One Verse Devotional

Jesus is the Bread of Life, providing for us and sustaining us. He fills in the gaps of our soul. Way back in the Old Testament, Moses was walking in the desert one day when he saw something strange. A bush that wouldn’t stop burning. As he approached it, God spoke to him and told Moses to go back to Egypt and free His people. I’m sure you’ve heard the story. What does that have to do with our One Verse for today’s devotional? Everything. When Moses was talking to God about freeing the Israelites, he had a question. “But Who do I say sent me?” God answered with His name. The name God has given Himself. “I AM.” The name of God. “Tell them that I AM has sent you.” Which begs the question: What does THAT mean? Seriously. What does “I AM” even mean? That’s why we have Jesus. At least, one reason. Jesus fulfills the Old Testament. In the Gospel of John, we have the “I Am passages.” Jesus begins several statements with the phrase “I am.” To us, it seems normal. But to the Jewish people, they knew exactly what Jesus

A prayer for your week: “Show me your ways, Lord. Teach me your paths.” -Psalm 25:4 It’s Monday which means… Yeah, it’s Monday. Wah, wah. After a great weekend, it’s time to hit the grind, again. Here is my question for you: Where are you at in life? How satisfied are you? Maybe you have a great job that you love, but are the other areas of your life where you want them to be? Maybe you are going to a job you can’t stand, but have to stay there to help pay the bills. Maybe your job situation is a nightmare. Your hours have been cut or you’ve been laid off. If you are in any of these situations, you may not know what the future holds. You are waiting and hoping and wondering. At times, probably many times, you feel defeated. Lost, even. If so, today’s One Verse is for you! Let this Psalm of David be your prayer for the week. “Show me your ways, Lord. Teach me your paths.” What a great prayer to adopt when you feel lost. I encourage you to write this on a sticky note and stick it on your desk. Save it on the lo

At times, life will get crazy. But remain confident in one thing: You will see the goodness of God in your life. Let’s be honest. Sometimes life sucks. It does. As Christians, we have to be honest about this. Actually, I’ll put it another way. I cannot stand it when some pastors or churches or Christians only want to act like life should be all rainbows and lollipops if you are following Jesus. Stay close to God and blessings will flow nonstop. That’s total crap. If it were the truth, then what do we say to Paul, Peter, and most of the other apostles who went through heartache, pain, or lost their lives for the Gospel? The Christian life isn’t have a perfect life. No, the Christian life is about being honest about living in a broken world, yet having a Savior and God who loves us and takes care of us at every turn. David knew this. You know, King David. David and Goliath, David. David, who wrote most of the Psalms, David. That guy. In Psalm 27, he is being honest about the fact that life doesn’t always look l

When you place your hope in the Lord, He will renew your strength giving you wings like eagles. At some point, life gets to all of us. We have all experienced pain, suffering, or just flat out exhaustion. Have you ever felt like you simply didn’t have the energy or rest to carry on and face the day? I’m raising my hand! We could all use some rest and renewal. A little R&R. But how? Where can we get it, where does it come from? Thankfully, today’s One Verse Devotional gives us the answer. Isaiah 40:31 says, “But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary,  they will walk and not be faint.” When we place our hope and trust in God, He promises to renew our strength and give us wings like an eagle! Have you ever seen an eagle in nature? They are majestic. I remember seeing them when our family took a trip out West. It was incredible seeing them soar above us. It’s not too hard to imagine that they don’t have too many cares in thi

When you completely trust that God can take care of you and has your back, you can truly surrender to His will and take comfort in your future. Jeremiah was an Old Testament prophet who knew a little something about pain. Life was often not what he had expected. There is even a time when he is talking to God and says, “You deceived me.” Now, that takes some guts! Especially in the OT when God was known to open the earth and swallow people inside! But Jeremiah had a pretty cool relationship with God. That doesn’t mean things were easy. Jeremiah is known as the “weeping prophet.” Yet, in today’s One Verse devotional, Jeremiah begins his prayer with this: “Ah, Sovereign Lord…” I love that! He acknowledges how great God is right out of the gate. Sovereign. But I loved how he opens with almost a sigh. Ah. When I read this verse, I get the sense that Jeremiah is finally understanding how much God loves him and is willing to take care of him. Ah. He begins his prayer with a sigh, a deep breath. One of both comfort a

Do you know how wide and long and high and deep God’s Love is for you? God loves you. You’ve probably heard these words before. Yet, it is still a struggle for many of us. Most of us, if we’re being honest. God loves me? Ok, how much? I think we have a general understanding of God’s Love. We know it with our minds. God loves us. But it’s our hearts that get confused. When something odd or tragic or depressing happens in life, some of biggest questions revolve around God’s Love. “How could a loving God let this happen?” is a phrase I’ve heard many times. It’s tough. I’m not denying that. But in the few moments I have with you right now, I want to try and encourage you. I want to reinforce God’s Love in your life. Our One Verse today, Ephesians 3:18 is actually a prayer that Paul had for the church in Ephesus. I am passing this prayer along to you. Paul says, “I pray that you...grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ.” It’s almost rhetorical, isn’t it? It’s like Paul is saying, “You will

My prayer for you today: You would be strengthened with the power of God through His Spirit. I love Paul’s prayer for the Ephesians. To start of this week, I want to make this my prayer for you, as well. Through God’s glorious riches, He will strengthen us and give us His power. How many riches does God have? Does He need anything? Of course not! It is so easy to get caught up in the small details of life and forget that we serve a God and have a Father who needs nothing. He has everything. And it is out of those riches that He blesses us and provides for us! Through His Spirit, God will comfort us and give us power to live out our purpose in this world and to love others. I pray this for you today. May you be strengthened by His Spirit! About One Verse One Verse is a short, free podcast devotional designed to help you grow closer to God through less than 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Consistency trumps intensity. When it comes to working out, eating healthy, or managing our finances, consistency always tru

When our world seems so crazy, remember to always keep your eyes on the Lord, and you will not be shaken. It’s hard to watch the news, isn’t it? Honestly, I have never been a huge fan. Maybe it’s because my dad watched it constantly. When he wasn’t watching a 24-hour cable news channel, it was only because he was switching over to the major network’s local and national news. Maybe it’s because I simply don’t like seeing that much negativity back to back for an hour. But today, the news is getting hard for everyone to watch. Shootings, terrorism, and the craziest political season I have ever seen. Honestly, I am not a fan of either of the major candidates this year, so I groan at every political story. It’s getting harder and harder to face what is going on in the world. Fortunately, our One Verse today was written by a man who had also seen a lot of ups and downs. Before he was king, David had been a poor shepherd. For years, King Saul chased him through the wilderness trying to kill him. David knew what it m

Telling others about Jesus doesn’t have to be scary. You don’t need to be a scholar. Simply share your story. No one can debate YOUR story! One of the scariest things about being a Christian is sharing your faith. I have heard it over and over, again. We get anxious and nervous when we think about it. I get it. It’s awkward. It’s uncomfortable. But there is one thing that really keeps us from telling people we are Christian or sharing our faith: “But what if someone asks me something I don’t know?” I have heard this question more times than I can count. We are afraid that when we share our faith, the other person will begin to drill us with questions about the Bible. So, we figure, I can’t tell people about Jesus because I don’t know the Bible that well. It makes sense. Even our One Verse today, 1 Peter 3:15 says, “Always be prepared to give an answer.” And that is what terrifies us. But what if we are thinking about it all wrong? What if there is more to this issue and this verse? I believe there is! Peter g

For thousands of years, a priest could only come into God’s presence one day a year. Through Jesus, we can come into His presence whenever we wish. What an honor! I think we take prayer for granted. I know I do. It’s easy, right? Both prayer and taking it for granted. We can “throw one up” on the way into work or right before a big test. Some families sing a rhyming prayer before dinner. It’s just, well, prayer, right? Only it isn’t. Prayer is a spiritual act of coming into the presence of God. For thousands of years, only one person could come before the presence of God: The High Priest. Not just any priest. The High Priest. He was the only one. And he couldn’t do it whenever he wanted. It only happened on one specific day every year. On the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would enter the Holy of Holies, the presence of God. Yet, when Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. It was a picture. This veil concealed the Holy of Holies. And when Jesus was on the cross,

Satan isn’t a red cartoon with a pitchfork. He is on the prowl and wants to take you down. Stay alert. Stay close to God. There is an epic war going on right now. It’s the largest battle in history, yet we can’t see it. It is a spiritual war that has been waging for thousands of years. And bad news. Your soul is at the center. You are the prize. God and Satan. Good and evil. This conflict is vicious. Yet, it is so easy to go through our normal day and never give this a second thought. It’s hard when you can’t see something. But it’s true, anyway. Peter tells us that Satan is like a lion seeking its prey. Have you watched those nature shows? I’m sure you have. The lion, flat on its belly, wading through the tall grass towards the unsuspecting prey. Without warning, the lion leaps and seconds later, the deed is done. Death. Destruction. The lion is victorious. Now play that scene out with our own lives. I can think of examples I’ve seen of people who have made horrible choices. Affairs, addiction, stealing. The

Peter to the Church: “Be like-minded, sympathetic, compassionate, and humble.” Does this describe us today? I love the Church. I really do. But I am also hard on the Church. This is born from my love for the Church. I truly want God’s best for the Church today in America and across the world. Sadly, Peter’s description of how Christians should live is not what I see many times. We aren’t like minded or sympathetic. Instead, we too easily get stuck in our own ways and our own view of the Bible and the world. Do we love others and show compassion? Or do we constantly try to “correct” others and look down on people who don’t hold our same views? And this isn’t Christians to the world. This is Christians to other Christians. But I believe we can do better. We have to do better. For many of us, I think we need these words from Peter. Yes, of course we need these words. But what I mean is that we actually need to see that Peter said them. If I didn’t know this verse, I would think that Peter-the forefather of the C

What if we went to church already praising God rather than spiritually drained and looking for the pastor to give us something to make it through another week? “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” That is a quote from today’s One Verse out of Psalm 100:4. Psalm 100, in my opinion, is one of the greatest praise Psalms. It is short, only five verses, but is so uplifting and encourages us to shout God’s praises. It is a feel-good passage, for sure! But it also a great reminder to praise God’s name. It is worthy of our praise. How many times to we (spiritually) drag into church each week, look at the pastor, and basically say, “Please give me something to make it through another week.” I understand. I’ve been there countless times. Sometimes life is on fast forward and we can’t keep up. But can I be real for a second? Maybe a little tough love? How many times is that actually on us? I’m not saying we can never be tired. We are in the middle of a move right now, so I’ve been tired for tw

This world is troubled, but Jesus tells us to take heart! Why? He has overcome the world. There is no doubt that our world is troubled. I can hardly watch the news, and actually avoid it most nights. Scene after scene of violence from around the country and around our world. Jesus warned us that we would experience trouble in this world. I always thought He meant that we would experience hard times in our lives. That is true, of course. But I think He meant even more than that. Our entire world would be troubled. But Jesus reminds us of two very important things in our One Verse today. In John 16, Jesus is at the Last Supper talking to His disciples. As Jesus was going to the cross in just a few short days, do you think those words were important? Yeah! He tells the disciples that He came to bring us peace. The teachings of Jesus and going to the cross were meant for us to find true God-peace in Him. In Jesus. And then Jesus reminds us of something very important. He tells us that we will experience trouble i

Do to others as you would have them do to you. Our society need the Golden Rule now more than ever! I hear a lot of phrases quoted as Bible verse that aren’t actually in the Bible. But then there are other phrases that have become so popular or common that we forget they actually ARE from the Bible. A house divided against itself is one example. The immortal words of Abraham Lincoln. His inspiration: Jesus. Yep, that phrase is from the Bible. Another phrase that’s easy to forget that it is actually from the Bible is the Golden Rule. It comes straight from the mouth of Jesus and it is today’s One Verse. Many times, we think the Golden Rule was something we learned as a child, so we discredit it. That was childish thinking. Be nice, share your toys, the Golden Rule. Old school. But I would say that our society, our country, and our world needs the Golden Rule now more than ever. I know this is ideological and very utopian thinking, but how could our country change if we all started living by this simple rule? M

The greatest leaders don’t say, “This is how great I am.” The greatest leaders say, “This is how I can serve you.” Jesus always has a different way of looking at things. That is probably one of the greatest reasons I love being a Christian. The true message of Jesus is radical and almost mind-bending. Over and over, Jesus would say, “You’ve heard it said…, but I say…” or “You’ve been taught [that], but I’m teaching you [this].” Many times, these teachings are major ways to view the world. Today’s One Verse is a great example. While on the road traveling from city to city (Galilee to Capernaum this time), the disciples were (once again) arguing with each other. Jesus asked them what they were arguing about, but they were too embarrassed to say. Of course, Jesus already knew. So, He answered their question anyway. The question? Who among us will be the greatest in the Kingdom of Jesus? Remember, they thought Jesus was coming to set up an earthly kingdom and overthrow Rome. In Mark 9:35, Jesus gave the answer: “

In a world of chaos, it’s more important than ever to stand firm in Jesus, even if it means persecution. The Sermon on the Mount is the greatest sermon ever told. For almost three chapters in the book of Matthew, Jesus lays out many of His core teachings. Over and over, He calls us to a new way and a new outlook on life. In Matthew 5:11, He says, “Blessed are you when people insult you.” What Jesus? How is that a blessing? Jesus ends with “because of me.” That is when persecution is a blessing, when it is for Jesus. Sometimes, I’m afraid that I am more like the description in Revelation. A “lukewarm” Christian. Are we standing firm in our beliefs? Or are we going with whatever is popular at the time? This is tough, because there is a good chance that we are going to disagree on some issues or theology. The Bible is complex and deep. There are really smart people on both sides of every argument. But I don’t think we are going to get to heaven and God is going to start pointing out where our views were wrong. H

When we are in a season of waiting for God, don’t look around and compare yourself to the success of others. Wait. On. God. It can be hard when you are in a season of waiting. You feel helpless. You are ready for things to move ahead, to discover that next step. For whatever reason, though, God is making you wait. When we are in a season of waiting, it can be so easy to look around at others and compare our lives. Our One Verse today warns against that. We don’t know what is going on in their lives. Maybe God is blessing them. That is great for them. We don’t know what God is doing in their life and what He is doing in our lives. We don’t know the circumstances behind the scenes. As the verse is Psalm says, maybe they are getting ahead through dishonest ways. We don’t know. But there is one thing we CAN do. We can keep our eyes on God and focus on Him. He is working in your life to form your spirit and prepare your future. Trust Him. Don’t look around at others. Wait on God. About One Verse One Verse is a sho

You are God’s work of art, and He has created a purpose and a plan for your life. It can be hard to receive a compliment, can’t it? You aren’t sure how to react and you wonder, deep down, if it’s really true. So, what if someone called you a work of art? That you were a masterpiece? That can be hard to hear. Really, me? What if that person was God? Because that is exactly what the Bible says in Ephesians 2:10. This verse is jam-packed with wisdom and encouragement. In just 22 words, we learn that we are God’s handiwork, His work of art. We then learn that God has a purpose for our lives to do good works in His name. Finally, our One Verse teaches that God has a plan for our lives that He has been preparing for a long time! This may be hard to hear, but you are God’s work of art, and He has created a purpose and a plan for your life. Your mistakes don’t matter. That is why God has given us grace and Love. You are not disqualified from the purpose and plan God has created for your life. You are His masterpiece.

Will God give you more than you can handle? Yes! It forces us to depend on Him. Have you ever heard the phrase, “God won’t give you more than you can handle” or even used it yourself? The problem is, it never shows up in the Bible. As a matter of fact, the opposite is true. God WILL give us more than we can handle so we have to seek after Him, depend on Him, and allow Him to work in our lives. So, where did this phrase come from? From today’s One Verse. Well, a misquoting of today’s verse. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. When it comes to temptation, God will never place us in a situation that we can’t get out of. The verse even ends with a promise: God will always provide a way of escape. We can never say, “God did this. He led me to temptation.” We can’t even say “the devil made me do it!” No, it is on us. But we have a LOT of help in God. He is with us, and He will always provide a way out. We are all in this together. You will never face a temptati