Category: Verse for the day

“His disciples quickly formed a circle about him, and before long he got up and went back into town.” –Acts 14:20 Paul’s persecutors attempted to kill him by stoning. They “dragged him out of the town, leaving him there for dead” (Acts 14:19). The circle of disciples raised the dead. We need to form a prayer-circle around “the living dead” in our midst (1 Jn 3:14). Anyone who does not know Jesus is spiritually dead, reaping “the wages of sin” (Rm 6:23). Some churches are dead (Rv 3:1). Some marriages are dead. We can circle these people, churches, and couples,...

“On one occasion he was listening to Paul preaching, and Paul looked directly at him and saw that he had the faith to be saved.” –Acts 14:9 Would you have the courage and the assurance to yell at a person in a wheelchair: “Stand up! On your feet!”? (Acts 14:10) By that bold command, St. Paul healed a crippled man who had never walked a step in his life (Acts 14:8). Paul didn’t always have such boldness. For example, for several days, he put up with the disruptive behavior of a girl with a clairvoyant spirit (Acts 16:16). “Finally Paul...

“God will, in turn, glorify Him in Himself, and will glorify Him soon.” –John 13:32 We’re in the midst of a fifty-day Sunday, the Easter season. If we can’t rejoice in the Resurrection of Jesus from the dead, we must be dead ourselves. Because His tomb is empty, we have life to the full (Jn 10:10). “Because He lives, we can face tomorrow.” For He shall wipe every tear from our eyes, “and there shall be no more death or mourning, crying out or pain, for the former world has passed away” (Rv 21:4). “This means that if anyone is...

“The inhabitants of Jerusalem and their rulers failed to recognize Him, and in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets which we read sabbath after sabbath.” –Acts 13:27 We can go to church every week or every day, hear God’s Word, and still fail to recognize Jesus. We can read the Bible daily, including the Bible readings and teachings in this book, One Bread, One Body, but not give our lives totally to the Lord. We can even confess Jesus as Lord (Mt 7:21), prophesy, do miracles, and drive out demons in His name (Mt 7:22), but not...