One Verse Devotional

Living for Jesus isn't always easy.

The Sermon on the Mount is the greatest sermon ever told. For almost three chapters in the book of Matthew, Jesus lays out many of His core teachings. Over and over, He calls us to a new way and a new outlook on life. In Matthew 5:11, He says, "Blessed are you when people insult you because of me." What Jesus? How is that a blessing? Persecution is a blessing when it is for Jesus. Are we standing firm in our beliefs? Or are we going with whatever is popular at the time? This is tough, because there is a good chance that we are going to disagree on some issues. The Bible is complex and deep. Jesus calls us to draw close to Him, study His Word, and stand firm in our faith. Maybe we won't always agree, but we CAN stand firm and stand together on the name of Jesus! Maybe we will be insulted, even persecuted. That's ok. Jesus reminds us that we will be blessed, and our reward will be great in heaven.

When we are in a season of waiting for God, don't look around and compare yourself to the success of others. Wait. On. God.

It can be hard when you are in a season of waiting. You feel helpless. You are ready for things to move ahead, to discover that next step. For whatever reason, though, God is making you wait. When we are in a season of waiting, it can be easy to look around at others and compare our lives. Our One Verse today warns against that. We don't know what is going on in their lives. We don't know the circumstances behind the scenes. Instead, keep our eyes on God and focus on Him. He is working in your life to form your spirit and prepare your future. Trust Him. Don't look around at others. Wait on God.

You are God's work of art, and He has created a purpose and a plan for your life.

It can be hard to receive a compliment, can't it? You aren't sure how to react and you wonder, deep down, if it's really true. So, what if someone called you a work of art? That you were a masterpiece? That can be hard to hear. Really, me? What if that person was God? Because that is exactly what the Bible says in Ephesians 2:10. This verse is jam-packed with wisdom and encouragement. In just 22 words, we learn that we are God's handiwork--His work of art. We then learn that God has a purpose for our lives to do good works in His name. Finally, our One Verse teaches that God has a plan for our lives that He has been preparing for a long time! This may be hard to hear, but you are God's work of art, and He has created a purpose and a plan for your life. Your mistakes don't matter. That is why God has given us grace and Love. You are not disqualified from the purpose and plan God has created for your life. You are His masterpiece. I encourage you to start leaning into that truth. How could this fresh outlook change your life?

Will God give you more than you can handle? Yes! It forces us to depend on Him.

Have you ever heard the phrase, "God won't give you more than you can handle" or even used it yourself? The problem is, it never shows up in the Bible. As a matter of fact, the opposite is true. God WILL give us more than we can handle so we have to seek after Him, depend on Him, and allow Him to work in our lives. So, where did this phrase come from? From today's One Verse. Well, a misquoting of today's verse. 1 Corinthians 10:13 says that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear. When it comes to temptation, God will never place us in a situation that we can't get out of. The verse even ends with a promise: God will always provide a way of escape. We can never say, "God did this. He led me to temptation." We can't even say "the devil made me do it!" No, it is on us. But we have a LOT of help in God. He is with us, and He will always provide a way out. We are all in this together. You will never face a temptation that ONLY you have experienced. We've all been there. But God is with us every step of the way. We have a way out. We don't have to give in. God wants us to focus on our relationship with Him, our family, our marriage, and the purposes He has for our lives.

Going through a tough time? God may be allowing you to go through the fire in order to purify you like gold!

In our One Verse today, Job faces a problem that many of us do from time to time: He can't find God. He looks East, West, North, and South, and Job still can't find God. Have you ever felt like your prayers were just "hitting the ceiling"? This is where Job is at in Job 23. But then he says, "But He knows the way that I take." Job knew God was always there, even when it didn't feel like it. These can be difficult times when you can't hear from God. But God is testing you, and He is in the process of turning your life into gold.

When we dedicate our lives to following God's path of righteousness and love, we discover true life, prosperity, and honor.

When we spend our lives chasing God and His plan for the world (righteousness and love), our lives will be filled with contentment. We will discover full lives that can only be found in Jesus. Others will view us with respect and honor. Life, prosperity, and honor. I'll take some more of those!

Our world is filled with fear and hate and acts of terror. How can God be good while all of this is happening? Why does He allow it? I can't answer those questions. It's much bigger than me. I don't think anyone other than God can. But I trust Him. I can't explain it. If you came across this episode of this podcast, and you are struggling with this, maybe today's One Verse is for you. Taste and see that the Lord is good. That is the start of Psalm 34:8. It is like God is allowing us to test Him: "Spend time with me. Trust me. And you will experience my goodness in your life." I can see this in my own life. I have experienced heartache and tragedy and fear for the future, yet God has always been good to me. Life isn't perfect, but His Love sustains me. If you've never experienced this, there is nothing I can do to explain it. But once you taste the goodness of God, you will know it! I encourage you to spend some time with God today, both in prayer and in His Word. I hope you experience His goodness today.

The knowledge you have isn't as important as the Love you give.

In two short verse, Jesus tells us three different times to love one another. This was one of the final commands Jesus gave us before going to the cross. This is how people will know you are a follower of Jesus: by showing love.

What the world needs now is Love. A HUGE amount of Love.

Our world is broken. It has been broken since Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden. But the brokenness in our world is so evident today. Our One Verse comes from some of the last words of Jesus at the Last Supper. Right after predicting his betrayal by Judas and right after reminding His disciples that He would go away, Jesus gives them a new command: Love one another.

Jesus tells a story of a man who found hidden treasure in a field. Can you imagine being this man? He's just walking through an empty field. It's barren. No crops. No fruit. And then he stubs his toe on something. As he looks down, he uncovers something special. Hidden treasure! What would you do? Jesus tells us that the man went immediately and sold everything he owned so he could buy the field. Can you imagine what his friends thought? Why would he sell everything for one field? What a waste! But the man knew what he found. He was excited about his treasure. Wouldn't you be! And this brings up a very tough question. Jesus said this man was like the Kingdom of heaven. So here is the question: When was the last time you were as excited about your faith as this man is about his field? Do you see your faith as a hidden treasure or something you almost apologize for? Do you want to share your amazing find with the world or hide it in shame? These are tough questions. They are tough for me to answer. I don't know that I am THAT excited about my faith. But I should be! May God grant us this kind of excitement for our faith. Let's keep chasing God until that happens.