God Shared This Verse with Me Today

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09/05/2026

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NKJV
Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:
Fear God and keep His commandments,
For this is man’s all.
For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, Both good or evil.

Reading Ecclesiastes chapters 10 - 12 today, I thought these verses were the perfect way to wrap it up. Fearing God and keeping his commandments is the right thing to do. Why? What's the alternative? Following the ways of the world? That way, at least in my experience, has brought me an anxious heart, unsettled future and grief. I have made a choice. I choose God. Will my life be perfect?
Probably not, but alternative leads me down a path of self destruction.

God says he will bring everything we do into judgement. Can't hide it in a closet, crawlspace or a storage unit. Can't put a lock on it because God has a bolt cutter. Nothing is a secret to Him. Don't let a little bit of folly cause your perfume to stink.

Ecclesiastes 10:1 NKJV
Dead flies putrefy the perfumer’s ointment, and cause it to give off a foul odor; So does a little folly to one respected for wisdom and honor.

09/04/2026

Do not say, “Why were the old days better than these?” For it is not wise to ask such questions. Ecclesiastes 7:10

Throughout a person’s life there are many ups and downs. Every period of life has its own unique challenges. At the time it appears as though it is the worst of times. Then later, after surviving the situation, another situation arises that appears to be even worse.

As a human being, you can only live in the present. You cannot live in the past or the future. Today is the day for salvation and you must live in it.

Do not forget what has occurred in the past, but do not dwell in the past. Learn from it and move forward. Accept what God has for you today and look forward to what He will have for you tomorrow.

It may appear that the past was good, but try to remember how hard some of the situations were at the time you were going through them. Today is no different. People are no better or worse than they were before. Situations are no better or worse, it is nothing new.

God has you on a journey in this life. Accept what He has given you and live your life to the fullest for Him. Don’t ask bad questions that are worthless.

09/02/2026

"MY JOY... YOUR JOY"

"These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full" (John 15:11).

What was the joy that Jesus had! Joy should not be confused with happiness. In fact, it s an insult to Jesus Christ to use the word happiness in connection with Him. The joy of Jesus was His absolute self-surrender and self-sacrifice to Hss Father the joy of doing that which the Father sent Him to do"... who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross ." (Hebrews 12:2). "I delight to do Your will, O my God..." (Psalm 40:8). Jesus prayed that our joy might continue fulfilling itself until it becomes the same joy as His. Have I allowed Jesus Christ to introduce His joy to me?

Living a full and overflowing life does not rest in bodily health, in circumstances, nor even in seeing God's work succeed, but in the perfect understanding of God, and in the same fellowship and oneness with Him that Jesus Himself enjoyed. But the first thing that will hinder this joy is the subtle irritability caused by giving too much thought to our circumstances. Jesus said, ". the cares of this world, . . . choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful" (Mark 4:19). And before we even realize what has happened, we are caught up in our cares. All that God has done for us is merely the threshold-He wants us to come to the place where we will be His witnesses and proclaim who Jesus is.

Have the right relationship with God, finding your joy there, and out of you "will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). Be a fountain through which Jesus can pour His "living water." Stop being hypocritical and proud, aware only of yourself, and live "your life. . . hidden with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:3). A person who has the right relationship with God lives a life as natural as breathing wherever he goes. The lives that have been the greatest blessing to you are the lives of those people who themselves were unaware of having been a blessing.

09/01/2026

Proverbs 28:9 NIV
If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable.

One of the more common versions of false faith is the attempt to use God as a vending machine, or a genie. His laws and commands are ignored, but He is still expected to cooperate with prayer requests. God despises this attitude, both when attached to prayer and to sacrifice (Proverbs 15:8). Notably, the Bible says God feels revulsion towards that entire "way" of being, not merely to certain moments (Proverbs 15:9). The term used for His reaction comes from the Hebrew tow'ēbah, which implies deep disgust and loathing. When someone has no concern for God's will, or obedience, or repentance, their attempts to "play religious" are met with the equivalent of divine nausea. Even a "good deed" is a sin when it's done out of insincere motives.

Of course, God has the right to respond to anyone's prayer in any way He chooses. He may respond to an appeal from a non-believer as a means of calling them to faith. Yet those who reject God have no valid reason to expect positive answers to their prayers. Scripture makes it clear that sin and disbelief are barriers to His cooperation. The psalmist understood that sin erects a barrier between prayer and a positive response from God. He writes in Psalm 66:18: "If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened." The man born blind who was healed by Jesus told the Pharisees, "We know that God does not listen to sinners" (John 9:31).

Jesus often denounced the Pharisees because of their hypocrisy. He told the story of a Pharisee and a tax collector who entered the temple to pray. The tax collector who humbly admitted he was a sinner and asked God to be merciful to him went home justified. The self-righteous Pharisee who saw others as sinful but himself as righteous did not (Luke 18:9–14).

08/31/2026

Proverbs 26:20-21 NIV
Without wood a fire goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome person for kindling strife.

A fire must be fueled; in the ancient world, this almost always required wood. When no more wood is added, the fire does not immediately die. However, without wood, the fire fades and burns itself out. Take away fuel, and nothing sustains the flames. In a parallel way, hearsay, bickering, slander, and other hostile speech fuel disagreements and arguments. When gossiping stops, much of the fuel for conflict is gone. Being argumentative, in general, is another way to prolong disputes (Proverbs 26:21).

The Hebrew word for someone who grumbles, gossips, or criticizes behind others' backs is nirgān. The term is similarly used elsewhere in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 1:27; Psalm 106:25; Proverbs 16:28). One of these uses is Proverbs 18:8, which warns about the enticing words of a "whisperer." The same phrasing is used later in this passage (Proverbs 26:22).

The contagious nature of gossip and hurtful speech is echoed in the New Testament. James, as well, relates it to fire: damaging, scarring, able to spread quickly, and hard to control. James writes: "How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell" (James 3:5–6). Paul warns about the evil caused by the wrong use of the tongue. He writes in Galatians 5:14–15: "For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not consumed by one another."

08/30/2026

ALWAYS HAVE AN ANSWER

What do you say when someone asks what you believe? Are you ready with an answer? Peter, writing to Christ followers scattered throughout the Roman provinces, urges them to “be prepared” (3:15). These believers—likely a combination of Jews and Gentiles—were coming under increased persecution. Peter exhorted them to stand firm in their faith.

Peter calls believers to live in communal harmony fostered through a unity of mind, mutual sympathy, compassion, and humility. These virtues should characterize and shape our community and prepare us to face opposition. We are to respond to hostility in a countercultural way: “Repay evil with blessing” (v. 9). Words have the power to fuel conflict or de-escalate it. By offering a blessing rather than retaliating, the Christ follower can use the gift of speech to restore, rather than wound.

Peter quotes from Psalm 34, which provides multiple motivations for guarding one’s tongue. First, when we keep our lips from evil, we will enjoy good days and a lovely life (v. 10). Second, keeping our language pure results in pure actions and brings peace (v. 11). And third, the Lord Himself is listening (v. 12), and we long to please Him.

In verses 13–17, Peter instructs his readers that living in Christlikeness may provoke suffering, but he calls believers to courage. When we revere Christ as Lord in our hearts, it will spill out to our speech. Here, Peter also gives a clear directive toward apologetical study and communication: “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (v. 15). The content of our message must always be true, reasoned, and hopeful. And it must be delivered with kindness.

08/29/2026

In 2018, a man checked into a room at New York hotel for a one-night stay. Remarkably, he used the room for five years without paying another cent—exploiting obscure rent laws to hold on to it. His refusal to leave, however, eventually led to potential prison time for him.

Like an unwelcome tenant who overstays, James warns us that the devil lingers in our lives when left unchecked. “Resist the devil,” James writes, “and he will flee from you” (4:7). The apostle emphasizes that our struggles often come from impure “desires” and “wrong motives” (vv. 1, 3)—things like pride, divided loyalties, and impure thoughts residing in our hearts. To counter such temptation, James offers two commands: “submit . . . to God” and “resist the devil” (v. 7). To submit means surrendering every part of our lives to God. Resisting the devil is equally active, requiring prayer, vigilance, and the wisdom of Scripture.

Like a landlord evicting an unlawful tenant, in God’s strength we can refuse to let the temptation of the devil overtake us. As we resist him, God promises victory as James asserts, “He will flee from you” (v. 7).

When we evict sin and the devil’s influence and “come near to God” (v. 8), we allow His peace, joy, and purpose to dwell more fully in us. The enemy can’t stay where God reigns!

REFLECT & PRAY:
What can you do to remove “unwelcome tenants” from your life? How does submitting to God help?

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

08/27/2026

Proverbs 10:14 NIV
The wise store up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool invites ruin.

The key aspect of wisdom is preparation: the pursuit of what's needed before hardship or crisis are at hand (Proverbs 4:20–21; 10:5). Those who sincerely seek truth and wisdom will seek to understand God's will (Proverbs 1:7) so they are ready for life's challenges (Hebrews 5:14; 1 Corinthians 10:13). Further, the person with a storehouse of wisdom has good advice to give others when the occasion calls for it (Proverbs 11:14).

James 1:5 promises that God will supply wisdom to those who ask in faith for it so they may understand the purpose of their trials. This makes humility a key aspect of "storing up" wisdom, which can elude a person even if their education is admirable. Paul asks in 1 Corinthians 1:20: "Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has God not made foolish the wisdom of the world?" Although Jesus' disciples lacked a formal education, they were wise, because they knew Christ and preached the gospel clearly. When they represented Christ at a meeting of the Jewish council, the council members were astonished, because they realized the disciples were "uneducated, common men," but "they recognized that they had been with Jesus" (Acts 4:13).

Those who prefer to spend their efforts resisting wisdom (Proverbs 10:17) or hating those who offer it (Proverbs 9:7–8) tend to arrogantly chatter while bringing their own downfall even closer.

08/27/2026

Wisdom’s instruction is to fear the Lord, and humility comes before honor.

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