One Verse Devotional

Going through a tough time? God may be allowing you to go through the fire in order to purify you like gold! In the Bible, Job knew all about having a bad day. He had the worst day anyone could have. He lost his farmland, animals, his family, and even broke out in boils. That’s rough! I can’t even imagine putting myself in Job’s shoes (sandals?). For the rest of the book of Job, he has a conversation with God about why these things happen. At one point, Job gets frustrated that he can’t find God when he needs Him most. Have you been there? Have you ever felt like your prayers were hitting the ceiling? Yeah, I think we all have! But then, in Job 23:10, Job turns the corner. That’s why it’s our One Verse Devotional today. Even though he couldn’t find God, Job is reassured that “He knows the way that I take.” Wow! He trusted that God knew all about him even though Job couldn’t find God. Then he continues. “When He has tested me, I will come forth as gold.” How do you purify gold? By putting it through the fire!

When we dedicate our lives to following God’s path of righteousness and love, we discover true life filled with joy and honor. So, we moved this weekend. Honestly, I feel a little like a zombie this morning. Part of me is here, while part of me is back in bed. But I am glad to be here! It feels good to sit at the mic and share God’s Word with you, again! Today’s One Verse comes from Proverbs 21:21, and uses a word I am not a fan of: prosperity. The word, itself, isn’t bad. But in Christianity, there is this certain theology called the “prosperity gospel” that basically says if you pray enough, go to church enough, and be good enough, God’s job is just to give you more and more stuff. I don’t believe this at all. I know God has our back. He takes care of us and provides for us. But life may be a roller coaster at times. This doesn’t mean you aren’t a good Christian. A lot of amazing Jesus followers have experienced some pretty bad things (including death!) over the centuries. So, what does this verse mean? Whe

Even in a world filled with tragedy and fear, God reminds us to find refuge in Him. Our world is filled, right now, with fear and hate and acts of terror. Just yesterday, Nice, France was hit. It is heartbreaking. It is exhausting to turn on the news and have several major tragedies happen just days and weeks apart from each other. But God is still good. It almost feels stupid writing that. But it’s true. I know many people struggle with this. How can God be good while all of this is happening. Why does He allow it? I can’t answer those questions. It’s much bigger than me. I don’t think anyone other than God can. But I trust Him. I can’t explain it. If you came across this episode of this podcast, and you are struggling with this, maybe today’s One Verse is for you. Taste and see that the Lord is good. That is the start of Psalm 34:8. It is like God is allowing us to test Him: “Spend time with me. Trust me. And you will experience my goodness in your life.” I can see this in my own life. I have experienced he

The Christian life is much more than not doing bad things. We are supposed to be a force for good in this world. We have been talking openly and honestly about the fear that has been gripping our country, and the tragedies that have caused it. I found this little verse in Amos I wanted to share with you. Seek good, not evil. If you grew up in the church, when you hear phrases like this, you think of all the rules Christians are supposed to have. Do this. Don’t do that. Say this. Don’t say that. Drink this. Don’t drink that. But I think this verse is going a layer deeper. The verse before it ends with “the days are evil.” These are evil days we are living in. When someone goes into a school, a nightclub, or a protest and starts shooting multiple victims, the days are evil! But the Bible gives us a mission. Seek good. In other words, you don’t have to give into the evil. Be a force for good in this world. As Christians, we must lead this charge and spread good and love in this world. This is the example of Chri

The world is crazy and life is crazy right now. But Jesus brings Hope through His Grace! This week, we are being honest and open on the One Verse Devotional about the craziness that is going on in our world. From terror attacks to race relations and police shootings to heated debates such as gay marriage and the church, many people are filled with fear, anger, or even hopelessness. God knew this was coming. He left us verses in the Bible that address the crazy times. Today’s One Verse, 1 Peter 1:13 is one of those verses. God, through Peter, tells us to live life alert and sober-minded. It’s like in my high school football days (I kind of feel like Uncle Rico typing that out!) when our coaches said you had to play with your head on a swivel. Be on the lookout! But as we are staying alert, God tells us to have hope because Jesus is bringing His grace to this world. That means He will set all things right. He will forgive and love and fix it all. Are you ashamed of your past? Are you fearful of the future? Don’

As followers of Jesus, we should be leading the way in showing love to others in our country and world. As Christians, is it our job to correct everyone and make sure they live according to Biblical principles? Or are we simply supposed to show love? It's a difficult topic. And in many ways, I would say… Both. Here is the problem. We are expecting people who do not yet believe in Jesus to live according to biblical standards. That isn't the focus. Not before someone knows Jesus. If they are not a Christian, we can't expect them to live like a Christian. In those moments, lifestyle and morality are not the issue. We are simply supposed to show love. The key is not their actions. It is belief in Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross. We will not guilt people into faith. That's not how this works. What would it look like if Christians showed love instead of correction? What would our Facebook feeds look like if we shared love instead of telling people how to live? As Christians, let us become the ambassadors of l

What the world needs now is Love. A HUGE amount of Love. My heart aches. After so many violents acts in the past months. Terrorism, Orlando, the police shootings that happened last week, and the retaliation in Dallas. Last night, I found out a well-known pastor I love and respect is being removed from leadership for alcohol abuse that started from a strained marriage. Our world is broken. It has been broken since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden. But the brokenness in our world is so evident today. That’s why today’s One Verse is different. No music. And it’s twice as long. But I just needed to share my heart. Our One Verse comes from some of the last words of Jesus at the Last Supper. Right after predicting his betrayal by Judas and right after reminding His disciples that He would go away, Jesus gives them a new command: Love one another. 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

Over and over throughout the Bible, God promises to never leave you or forget you. Life can get tough at times. But one thing that can multiply the hard times is if you feel like you are doing it alone. When you have a friend or a companion to talk to, vent to, and share your struggle with, it makes the tough times a little easier to handle. You have a partner. For some reason, we always seem to think God forgets about us in these times. I get it. It’s easy to think God has left you when life isn’t working out the way you thought it would. If God was with you, wouldn’t everything be better? Wouldn’t He fix it all? I don’t understand why God doesn’t always fix things. I guess He knows more than I do. But I do know this. Over and over and over again in the Bible, God makes this promise: He will never leave us and never forsake us. He won’t forget us. He won’t leave us to figure this all out on our own. So no matter what life looks like, remember this: God is with you. Keep trusting in Him! About One Verse One V

When was the last time you were really excited about your faith? Jesus tells a story of a man who found hidden treasure in a field. Can you imagine being this man? He’s just walking through an empty field. It’s barren. No crops. No fruit. And then he stubs his toe on something. As he looks down, he uncovers something special. Hidden treasure! What would you do? Jesus tells us that the man went immediately and sold everything he owned so he could buy the field. Can you imagine what his friends thought? Why would he sell everything for one field? What a waste! But the man knew what he found. He was excited about his treasure. Wouldn’t you be! And this brings up a very tough question. Jesus said this man was like the Kingdom of heaven. So here is the question: When was the last time you were as excited about your faith as this man is about his field? Do you see your faith as a hidden treasure or something you almost apologize for? Do you want to share your amazing find with the world or hide it in shame? These a

In order to experience all that God has for you, you must let go of you past mistakes. God has. Yesterday, we learned that God is doing a new thing in our lives. He is creating streams of life-giving water in what sometimes feels like the wilderness of life. Today, we learn another critical piece to this puzzle. The verse prior to yesterday’s One Verse explains HOW we can experience the new things God is doing in our lives. Isaiah 43:18 teaches us that we have to stop dwelling on the past and forget the sins and mistakes we’ve made. And here is the best part, God is the one speaking! He doesn’t want to judge you. He doesn’t want to hold you back or keep you down. He wants you to move on into the future blessings that He has for your life! Let’s finally forgive ourselves. God has. It’s time to let go of the past and move forward into the future that God has laid  out for us! 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,

God is doing a new thing in your life. He is creating streams in the wilderness. Sometimes life is confusing. (Can I get an “Amen!”?) We don’t know what the future holds. It can feel like our future is nothing more than a barren wilderness of options. But that’s not true, even if it feels that way. Even if it looks that way from every angle. Because God is doing a new thing in your life and in my life. In our One Verse today, God is talking, and He tells us that He is doing a new thing. He is forming streams in the middle of the wasteland. Life is never perfect. There will be times when it feels like a wilderness. But God has not left you. He has a plan, and He is not surprised about your circumstances. Stay true to Him. He IS doing a new thing in your life. Keep your eyes on Him, and He will show you the life-giving stream you’ve been waiting for! 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

We have been given freedom in Jesus! #4thofjuly #happyindependenceday Happy 4th of July! In Indiana, it is raining, but I don’t think that will stop people from blowing stuff up in my neighborhood! Ha! In light of today’s holiday, I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about the freedom we have in Jesus. Before we knew Christ, we were all in bondage to sin. So many people think that Christians have no choices and have so many rules. But the opposite is actually true. Yes, we live our lives with discipline, but this discipline gives us a bright future full of choices. The false freedom of sin actually is like chains around you, squeezing out your future. There are consequences to your choices. So, today, let’s celebrate the freedom of our country AND the freedom we have in Christ! And let us NEVER go back to the old ways of sin. 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. W

In order to find God’s will for your life, we first must allow God to teach us His will we find in the Bible. What is God’s will for my life? This is one of the top two or three questions many Christians have. What is God’s will? What is my purpose? Today’s One Verse says something very interesting: “Teach me to do your will...God.” Teach me? Not show me or lead me. Teach me. Why? Because there are two “God’s wills” for our lives. There is the purpose/God’s will many of us think of first. What job am I supposed to have? Where should I live? Who should I marry? What does my future look like? And these are honest questions we all need to answer. BUT… There is another purpose and God’s will that we find in the Bible. This “God’s will” is the same for ALL Christians. I have found verse after verse after verse that says, “If you want to do God’s will…” followed by love others or pray or spend time with God. That is what I believe Psalm 143 is talking about. Teach us, God to do the will of yours that we find alread

Simply believing that God exists isn’t enough. Satan believes that. We MUST place our trust in Jesus! Today’s One Verse has to be the most sarcastic verse in the entire Bible! It is a total #micdrop verse. It’s hilarious. But it also drives home a point that so many Christians need to hear and understand. I truly believe our churches are filled with people who would simply say, “I believe in God.” And that’s great. But it’s not enough. We can’t stop there. Do you believe in Jesus? That He died on the cross? That He rose again? That He is in heaven, now, waiting for us? All that is great. It is STILL not enough. Again, Satan knows all of those facts, too. He doesn’t like those facts, but he knows they are true. Yet, I don’t think we will see Satan in heaven forever. So, what is the difference?It all comes down to trust. We must go a step past just believing and allow our faith and our belief to transform our outlook and our heart. We must place our trust in God and what Jesus did on the cross! THAT is the diff

Is being a Christian about having deep faith or doing good deeds? According to the book of James, both! For the past several years, there has been this debate in the church about the Gospel vs. the Social Gospel. In other words, should we focus on sharing the message of Jesus dying on the cross for the world OR should we focus on feeding the poor and meeting people’s needs? What a ludicrous debate! Simply look at the life of Jesus, our ultimate mentor and an example. What did He do? Both! How many times did Jesus teach people AND feed people? The feeding of the 5,000, the feeding of the 4,000, going to Zacchaeus’s house. Or even when He was calling Peter to be a disciple, Jesus helped him catch fish. What about other needs? Most teachers and rabbis would sit in the temple and discuss the Scriptures. Jesus was considered a rabbi, and not a normal one. Why? Because this Rabbi walked through the desert meeting with people who had real needs. Then Jesus would heal them, talk to them, and feed them. In some occasi

Does anyone lack wisdom? (Um, yeah!) Ask God! Today’s One Verse is one of the great promises of the Bible, yet very few Christians know about it or act on it. James opens his letter with this plea: “Does anyone lack wisdom? Ask God! He will give it to you!” What an awesome verse! What an amazing promise. Do you need more wisdom in this life (Um, yeah!). Ok, Ask God, because He promises to give it to you. It doesn’t get any more simple than that! You need it? Ask for it. He’ll give it to you! There is no technicality or red tape. There is no trick. You need it? Ask for it. He’ll give it. If you are reading this, I STRONGLY encourage you to take God up on His promise. Add into your daily prayer life. I truly believe this one simple prayer can alter the path of your life. How would life be different if you would have had God’s wisdom at every decision? Exactly! When I read that, it hurts a little, thinking about some past life choices I’ve made. But it is also an encouragement to be serious about asking God for

Let’s be quick to open our ears and slow to open our mouths. I’ll be honest, I wish every Christian would read this verse, memorize this verse, and live this verse! Our One Verse comes from the Book of James, and he teaches us that we need to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to have anger. Well, if this election year isn’t the perfect time for this verse, I don’t know what it. Have you looked at your Facebook newsfeed, lately? Oh, my! The internet has given us a voice, and we have forgotten that it has also given us a great way to listen, as well. You can be firm in your beliefs. This verse isn’t about compromise. Look at Jesus. He spoke to tax collectors and prostitutes and all sorts of people. And He always listened. The only group of people that He was hard on and would put them “in their place” were the Pharisees, the religious leaders! Let’s follow Jesus’s example and listen before we speak or get angry. About One Verse One Verse is a short, free podcast devotional designed to help you grow cl

Episode 100!!! Our beautiful planet is just God showing off! I read a book called Sacred Pathways a few years ago, and it really changed my outlook on how we connect with God. The truth is, we don’t all connect with Him the same! Some listen to music, some want to connect to God in a group, some like to be alone. My main sacred pathway (we each have a couple) is connecting to God through His beautiful creation. Being in nature reminds me of how awesome God is. That is why I love today’s One Verse. Psalm 19:1 says that the “Heavens declare the glory of God.” What a cool idea! It’s like God was just showing off. When we look at the earth and study biology or astronomy, it points back to a creative God. To prepare your hearts for worship this weekend, I encourage you to get outside. Go for a walk or a bike ride. Get to a park. Our better yet, hit the beach! Whatever you do, get out of the house, soak in some sun, and reflect it back to God as praise! About One Verse One Verse is a short, free podcast devotional

Most of the time while we are waiting on God, He is already in the future waiting for us. Should we wait on God? We hear this phrase in the church all of the time, but is it accurate? Well, yes and no. Yes, the Bible tells us to wait on God. David says it in Psalms and it is mentioned in our One Verse today. But for as much as we hear this phrase in the church, it is actually only mentioned a few times in the Bible. So, should we wait on God? Yes. The Bible tells us to. Should people be waiting on God as much as we are today? No, not even close. Waiting on God has become like a crutch, an excuse to do nothing. “Well, I’m just waiting on God.” That’s why I love today’s One Verse Devotional. Isaiah 26:8 says that as we are walking in God’s ways, we wait for Him. So, are we walking or waiting? Both! You may not think you know God’s will for your life. You may not know where you are supposed to live, where you should work, who you should marry. BUT, there are a LOT of ways in the Bible where it says “If you want

In order to move into your future purpose, you MUST let go of past mistakes! Did Paul (in the Bible) have bad math? In our One Verse Devotional today, (welcome to the podcast, btw!), Paul says “this one thing I do” and then goes on to list two things. Was math different back then? Was Paul stupid? No and no. Paul was a very well-educated man. But he is using this as a word illustration to point out and teach us a critical principle of life. In order for us to be able to move into the future and live out our God-given purposes, we have to let go of our past mistakes, sin, guilt, and shame. I know this because I’ve lived this. For over 10 years! I just couldn’t get over my guilt and shame, but I would still try to step into God’s will for my life. And it was impossible! Why? Because we have to do this ONE thing: Forget what is behind AND move into what is ahead at the same time. 1+1≠2 in this verse. 1+1=1. If we follow this principle, it will allow us to step into God’s best for our lives. Please, let go of you