Apr 18 2025

Today's Bible Verse

Let all your things be done with charity.

Today's Bible study

In this verse from 1 Corinthians, Paul reminds us to do everything with charity, which means love. This is a very high demand, but the Lord will equip us to follow it. Let's look at how this command translates into our everyday lives.

Everything we do should be done in love. What this means is that our motivation for doing something matters just as much as what we actually do. It is possible to do the right things with the wrong motivations, and this isn't pleasing to God.

To be honest, I struggle with doing everything in love. Sometimes I get weary of working, of serving other people, or of giving my time to something. My work becomes a means to an end instead of something I do out of love. In situations like these, I have to take a step back from the work itself and think about what else is going on in my heart and mind.

Sometimes, I am no longer grateful for the work opportunity I've been given. Sometimes I am just tired and need a break. And at other times, I am simply disobeying Paul's command, forgetting that everything in my life has been given to me by God, who loves me deeply.

If we are struggling to do everything out of love, thinking about the love that the Lord has shown us can help us get back on track. Jesus gave up His life for us and endured death on a cross so we could have a relationship with Him. Now, we live in grace. Meditate on this fact throughout your day. Take time in your Bible study and prayer time to thank the Lord for the love that He has shown you. When we begin to internalize and truly walk in the love that He has first shown us, we will be equipped to live out our lives drawing from the current of His love.

Today's Prayer

Dear Lord, help me to do all things in love. I don't want to do the right thing for the wrong reason or out of resentment. Instead, help me to be faithful in everything, including my own actions. I love you, Lord. In Jesus' name, amen.

Apr 17 2025

Yesterday's Bible Verse

The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. :

Yesterday's Bible study

After the Lord delivers the Israelites from the Egyptians, Moses and the Hebrews sing to the Lord a song of praise, part of which is this morning's verse. Their song (and this verse) focuses on the character of God and bringing glory to Him.

In this verse in Exodus, the Israelites say the Lord is their strength and their song. They know their strength comes from the Lord. He has sustained them throughout their exile in Egypt and supernaturally intervened to set them free. He was the source of their salvation from the Egyptians, and they express their joy in song.

This is a good reminder for us to praise the Lord when He delivers us. It can be easy to breathe a sigh of relief and then keep going instead of stopping and taking time to reflect on His faithfulness. When we make a habit of thanking the Lord often for intervening for us, we will remember that He is the one who sustains us.

Moreover, God not only sustains us but is also our salvation itself. His saving the Israelites is no less miraculous than our own salvation. When we came to know Jesus, the Lord supernaturally intervened in our hearts.

As a result, we, like the Israelites, should exalt Him. If we become discouraged, we should think about the miracle that our salvation represents. We are saved because Jesus saw us and called us His own—in the same way that God called the Israelites out of Egypt. We can trust the Lord because He has been the strength of His people for thousands of years, and will continue to be for all eternity.

Yesterday's Prayer

Dear Lord, I am so grateful that you are my strength and my song. I thank you, Lord, that you sustain me every day. Thank you for delivering me from my sins and for your daily mercies. In Jesus' name, amen.

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