One Verse Devotional

This world needs love. And if God is Love, His people need to lead the charge. “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other.” What a beautiful way to begin a verse. This verse isn’t some closing remarks in Paul’s letter. It happens right smack dab in the middle. It is like a prayer of blessing. May the Lord bless you. May He keep you. May the Lord make your love increase. That is kind of how I read this verse. I also love that Paul purposefully says “for each other and everyone else.” We can’t read this verse and think that it only means we show love to other Christians. There is no stipulations to this verse. May the Lord increase your love to everyone. That’s it. I am reminded of the Orlando shooting. I was concerned how the Church and the Christian community was going to react, since this was a gay nightclub. And, yes, there were a few crazies. But for the most part, I saw love come from so many pastors. Well known pastors and churches poured out support. Even Chick-fil-A (obviously no

God has given us an awesome and sobering responsibility: To be stewards of His Creation! Let’s take care of this planet. When did it become some hot topic item that taking care of the planet was some horrible, left-wing agenda? Yet, I see that over and over again from many Christians. It’s a topic I really don’t understand. In our One Verse today, God lays out (in the very first chapter of the Bible, no less!) that He has placed us as stewards over His Creation. What an awesome and sobering responsibility! I remember my views on this topic changed about 10 years ago when we took a family vacation to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. It was gorgeous. Thousands of people come every year to see this beautiful landscape, go snow skiing (in summer!) or white water rafting. I loved hiking in the Grand Tetons. Gorgeous! This was also the first time I noticed that every trash can in Jackson Hole was actually three trash cans for trash/garbage, recyclable paper, and plastic. I had never seen that. Then it hit me: This is all the

No matter what has happened in your life, God is a place of refuge in your time of trouble #love #grace #faith In ancient times, if someone was killed, the family could go after and seek justice on the person who was at fault. Yet, if this was an accident (which probably happened often in ancient times), that person at fault could escape to a City of Refuge. There, we could find safety and sanctuary until they received a trial. In the Old Testament, then this idea of refuge was very important. It meant that no matter what happened in your life, you had hope. Our One Verse for today says that God is our refuge. See, He isn’t waiting to strike you down for every mistake. He is your source of hope, grace, and a future. Psalm 46:1 says he is our refuge and help in times of trouble. I think about being outside camping or hiking during a storm. You quickly look for an overhang in the cliff to hide under for safety. That is God in our lives. Refuge when things have gone wrong. Safety during the storms of life. Whate

God tells us to set our minds on things above, not on the earth. But how does that work? One word: FOCUS Have you ever tried talking to someone who is deep in their cell phone? Or talk to someone while they are watching t.v. or surfing the internet only to realize they haven’t heard a thing? (“I’ve been there!” -My wife.) It’s frustrating, isn’t it! You may have something important you need to talk to them about, but their FOCUS is somewhere else. I think that is what God means in our One Verse today. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Of course, there are some earthly things we have to take care of. I have a family. I have bills to pay. Even fun stuff. I enjoy snow skiing and going to the beach and, yes, a good movie. But it all comes down to our FOCUS. Where are we placing our focus? Where is our main attention going? Does God feel like He is trying to tell us something important, but our face is stuck in our phone? Life can get distracting. But let’s keep our focus on what really matter

As Light Bearers, we have been called to crucify our old flesh and live fresh lives in Jesus, spreading His Love in this world. The Christian life has some strange themes and ideas. It’s true. Many of the teachings of Jesus simply confused the people He was talking to. In today’s One Verse Podcast Devotional, Paul writes about death and life. A strange thing to write. Why would Christians be called to die? This idea of death and life deals with our spirit. We all have a dark side, deep down, that we would rather not think about. I do. The greed, jealousy, envy, pride, and lust that wants to creep up in my life. That is the “old flesh” as Paul called it in another passage. There is only one response to the old flesh: death. We crucify is with Jesus on the cross. BUT through this death, we experience true life in Jesus. We are transformed. We are given new life and the “new flesh” in Christ. Now, we no longer live for #1. Because Jesus didn’t either. He gave His life away. Let’s follow Jesus’s example and sprea

When Philippians 4:4 says rejoice always, it REALLY means always, even when your van is stolen out of your driveway. Yep, our van was stolen out of our driveway last week. Gone. Zip. Sayōnara. But here is the best part. I had already recorded my One Verse’s for the week, but I hadn’t edited them. Philippians 4:4 was supposed to go live on Thursday. Our van was stolen on Wednesday. So, after a day of calling the police, calling into work, calling insurance, driving almost 2 hours to borrow my mom’s car, and being totally drained, I went to edit my podcast for Thursday. And what pulls up? What verse do I read and hear my own voice teaching? Rejoice always. Rejoice. ALWAYS. I could only laugh. Of course it would be that verse! But the thing is, we had been rejoicing that day. I prayed with my family (in front of my children so they would hear it) thanking God that we were all safe. It had been our van, nor our home. We lost some things, but nothing that was life changing. Once you get past the frustration, you r

We are praying for Orlando. Yesterday, fifty people lost their lives and another fifty people were injured at a popular gay, Orlando night club. This was the highest death toll of any modern shooting on American soil. My heart broke for the victims and their families. But I immediately had a different thought. With all of the talk and controversy over the past few years over gay marriage and the debates among many churches and major denominations, I wondered how the Christian community would react. Would we show love? Or would some use this as a time to further their agenda? This isn’t a question about gay, straight, sin, is it okay, or marriage. This is a time to show unconditional love. This is a time for Christians to stand up, reach out, and express amazing amounts of love toward the gay community. It is a time to remember that we ALL are created in the image of God. Please pray for Orlando. We are at Phosphorus Project and the One Verse Devotional. About One Verse One Verse is a short, free daily devotio

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14 Today’s One Verse Devotional is like a prayer for our weekend. May the words of my mouth and the things I say be pleasing to God. May the meditation of my heart, the thoughts I have and what I continue to dwell on be pleasing to God. Why? Because He is our Rock, our Redeemer, and our Savior. He has done so much for me, that I want everything that I say, do, and even think about to be pleasing to Him! Obviously, this isn’t easy. We are surrounded by temptation and have a million reasons to let something not-so-pleasing come out of our mouths every day (read: morning work commute! #roadrage Ha!) But I want to strive for my words and deeds and thoughts to be pleasing to the One that truly matters. Have a great weekend! About One Verse One Verse is a short, free daily devotional designed to help you grow closer to God through less than 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Consistency trumps

Let’s live our lives with gratitude! In every situation, find something you can rejoice in. I love marketing. I listen to marketing podcasts and read marketing blogs. But as much as I love to study marketing, I have one major problem with it. For most marketing, there is a fundamental message they work from and it is this: Getting you to be discontent with your life. Yes you have a car that works fine, but how much better would your life be if you had OUR car! Look at all of these fancy buttons and gadgets. Or… Yes, you have dinner planned out for tonight and it is within your budget, but what if you didn’t have to work so hard and just ordered our delicious pizza, instead. Can’t you just see the steam and the melty cheese on your television? We live in a world where we are surrounded by these types of messages. It’s ok. I’m not mad at them. They have to figure out how to sell to us when there is so much noise. But for us, it can have a serious impact. Soon, we start to never be content with what we have. We

No one wants to make a big mistake in life. How does it happen? Poor small choices that lead to more. Growing up, did you ever have a sibling or friend that was going to keep you out of your room? They pushed all of their weight behind it. But if you could just get one little foot in the crack of the door, you would eventually be able to wedge the door open and get inside. The same is true with sin, mistakes, and poor choices in our lives. Today’s One Verse Devotional is from Ephesians 4:27 and teaches us not to give the devil a foothold. Just like opening the door as a kid, all satan has to do is find a little crack in our integrity--fudging on your taxes, sending a private message to your cute coworker--and he has a much easier job of prying that door open more and more over time. BUT! If we never give a crack, never give a foothold, our integrity will stay complete and we will avoid the huge mistakes in life. No one dreams of ruining their marriage by having an awful affair. How does it happen? Giving the

Faith is personal, but it is not private. Your faith can actually bring great encouragement to others who are struggling in theirs. Just like yesterday, today’s One Verse is a personal message from me to you. Paul told the church of the Thessalonians that he had actually been encouraged by their faith in his times of distress (and Paul had some distress!) I feel the same about you. There have been times when I’ve wanted to quit the podcast (or my Youtube channel before). But right when I feel that way, I get an email or a private message or even a Facebook comment from someone telling me how much what I am doing means to them and their spiritual life. What an encouragement! But this goes beyond me. You have the power to encourage other Christians who are struggling in their faith. By seeing you, it can give them hope. What about your pastor? That’s a tough job with little thanks. I know! So many pastors are tempted to quit. Your faith could be just the thing that is bringing them encouragement and allowing t

Hold on tight to the teachings of Jesus. It will help you stand firm in an unpredictable world. I love today’s One Verse because I want to adopt Paul’s message. He encourages his brothers and sisters in the faith to stand firm and hold fast to the teachings he passed on to them by mouth or by letter. Well, I want to add podcast! I am also passing these teachings of Jesus, this Word of God to you, my brothers and sisters in the faith. My hope, like Paul, is that you stand firm in these teachings. Dive into God’s Word. It stays firm in a constantly shifting world. About One Verse One Verse is a short, free daily 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 trumps intensity. We reach our major life goals through small, purposeful steps taken daily. The same is true in our spiritual lives. I truly believe you will grow closer to God by spe

What or Who do you place your trust in? #god #isitreally #itdoesntalwaysmakesenseonpaper As a Jesus follower, life doesn’t always make sense on paper. We look at the world differently. Most people put their trust in power, promotions, government, bank accounts, and 401(k)’s. These aren’t all bad things. But there will come a time in your life where these things can offer no help. We have to place our trust in something greater than all of these things. And that something is actually a someOne. We don’t place our trust in what the world places their trust in. No, we trust in the name of God. About One Verse One Verse is a short, free daily 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 trumps intensity. We reach our major life goals through small, purposeful steps taken daily. The same is true in our spiritual lives. I truly believe you w

God has invited us into His will to bring unity to heaven and earth through Jesus. #God #unity I love messy church. The beauty of the Church is not when we are arguing about who is right or who Christians should vote for. No, the beauty of the Church is when different people from different backgrounds and different cultures come together under the name of Jesus. God’s will is that heaven and earth would be reunited. After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, a gap was created between us and God. His will is for that gap to be removed, and that is exactly what Jesus did through His sacrifice on the cross. Now, we are invited into the story. As we grow closer to God and chase after His will in our lives (remember: It’s not one destination but the journey of growing closer to God), we get to participate in bringing unity to all things. About One Verse One Verse is a short, free daily devotional designed to help you grow closer to God through less than 5 minutes a day, 5 days a week. Consistency trumps inte

God’s will is the journey, not a destination. He wants you to know His will! #godswill #purpose One of the biggest questions many have about the Christian life is “What is God’s will for my life?” We have this idea that once we find God’s will, life will be great. It will all fall into place. But that isn’t the case. God doesn’t want us to get comfortable and content with where we are. He wants us to keep moving and growing. His will isn’t one perfect destination in our life. If we just get “there” everything will be perfect. No. It is the journey of growing closer to God. And even more than that, God wants to reveal His will to you. The closer you get to God, the more He will uncover His will in your life. About One Verse One Verse is a short, free daily 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 trumps intensity. We reach our major

We should treat our faith like athletes train for the Olympics. I am so excited that in just two months, we get to witness another summer Olympics. I love the idea of the whole world coming together for competition. These athletes train their bodies to prepare for peak performance at the right time when it matters most. I can guarantee you that my Memorial Day looked a lot different than it did for one of these athletes! Well, the same is true for our faith. Our One Verse today, 1 Corinthians 9:24, teaches that we need to be prepared to run our race well. This life is a marathon. And I hope to run in such a way that one day I’ll stand before Jesus and He will say, “Well done!” I have the same prayer for you. About One Verse One Verse is a short, daily 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 trumps intensity. We reach our major lif

What are your thankful for on this Memorial Day? Warning: It’s time to meet the McCarrick! Today, we honor those who have served our country in the Armed Forces. Those who have given their lives, our veterans, and those who currently serve have paved the way for us to enjoy to many freedoms. Today is like a mini-Thanksgiving for me. Cooking out, spending time with friends and reflecting on what we can be thankful for. For me, I love my family. So, I thought I would spend a few minutes introducing you to my family. Here are the McCarricks... About One Verse One Verse is a short, daily 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 trumps intensity. We reach our major life goals through small, purposeful steps taken daily. The same is true in our spiritual lives. I truly believe you will grow closer to God by spending just 5 minutes a day

God can turn our lowest points into a time of celebration. We have all experienced low times in our lives. Times of anxiety, fear, or deep depression. In today’s One Verse, a free daily devotional, David remembers a time when he was at his lowest. He talks about being clothed in sackcloth, something you would only wear during times of deep mourning in the ancient world. Yet, David praises God because he turned his wailing into dancing. God’s love, grace, and forgiveness can take the lowest points of our lives and turn them into something greater. A celebration. A time of dancing. If you are hurting today, look to God and let Him turn your depression to dancing. About One Verse One Verse is a short, daily 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 trumps intensity. We reach our major life goals through small, purposeful steps taken da

You may have to wait on God, but He always hears your cry, and He will turn to you. We never know when God will answer our prayers. It may happen instantly, or it could take years. But one thing is for sure, God is listening to you. He hears you! Your prayers are not hitting the ceiling. I don’t know why God has us wait. I don’t know why He doesn’t answer some prayers. But God is listening to you. And when He is ready, He will turn and answer you. About One Verse One Verse is a short, daily 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 trumps intensity. We reach our major life goals through small, purposeful steps taken daily. The same is true in our spiritual lives. I truly believe you will grow closer to God by spending just 5 minutes a day with Him versus cramming in an hour once a month. The One Verse Devotional is here to help take

Spending time in God’s Word is the greatest investment you can make. #Bible #GodsWord Is spending just 5 minutes a day with God even worth it? In a word, yes! Our One Verse today is Isaiah 55:11 and it reminds us that God’s Word never returns to Him empty. It always accomplished the purpose He meant for it. What does that mean for us? Even if you don’t feel like it, even if you only have a few minutes, spend time with God. Dive into His Word, if only one verse. It will accomplish exactly what God meant for it. In other words, you are making a valuable investment in your life and your future. About One Verse One Verse is a short, daily 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 trumps intensity. We reach our major life goals through small, purposeful steps taken daily. The same is true in our spiritual lives. I truly believe you will