But whoever denies me before men, I will also deny him before my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:33 WEB When we acknowledge Jesus as the Son of God, Christ is faithful to acknowledge us to our Father in heaven. In contrast, Jesus taught, “whoever denies me before men, I will also deny...
Your love, Lord, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Psalm 36:5 NIV To begin Psalm 36, David mourns the wickedness of humanity. Saying that he has a message from God in his heart, the great king grieves man’s lack of reverence for the Lord. Specifically, David laments deceitful...
The Word became flesh and lived among us. We saw his glory, such glory as of the one and only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 WEB John begins his gospel account with a powerful assertion that reminds the reader of the opening words of Genesis. We read in John 1:1, “In the...
By this we know love because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 1 John 3:16 WEB There is a sharp contrast between love and hate. However, the opposite of love is best defined as indifference. In its active form, love is caring and sacrificial like a...
Let endurance have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. James 1:4 WEB James begins his writing in chapter one with a greeting to the twelve tribes of Israel. In his first few lines, he encourages Christians to count the temptations they encounter as joy....
Follow after love and earnestly desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. 1 Corinthians 14:1 WEB The previous chapter of Paul’s letter emphasizes the importance of love. In it, he uses glowing terms to describe love and teaches that love is greater than hope and even greater...
Jesus said to her, “Didn’t I tell you that if you believed, you would see God’s glory?” John 11:40 WEB Lazarus, the brother of Mary, the woman who poured perfume on the Lord’s feet and cleansed them with her hair, fell sick. Mary and her sister Martha sent word to Jesus of Lazarus’ illness....
Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken. Psalm 55:22 NIV Have you ever suffered the betrayal of a friend? If so, many biblical figures endured similar circumstances. Judas betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. David’s son Absalom opposed...
I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me. Galatians 2:20 WEB Paul’s bold statement of faith is one of the most often quoted...
I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. Psalm 130:5 KJV In scripture, the word wait indicates trust and anticipation. In conjunction with the word hope, to wait for the Lord suggests a feeling of great expectation and a desire to receive the good things of God. It is a...
Whereas you don’t know what your life will be like tomorrow. For what is your life? For you are a vapor that appears for a little time, and then vanishes away. James 4:14 WEB Life is short. As James writes of each of us, “you are a vapor.” It is important to place value on the time God...
I will declare your name to my brothers. Among the assembly, I will praise you. Psalm 22:22 WEB To begin Psalm 22, David writes a phrase that Jesus quotes while on the cross, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These words of anguish indicate great suffering and a deep feeling of...
