One Verse Devotional

Today's One Verse can be used as a prayer for our lives: "May the words of my mouth and the things I say be pleasing to You, God." He is our Rock, our Redeemer, and our Savior. He has done so much for me, that I want everything that I say, do, and even think about to be pleasing to Him. Obviously, this isn't easy. We are surrounded by temptation and have a million reasons to let something not-so-pleasing come out of our mouths every day. I want my words and deeds and thoughts to be pleasing to the One that truly matters.

Let's live our lives with gratitude! In every situation, find something you can rejoice in.

At the end of the book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul tells us to "rejoice always," but what does that really mean? Do we still praise God during the messy times of life? Isn't this command a little cruel and uncompassionate? Today, we are surrounded with ads and marketing. TV, internet, social media. It's everywhere. And that's a problem. Marketing has one fundamental message: Get you to be discontent with your life. Yes, you have a car that works fine, but how much better would your life be if you had OUR car! Yes, you have dinner planned out for tonight and it is within your budget, but what if you didn't have to work so hard and just ordered our delicious pizza, instead. On Instagram, we get paid recommendations from celebrities. We live in a world where we are surrounded by these types of messages. It can have a serious impact. It's easy to get to a place where we are never content with what we have. We lose our gratitude and in turn lose our rejoicing. Well, you have a LOT to rejoice in today. No matter what situation or life phase you find yourself in, there is something you can rejoice in. I challenge you to find something (or a lot of things) to rejoice in today.

Your faith can actually bring great encouragement to others who are struggling in their own faith journey.

Just like yesterday, today's One Verse is a personal message from me to you. Paul told the church of the Thessalonians that he had actually been encouraged by their faith in his times of distress (and Paul had some distress!) I feel the same about you. There have been times when I've wanted to quit the podcast. But right when I feel that way, I get an email or a private message or even a Facebook comment from someone telling me how much what I am doing means to them and their spiritual life. What an encouragement! You have the power to encourage other Christians who are struggling in their faith. By seeing your faith, it can give them hope. What about your pastor? That's a tough job with little thanks. I know! So many pastors are tempted to quit. Your faith could be just the thing that is bringing them encouragement and allowing them to feel like their efforts and their ministry are actually making a difference. Our faith affects those around us.

By holding on tight to the teachings of Jesus, we can stand firm in an unpredictable world.

I love today's One Verse because I want to adopt Paul's message. He encourages his brothers and sisters in the faith to stand firm and hold fast to the teachings he passed on to them by mouth or by letter. Through word of mouth (podcast!), I am also passing on these teachings of Jesus to you, my brothers and sisters. My hope, like Paul, is that you stand firm in these teachings. God's Word remains firm in a constantly shifting world.

The beauty of the Church happens when different people from different backgrounds and different cultures come together under the name of Jesus. God has invited us into His will to bring unity to heaven and earth through Jesus. God's will is that heaven and earth would be reunited. After Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, a gap was created between us and God. His will is for that gap to be removed, and that is exactly what Jesus did through His sacrifice on the cross. Now, we are invited into the story. As we grow closer to God and chase after His will in our lives, we get to participate in bringing unity to all things.

God's will is the journey, not a destination. He wants you to know His will! #godswill #purpose

One of the biggest questions many have about the Christian life is "What is God's will for my life?" We have this idea that once we find God's will, life will be great. It will all fall into place. But that isn't the case. God doesn't want us to get comfortable and content with where we are. He wants us to keep moving and growing. His will isn't one perfect destination in our life. If we just get "there" everything will be perfect. No. It is the journey of growing closer to God. And even more than that, God wants to reveal His will to you. The closer you get to God, the more He will uncover His will in your life.

When we feel lost, God sees a clear path.

Have you ever been lost, really lost? Maybe you were driving in a new city or hiking in the woods. Either way, you didn't know where to go next. You had lost the path. Has this ever happened in life? Have you ever said, "Why God?" Whenever we are lost driving or lost in life, one thing is true. If we could only get high enough, we could see the whole picture. We wouldn't be confused and we would see exactly where we needed to go. Our One Verse today teaches us that God's ways are higher than our ways. As high as the heavens are from the Earth, God sees the whole picture. Trust in Him to guide you down the right path

Nothing you do for God is done in vain.

Being a follower of Jesus is not easy. There will be days when you are tired, hungry, and want to give up. There will be days that you will wonder if it's worth it. There will be days that you look up at God and say, "Really? Why am I doing this?" But on those days, stand firm. Nothing you do for God is ever in vain. You may not see the results you expected. You may not see results for a while. But God is faithful. He sees your deeds. He knows your heart. It may be tough now, but it is worth it.

Is spending just 5 minutes a day with God worth it? Yes! Our One Verse today is Isaiah 55:11 and it reminds us that God's Word never returns to Him empty. It always accomplished the purpose He meant for it. What does that mean for us? Even if you don't feel like it, even if you only have a few minutes, spend time with God. Dive into His Word, if only one verse. It will accomplish exactly what God meant for it. God promises His Word will continue to work in our lives, bringing life like rains to a dry land.

Hey, everyone!

A quick update: This is the McCarrick moving week! We got the keys to our new place on Friday, so we are deep into packing, moving, and cleaning. Thanks for all the messages. I'm going to take this week to focus on the move, but I'll be back on Monday. Have an awesome week!

Love you all,

Matt