Category: purpose in life

It is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God.
– 1 Peter 2:15-16 (NIV)

What does the world most need to hear from me today? A life tuned to the melody of grace that I claim I believe. Doing good, being like Christ, is Peter’s answer to opposition, cynicism, and even persecution. We are free in Jesus, but being free means that we don’t have to pretentiously prove we are free. Instead, we can live for him who died to conquer death and renounced absolute heavenly freedom so we could find it. We are free to serve others, and most of all to serve God.

Holy Father, my Great Emancipator, you have freed me from sin, law, and death at the cost of your precious Son. I open my heart to you today to say I love you. I and want to thank you for this gift of incredible redemption. Please accept the actions of my life and the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my mind and the emotions of my heart today as my offering of thanks. In the name of Jesus, my Sacrifice and your holy Son, I pray. Amen.

Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit.
– 1 Peter 3:18 (NIV)

Having stood over the open graves of friends, family, and strangers, I know the appearance and feel of death’s finality and our human frailty. But Christ’s death is that great reminder that death is a matter of perspective and faith. I believe God raised Jesus from the dead and that Jesus is the first fruits of those of us who believe in him. He is alive, not just in Spirit, but in bodily form. Because Jesus lives, so will we!

Almighty God, thank you for the gifts of your grace, Spirit, forgiveness and life. Most of all, thanks for the gift of your Son, who brought life and immortality to life in me through your salvation. While I have no great desire to die, I know I can look through death to you and your victory in me through Jesus. Please give me the courage to live for you every day until that day you take me home. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.
– Colossians 1:9 (NIV)

In a world where we can feel so isolated and alone at times, it is so important for us to know that someone is praying for us and for our spiritual needs. As I think of the thousands who are a part of the Today’s Verse ministry, I cannot help but pray that each of them, that you, are blessed by knowing that you share a spiritual journey with people all over the world, and that today, we will praying for each other. And of course there can be no better prayer than the one that Paul prayed for the Colossian friends he had never met — “I ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding.” Let’s pray that for each other today.

Precious and Divine Father, today I pray for the other believers who come before you and seek to live for you. I pray especially for those who share the Today’s Verse journey with me. Even though we live all over the world and have all sorts of needs, we all know that our deepest need is to know and live your will and to be confident that we are known and loved by you. Please fill all of us with the knowledge of your will through Spirit-led wisdom and understanding. We want to know you, honor you, serve you, and ultimately see you face to face. In the name of our older brother Jesus, we pray. Amen.

I urge, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.
– 1 Timothy 2:1-2 NIV

God wants us to be a praying people. But more than that, God wants us to pray for people. The blessing of that kind of prayerful life is that we get to live peaceful and quiet lives full of godliness and holiness. So pray, dear friend in Jesus, pray as if world peace depends upon it, because it does!

Majestic and Holy God, your greatness is beyond my mind to grasp but your grace reaches me and teaches in a new way each day. Forgive me when my prayer life has not been passionate. Forgive me for letting my prayers focus only on what is wrong. Use your Spirit, O God, to ignite a hunger in my soul so that I come to find satisfaction only in you and your presence. In the name of Jesus Christ and through the intercession of the Holy Spirit, I pray. Amen.

As you come to him, the living Stone — rejected by human beings but chosen by God and precious to him — you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
– 1 Peter 2:4-5

The church is the temple of the living God. God lives in us through the Holy Spirit. But unlike the many temples built during this time, God’s true temple must not be allowed to crumble or suffer decay due to lack of interest or disrespect by God’s people. We are not lifeless stones. We are God’s living temple. We are still being put together by Jesus, perfectly formed and joined together, and made acceptable to God through his efforts.

Father God, form us into your temple. Make us holy. Purify our hearts. Draw us ever closer to your character and compassion. As we offer our individual bodies to you as living sacrifices, please draw us closer to each other and build us into the people you want us to be. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

[Jesus said,] “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. … When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
– Luke 12:8; Luke 12:11-12 NIV

In these verses, Jesus gives us two incredible promises. First, he assures us that if we publicly confess our allegiance to Him, then he will claim us as his own before the Father and the angels in heaven (Matthew 10:32). Then, he goes a step beyond the first promise: He tells us that we aren’t to worry even about what to say in difficult situations because the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say! No wonder the Holy Spirit is described as God’s seal of ownership and our guarantee of salvation (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Father in Heaven, fill me with your Holy Spirit and guide me by your Spirit to say the things I need to say to honor Jesus with courage, conviction, love, and effectiveness. Holy Spirit, I thank you for your presence and help. In Jesus’ name, I offer my thanks. Amen.

[Jesus said,] “I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges me, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God. … When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
– Luke 12:8-12

Jesus gives us two incredible promises. First, he assures us that if we publicly confess our allegiance to Him, then he will claim us as his own before the Father and the angels in heaven. Then, he goes one step beyond the first promise: he tells us that we aren’t to even worry about what to say in difficult situations because the Holy Spirit will give us the words to say! No wonder the Holy Spirit is described as God’s seal of ownership and our guarantee of salvation (Eph. 1:13-14).

Father God, fill me and guide me through your Holy Spirit to say the things I need to say to honor Jesus with courage, conviction, and effectiveness. Holy Spirit, I thank you for your presence and help, in Jesus’ name I offer my thanks. Amen.