How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver! —Proverbs 16:16 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… What are the greatest riches in life? Well, surely they are not silver and gold. Of infinitely greater value is wisdom, which helps us understand what is valuable, what is true, what is worthy of…

What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! —Romans 6:15 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… This matching verse to Romans 6:1-2 serves as a great reminder that sin is no longer our master and no longer our choice (Romans 6:14). We choose to live for God with…

For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace. —Romans 6:14 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… As we called on Jesus’ name in baptism and trusted him to be our Savior, we died to sin (Romans 6:3-4). By sharing in his death and resurrection, we died to dying (Romans…

We wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. —Titus 2:13-14 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… We haven’t…

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age… —Titus 2:11-12 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Grace is not about excuses for our sins, but about a deep-seated thanksgiving…

In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. —Romans 6:11-12 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… If we have been cleansed from perversity, if we have died with Christ in baptism to…

The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out. —Proverbs 10:9 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… “Tell the truth the first time, and then you won’t have to remember what you said.” That’s a quote attributed to the famous Speaker of the U.S.A. House of Representatives, Sam Rayburn. That’s…

“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.” —Joshua 1:9 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… While these words were spoken to Joshua when he took over for Moses as Israel’s leader, they are also applicable…

For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. —Hebrews 4:12 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… What is the greatest tool to repair the human heart? …by-pass surgery? …angioplasty? …artificial heart?…

For he satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things. —Psalm 107:9 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… The Bible cries out with an essential and recurring truth: God quenches the thirst and satisfies the hunger of those who genuinely seek him. Jesus even said in his Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are those who…

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. —Psalm 23:2-3 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Some of us won’t slow down for anything! Sadly, when we become overly self-assured and get too caught up in…

Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path. —Psalm 119:105 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… So often, those of us who have received the blessings of faith and the guidelines of the word of God don’t fully appreciate them. Can you imagine what it would be like to try to…

For you make me glad by your deeds, O LORD; I sing for joy at the works of your hands. —Psalm 92:4 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Gaze into the heavens on a dark night away from the lights of the city. Then gaze at the innumerable wonders and starry hosts in the vastness of God’s…

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want. —Psalm 23:1 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… A sheep is only as good as its shepherd. We are incredibly blessed because God is our Shepherd. Our God shepherded his people through the times of the Old Testament. Jesus came and he cared for people because…

I will be glad and rejoice in you; I will sing praise to your name, O Most High. —Psalm 9:2 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… When was the last time you made up a song? When was the last time you made up a song of praise to offer to God? Worried that you can’t do…

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. —Psalm 91:1 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… During the summer’s scorching heat (which is not quite ended for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere and equatorial zones), where did you find your shadow of protection and refreshment?…

Do not envy a violent man or choose any of his ways, for the LORD detests a perverse man but takes the upright into his confidence. —Proverbs 3:31-32 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God does not like bullies, oppressors, or exploiters. Those who control by intimidation and violence are a detestable abomination to the LORD. We…

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” —Mark 12:30-31 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Sometimes the most important things are not hard to…

A patient man has great understanding, but a quick-tempered man displays folly. —Proverbs 14:29 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Responding to aggravation, threat, insult, irritation, and difficulty requires patience – great patience. Responding hastily out of anger is foolish. A hasty, unfiltered response seldom produces our desired long-term effect. This quick-tempered kind of response nearly always…

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. —Romans 8:28 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Bad stuff happens. We face this reality every day because we live in a fallen world subject to decay and death. Plus, we live…

As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit — just as it has taught you, remain in him. —1 John 2:27 Thoughts on Today’s Verse……

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. —Romans 8:26 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Isn’t it incredible! Even in those times when we can’t find the correct words and…

Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. Then you will win favor and a good name in the sight of God and man. —Proverbs 3:3-4 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Character is measured by the love and faithfulness we genuinely display in our…

“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” —John 8:31-32 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… At least three times in the Gospel of John, Jesus tells us how we can identify a true disciple of the LORD (John 8:31-32, 13:35,…

Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share plunder with the proud. —Proverbs 16:19 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… What is your source of significance? This proverb challenges us to view the world upside down compared to the rest of our culture. It’s similar to how Jesus taught us to live…

I am sending him [Tychicus] to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you. —Ephesians 6:22 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… As Paul faced the difficulties of imprisonment, he was more concerned about the people in Ephesus than he was about himself. Rather than keeping Tychicus…

My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight; they will be life for you, an ornament to grace your neck. —Proverbs 3:21-22 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… God used his wisdom to create the cosmos and all that is in it. Through his discernment, he appointed to each being…

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. —Ephesians 2:19-20 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… “We belong!” That’s what the apostle Paul is telling those of us who…

We love because he first loved us. —1 John 4:19 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… John wants us to realize that our love doesn’t originate in us. We love others because God has first loved us in Jesus. Oh yes, God has loved us in many other ways, but loving us in Jesus is the ultimate…

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. —Romans 8:18 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Paul didn’t make this statement lightly. He knew hardship! Take a look at the list of just some of the painful challenges the apostle endured in his letter to the…