Daily Verse

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.—Mark 10:25Thoughts on Today's Verse...It is so easy to think of ourselves as average-income people who are not wealthy. So Jesus resorts to a bit of sarcastic humor, talking about trying to get a camel's big nose and humpy back with its long legs through the […]

Like the coolness of snow at harvest time is a trustworthy messenger to those who send him; he refreshes the spirit of his masters.—Proverbs 25:13Thoughts on Today's Verse...I'm not sure where you are located, but it's been blistering hot where I am. Anything cool and refreshing sounds incredibly wonderful. If you've ever worked a harvest and gotten the dust, plant fragments, and sweat up under your shirt, you know how […]

Simon Peter answered him, "Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life."—John 6:68Thoughts on Today's Verse...Jesus had just taught hard and difficult truths. The crowd was angry and left because the Lord told them they only followed him because he fed them. As the crowd of less committed "disciples turned back and no longer followed him," Jesus asked his closest disciples if they would forsake […]

From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him.—John 6:66Thoughts on Today's Verse...This verse haunts me. Many folks gave up following Jesus when things became hard for them to understand, or he said things they did not think were possible. When he shattered their preconceived notions of religious things or confronted them about their motives, they left and gave up following him. What will I […]

Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise." —Mark 9:30-31Thoughts on Today's Verse...We often seek to attract large crowds to our churches, crusades, and rallies. Jesus also ministered to large crowds. However, the […]

I will refresh the weary and satisfy the faint.—Jeremiah 31:25Thoughts on Today's Verse...In Jeremiah's overwhelming, hair-raising, and depressing prophecies, God repeatedly told his people he would destroy their things and places because of their obstinate, ever-rebellious, and hardened hearts. Yet, in the middle of these powerful and scorching warnings, God slips in messages that soar with hope, restoration, and grace beyond the destruction. Can you think of anything more reassuring […]

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.—Matthew 11:28Thoughts on Today's Verse...Where do you go when you are exhausted and in need of rest? No bed, vacation, or retreat can give us the genuinely refreshing, spiritual rest we desperately need apart from Jesus. He invites us to bring our weariness to him and rest in and with him. So what are you […]

If you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. —Matthew 6:14Thoughts on Today's Verse...As Christians, we are meant to live in God's environment of forgiveness and grace. As we forgive others, the basis of that forgiveness is the incredible debt that God has already forgiven us (Ephesians 4:32-5:1; Matthew 6:14-15, 18:21-35). God wants to see his forgiveness kept in circulation and passed on […]

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord.—Acts 3:19Thoughts on Today's Verse...I'm not sure what we fear about repentance. Repentance is turning around our hearts and behaviors to align with God's will, but that's where God's refreshment comes into our lives. God will not only lovingly receive us when we repent; he will also redeem […]