded their neighbors’ need. Zechariah made God’s instructions clear: the people were to “administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another . . . [and] not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor” (vv. 9–10).

While it’s easy to be consumed with our own needs, faithfulness calls us to tend to the needs of others. In the divine economy, there’s plenty for all. And God, in His mercy, chooses to use us to give some of that plenty to others.


Reflect & Pray
Who are some of the people that you’re responsible to care for? Where do you find yourself consumed with your own concerns?

God, please give me a greater vision to care for my neighbors.


Insight
Zechariah, whose name means “God remembers,” was both a prophet and a priest. He was among the first of the Jewish exiles to return to Jerusalem. In Zechariah 7, a delegation from Bethel in the neighboring tribe of Benjamin had come to seek his advice (vv. 2–3). Zechariah told them that God remembered their hypocrisy of the previous seventy years (vv. 4–7). They’d been going through the motions of worship, including fasting, but their hearts were far from God. So, they were far from meeting the needs of their neighbors, especially the oppressed (vv. 9–10). God also remembered His people and His covenant with them, however. He called them out precisely because they belonged to Him. It would run contrary to His nature to forget them. Thus, the entirety of chapter 8 outlines the ways God will again bless them.
 

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1 Corinthians 10:24 KJV
Let no man seek his own, but every man another's wealth.


True Freedom

While reading on the train, Meiling was busy highlighting sentences and jotting down notes in the margins of her book. But a conversation between a mother and child seated nearby stopped her. The mom was correcting her child for doodling in her library book. Meiling quickly put her pen away, not wanting the toddler to ignore her mother’s words by following Meiling’s example. She knew that the child wouldn’t understand the difference between damaging a loaned book and making notes in one you owned.

Meiling’s actions reminded me of the apostle Paul’s inspired words in 1 Corinthians 10:23–24: “ ‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive. No one should seek their own good, but the good of others.”

The believers in Jesus in the young church in Corinth saw their freedom in Christ as an opportunity to pursue personal interests. But Paul wrote that they should view it as an opportunity to benefit and build up others. He taught them that true freedom isn’t the right to do as one pleases, but the liberty to do as they should for God.

We follow in Jesus’ footsteps when we use our freedom to choose building others up instead of serving ourselves.


Reflect & Pray
Why does it honor God when you’re careful in what you say and do around others? How can you be more considerate of others in the exercise of your freedom?

Jesus, thank You for setting me free. Give me wisdom and grace to exercise my freedom in ways that truly honor You and bless others.


Insight
In writing these words to the church at Corinth, Paul was attempting to recalibrate their values and priorities. As a church family, the Corinthians had become marked by sin, division, pride, lawsuits against one another, and personality cults. The apostle was reminding them of what matters most. We can learn from his words as well. First, the glory and honor of God must be paramount in our thinking (1 Corinthians 10:31). Second, our example must not bring harm to anyone, but rather bring the grace of Jesus to all (vv. 32–33). Third, we likewise need examples to pattern the Christ-life for us (11:1).
 

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Proverbs 1:5 KJV   
A wise man will hear, and will increase learning; and a man of understanding shall attain unto wise counsels:


A Teachable Spirit

It has become sadly “normal” to attack not only the opinions of others but also the person holding the opinion. This can be true in academic circles as well. For this reason, I was stunned when scholar and theologian Richard B. Hays wrote a paper that forcefully took to task a work that he himself had written years earlier! In Reading with the Grain of Scripture, Hays demonstrated great humility of heart as he corrected his own past thinking, now fine-tuned by his lifelong commitment to learning. 

As the book of Proverbs was being introduced, King Solomon listed the various intents of this collection of wise sayings. But in the midst of those purposes, he inserted this challenge, “Let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance” (Proverbs 1:5). Like the apostle Paul, who claimed that, even after following Christ for decades, he continued to pursue knowing Jesus (Philippians 3:10), Solomon urged the wise to listen, to learn, and to continue to grow.

No one is ever hurt by maintaining a teachable spirit. As we seek to continue to grow and learn about the things of faith (and the things of life), may we allow the Holy Spirit to guide us into truth (John 16:13), that we might better comprehend the wonders of our good and great God.   


Reflect & Pray
In what areas of life or spiritual growth have you become stale or stunted? How can you become more teachable, allowing God to grow you beyond where you are at this moment?  

Loving God, give me a humble, teachable spirit that I might continually be growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus.


Insight
Solomon, the wisest person in the ancient world, wrote three thousand proverbs (1 Kings 4:30–34), but only a fraction of these were collated into the book of Proverbs in the Bible. Solomon’s wisdom was God’s gift to him (1 Kings 3:5–13). But being wise one day is no guarantee that you’ll be wise the next, for this wisdom can be easily abandoned and lost—as Solomon abandoned God’s wisdom in his later years. He became the classic example of foolishness as he turned from Him to follow idols (11:4–6). Ironically, he ignored his own warning: “If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge” (Proverbs 19:27 nlt), for “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction” (1:7).
 

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Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah KJV

Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

Who Is Jesus?

Who do people believe Jesus is? Some say He was a good teacher, but just a man. Author C. S. Lewis wrote, “Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher.” These now-famous words from Mere Christianity propound that Jesus would not have been a great prophet if He falsely claimed to be God. That would be the ultimate heresy.

While talking with His disciples as they walked between villages, Jesus asked them, “Who do people say I am?” (Mark 8:27). Their answers included John the Baptist, Elijah, and one of the prophets (v. 28). But Jesus wanted to know what they believed: “Who do you say I am?” Peter got it right. “You are the Messiah” (v. 29), the Savior.

But who do we say Jesus is? Jesus could not have been a good teacher or prophet if what He said about Himself—that He and the Father (God) are “one” (John 10:30)—wasn’t true. His followers and even the demons declared His divinity as the Son of God (Matthew 8:29; 16:16; 1 John 5:20). Today, may we spread the word about who Christ is as He provides what we need.


Reflect & Pray
Who do you say Jesus is? If you believe He’s the Son of God, then how can you share who He is with others?

Dear Jesus, thank You for being the way, the truth, and the life. I’m glad I can cling to You. Help me to share with others the good news of who You are.


Insight
We can observe two things from the disciples’ response to Jesus’ question, “Who do people say I am?” (Mark 8:27). First, the disciples knew what the people were saying about who Jesus was: “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets” (v. 28). They weren’t simply an isolated and insulated group, oblivious to the culture and people around them. His disciples continued to interact with and understand the people to whom Christ was reaching out. One day soon, they’d be sent to continue His message. Second, the people’s various answers to who Jesus was illustrated that even people who heard and saw Him had different opinions about Him. But Jesus wasn’t content with general answers to the question of who He was. He asked His disciples this question directly. Peter answered, “You are the Messiah” (v. 29).