Daily Bible Verse

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John 20:31 KJV
But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.


Information and Evidence

When Doris Kearns Goodwin decided to write a book about Abraham Lincoln, the fact that some fourteen thousand books had already been written about America’s sixteenth president intimidated her. What could be left to say about this beloved leader? Undeterred, Goodwin’s work resulted in A Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln. Her fresh insights on Lincoln’s leadership style became a top-rated and top-reviewed book.

The apostle John faced a different challenge as he wrote his account of the ministry and passion of Jesus. The final verse of John’s gospel says, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). John had more material than he could possibly use!

So John’s strategy was to focus on only a few selected miracles (signs) that supported Jesus’ “I am” claims throughout his account. Yet behind this strategy was this eternal purpose: “These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (v. 31). Out of the mountains of evidence, John provided plenty of reasons to believe in Jesus. Who can you tell about Him today?


Reflect & Pray
How do you view the biblical evidence for Jesus and His claims? What does it mean for you to believe in Him?

Heavenly Father, please strengthen my faith with solid evidence so that I may truly live for Jesus.


Insight
Life is a central theme in the book of John. The book begins introducing Jesus as God’s Word and the source of life: “In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind” (John 1:4). Life is identified as being found in the Father and Son (5:25–26) and the Spirit (6:63). Jesus describes Himself as the “bread of life” (v. 35), coming to earth so that “they may have life, and have it to the full” (10:10). After the death of Lazarus, Jesus revealed Himself to Martha as “the resurrection and the life” (11:25) before raising Lazarus from the dead (v. 43). Nearing the close of the book, John emphasized once more that the purpose of all that’s recorded in his gospel is “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (20:31).

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Psalm 118:6 KJV
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?


When Hard Pressed

Many years ago, a friend told me how intimidated she was while trying to cross a street where several roads intersected. “I’d never seen anything like this; the rules I’d been taught for crossing the street seemed ineffective. I was so frightened that I’d stand on the corner, wait for the bus, and ask the bus driver if he’d please allow me to ride to the other side of the street. It would take a long time before I successfully learned to navigate this intersection both as a pedestrian and later as a driver.”

As complicated as a dangerous traffic intersection can be, navigating life’s complexities can be even more menacing. Although the psalmist’s specific situation in Psalm 118 is uncertain, we know it was difficult and just right for prayer: “When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord” (v. 5), the psalmist exclaimed. And his confidence in God was unmistakable: “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. . . The Lord is with me; he is my helper” (vv. 6–7).

It’s not unusual to be fearful when we need to change jobs or schools or housing. Anxieties arise when health declines, relationships change, or dollars disappear. But these challenges needn’t be interpreted as abandonment by God. When hard pressed, may we find ourselves prayerfully pressing into His presence.


Reflect & Pray
What difficulty has brought you closer to God? With whom can you share your experience of His gracious help?

Gracious Father, please help me to trust You when I’m hard pressed.


Insight
Many scholars believe Psalm 118 was written during the time when the ruined walls of Jerusalem were rebuilt (around 444 bc; see Nehemiah 12:27–43). As such, it would have been sung by the entire congregation as they gathered to dedicate the work. The triple repetition of verses 10, 11, and 12—“in the name of the Lord I cut them down”—lends itself well to a congregational response in worship. Such strong militaristic language would also be encouraging to a people long subjugated by oppressors and now keeping a watchful eye on those who opposed the efforts of rebuilding. Interestingly, the early church fathers, Cyprian and Augustine among them, viewed the entire psalm as a particular encouragement to believers who faced the danger of martyrdom for their faith in Christ.
 

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Exodus 23:2 KJV
Thou shalt not follow a multitude to do evil; neither shalt thou speak in a cause to decline after many to wrest judgment:


Juror Number 8

“One man is dead. Another man’s life is at stake,” says the judge somberly in the classic 1957 film 12 Angry Men. The evidence against the young suspect appears overwhelming. But during deliberations, it’s the brokenness of the jury that’s exposed. One of the twelve—juror number 8—votes “not guilty.” A heated debate ensues, in which the lone juror is mocked as he points out discrepancies in the testimony. Emotions escalate, and the jury members’ own murderous and prejudicial tendencies come to light. One by one, the jurors switch their votes to not guilty.

When God gave His instructions to the new nation of Israel, He insisted on honest courage. “When you give testimony in a lawsuit,” God said, “do not pervert justice by siding with the crowd” (Exodus 23:2). Interestingly, the court was neither to “show favoritism to a poor person” (v. 3) nor to “deny justice to your poor people” (v. 6). God, the righteous judge, desires our integrity in all our proceedings.

In 12 Angry Men, the second juror to vote “not guilty” said of the first, “It’s not easy to stand alone against the ridicule of others.” Yet that’s what God requires. Juror number 8 saw the real evidence, as well as the humanity of the individual on trial. With the gentle guidance of His Holy Spirit, we too can stand for God’s truth and speak for the powerless.


Reflect & Pray
What tempts you to go along with the crowd? Where is God calling you to stand for truth and justice?

Father, help us show Your love to the world as we stand for Your truth.


Insight
The law of Moses, summarized in the Ten Commandments (the Decalogue), sought to instruct the people of Israel in two vital areas—how to relate to God and how to relate to other people—whether fellow Israelites or foreigners. The Decalogue itself reflects those values, with the first part dealing with how they were to respond to God and the second part guiding their interpersonal relationships. Today’s reading (Exodus 23:1–9) reflects a further detailing of those interactions with other people. So, when Jesus said in Matthew 22:36–40 that all the law was reflected in two commandments—to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” and to “love your neighbor as yourself”—He was reinforcing the law’s two great values. Loving God is the primary vertical relationship and gives context, significance, and value to all our horizontal (human) relationships.
 

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John 1:4 KJV
In him was life; and the life was the light of men.


Reflecting Christ’s Light

To capture the beauty of reflective light in his landscape oil paintings, artist Armand Cabrera works with a key artistic principle: “Reflected light is never as strong as its source light.” He observes that novice painters tend to exaggerate reflected light. He says, “Reflected light belongs to the shadow and as such it must support, not compete with the lighted areas of your painting.”

We hear similar insight in the Bible concerning Jesus as “the light of all mankind” (John 1:4). John the Baptist “came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe” (v. 7). The gospel writer tells us, “He himself [John] was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light” (v. 8).

As with John, we’re chosen by God to reflect Christ’s light to those living in the shadows of an unbelieving world. This is our role, as one source says, “perhaps because unbelievers are not able to bear the full blazing glory of His light firsthand.”

Cabrera teaches his art students that “anything that has direct light falling on it in a scene becomes a source of light itself.” Similarly, with Jesus as “the true light that gives light to everyone” (v. 9), we can shine as witnesses. As we reflect Him, may the world be amazed to see His glory shine through us.


Reflect & Pray
How do you reflect the light of Christ? In what shadowy areas of the world can you shine His transforming light?

Shine on me, beautiful Light of God. Please help me to shine Your light in the shadows of an unbelieving world.


Insight
John 1:1–4 describes Jesus as God’s Word—the source of life and light for all humanity. Both life and light in Jewish tradition would’ve been associated with God’s revelation in Scripture. In Deuteronomy, for example, the Israelites were told that through obedience to God’s law they could “live and increase” (30:16). In Psalm 119:105, Scripture is described as a “lamp for my feet, a light on my path.” Light was also understood as a symbol for holiness—being separated from the world and devoted to God’s purposes. Isaiah says Israel was called to be “a light for the Gentiles, to open eyes that are blind, to free captives from prison and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness” (42:6–7). In describing Jesus as life and light, John teaches us that He’s God’s fullest revelation, the ultimate source of hope for all people.
 
 

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Isaiah 64:6 KJV
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.


Cleansed Completely

Recently, my wife and I were cleaning our house before having guests over. I noticed some dark stains on our white kitchen tile floor—the kind that required getting on my knees to scrub.

But I soon had a sinking realization: the more I scrubbed, the more I noticed other stains. Each stain I eliminated only made the others that much more obvious. Our kitchen floor suddenly seemed impossibly dirty. And with each moment, I realized, No matter how hard I work, I can never get this floor completely clean.

Scripture says something similar about self-cleansing—our best efforts at dealing with sin on our own always fall short. Seeming to despair of God’s people, the Israelites, ever experiencing God’s salvation (Isaiah 64:5), the prophet Isaiah wrote, “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (v. 6).

But Isaiah knew there is always hope through God’s goodness. So he prayed, “You, Lord, are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter” (v. 8). He knew that God alone can cleanse what we cannot, until the deepest stains are “white as snow” (1:18).

We can’t scrub away the smudges and smears of sin on our souls. Thankfully, we can receive salvation in the One whose sacrifice allows us to be cleansed completely (1 John 1:7).


Reflect & Pray
Why is it hard to accept God’s forgiveness? Why do you think you’re tempted to try to deal with sin on your own?

Father, help me to rest in Your forgiveness instead of trying to earn what You’ve already freely given.


Insight
The potter-clay motif is an image used by the prophet Isaiah to depict the strained relationship God had with His people. This metaphor points to a sovereign Creator and submissive creature relationship. As clay, we’re the intricate work of the Father’s hand (Isaiah 64:8). Choosing to go our own way, we reject God’s authority over our lives and “turn things upside down, as if the potter were thought to be like the clay!” (29:16). It’s like the pot telling the potter what to do. Isaiah warned, “Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker” (45:9). As our Maker, He has every right to do what He pleases (vv. 10–12). Some sixty years after these words from Isaiah were written, the prophet Jeremiah went to a potter’s house to give God’s people this same message: “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand, Israel” (Jeremiah 18:6).
 

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Ephesians 6:18 KJV
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;


Prayer Cards

During a writing conference where I served as a faculty member, Tamy handed me a postcard with a handwritten prayer on the back. She explained that she read the faculty biographies, wrote specific prayers on each card, and prayed as she delivered them to us. In awe over the details in her personal message to me, I thanked God for encouraging me through Tamy’s gesture. Then I prayed for her in return. When I struggled with pain and fatigue during the conference, I pulled out the postcard. God refreshed my spirit as I reread Tamy’s note.

The apostle Paul recognized the life-affirming impact of prayer for others. He urged believers to prepare for battle “against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” (Ephesians 6:12). He encouraged ongoing and specific prayers, while emphasizing the need to intervene for one another in what we call intercessory prayer. Paul also requested bold prayers on his behalf. “Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains” (vv. 19–20).

As we pray for one another, the Holy Spirit comforts us and strengthens our resolve. He affirms that we need Him and one another, assuring us that He hears every prayer—silent, spoken, or scribbled on a prayer card—and He answers according to His perfect will.


Reflect & Pray
How has God ministered to you through the intercessory prayers of others? Who can you encourage with a prayer card today?

Dear God, please help me approach You with confident prayers for myself and others.


Insight
In daily living, it’s easy to get swept up in the things we can see and touch and to forget that there’s an unseen realm. The apostle Paul gives this warning in Ephesians 6:12: “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Prayer is such a key element of our spiritual armor because we’re not dealing with “flesh and blood” but with “spiritual forces.” Through prayer, we connect with the invisible God who is Lord over both the seen and unseen.

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2 Chronicles 7:14
If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.


Revival Comes
Aurukun is a small town in northern Australia—its Aboriginal population drawn from seven clans. While the gospel came to Aurukun a century ago, eye-for-eye retribution sometimes remained. In 2015, clan tensions grew, and when a murder happened, payback required someone from the offender’s family to die in return.

But something remarkable happened in early 2016. The people of Aurukun started seeking God in prayer. Repentance followed, then mass baptisms, as revival began sweeping the town. People were so joyful they danced in the streets, and instead of enacting payback, the family of the murdered man forgave the offending clan. Soon 1,000 people were in church each Sunday—in a town of just 1,300!

We see revivals like this in Scripture, as in Hezekiah’s day when crowds joyfully returned to God (2 Chronicles 30), and on the day of Pentecost when thousands repented (Acts 2:38–47). While revival is God’s work, done in His time, history shows prayer precedes it. “If my people . . . will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways,” God told Solomon, “I will forgive their sin and will heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

As the people of Aurukun found, revival brings joy and reconciliation to a town. How our own cities need such transformation! Father, bring revival to us too.


Reflect & Pray

While there’s no “formula” for revival, what do you think helps lead to it? How can you respond to God today to help revival come?Dear Father, please bring revival to our land, starting with me.


Insight

In 2 Chronicles 7, during the dedication of the temple, King Solomon prayed for favor and blessing on his people. God responded and reiterated His promises of blessing according to the covenant He made with their fathers: “If my people . . . will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive” (v. 14). As one commentator states, “God had plans to bless them from the very beginning, and . . . had contingencies in place for their lapses in obedience. [He] was providing for their eventual return, assuming that the human heart is prone to wander and cannot help but stray.” This if-then conditional statement makes it clear: If the people repent, then God will forgive. We see an example of this enacted in the story of Hezekiah (32:24–26). Hezekiah and the people repented, and God forgave and delayed His judgment.
 
 

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Mark 7:8 KJV
For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.


What’s Truly Needed

While preparing a meal, a young mother cut a pot roast in half before she put it in a large pot. Her husband asked her why she cut the meat in half. She replied, “Because that’s the way my mother does it.”

Her husband’s question, however, piqued the woman’s curiosity. So she asked her mother about the tradition. She was shocked to learn that her mother cut the meat so it would fit in the one small pot she used. And because her daughter had many large pots, the act of cutting the meat was unnecessary.

Many traditions begin out of a necessity but are carried on without question—becoming “the way we do it.” It’s natural to want to hold on to human traditions—something the Pharisees were doing in their day (Mark 7:1–2). They were distracted by what seemed like the breaking of one of their religious rules.

As Jesus said to the Pharisees, “You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to human traditions” (v. 8). He revealed that traditions should never replace the wisdom of Scripture. A genuine desire to follow God (vv. 6–7) will focus on the attitude of our heart rather than outward actions.

It’s a good idea to consistently evaluate traditions—anything we hold close to our heart and follow religiously. The things that God has revealed to be truly needed should always supersede traditions.


Reflect & Pray
What are some of the traditions you hold fast to? How do they line up with what’s revealed in Scripture?

Heavenly Father, help me to follow Your commands and to forgo any tradition that conflicts with the Scriptures.


Insight
Mark’s gospel is unique in several ways. It presents the Savior as the divine Servant. It’s held by many conservative scholars to be the recollections of Simon Peter and is the most action-oriented of the Gospels, causing many to see it as intended for a Roman audience. This assumed Roman audience may also account for Mark’s concern in explaining some Jewish ritual practices (see Mark 7:3–4)—explanations which aren’t needed in Matthew’s gospel and its assumed Jewish audience. Ultimately, Mark’s account, which begins, “The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God” (1:1), reveals Jesus as the One who said, “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (10:45).
 

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Proverbs 4:23 KJV
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.


Protect Your Heart

Hungarian-born mathematician Abraham Wald lent his skills to the World War II efforts after coming to the United States in 1938. The military was looking for ways to protect its aircraft from enemy fire, so Wald and his colleagues at the Statistical Research Group were asked to figure out how to better protect military aircraft to defend against enemy fire. They began by examining returning aircraft to see where they were most damaged. But Wald is credited with the keen insight that damage on returning aircraft represented only where a plane could be hit and still survive. He realized that areas most in need of additional armor would be found on planes that had crashed. Planes hit in the most vulnerable part—the engine—had gone down and therefore couldn’t be examined.

Solomon teaches us about protecting our most vulnerable part—our heart. He instructs his son to “guard [his] heart” because from it everything else flows (Proverbs 4:23). God’s instructions guide us through life, steering us away from poor decisions and teaching us where to focus our attention.

If we armor our heart by heeding His instructions, we’ll better “keep [our feet] from evil” and remain steadfast on our journey with God (v. 27). We venture into enemy territory every day, but with His wisdom guarding our hearts, we can stay focused on our mission to live well for God’s glory.


Reflect & Pray
What is your heart most vulnerable to right now? How can God’s wisdom protect you?

God, please protect my heart from the threats against it. I hide myself in You.


Insight
What does it mean to “guard your heart” (Proverbs 4:23)? It means to be vigilant, to keep watch for any danger that might draw us away from God. We do so by internalizing the wisdom of Scripture (vv. 20–22) and by resisting temptation (vv. 25–27). God helps us as we seek Him through prayer: “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). Philippians 4:8 offers good advice about what we fill our minds with: “Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” As we rely on the Spirit, “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard [our] hearts and [our] minds in Christ Jesus” (v. 7).
 

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Philippians 2:8 KJV
And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.


Be Humble Day

I’m often amused by the unofficial holidays people come up with. February alone has a Sticky Bun Day, a Sword Swallowers Day, even a Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day! Today has been labeled Be Humble Day. Universally recognized as a virtue, humility is certainly worth celebrating. But interestingly, this hasn’t always been the case.

Humility was considered a weakness, not a virtue, in the ancient world, which prized honor instead. Boasting about one’s achievements was expected, and you sought to raise your status, never lower it. Humility meant inferiority, like a servant to a master. But all this changed, historians say, at Jesus’ crucifixion. There, the One who was “in very nature God” gave up His divine status to become “a servant” and “humbled himself” to die for others (Philippians 2:6–8). Such a praiseworthy act forced humility to be redefined. By the end of the first century, even secular writers were calling humility a virtue because of what Christ had done.

Every time someone is praised for being humble today, the gospel is being subtly preached. For without Jesus, humility wouldn’t be “good,” or a Be Humble Day even thinkable. Christ relinquished His status for us, revealing through all history the humble nature of God.


Reflect & Pray
What would the world be like if humility was still a weakness? In what relationships can you imitate Jesus’ humility today?

I praise You, Jesus, for being the Humble One. And I desire to humble myself to You today as my only fitting response!


Insight
One of the great debates in theology surrounds the “kenosis theory.” The word kenosis is derived from the Greek word kenoō, which means “to empty” (see Philippians 2:7, “made himself nothing”). If Jesus “emptied himself” (esv; nasb) to come in human flesh, of what did He empty Himself? Some speculate that He emptied Himself of His divine attributes. However, without divine attributes, He’d cease to be God, and the Bible clearly states that the incarnate Christ was both God and man (v. 6). Many scholars conclude that Jesus didn’t empty Himself of any aspects of deity but rather set aside the privilege of freely exercising those attributes. He depended instead on the Holy Spirit and was guided by the Father’s purposes.