Mar 31 2025

Today's Bible Verse

But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you.

Today's Bible study

In this verse from 1 Peter, we are reminded that the suffering we face each day will soon come to an end. At the time the verse was written people were often martyred for their faith, just as people in some parts of the world today are martyred for their faith. Even if your suffering does not take this form, the Christian's life is difficult, and it can be easy to become weary. Peter's words are a comfort to us today.

Peter calls God "the God of all grace." This serves as a reminder that the Lord is full of grace, and our suffering does not change that. Clear evidence of this grace is the fact that He has called us unto "his eternal glory." We will enjoy His presence forever—a gift we could never have earned ourselves, but nevertheless are the beneficiaries of.

After we have suffered, the verse says that God will make us perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us. That's a lot of promises! Making us perfect means that God will continue to sanctify us; suffering evidently plays a part in helping us live holy lives. Establish means that we will be rooted and grounded in the Lord. Strengthen means that the Lord will make us strong in Him, giving us the ability to follow Him, even when it becomes difficult. Settle means that we will have peace. Even if our own suffering may seem unbearable, we can remember that it is pointing to something better if we endure it unto the Lord.

Remember that God does not look down on us when we suffer. He is not watching us with indifference or wishing that we would endure it more faithfully. Much to the contrary, He stepped into suffering for our sake. He did not sit and watch; rather, He came to Earth and died on a cross for us. He endured tremendous suffering so that one day we could experience eternal glory in Him.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for the promise of eternal glory. I look forward to the day when I will rest in your Kingdom perfectly forever. Thank you for being with me and guiding me every moment of my life. Thank you for your precious love. In Jesus' name, amen.

Mar 30 2025

Yesterday's Bible Verse

Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. :

Yesterday's Bible study

In this verse from Deuteronomy, Moses tells the Israelites that the Lord will never leave nor forsake them. Moses is about to leave them because of his impending death, but the Lord will be with them forever. Because of this, the Israelites do not need to be afraid. God is with them so they can be courageous. Today, Moses's words apply to our lives in the same way.

How does knowing that God is always with us and will never fail us encourage you? It makes me feel relieved that I am not solely responsible for myself. The Lord will help me and fight for me when I'm not able to do anything. He will be with me even when I make mistakes, and He will guide me in every circumstance. We know that we are not facing life alone. An almighty and powerful God is on our side.

Moses says that because God is with us, we are able to be strong, courageous, and unafraid. This is because our hope is not in ourselves, but in the Lord. If we had to be responsible for every victory in our lives, fighting our way to the top, we would probably struggle just to survive. It would be difficult to summon up courage and be fearless. However, our hope is not in ourselves, but in God. Indeed, Moses does not say that we won't fail—He says that God will not fail us. Our hope is in the Lord, who is faithful, not in ourselves.

If you looked at your life, would you say that it is characterized by strength and courage? In my own life, there are parts where I can say yes, and other parts where I'd have to say no. In each of the areas where I respond with no, I can see a lack of surrender in my heart. I feel like I have to be in control of those areas. Instead of truly letting God fight for me, I'm fighting for myself, and that isn't good. I have to pay attention when these situations crop up, and intentionally surrender them to the Lord again and again. We can all do that, and He will receive us and help us.

Yesterday's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for caring about every detail of my life. I want to surrender everything to you. Please help me do that by giving me strength and courage. I love you, Lord. In Jesus's name, amen.

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