Tagged: verse for the day

“God saw how good it was.” –Genesis 1:10, 12 God’s first creation was “good” (Gn 1:10, 12, 18, 25). God’s new creation in Jesus Christ is even better. “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” (2 Cor 5:17). “All that matters is that one is created anew” (Gal 6:15). God made His first creation “good,” but through the deceit of Satan, man fell into sin. Since then, all creation has been groaning in sorrow and agony (Rm 8:22). Then God gave His only Son to renew mankind and creation – not just to restore them to their...

“By God’s grace I am what I am.” –1 Corinthians 15:10, our transl. The purpose of life is to be converted to the Lord. For example, “in the year King Uzziah died,” Isaiah “saw the Lord” in the temple (Is 6:1). Isaiah was converted. He saw God’s glory, became painfully aware of his own sinfulness, was forgiven and purified, and accepted God’s call to be a prophet (Is 6:1ff). Saul (Paul) was also converted. He did not see but heard the risen Lord (Acts 9:4). He was struck blind for three days, during which he prayed (Acts 9:8, 12). Then...

“Let marriage be honored in every way and the marriage bed be kept undefiled.” –Hebrews 13:4 When God revealed to the world His Ten Commandments, he set aside two of them to teach the human race about His thoughts on marriage: “You shall not commit adultery” (Ex 20:14). “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife” or husband (Ex 20:17). St. Thomas More and St. John the Baptist died as martyrs making a stand for God’s definition of marriage. Surely many others have suffered greatly over the centuries as well for the sake of God’s plan for marriage. Sadly, numerous people...

“If any place will not receive you or hear you, shake its dust from your feet in testimony against them as you leave.” –Mark 6:11 “The love of Christ impels us” (2 Cor 5:14) to share the Good News of Jesus. Some people accept Him while others reject Him. When Jesus is rejected by those with whom we share the Gospel, we tend to take it personally. We feel rejected, disrespected, and unjustly treated. We must then shake off this grime and dirt of rejection, or we will become encrusted with bitterness. We shake off the dust by accepting the...