One Verse Devotional

Faith gives us hope because we can see God moving in every area of our lives. Faith is hard to wrap our minds around. You can’t see it. You can’t hold it. Yet, our One Verse for today, Hebrews 11:1, tells us that we can actually have assurance and hope in our faith. Faith doesn’t fly well in today’s culture. Science and information rules. Experience matters. But faith? Not so much. So, what is faith? Faith is a choice. Faith is choosing to have confidence in the Hope we can’t see. Faith doesn’t make sense. If it did, it wouldn’t be faith. Faith is supernatural assurance in what we cannot see and choosing to Hope. That sounds strange, doesn’t it? How can you have hope in something you cannot see? It’s hard to explain, but once you have deep faith, it is as real as anything else in life. How does it bring hope? Because our faith allows us to see God working in our lives, the good and the bad. And if we can’t see God moving, we know to look for Him. That is what Faith does in our lives. It allows us to see where

“God takes full responsibility for the life wholly devoted to Him.” -Charles Stanley We don't have to worry about finding God's will for our lives. God takes responsibility for His will and purpose in this world. The Bible makes it clear over and over, again. God will guide us towards His will. After all, it is His purpose that He want to see lived out in the world. He wants you to find His will. He has invited you into the story. We don't need to stress about finding God's will. Just find God and He will show you the way!

Through His sacrifice on the cross, Jesus paid our sin debt. Now, as followers of Jesus, we are called to honor God with our actions. There is a lot of talk today about what we can do as Christians. What is ok, what is not ok? What is right, what is wrong? How should we live our lives? I think these are the wrong questions. Our One Verse today in 1 Corinthians 6:20 gives us a different outlook. It reminds us that Jesus paid everything for our future. We had sin and judgement and death to look forward to, but Jesus turned that into life and grace and forgiveness. How should we live in light of this fact? It isn’t just about doing what is right and what is wrong. It also means we ask ourselves: what are the positive things we can engage in like serving others? Let us honor God with our bodies today.

The focus of the Christian faith isn’t about following rules. The goal isn’t a bunch of do’s and don’ts. Jesus taught and lived compassion. The focus of true Christianity is Love in all of its forms. Not only was this the example of Jesus, we find it throughout the Bible. Even in the Old Testament, the book of Isaiah teaches us how to live a life of true Love.

Sharing your faith is one of the scariest parts of being a Christian, but it doesn’t have to be. Simply tell your story. One of the biggest questions many Christians have is, “How do I share my faith?” We know we are supposed to do it. Yet, most of us shy away from sharing our faith because we don’t know how. We don’t want to be pushy. We don’t want to get into a debate with someone. We don’t want to seem like a know-it-all. But sharing your faith has nothing to do with any of these things. Sharing your faith is simply telling your story. This is how John, who lived with Jesus, begins his letter. He isn’t giving second hand information. He is telling the story that he experienced. We should do the same. Simply tell your story. Telling a story isn’t a debate. You are simply sharing what God has done in your own life. And who doesn’t love a good story?

What do we do when God doesn’t seem to be listening? When we aren’t sure where to turn or what to do, we reach out to God for the next step. We ask for vision and clarity. We ask for deliverance. And all of that is good. He wants us to do that. But have you ever felt that God is being silent? David begins Psalm 109, “My God, whom I praise, do not remain silent.” What an amazing prayer. There have been times that I felt like God had been silent. Yet, my wife and I decided, together, that we will still praise God. We will still trust that He is in control. So, make this your prayer: God, do not remain silent. But always remember that small phrase in the middle… whom I praise. Continue to seek God and praise Him, even in the waiting.

The Christian life is like a marathon race. Get rid of anything that is weighing you down.The Christian life is like a marathon race. Get rid of anything that is weighing you down. The Christian life is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes perseverance. It takes discipline. Stick with it. Finally, it we are running a race, we need to remove any weight that is holding us back. We know we need to get rid of sin in our lives. But what else is in your life that is holding you back? It might not be sin, but it is getting in the way of God’s best for your life?

God’s will is not a secret.  Many Christians wonder what God’s will is for their lives. The thing is, the Bible gives us the answer. No, the Bible can’t tell you exactly what job you are supposed to have, who to marry, or where to live. But God’s will goes way beyond all of these areas. God’s will involves bringing our lives in line with what God is doing in the world. How do we discover this? How do we join God? Our One Verse for today, Romans 12:2 gives us the answer.

Worship isn’t the songs we sing, but the lives we live. In the Old Testament, sacrifices were a big deal. They were a large part of many national festivals. One one day out of the year, a sacrifice was even made that would cover the sins of the entire nation of Israel. After military victories or special blessings, a sacrifice would be made. Yet, every sacrifice was, at its core, an act of worship. Making a sacrifice was a way of offering praise to God and acknowledging His deity. In our One Verse today, we are called to become a “living sacrifice.” How can we do this? By giving our lives back to God. He has given us true Love, forgiveness, grace and mercy. In turn, we should be compelled to give our lives back to Him. It is the ultimate act of worship. I encourage both you and myself to live our lives as living sacrifices to God. He isn’t easy, but it is the greatest act of worship we can give: Ourselves.

“I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” We need to keep this verse close to us at all times. If you have ever experienced heartache, pain, or disappointment in your life, this verse is for you. I love this verse because it is the answer to so many questions. How many times have you looked at God and asked, “Lord, I don’t know how I’m going to get through this. I don’t know how I can overcome this pain. I don’t know how I can face this sickness. I don’t know how we’re going to pay this bill. Are You there? Can You help me?” Have you asked those questions. I have. And for each of those situations, Jeremiah 32:27 is the answer. Keep this verse in your wallet. Keep it in your purse. And when you have one of those deep life questions, take it out and read God’s answer. “I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?” No, Lord. There isn’t.

Are you letting some things replace the best God has for your life? This week, we have been looking at the book of Jeremiah. Today, Jeremiah is gonna drop a little truth bomb on us. We probably don’t have a lot of “worthless wooden idols” in our house. Or do we? I know I have some electronic idols. I have some food idols. An idol is anything that can take us away from God or substitute His work in our lives. When I’m stressed, I turn to food. Idol. Or I binge watch on Netflix. Idol. Is food or Netflix bad? No. But I can turn them into an idol when I start to look to the for refreshment instead of my relationship with God. Let’s evaluate our lives and see if there are any idols we need to give up.

God is giving you a future filled with Hope. Your past may be filled with mistakes and regrets. Your current reality may be uncertain and you aren’t where you hoped you would be. But God has not forgotten you. He has a plan for your life. He wants to protect you from harm. He wants to give you a future. He is your Hope.

Jeremiah didn’t have the easiest life. He even told God that He deceived him. Even though Jeremiah was frustrated, he knew that God’s message was a fire in his bones he could not contain. I love this verse. It is a rally cry for anyone who desires to be a Light Bearer and a true follower of Jesus. The message of Jesus is like a fire we cannot control. For anyone who is serious about following Jesus, His message of Love will pour out of us.

God knows you. He loves you. He has a plan for you. We are in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah was an Old Testament prophet who, frankly, had a pretty tough life. Yet, with all the pain he went through, we still find some of the most uplifting and encouraging verses in the Bible in His writings. Today, God wants you to know that He loves you, He knows you deeply, and He created a plan for your life before you were even born. That is how special you are to God!

Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice so we could receive the ultimate gift. Matthew 27:50 is the verse that changed history. In this moment, Jesus took on the weight of the world. He bore the wrongdoings of every man and woman that has ever lived or ever will live. Jesus paid the sin-debt of death for all of humanity. In the beginning, God and humankind enjoyed a perfect relationship, spending everyday together. But sin changed that. God is perfect and holy, and He can not associate with sin, evil, or injustice. It is against His very nature. By our own sin, we had separated ourselves from God. And only one penalty could heal our sin-debt: death. Blood would need to be shed. It was the only way. Jesus lived a perfect life in an imperfect world. He was innocent, the one human that did not need to appease the blood-debt. But He stood in our place. He took on our debt and paid the price with His life. Now, through His death, our debt has been paid. And through His resurrection, death and hell and sin have been conq

At the Last Supper, Jesus gave us a new command. You might remember from earlier this week that Jesus quoted the Old Testament with He was asked what the greatest commandment was. Jesus is now in the upper room with his closest disciples and gives us all a new commandment. What is this new commandment? To love one another as Jesus loves us. As we enter Easter weekend, let’s remember how much Jesus gave for us because of His Love and show that same love for others that we encounter each and every day.

How can we effectively love our neighbor? Yesterday and today, we are looking at what Jesus called the first and second greatest commandments. Jesus said “all the laws and prophets hang on these two commandments.” What did he mean? Can the entire Christian life be summarized in just two commands? If we love God and love people, we would live a life full of worship and purpose!

Jesus said the greatest commandment is to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. As we look to Easter, we are looking at a verse, each day, from the last week of Jesus’s life. It’s funny how many times Jesus doesn’t answer a direct question in the Bible. He usually answers a question with another question. He wants people to think and dive deeper. That is, until someone is trying to test Jesus. Then He doesn’t mess around! Well, today’s One Verse is one of those times. It is during Holy Week, the last week before Jesus goes to the cross. An “expert” in the law is trying to test Jesus, and we get to listen in and hear from Jesus as He answers the question: “Which is the greatest commandment?”

This is the start of Holy Week, which means we are less than a week away from Easter, resurrection Sunday! To prepare for Easter, we are going to look at a verse, each day, from the final week of Jesus’s life here on earth. Today’s One Verse takes place when Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey. The Bible tells us it caused quite a stir when Jesus entered the city. Palm leaves and branches were being thrown in the street, and people were shouting, “Hosanna!” For those who didn’t understand what was happening, they had one question: Who is this? We all have one question we must answer in life: Who is Jesus? This isn’t a question we only ask once, but one we continually ask ourselves throughout our lives.

When we grow close to God, He will show us the true, deep desires of our heart.