Apr 10 2025

Today's Bible Verse

And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.

Today's Bible study

When the Lord commanded Moses to lead the Israelites into the land of Canaan, Moses was afraid. The land was dangerous, he knew there would be battles, and the Israelites had already revealed the fickleness of their faith. The Lord responded to Moses with the words in this morning's verse: that He would go with Moses and give him rest. The Lord has promised the same thing for us today.

The antidote to fear is faith: having no doubt that God is with us at all times. The Lord knows that His presence has the power to silence all fears. When we become confident that the Lord is with us, we do not have to be afraid of anything—because the Lord is all-powerful and loving. He loves us more than we could ever imagine. Nothing will ever take away or call into question His love for us.

As for Moses… he was facing the impossible. He was about to take a nomadic tribe into battle against ancient, powerful cities. On the surface, he had good reason to be afraid; everything seemed to be stacked against him. However, Moses served a God who had been mightily faithful to His people, and knowing that the Lord would go into battle with the Israelites gave Moses the courage to press on.

Sometimes, God calls us to do difficult and even impossible things. That thing may be issuing an apology, or forgiving someone, or being holy in all areas of our lives. Sometimes it's moving across the world to be a missionary or reaching out to someone new. Whatever you are considering, you can rest assured that just as the Lord was with Moses, His presence is also with you.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, thank you for being near me always, even when I struggle to see you and follow you. Help me to turn my fears back to you. When I feel afraid, help me to use it as an opportunity to reflect on your promises and love for me. In Jesus' name, amen.

Apr 09 2025

Yesterday'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.:

Yesterday'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.

Yesterday'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.

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