For by him [Jesus] all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
—Colossians 1:16

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
"Jesus is Lord!" That doesn't just mean that we have yielded our lives to his will and trusted in his grace. "Jesus is Lord!" This means that everything that is created is his. All angels, demons, and spirits are below him and their purpose is to honor and serve him. Even though demons have chosen not to honor and serve him, that decision does not change what their purpose should be nor the fact that Jesus showed his superiority over them in his crucifixion and resurrection. It means the universe, with its vast expanse and glory, was made by him and made to declare his glory. As God's image to us, God's presence for us to know and see, he is our King, Lord, and Savior. If our life is in his hands and our hearts are yielded to his will, then no one and nothing can prevent his ultimate victory for us and in us.

My Prayer...
Holy and Almighty God, thank you for revealing yourself in Jesus. Thank you for triumphing over all powers and created beings. Thank you for giving me the confidence that since I belong to you, no outside force or any power of creation can have what belongs to you. In the name of the Creator and King of all I pray. Amen.

The LORD will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
—Psalm 121:7-8

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
One of the hardest challenges as a parent is knowing that you can't ultimately protect your children from some hurts and heartbreaks. Some of that pain is necessary to help them mature and grow. Some of it is just the agonizing result of living in a fallen world. But, we can be fully confident that if we share the Lord with them, if they give their lives to his will, nothing can steal them from his ultimate victory, care, and reunion with us and with him. Knowing how we love them, imagine how much the Father loves us and longs to bring us to that place of safety in his house! Until we get home, isn't it comforting to know that he is watching over us and those we love, now and forevermore?

My Prayer...
Watching and waiting Father, I too look forward to our first face-to-face meeting. O Father, I know you see me and watch over me, but sometimes I miss seeing you and find it hard to wait to be comforted and blessed in your presence and my eternal home. Until then, I recognize your watching care over all of my ways and thank you now for everything I will one day receive. In Jesus' name. Amen.

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect...
—1 Peter 3:15

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Having Jesus as our Lord does not mean that we bulldoze over others with this important eternal reality. Gentleness and respect are the character traits of those who have Jesus as their Lord. After all, Jesus loved others enough to die for them. Jesus even asked for those who crucified him and those who mocked him as he died to be forgiven. Having such a Lord means we have prepared a response when we are given and opportunity to share the basis of our hope in him. Those around us may not appear interested, but many are seeking for something they have not yet identified. Let's be ready when their time is right to meet Jesus!

My Prayer...
Holy and gracious God, please give me wisdom to see the opportunities to share the love of Jesus with those around me. I ask you to especially help me be able to share Jesus with several of my friends that I now mention by name... Father, please give me the gentleness to do this redemptively, showing them the same respect Jesus did with those to whom he ministered. In the name of the Savior, your Son Jesus, I pray. Amen.

God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.
—Acts 2:36

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
More than titles, these two names of Jesus are the pillars around which we can build our new lives in God's Kingdom. Jesus is Lord! He is our Ruler and King. He is our Master and Teacher. Our hearts are yielded to his will and open to his leading. We hold no rival to Jesus in our hearts and lives. Jesus is the Christ! He is the Messiah, the promised Savior of the Old Testament. He is the one of whom the prophets spoke. Ruler and Savior, Master and Messiah, Jesus is God's gift to bring us home. Jesus is the one who went to the Cross to bring us forgiveness, redemption, and salvation. The Crucified One is both Lord and Christ.

My Prayer...
We praise your mighty Name, O Lord, and thank you for your gracious and sacrificial love. We praise you dear Father, for sending your Son Jesus to die for our sins and to be raised for our hope and salvation. Please help me, Sovereign God, to yield my heart to Jesus my Lord as well as open my lips in praise to the Christ of my salvation. In the mighty name Jesus and through the intercession of the Spirit I pray. Amen.

Hear my prayer, O LORD; listen to my cry for mercy. In the day of my trouble I will call to you, for you will answer me.
—Psalm 86:6-7

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Sometimes there are no immediate answers. We have prayed and cried and tried and gone sleepless and mourned and shouted. Still there are no answers. The days roll by in an agonizing parade of pain. Still there are no answers we can identify. What do we do? We go to the Psalms. We let them raise up our heart's cry. We are honest with the God of the entire universe and yet we can still anticipate mercy from him. We are convinced that in our troubles, he will not only hear us, but he will also care about what is happening in our lives.

My Prayer...
Almighty God, the only true Healer of disease and Mender of broken hearts, please hear the cry today of those I love who are in such desperate situations. May your will be done in every one of their lives with tenderness, grace, and a sense of your presence. And Lord, please be near me, and help me see your answer to my prayers. Forever yours in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Lift up your eyes to the heavens, look at the earth beneath; the heavens will vanish like smoke, the earth will wear but like a garment and its inhabitants die like flies. But my salvation will last forever, my righteousness will never fail.
—Isaiah 51:6

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
I don't know about you, but sometimes the Bible is so brutally honest it hurts! We consider our world, our earth, to have been here a long time and assume it will be here a long time more. But God reminds us that it is temporary! We are even more temporary: just like flies, we're here for a short while, and then we're gone. But not gone, gone! Christians are just gone from the temporary existence of earth because our lives are caught up with Christ in God's salvation which lasts forever and God's righteousness that will never end or fail.

My Prayer...
O Righteous Father who hears my prayers and strengthens me for the journey, thank you for the assurance that what I have as a Christian with you goes beyond the boundaries of death, the limitations of my humanity, and the vulnerabilities of my weaknesses. Thank you that I am tied to you and your salvation and that because of Jesus, you see me as your righteous and holy child. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

He [Jesus] is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
—Colossians 1:17

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Before there was an earth, universe, or nature, there was Jesus! He was before they were made. He will be after they are long gone. In fact, his power and his presence are what hold our world, our universe, and our nature together. He is the sustaining force, the enabling power, and the generous preserver of life as we know it. So if he could provide us these things and they are but a faint anticipation of what is yet to be, won't it be great to see him, just as he is, and share in his glory with him!

My Prayer...
Thank you, Jesus, for your gracious providence this day. Thank you for creating this incredible world in which I live. You are worthy of all praise, honor, glory, and thanks! I look forward to the day, dear Lord, when I can worship you face to face, and give thanks to our Father with you, for his wonderful love. To you, and in your name, dear Jesus, I offer all my thanks and praise. Amen.

Restore us, O God Almighty; make your face shine upon us, that we may be saved.
—Psalm 80:7

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
This passage makes me want to cry out to God: "Please restore us God! Restore us, your people, O God, who have lost their sense of wonder! Restore our old withered hearts to their innocence. Restore our lives to their unsoiled perfection and intention. Restore us to yourself, O God Almighty!" While not every Christian has lost his or her sense of wonder and while not everyone of us has an old withered heart, we all need God's presence to shine upon us and renew us!

My Prayer...
O God, the maker of new things, sometimes I feel so old and worn; my soul is weary from the fight. I need your presence and strength to restore me. Please restore me to your side and make your grace alive in me. Please restore me to your love and share it with others through me. Please restore me to your righteousness so others can see your character in me. Please restore me, and not just me, please restore all those who call on your mighty name so that the world may see you in us and come to know your saving grace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

My mouth is filled with your praise, declaring your splendor all day long.
—Psalm 71:8

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Our mouths can be filled with food, profanities, or gossip. Or... we can choose for our mouths to be filled with praise for God and his loving grace. We can talk about many things and speak to many different people about many different subjects. Or... we can choose to declare the greatness, majesty, and splendor of our heavenly Father all during our day. Why don't we choose to praise God with our mouths and tell him of his greatness and let others know of his grace as we go about today's activities?

My Prayer...
Holy and marvelous Father, you are God of all creation and also God of all grace. Thank you for your kindness shared with me in Jesus. Thank you for your powerful victory over death when you raised him from the dead. Thank you for your patience with me as I sometimes stumble, but am always desiring to more perfectly reflect the character of Jesus. Please help me, O Lord, to profess and to show my love and admiration for you all during this day. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.
—1 Timothy 3:16

Thoughts on Today's Verse...
Why would Jesus do it? How did he do it? How was he "God with us" and still in "human flesh"? We cannot fully comprehend it, but he was! The Son of God was also Jesus of Nazareth, born and placed in a manger and crucified on a cross. But he was raised from the dead and shown to be God's Son with power. He was seen by angels, both on earth after his resurrection and in heaven at the throne of God. He has been preached and believed on by people all over the world. The glory that he has he will one day show and share with us. If you want to understand godliness, then you begin with Jesus!

My Prayer...
Holy and marvelous God, your plan to redeem and save a sinner like me, along with those like me all around the world, is incredible. Your love that led you to such sacrifice is beyond comprehension. I thank you for this overwhelming grace. I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Please empower me with your Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead so the mystery of your godliness may be seen in my life today, in my family, among my friends, before my co-workers, by those with whom I attend school, and especially in the presence of my enemies. In Jesus' mighty name I pray. Amen.