Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Matthew 11:29

Posted on May 17, 2024

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. – Matthew 11:29

Most of the time we’re looking for something. We are looking for peace, satisfaction, maybe even just a little rest. Often, we search for these things in food, relationships, buying things, watching TV, or any number of other activities. And while all these activities aren’t bad, they’ll never truly be what brings you rest and peace for your soul.

The only place you’ll truly find rest is by leaning on Jesus. When you begin to spend time in His presence and learn about Him, you’ll experience a peace you never knew before. Jesus offers a different kind of life. The world around you often searches for meaning and satisfaction in relationships. They hop from one relationship to the next, hoping to find peace. The peace people are searching for can only be found in knowing Jesus.

Knowing Jesus is the only way to find true peace in your life. Jesus is the only person who can truly satisfy you. He’s the only one that can fill the voids in your life and make you feel whole. He’s the only one that can bring your life meaning. As long as you pursue other things, you’ll never be happy. Choose today to run toward Jesus and begin finding the rest your soul longs for.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Hebrews 11:3

Posted on May 16, 2024

Faith empowers us to see that the universe was created and beautifully coordinated by the power of God’s words! He spoke and the invisible realm gave birth to all that is seen. – Hebrews 11:3 (TPT)

Have you ever needed some extra energy? Maybe you stayed up all night studying for finals or doing a project. The next day you were struggling to stay awake because you didn’t sleep the night before. When you’re sleepy, you need an energy boost. It’s easy to drink a huge cup of coffee, large soda or energy drink to empower you to make it through the day.

Spiritually, we need empowerment too. Today’s Bible verse shows us that one of the roles of faith is to empower us. Faith is what empowers us to see that God created the universe. It takes faith to believe that God was the one who was responsible for our world and that He created it with His words.

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Faith can be empowerment in your life too. Maybe you are facing something really tough. Faith can help you get through it. Perhaps you don’t know what career to choose after high school. Faith empowers you to believe that God has a good plan for your life and that you will know what to do when the time is right.

Faith is empowerment in your life. Today, don’t overlook the power of faith. It’s there to empower you when you need it the most!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Joshua 1:9

Posted on May 15, 2024

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” – Joshua 1:9 (NIV)

There are days when you probably feel afraid. Perhaps you feel like you need to share your faith with a friend and the thought of doing that scares you. Maybe the thing you feel that God is calling you to do is just too big to handle on your own.

If you face things that bring you fear, know that you’re not alone. Most of the time, God calls us to something much bigger than we can do in our own strength. That’s why we need Him. With God’s help, we can be strong and courageous.

But the good news is that we don’t have to be strong or courageous on our own. We can rely on His strength and His courage. We simply need to believe what His word says. Then we trust Him to come through in the areas where we are weak.

Today, don’t be discouraged. If God is calling you to something bigger than yourself, know that His equipping will be there for you. Step out, trust Him and see Him come through in big ways for you.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Hebrews 11:24

Posted on May 14, 2024

Faith enabled Moses to choose God’s will, for although he was raised as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, he refused to make that his identity, – Hebrews 11:24

The issue of identity is something that many teenagers struggle with. At school, you may not be sure what group you fit in with.  That might cause you to do or say things to get acceptance that you later regret.

Moses was no different. He too struggled with his identity. He had to decide did he fit in with Egypt and Pharaoh, or did he fit with Israel. It probably would have been easier to side with Egypt. He would have had lots of great clothes, friends and tons of good food. However, Moses decided instead to not make that his identity. He chose instead to follow after God.

Choosing to look to God for your identity is one of the best decisions you can make. If you base your identity on anything else than God you will always be unhappy. Anything other than God can change. Your friends could change. Your social status could change and if your identity is solely based on those things, you could be really shaken if something changes.

Instead, choose to look to God for identity. Let Him be the one to tell you your worth. When you base your identity on God and His plan for your life you’ll find true peace.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Colossians 3:3

Posted on May 9, 2024

For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God. – Galatians 3:3

There is this tree stump at the local ice cream place in my town that looks like a sheep. I remember getting out of my car the other day and staring and staring at what looked like a sheep under the tree at the ice cream place. I kept thinking why doesn’t that sheep move? What is it doing over there? Did someone lose it? It took me a few minutes of staring at it to realize that it was only a tree stump. What I thought I saw didn’t exist.

In life, a lot of the time what we see isn’t real. We look at ourselves in the mirror and see someone who is too fat or too shy. Maybe we see someone who struggles at school or battles lust. If we let it, that reflection of ourselves becomes reality to us and makes us feel bad about ourselves.

But what if that reflection of ourselves isn’t real? Yes, you might struggle with sin or schoolwork, but what if that didn’t have to define you? What if God wanted you to see beyond what you see in the mirror and rethink what you saw?

The truth is, God doesn’t look at you and only see shortcomings. God sees you through Jesus. And when He looks at you that way, you are enough. So today, determine to see yourself like God sees you. See your value to God. Realize that you’re important to God’s plan on the earth.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – Psalm 5:11

Posted on May 8, 2024

But let all who take refuge in you rejoice; let them sing joyful praises forever. Spread your protection over them, that all who love your name may be filled with joy.  – Psalm 5:11 (NLT)

Have you noticed how easy it is to not be joyful? Maybe you’re worried if the boy in Chemistry class likes you and you see him talking to another girl and it makes you sad. Or perhaps you don’t get the solo in the choir and you feel so sad. It’s easy to let circumstances determine your happiness. This is bad because you can’t always control your circumstances.

Life isn’t always going to go your way, but you can choose joy in the midst of your circumstances. A good way to do this is by spending time in God’s presence. Do things like reading your Bible. Also, reminding yourself of how good God is can help you change your perspective.

Think of the times he’s protected you or walked with you through difficulty. As you love God and get close to Him, He can be your source of joy. Your life can be filled with joy if you choose to love God and get close to Him. Your circumstances might not always be perfect, but you can choose joy in the middle of what is going on around you.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotional – Hebrews 6:12

Posted on May 7, 2024

We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised. – Hebrews 6:12 (NIV)

I hate being patient. How about you? It’s so tough to remain patient when you want to see results. Sometimes, it feels like God takes forever and His timing is slower than we’d like. However, He always does come through.

That’s where patience comes in. Think about Abraham. God spoke a promise to Him. Then Abraham waited for 25 years for that promise to come to pass. Abraham must have possessed a huge amount of patience to be content waiting on the promises of God for 25 years!

We often hear a lot of talk about faith, but it’s also patience that makes a big difference. Patience is staying in faith for a long period of time. It’s not giving up on the promises of God, but instead trusting God, even if it doesn’t seem like you can see results.

So how about you? Is there an area of your life where you’re trusting God? How is your patience? Are you trusting God to come through even when your emotions are running wild and it feels like the answer is delayed in coming?

Don’t give up believing and don’t give in. God is faithful. If He has spoken something to you, He will bring it to pass in your life. Keep on being patient!

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 1 Peter 1:6

Posted on May 6, 2024

So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you must endure many trials for a little while.  – 1 Peter 1:6 (NLT)

Life has lots of ups and downs. There are days when you feel like everything is going great and others when it feels like your entire world is collapsing around you. Life can be really strange that way.

Today’s Bible verse gives us hope in discouragement. It shows us that there is always joy ahead. We can always find joy when we focus our attention on Jesus. He gives us hope for each day. Through Jesus, we know that our future is secure. We know that He paid the price for sin, sickness and eternal death. Jesus is our reason for joy and hope.

That’s why in the middle of the trials that we face we can have joy. It’s not that we’re happy about the trial but rather we take comfort in our hope. We know that Jesus will see us through whatever we’re facing. That’s what gives us joy. Jesus has been there already and He helps us make it through another day.

Today’s Truth: Jesus has already been through what you’re facing and tells you that you can make it another day.

So today regardless of what you’re facing, you can be encouraged. Jesus is your source of hope. Whether you’re experiencing one of life’s highs or one of the lows you can know that you have joy. It’s a joy that’s going to last because it’s based on what Jesus did and who we are in Him.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 1 Cor 15:33

Posted on May 3, 2024

 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” – 1 Corinthians 15:33 (NIV)

Sometimes, I’ve had some friends who haven’t helped me make good decisions. When I hung out with them, I was always tempted to do some things that weren’t right.

Have you noticed that who you hang out with makes a difference in your life? I’ve found that when I hung out with friends that were excited about Jesus it challenged me to grow in my relationship with Jesus. When I spend a lot of time with friends who didn’t love Jesus, it caused me to be challenged to do and say things that weren’t godly.

So today, take an honest look at your relationships. Do you have some friendships that are pushing you toward bad habits and choices? If so, ask God if you need to step back from those relationships. Choose to spend time pursuing relationships that challenge you to grow in your relationship with God and make good choices.

Daily Bible Verse and Devotion – 2 Cor 5:21

Posted on May 2, 2024

For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. – 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)

I remember a time in my psychology class when I got a really bad grade on a paper. I was upset, so I went to the teacher and asked if there was anything I could do. More than anything I wanted a good grade for the class and I was willing to do whatever it took to make it right.

Lucky for me, most of the class had misunderstood the assignment and because of that, the teacher was going to let us all have the weekend to re-write our papers. I was relieved. That weekend, I wrote my paper over again.  This time armed with more understanding about the assignment, I wrote it the right way and turned it in for a better grade.

However, there are some things that can’t be made right. Sin was one of those things. No matter how much good we tried to do, we couldn’t do enough to be made right with God. There was nothing we could do or say to take our sin away. That’s why we needed Jesus. Jesus was able to do what we couldn’t do. He was able to be the offering for our sin so that we could have a way to be made right with God.

Today, take some time to thank Jesus for His sacrifice. He was able to do what we couldn’t. Jesus made us right with God.