Daily Bible Verse

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Jude 22-23 KJV

22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:

23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.


Great Wisdom

“The shepherd needs great wisdom and a thousand eyes,” wrote the beloved church father John Chrysostom, “to examine the soul’s condition from every angle.” Chrysostom wrote these words as part of a discussion on the complexity of caring well for others spiritually. Since it’s impossible to force anyone to heal, he emphasized, reaching others’ hearts requires great empathy and compassion.

But that doesn’t mean never causing pain, Chrysostom cautioned, because “if you behave too leniently to one who needs deep surgery, and do not make a deep incision in one who requires it, you mutilate yet miss the cancer. But if you make the needed incision without mercy, often the patient, in despair at his sufferings, throws all aside . . . and promptly throws himself over a cliff.”

There’s a similar complexity in how Jude describes responding to those led astray by false teachers, whose behavior he describes starkly (1:12–13, 18–19). Yet when Jude turns to how to respond to such grave threats, he doesn’t suggest reacting with harsh anger.

Instead, he taught that believers should respond to threats by rooting themselves even more deeply in God’s love (vv. 20–21). For it’s only when we’re deeply anchored in God’s unchanging love that we can find the wisdom to help others with appropriate urgency, humility, and compassion (vv. 22–23)—the way most likely to help them find healing and rest in God’s boundless love.


Reflect & Pray
Why is it crucial to “[build yourself] up . . . in the Holy Spirit” (v. 20) before you respond to perceived threats? What examples have you seen of great wisdom and compassion used in helping someone in great pain?

God of love, when I’m faced with evil and hate, help me not to respond in kind but anchor myself in Your love.


Insight
Written by Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, the book of Jude opens and closes with a charge or calling for believers to stand firmly in their faith (“contend for the faith,” v. 3). They are to build themselves up in “most holy faith” (v. 20). The context of Jude’s concern is false teachers whose primary failure is an ungodly way of life. The false teachers are unapologetic about their immoral choices, using the truth of God’s grace as “a license for immorality” (v. 4). Speaking to an audience presumably familiar with Jewish Scriptures, Jude recounts cautionary tales of the consequences of an immoral lifestyle, drawing from both Hebrew Scriptures and the book of 1 Enoch (vv. 14–15). First Enoch, while not part of our scriptural canon, would have been held in high regard by a Jewish audience.
 

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Revelation 5:5 KJV
And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.


Lion, Lamb, Savior!

Two stately stone lions watch over the entrance to the New York Public Library. Hewn from marble, they’ve stood there proudly since the library’s dedication in 1911. They were first nicknamed Leo Lenox and Leo Astor to honor the library’s founders. But during the Great Depression, New York’s Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia renamed them Fortitude and Patience, virtues he thought New Yorkers should demonstrate in those challenging years. The lions are still called Fortitude and Patience today.

The Bible describes a living, powerful Lion who also gives encouragement in trouble and is known by other names. In his vision of heaven, the apostle John wept when he saw that no one was able to open the sealed scroll containing God’s plan of judgment and redemption. Then John was told, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah . . . has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals” (Revelation 5:5).

Yet in the very next verse, John describes something else entirely: “Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne” (v. 6). The Lion and the Lamb are the same person: Jesus. He’s the conquering King and “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). Through His strength and His cross, we receive mercy and forgiveness so that we may live in joy and wonder at all He is forever!


Reflect & Pray
What’s your favorite name for Jesus? What aspects of His character make you want to praise Him most?

Beautiful Savior, I could praise You for all eternity and never come to the end of all that You are. Thank You for giving Yourself for me, so that I may live in Your love forever!


Insight
In Revelation 5:1–7, we see Jesus depicted as both a lion and a lamb, seemingly polar opposites. Yet in Jesus, they’re not. He’s a Lion to conquer Satan (Revelation 20:10) and a Lamb to satisfy God’s justice by being sacrificed for our sins (John 1:29). And He’s no ordinary lamb. Though slain, this Lamb is still standing, bearing the wounds of His sacrifice, and He has seven horns and seven eyes (Revelation 5:6). Commentator Matthew Henry states that this series of seven (the perfect number) signifies “perfect power to execute all the will of God and perfect wisdom to understand it all and to do it in the most effectual manner.” Why? Because He has seven spirits of God: “He has received the Holy Spirit without measure, in all perfection of light, and life, and power, by which he is able to teach and rule all the earth.”
 

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Proverbs 3:18 KJV
She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her: and happy is every one that retaineth her.


Better Than Gold

When gold seeker Edward Jackson set out for California during the Great Gold Rush in the US, his diary entry on May 20, 1849, lamented his grueling wagon journey, marked by disease and death. “O do not leave my bones here,” he wrote. “If possible let them lay at home.” Another gold-seeker named John Walker penned, “It is the most complete lottery that you can imagine . . . . I cannot advise any person to come.”

Walker, in fact, returned home and succeeded at farming, ranching, and state politics. When a family member took Walker’s yellowing letters to the American TV program Antiques Roadshow, they were valued at several thousand dollars. Said the TV host, “So he did get something valuable out of the Gold Rush. The letters.”

Even more, both Walker and Jackson returned home after gaining wisdom that caused them to take hold of a more practical life. Consider these words about wisdom from King Solomon, “Blessed are those who find wisdom . . . . She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her” (Proverbs 3:13, 18). A wise choice is “more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold” (v. 14)—making wisdom more precious than any earthly desire (v. 15).

“Long life is in her right hand . . . and all her paths are peace” (vv. 16–17). Our challenge, therefore, is to hold tight to wisdom, not shiny wishes. It’s a path God will bless.


Reflect & Pray
What shiny wishes have you been chasing in life? Where could the path of wisdom take you instead?

Heavenly Father, when I’m blinded by the lure of shiny wishes, inspire me to take hold of wiser choices, walking the path of wisdom back to Your blessed peace.  


Insight
Many of us believe that more material possessions—or at the very least, fewer financial burdens—will bring us happiness. Solomon, who compiled most of the book of Proverbs, understood that such happiness is fleeting. What good is great wealth if we squander it? How much better to have wisdom! By wisdom we can learn how to better manage what we have, how to navigate the relational conflicts we face, and what the true source of fulfillment is.   

But what’s wisdom and where do we find it? Our search takes us to the Source of all wisdom. The first chapter of Proverbs tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge” (1:7). Solomon echoes this later in the book when he tells us, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (9:10).
 

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Philippians 3:20 KJV
For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ:



One Day Closer to Christmas

“I can’t believe Christmas is over,” my dejected daughter said.

I know how she feels: The aftermath of Christmas can feel dreary. Presents have been opened. The tree and lights must come down. Listless January—and, for many, the need to shed holiday pounds—awaits. Christmas—and the breathless anticipation that comes with it—suddenly feels eons away.

A few years ago, as we were putting Christmas stuff away, I realized: no matter what the calendar says, we’re always one day closer to the next Christmas. It’s become something I say frequently.

But far more important than our temporal celebration of Christmas is the spiritual reality behind it: the salvation Jesus brought into our world and our hope for His return. Scripture talks repeatedly about watching, waiting, and longing for Christ’s second coming. I love what Paul says in Philippians 3:15–21. He contrasts the world’s way of living—with “mindset on earthly things” (v. 19)—with a lifestyle shaped by hope in Jesus’ return: “Our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 20).

The reality that our “citizenship is in heaven” changes everything, including what we hope for and how we live. That hope is fortified by the knowledge that with every passing day, we’re indeed one day closer to Jesus’ return.


Reflect & Pray
What are some of the things you hope for in this world? How do you think your hope in Jesus influences and affects the earthly things you long and hope for?

Father, thank You for the hope that I have in Jesus and in His return. When lesser hopes compete for my heart’s affection and attention, help me to lift my eyes to You. 

Insight
Paul lived such an exemplary life that he asked the Philippian believers to imitate him—to use him as a model of living the life of a believer in Jesus (Philippians 3:17; see 1 Corinthians 4:16). They were to follow Paul’s mindset and actions. He dared to ask believers to follow his example because he himself had “[followed] the example of Christ” (1 Corinthians 11:1). Paul’s mindset and actions were that of Jesus’—self-denial, unquestioned obedience, and humble service (Philippians 2:5–11). They were to imitate Paul in his relentless pursuit of Christ and Christlikeness (3:7–14). In fact, the Philippian believers were encouraged not only to imitate Paul, but to imitate any believer whose life was undeniably modeled upon Christ’s (3:17). On the other hand, Paul warns of following the wrong models—those who profess faith but “live as enemies of the cross of Christ”; those who live a worldly and immoral life (vv. 18–19).

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John 1:1 KJV
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.


The Word and a New Year

Michellan faced challenges while growing up in the Philippines, but she always loved words and found comfort in them. Then one day while attending university, she read the first chapter in the gospel of John, and her “stone heart stirred.” She felt like someone was saying, “Yes, you love words, and guess what? There is an Eternal Word, one who . . . can cut through the darkness, now and always. A Word who took on flesh. A Word who can love you back.”

She was reading the gospel that begins with words that would have reminded John’s readers of the opening of Genesis: “In the beginning . . .” (Genesis 1:1). John sought to show that Jesus was not only with God at the beginning of time but was God (John 1:1). And this living Word became a man “and made his dwelling among us” (v. 14). Further, those who receive Him, believing in His name, become His children (v. 12).

Michellan embraced God’s love that day and was “born of God” (v. 13). She credits God for saving her from her family’s pattern of addiction and now writes about the good news of Jesus, delighting in sharing her words about the Living Word.

If we’re believers in Christ, we too can share God’s message and His love. As we begin 2022, what grace-filled words can we speak this year?


Reflect & Pray
What does it mean that Jesus is the Word of God? What difference will this make to your life in this new year?

Jesus, give me the words to speak, that I might bless someone with Your grace and love today and in this new year.


Insight
Theologian Darrell Bock describes the primary difference between John’s gospel and the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke) as the Synoptics being written from the perspective of the earth up and John being written from heaven down. Matthew begins with Jesus’ earthly genealogy and a birth narrative. Mark begins with Jesus’ introduction and baptism. Luke begins with the birth announcements of Jesus and His forerunner, John the Baptist, and a birth narrative. In each case, the story begins with happenings on this planet. In John 1:1–14, however, we’re given a glimpse into the eternal, with Jesus and His Father together before Jesus arrives on earth (v. 14).
 

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Colossians 3:10 KJV
And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:


Fresh Start Effect

When Bryony turned thirty, she was sad to still be in a sales job she’d never liked. She decided it was time to stop procrastinating and find a new career. For David, New Year’s Eve had him looking in the mirror vowing this would be the year he lost weight. And for James, it was watching another month pass without his angry outbursts decreasing. Next month, he promised himself, he would try harder.

If you’ve ever vowed to change at the start of a new month, new year, or a major birthday, you’re not alone. Researchers even have a name for it: the fresh start effect. They suggest that at calendar points like these we’re more prone to assess our lives and try putting our failures behind us to start over. Wanting to be better people, we long for a fresh start.

Faith in Jesus speaks powerfully to this longing, offering a vision of what our best selves can be (Colossians 3:12–14) and calling us to leave our past selves behind (vv. 5–9). It offers this change not by decisions and vows alone, but by divine power. When we believe in Jesus, we become new people, and God’s Spirit works in us to make us whole (v. 10; Titus 3:5).

Receiving salvation in Jesus is the ultimate fresh start. And it doesn’t need to wait for a special calendar date. Your new life can start right now.


Reflect & Pray
How have you seen the fresh start effect at work in your life? What’s stopping you from receiving God’s gift of a new life now?

Jesus, I give up my own plans to follow Yours. Please give me a fresh start!

To gain a better understanding of the Bible this year.


Insight
In Colossians 2, Paul established that we’ve “died with Christ to the elemental spiritual forces [or basic principles] of this world” (v. 20). Then he asked these believers in Jesus, “Why do you keep on following the rules of this world” (v. 20 nlt). He’d noticed they were lapsing into a legalistic form of religion. Paul said, “These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion . . . . But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires” (v. 23 nlt).

In chapter 3, Paul turns our focus instead to Christ: “Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is” (v. 1). We’re to “put to death . . . whatever belongs to [our] earthly nature,” that is, our sinful tendencies (vv. 5, 8–9). This may well include things the world would consider “religious.” Instead, we’re to be guided by the Holy Spirit—the only lasting way to change our behavior.
 

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Psalm 145:20 KJV
The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy.


When Love Never Ends

“Whenever my grandfather took me to the beach,” Sandra reminisced, “he always took off his watch and put it away. One day I asked him why.”

“He smiled and replied, ‘Because I want you to know how important my moments with you are to me. I just want to be with you and let time go by.’ ”

I heard Sandra share that recollection at her grandfather’s funeral. It was one of her favorite memories of their life together. As I reflected on how valued it makes us feel when others take time for us, it brought to mind Scripture’s words on God’s loving care.

God always makes time for us. David prayed in Psalm 145, “You open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The Lord is near” (vv. 16–18).

God’s goodness and thoughtful attention sustain our lives each moment, providing us with air to breathe and food to eat. Because He is rich in love, the Creator of all things mercifully crafts even the most intricate details of our existence.

God’s love is so deep and unending that in His kindness and mercy He’s even opened the way to eternal life and joy in His presence, as if to say, “I love you so much, I just want to be with you forever, and let time go by.”


Reflect & Pray
How does your availability to others reflect God’s faithful love for them? In what ways can you follow His example by making time for others today?

Father, thank You for Your perfect love. Please help me to praise You for it and to share it with others today.


Insight
Psalm 145 is the last of David’s psalms and introduces the hymns of praise (Pss. 146–150) that fittingly complete the book. This psalm specifically praises God for His generosity and goodness toward His people. One special feature is the many different words it uses for “praise”: “exalt” (v. 1); “extol” (v. 2); “commends” and “tell” (v. 4); “speak” and “meditate” (v. 5); “proclaim” (v. 6); “celebrate” and “joyfully sing” (v. 7). Verse 8 extols God for being “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love.” For some, these phrases seem contrary to the God of wrath often depicted in the Old Testament. But He’s always been the God of justice and mercy! We see the phrase “gracious and compassionate” attributed to Him throughout the Old Testament (Exodus 34:6; 2 Chronicles 30:9; Nehemiah 9:17; Psalms 86:15; 103:8; 111:4; Joel 2:13; Jonah 4:2).
 

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Matthew 7:26 KJV
And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:


Resilient Faith

Towering dunes along the north shore of Silver Lake put nearby homes at risk of sinking into shifting sands. Though residents tried moving mounds of sand in efforts to protect their homes, they watched helplessly as well-built houses were buried right before their eyes. As a local sheriff oversaw the cleanup of a recently destroyed cottage, he affirmed the process couldn’t be prevented. No matter how hard homeowners tried to avoid the dangers of these unsteady embankments, the dunes simply couldn’t provide a strong foundational support.

Jesus knew the futility of building a house on sand. After warning the disciples to be wary of false prophets, He assured them that loving obedience demonstrates wisdom (Matthew 7:15–23). He said that everyone who hears His words and “puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (v. 24). The one who hears God’s words and chooses not to put them into practice, however, is “like a foolish man who built his house on sand” (v. 26).

When circumstances feel like shifting sands burying us under the weight of affliction or worries, we can place our hope in Christ, our Rock. He will help us develop resilient faith built on the unshakable foundation of His unchanging character.


Reflect & Pray
How does obedience demonstrate your trust in God? In what areas of your life are you standing on the shifting sands of disobedience to Him?

Jesus, please help me develop resilient faith. Empower me to demonstrate my trust through loving obedience to You.


Insight
The last section of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7) contains the parable of the wise and foolish builders (7:24–27). It’s important to note that this parable begins with the word therefore, a word which always connects what follows to what directly precedes it. It indicates a consequence or a result. Readers are to back up and consider what was written in the preceding verses.

What precedes the concluding parable of the Sermon on the Mount is the entire sermon, not merely a few verses. Jesus’ challenge isn’t simply to live a morally rigorous life, but to live as citizens of the kingdom of heaven and to let our lives reflect the reality of God’s rule in our hearts. This parable is Jesus’ challenge to His listeners to put His words into practice. They’re to base their lives on Him and His teaching, for all other foundations shift and blow away.
 

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Ezekiel 45:9 KJV
Thus saith the Lord God; Let it suffice you, O princes of Israel: remove violence and spoil, and execute judgment and justice, take away your exactions from my people, saith the Lord God.


Back to the Basics


Resolutions, it seems, are made to be broken. Some folks poke fun at this reality by proposing New Year’s vows that are—shall we say—attainable. Here are a few from social media:

Wave to fellow motorists at stoplights.

Sign up for a marathon. Don’t run it.

Stop procrastinating—tomorrow.

Get lost without any help from Siri.

Unfriend everyone who posts their workout regimen.

The concept of a fresh start can be serious business, however. The exiled people of Judah desperately needed one. Just over two decades into their seventy-year captivity, God brought encouragement to them through the prophet Ezekiel, promising, “I will now restore the fortunes of Jacob” (Ezekiel 39:25).

But the nation first needed to return to the basics—the instructions God had given to Moses eight hundred years earlier. This included observing a feast at the new year. For the ancient Jewish people, that began in early spring (45:18). A major purpose of their festivals was to remind them of God’s character and His expectations. He told their leaders, “Give up your violence and oppression and do what is just and right” (v. 9), and he insisted on honesty (v. 10).

The lesson applies to us too. Our faith must be put into practice or it’s worthless (James 2:17). In this new year, as God provides what we need, may we live out our faith by returning to the basics: “Love the Lord your God,” and “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37–39).


Reflect & Pray
In what ways do you sense you need to get back to the basics? How will you put this into practice in the new year?

Father, may Your Spirit show me the places where I need to put others before myself. Help me love You with all my heart.  


Insight
The prophet Ezekiel (whose name means “God will strengthen”) was one of the major prophets of the Old Testament, and his season of service was during one of the most turbulent times in the nation’s history. He was of the priestly line (the son of Buzi, Ezekiel 1:3), which may contribute to his clear knowledge of the temple. As a human being, Ezekiel wasn’t immune to tragedy, as he was one of the Jewish exiles carried away to Babylon (probably with Jehoiachin in 597 bc), and he also endured the sudden death of his wife (24:18). Filled with symbolism and apocalyptic expectation, Ezekiel’s message forms a good parallel to his contemporary Daniel—whose message contained those same elements (Daniel 7–12). He was also a contemporary of Jeremiah. Aside from the vivid imagery he employed, Ezekiel’s writings are characterized by a significant use of the Pentateuch (Genesis–Deuteronomy).
 

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Colossians 3:13 KJV
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.


Dealing with Disagreement

The social media powerhouse Twitter created a platform where people all over the world express opinions in short sound bites. In recent years, however, this formula has become more complex as individuals have begun to leverage Twitter as a tool to reprimand others for attitudes and lifestyles they disagree with. Log on to the platform on any given day, and you’ll find the name of at least one person “trending.” Click on that name, and you’ll find millions of people expressing opinions about whatever controversy has emerged.

We’ve learned to publicly criticize everything from the beliefs people hold to the clothes they wear. The reality, however, is that a critical and unloving attitude doesn’t align with who God has called us to be as believers in Jesus. While there will be times when we have to deal with disagreement, the Bible reminds us that as believers we’re to always conduct ourselves with “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (Colossians 3:12). Instead of being harshly critical, even of our enemies, God urges us to “bear with each other and forgive one another if [we have] a grievance” (v. 13).

This treatment isn’t limited to the people whose lifestyles and beliefs we agree with. Even when it’s difficult, may we extend grace and love to everyone we encounter as Christ guides us, recognizing that we’ve been redeemed by His love.


Reflect & Pray
Consider a time when you were quick to criticize a friend or a stranger. What was the result? What could you have done differently to honor God and the individual?   

Heavenly Father, I know I fall short of Your glory every day. Thank You for Your unconditional love. Help me strive to be more like You by being patient and gentle with others.  

Insight
Love and unity are constant themes throughout the New Testament, and Paul highlights both concepts in Colossians. In 3:11, Paul pointed out how believers in Jesus enjoy an unprecedented unity. This is a radical unity that totally disregards traditional barriers of class and ethnic division. Instead, “Christ is all, and is in all.” Such unity is to live itself out in a radically different way: in “compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience” (v. 12). Never has this counsel been more appropriate than today. Instead of rancorous disagreement, we’re to “bear with each other” (v. 13). This implies a patient understanding of others that grows out of an awareness that we’re not without fault either. Such self-awareness enables us to empathize with those with whom we disagree. Paul concludes: “Over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity” (v. 14).