So then, let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up.

Romans 14:19 NLT

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The Lord will equip you with everything needed for carrying out His will.

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Dear God, please help me contend for the faith and help those experiencing doubt.

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Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock.

Isaiah 26:4 NLT

Because of the prevailing environment in Jude’s day—which included “ungodly” spiritual leaders who were promoting damaging doctrines (1:4)—he wrote an urgent, intense letter to believers in Jesus whom he addressed as “dear friends” (vv. 3, 17, 20), sometimes translated “beloved.” He strongly urged the believers “to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people” (v. 3). The King James Version uses stronger language, rendering the Greek word epagōnizomai as “earnestly contend.” It means “to struggle for,” “to exercise great effort and exertion for something.” It was used of athletic contests to describe the struggle and effort expended by the athletes. The faith refers to the teaching of Christ and the apostles that was believed and practiced by His followers. Today, God will help those who’ve heard and responded to the truth of Scripture to earnestly “contend for the faith,” remain faithful, and encourage others who are being deceived by false teachers.

Truth be told, there is a bit of hypocrisy in all of us. We often try hard to impress other people with our piety, trying to get the pastor and other people to notice our willingness to pray and serve. But are we just as willing to lend a hand to those in need when no one is around to see us? Do we do good even if no one but ourselves and the Lord will know about it? Let us be able to answer both of these questions in the affirmative.

My child, listen and be wise: Keep your heart on the right course.

Proverbs 23:19 NLT

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God’s grace is endless, and He invites us to make it our home.

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Christians ought at all times to be making contributions towards reunion, if it is only by their prayers.

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Gracious God, please help me to hear and respond to Your leading.

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“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid."

John 14:27 NLT

One wonders how Balaam, a non-Jewish prophet, knew about Yahweh, the one true God. Balaam had a reputation as an effective prophet; that’s why Midian’s King Balak commissioned him (Numbers 22:5-6). Yet even though God spoke to Balaam (v. 9), he wasn’t righteous. He later advised Midianite women to seduce Israelite men into sexual sin and idolatry (see 25:1-9; 31:15-16). We serve the God who can open the mouth of a donkey (22:28) and the eyes of a wicked prophet (vv. 31, 34). We can expect Him to open the eyes of those who trust Him and want to serve Him.

As the Scriptures say, “I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem, chosen for great honor, and anyone who trusts in Him will never be disgraced.”

1 Peter 2:6 NLT

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Waiting for God’s “yes” grows our patience and anchors our trust in Him.

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Ask God today for grace to be a godly influence on those with whom you come in contact—to be salt and light in their life (Matthew 5:13-16).

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Dear Father, please give me the wisdom and courage to “throw off . . . the sin that so easily entangles” me.

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Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

1 Thessalonians 5:23 NLT

The original audience of the letter to the Hebrews were Jewish believers in Jesus who may have considered reverting back to Judaism or were straying toward false teachings (see 2:1-4; 3:1-4). Many scholars believe the book was written before the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in ad 70 because it includes references to Jewish ceremonies and sacrifices. Hebrews encourages believers to endure and hold fast to Christ (2:1-4; 3:7–4:13; 5:11–6:2). In chapter 11, known as the “Hall of Faith,” the author commends the many men and women of the Bible who lived by faith and sometimes died because of it. Therefore, because of their witness and example, believers in Jesus are prompted to “throw off everything that hinders” us—including sin—and “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” (12:1). 

But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!

Matthew 5:44 NLT

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When God closes a door, it’s an open to invitation to walk with Him down the path He has for us.

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When you experience a difficult trial, look for how God is helping you to grow in your relationship with Him.

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Holy God, please help me to experience reverent fear in Your presence.

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“Anyone who listens to My teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock."

Matthew 7:24 NLT

“Moses summoned all Israel” (Deuteronomy 5:1), and he began to publicly review the covenant God had made with His people. They were about to cross the Jordan River (Joshua 3), and Moses would soon step across a “metaphorical” Jordan into eternity (Deuteronomy 34:7). Much of his speech recounts Israel’s rebellion during their meandering forty-year journey out of Egypt (9:7-24). Even as he assured them of their future success in inhabiting the promised land, Moses warned, “It is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess” (v. 6). It was because God had chosen them, in spite of their failure: “They are your people, your inheritance that you brought out by your great power and your outstretched arm” (v. 29). Because God was their God, Israel was to follow Him. Although His holiness can’t tolerate sin, His Spirit enables believers in Jesus today to “fear” Him, “[obey]” Him, and worship Him (10:12).

Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.

Hebrews 11:1 NLT

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When we answer the call to discipleship, we can’t help but share the good news with others.

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If you’re hiding from God or if you are trying to hide something from Him, admit it. Ask the One who fills heaven and earth to fill you with His love and mercy.

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Loving God, I need encouragement through this tough journey. I pray for assurance of Your eternal glory.

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For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time—to show us His grace through Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:9 NLT

The encouragement about suffering that the apostle Paul expresses in 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 is similarly noted in Romans 8: “I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us” (v. 18). How encouraging it is to know that as believers in Jesus in a fallen world, we’ve been given God’s Spirit (v. 23) to be with us as we traverse life’s pleasant and unpleasant territory. When we face trials, the Bible reminds us that they’re “achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

Colossians 2:8 NLT

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God gives us many means to hear His voice and see His work in our life.

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When God allows one door to close, it may be because he is preparing to open a more effective door.

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Dear God, please grow Your church as I gather to grow with others.

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“I know that You can do anything, and no one can stop You."

Job 42:2 NLT

The Feasts of Weeks (Leviticus 23:15-22), known as the day of Pentecost in the New Testament (Acts 2:1), is one of the seven feasts or festivals God commanded His people to commemorate (see Leviticus 23). The Feast of Weeks, a spring harvest festival, is also one of the three major feasts where the worshipers were required to come to the temple in Jerusalem to offer their sacrifices (Deuteronomy 16:1-16). In the New Testament, the day of Pentecost was celebrated fifty days after Passover, the day Jesus died (John 18:28). It’s remembered as the birthday of the church, the day God gave the Holy Spirit to indwell believers in Christ and bonded His children into His family (Romans 8:15-16). Imitating the practices of the early church today, God’s people continue to grow as a community, fellowship together, joyfully worship Him, earnestly study the Bible, lovingly care for one another, and boldly proclaim Jesus as Savior to the unbelieving world (Acts 2:42-48).

We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.

Romans 5:3 NLT

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The Lord isn’t looking for perfect words—He simply wants your honest prayer.

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Meditating on and memorizing the Word of God is the best way to renew your mind daily.

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Father in heaven, please help me to stop living to satisfy my desires. Help me to surrender to Your Spirit so others will see Christ in me.

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So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

Romans 10:17 NLT

“Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed,” Jesus said. “But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (John 12:24). Christ spoke these words during the week He was killed. It’s a lesson Paul had learned as he wrote to people in danger of relying on keeping the law to earn salvation. In Romans 3:10-20, he outlines why law-keeping will never save us. He then explains that it’s “apart from the law [that] the righteousness of God has been made known” (v. 21). “This righteousness is given through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (v. 22). He goes on: “Our old self was crucified with him . . . that we should no longer be slaves to sin” (6:6). Because “Christ [lived]” in him (Galatians 2:20), the apostle could live a life honoring to God that would draw others to Christ. Today, God can help us surrender to the Spirit so others will see Christ in us.

So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NLT

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Following Christ means having an active faith and loving others without holding back.

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I thank You, loving God, for providing my spiritual and practical needs today according to Your will and the riches of Your glory in Christ Jesus.

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Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.

James 1:19 NLT

God’s channel for meeting needs in the church and the world is often through those who follow in the footsteps of Christ. In Acts 20:35, Paul quotes Jesus, who said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” The Philippians were “partners” with God and as such they joined the apostle in his gospel endeavors. The word shared in Philippians 4:15 comes from the Greek koinōneō, which means “to enter into fellowship,” “make oneself a sharer or partner.” For unknown reasons, other churches didn’t participate in giving the way the Philippians did. The apostle says, “Not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need” (vv. 15-16). God will provide for our spiritual and practical needs, and He may use us as the means to help meet the needs of others.

The LORD Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.

Exodus 14:14 NLT

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As we draw closer to God, the evidence of spiritual growth becomes visible in our daily life.

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God’s Word is rock solid when it comes to our victory.

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Loving God, thank You for eternal life and Your breath of life.

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God is my strong fortress, and He makes my way perfect.

2 Samuel 22:33 NLT

Ancient Hebrew literature often conveyed meaning through intentional wordplays. In Genesis 2, the Hebrew word translated “man”—’adam (Genesis 2:7) is very similar to the Hebrew word translated “ground” (vv. 5-7)—’adamah. If a modern translation attempted to capture this wordplay, it might translate “man” (adam) as “earthling” and “ground” (’adamah) as “earth.” By pairing these words, the passage communicates key insights into human nature. Humanity was formed from the earth or ground (v. 7) and so is intimately connected to it. But humanity was also given a unique relationship to God, who gave human beings “the breath of life” (v. 7). Each breath we take is a reminder of God’s gift of physical life.

No one has ever seen God. But if we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us.

1 John 4:12 NLT

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Spiritual growth isn’t about achieving perfection—it’s about genuine transformation.

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“Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires” (Romans 8:5, NIV).

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Dear Father, please give me the courage to take a stand for You.

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You love Him even though you have never seen Him. Though you do not see Him now, you trust Him; and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy.

1 Peter 1:8 NLT

Thirty-seven loyal and fearless chief warriors led David’s army (2 Samuel 23:8-39). Collectively known as “the Thirty” (vv. 13, 23-24), God used these men to fulfill His purpose of making David king of the entire land of Israel (1 Chronicles 11:10). Of these chief warriors, a group called “the Three” (2 Samuel 23:8) were David’s top elite commanders. Josheb-Basshebeth killed eight hundred men at one time (v. 8). Eleazar struck down the Philistines after the rest of the Israelites had abandoned him (vv. 9-10). And Shammah stood his ground against the Philistines and was victorious through God’s power while the rest of Israel’s troops fled (vv. 11-12).

The apostle Paul likens the faith of believers in Jesus to warfare, urging us to “put on the full armor of God” in order to “stand [our] ground” (Ephesians 6:13). Today, God can give us courage as we fight our battles and enable us to “be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” (v. 10).

Turn away from evil and do good. Search for peace, and work to maintain it.

Psalm 34:14 NLT

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True security and satisfaction are found not in what we possess but in trusting God with all we have.

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If you need direction for your future, depend on God’s instructions instead of your own; let Him direct your path.

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Sovereign God, please help me surrender every part of my life to You so I can stand firm against the enemy's schemes.

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This is real love—not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

1 John 4:10 NLT

In addition to the admonitions of Peter (1 Peter 5:8) and James (James 4:7) regarding spiritual vigilance in resisting temptation, Paul also had something to say about it. After noting how the Israelites had succumbed to temptation in the wilderness (1 Corinthians 10:1-11), he warned the Corinthians: “If you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful . . . . When you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it” (vv. 12-13). The apostle lists two examples of how the “way out” can sometimes involve fleeing. He says we’re to “flee from idolatry” (v. 14) and “sexual immorality” (6:18). The Holy Spirit helps us to stand firm against the enemy.

So, my dear brothers and sisters, be strong and immovable. Always work enthusiastically for the Lord, for you know that nothing you do for the Lord is ever useless.

1 Corinthians 15:58 NLT

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God’s Word reminds us of the joy and freedom of belonging to Jesus.

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It is the best riches not to desire riches.

Thomas Brooks

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Loving Father, please give me Your strength and mercy each morning.

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For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was His plan from before the beginning of time—to show us His grace through Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 1:9 NLT