Podcasts about Amen

In the film Where the Wild Things Are, a boy in a wolf suit discovers what most of us already know but rarely say out loud: loving others is hard. The wild things wanted a king who could keep them together and shield them from sadness — but no king, no matter how great, can do that. And neither can we. In this beautifully crafted episode, Sophia Bricker weaves together film, literature, Scripture, and raw honesty to name something we all experience but often feel guilty admitting — that love, in all its forms, is messy, costly, and sometimes feels beyond us. C.S. Lewis wrote that to love at all is to be vulnerable — that a heart given to anyone will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. Yet Jesus, who knew this better than anyone, chose to love anyway. He gave up divine privilege, took on human flesh, and died a criminal's death — not because it was easy, but because love requires sacrifice. Paul's instruction to the Philippians was simple and staggering all at once: have the same mindset as Christ in your relationships. That kind of love — wildly generous, sacrificial, seeking the good of others above our own — is not natural to us. But it is possible. Not through sheer willpower, but through the transforming work of the Holy Spirit in us, mirroring back the love we have already received from the nail-scarred hands of God. Today's Bible Verse "Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on a cross." — Philippians 2:6-8, NLT Ponder Today Loving others is hard — and admitting that is not a failure of faith. Every family, friendship, and community experiences conflict, hurt, and misunderstanding. Acknowledging the difficulty of love is the first honest step toward growing in it. To love is to be vulnerable. As C.S. Lewis reminds us, a heart kept safely away from others is a heart that never truly loves. The risk of being hurt is not a reason to withhold love — it is the very nature of it. Jesus is the ultimate model of sacrificial love. He did not cling to comfort or divine privilege. He entered our mess, bore our sin, and loved us at great personal cost. That is the standard — and the Spirit in us makes it possible. We are not more deserving of love than those we struggle to love. As Sophia asks so pointedly — are we not equally guilty of breaking a heart or speaking a careless word? Remembering our own need for grace softens us toward others who need it too. A Prayer for You Today Savior, I am amazed by Your choice to enter this broken world, taking the curse of sin upon Yourself to save all people. Who am I that I should receive such love? Yet I confess that I struggle to love those around me — people with pasts and flaws not so different from my own. Work in me to produce the fruit of sacrificial, wildly generous love that seeks nothing other than to reflect what You have given me. Produce in me by Your Spirit a new way of life marked by grace and mercy — and the courage to love, even when it's hard. In Your name, Jesus, Amen. Don't Miss an Episode If today's prayer stirred your heart toward someone you've been finding hard to love, we'd love to stay connected. Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and more content to grow your faith and deepen your love for God and others every day. If you like this podcast, be sure to check out our sister podcast, Your Nightly Prayer - an evening Christian prayer podcast to help you end your day in conversation with God. https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

We live in the most connected era in human history — and yet loneliness has never been more widespread. In this thoughtful and beautifully grounded episode, Lia Girard makes an important distinction between two very different kinds of being alone. There is the loneliness we dread — that gnawing disconnection felt even in a crowded room full of people staring at their screens. And then there is erēmos — the Greek word used in Luke 5:16 — a purposeful, chosen withdrawal to a quiet place to be with God. Jesus didn't just permit this kind of solitude. He modeled it, prioritized it, and returned to it again and again. Throughout the richly packed chapter of Luke 5, Jesus pours Himself out completely — healing, teaching, feeding, loving. And then He withdraws. Forty days alone in the wilderness. A mountainside after feeding five thousand. The Garden of Gethsemane, stepping away even from His closest friends to pray. If the Son of God — fully divine, fully human — needed the sanctuary of solitude to reorient His heart to the Father's will, how much more do we? Lia invites us to stop treating silence as something to fill and start treating it as the gift it truly is — a place where we can hear our own hearts, and the voice of God that is meant singularly for us. Today's Bible Verse "But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." — Luke 5:16, NIV Ponder Today Solitude is not loneliness — it is sanctuary. The Greek word erēmos in Luke 5:16 describes a purposeful retreat to a quiet place. Chosen solitude with God is not isolation; it is intimacy. Jesus modeled solitude as a necessity, not a luxury. From forty days in the wilderness to a mountainside after feeding thousands, Jesus consistently withdrew to be with the Father. His example is both permission and invitation for us to do the same. Busyness and pouring ourselves out for others make solitude more necessary, not less. Jesus lived demanding, sacrificial days — and that is precisely why He withdrew. The fuller your life feels, the more urgently your soul needs quiet. Solitude protects the authenticity of your prayer life. Jesus warned against prayer performed for others to see. Time alone with God removes the audience and creates the conditions for an honest, unguarded outpouring of your heart. A Prayer for You Today Dear God, I'm not always comfortable with solitude — I tend to fill quiet moments with productivity or distraction rather than time with You. The world is loud, and my life feels full and demanding. Please help me reprioritize sitting in silence with You. Help me not to feel anxious when I'm alone, but to see stillness as a gift. Help me reestablish the practice of withdrawing to be refilled with Your guidance and presence. Thank You for Jesus, who shows us that solitude is a necessity, not a luxury — and that being alone is not lonely at all. In Jesus' mighty name, Amen. Don't Miss an Episode If today's prayer made you want to find a quiet place and simply be with God, we'd love to stay connected. Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and more content to help you cultivate a deeper, more intimate walk with Him every day. If you like this podcast, be sure to check out our sister podcast, Your Nightly Prayer - an evening Christian prayer podcast to help you end your day in conversation with God. https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE:  Proverbs 25-27, Romans 15 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible, where we journey together through the pages of Scripture each day. On this June 3rd episode, Hunter guides us through Proverbs 25-27 and Romans 15, reflecting on wisdom, patience, encouragement, and the centrality of Christ in the Christian life. As we read and pray together, we are reminded that the Bible points us not to itself, but to Jesus—the true living Word and source of hope. Join Hunter for insight, encouragement, and a time of prayer as we discover anew how grace takes the pressure off, and how God's love is the motivation for all we do. TODAY'S DEVOTION: The Scriptures teach us and give us hope and encouragement. It's easy for us, as followers of Christ, to misunderstand the role of the Bible in our lives. We can become so enamored with Scripture that we risk turning it into an end in itself, forgetting its primary purpose: to direct our hearts to the living Word, Jesus Christ. The Bible is not the Savior; Jesus is. And as Speaker A points out in Romans 15, "Such things were written in the Scriptures long ago to teach us, and the Scriptures give us hope and encouragement as we wait patiently for God's promises to be fulfilled." What is this hope? What is this encouragement that God is giving? Speaker A references back to Romans 14, where Paul reminds us that the kingdom of God is not about arguments over religious practice or culture—what we eat or drink, or even the observance of days—but about a life marked by goodness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. It's so easy to get lost in our religion and miss the point entirely: we can argue and hurt each other over differences, missing the heart of the gospel. The invitation of the kingdom is greater; it's about being transformed, healed, and empowered to serve and love—even our enemies. This kingdom life is about reflecting Christ to the world—a life of loving one another, of patience, of hope, of encouragement, of finding our identity not in religious observance or perfection, but in the abiding presence of God's Spirit within us. The fruit of this life is not fear, not anxiety, not striving to earn favor, but the freedom that comes from grace and the confidence that comes from being God's beloved. Let the Scriptures remind you and teach you that all of this—patience, hope, encouragement, peace—these are gifts from God. The Bible points us to Christ, the source of our courage and confidence. The kingdom is bigger than anything we imagine—a life richer than anything religious practice alone could provide. The best is yet to be revealed. That's a prayer for Speaker A's soul. It's the prayer for his family, his wife, his daughters, his son. And it's the prayer for you: May God give us, this day, hope and encouragement as we fix our eyes on the One who is the source, the One who invites us to live in the joy and freedom of his kingdom life. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260603dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 The Blessing of the Trinity These words in today’s Bible reading often come at the end of a worship service, a quiet blessing spoken as people prepare to go their separate ways. But this is more than a polite closing. It is a powerful reminder of who God is and how he comes to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Notice how each person of the Trinity is described. The Lord Jesus Christ brings grace. That’s not just a nice idea; it’s the undeserved love he showed by giving his life for sinners. His grace means your sins are forgiven, not because you earned it or improved yourself, but because he took your place. In Jesus, grace is not abstract. It is personal, costly, and complete. Then there is the love of God the Father, which is the source of it all. Before you ever knew him, before you ever sought him, he loved you. He planned your salvation, sent his Son, and continues to care for you as his own child. His love is not fickle or uncertain. It is steady, faithful, and eternal. And these blessings become yours through the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit brings you into a relationship with God. He works through the Word to create faith, to strengthen it, and to keep you connected to your Savior. You are not left to figure out your faith on your own. The Spirit is actively at work, drawing you closer to Christ and to one another. This blessing shows you that the triune God is not distant. He is involved. The Father loves you. The Son saves you. The Spirit stays with you. So, these words are not just for the end of a worship service. They are for the beginning of everything that follows. As you go into your week, into your responsibilities, your struggles, and your joys, this blessing goes with you. The grace, the love, and the fellowship of the triune God are not temporary. They are yours, today and always. Prayer: Be with me wherever I go, dear Lord, with all your blessings and kindness. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

What would it look like to be silent, ponder, and wrestle with God? LINKS:Download How to Pray God's Word for Your ChildrenFollow Everyday Prayers @MillionPrayingMoms A Prayer for More Joy in our Hearts by Nicolet Bell In a world where everything is loud, we're praying our children grow comfortable in the silence — so they can hear the voice of God in their lives. Reference: Psalm 4 Prayer: Father, help my children to be set apart for you and for your work. Help them to resist sin, to live sacrificially, and to put their trust in you. Lord, help them to be comfortable in the silence so they can hear your voice. Lift up the light of your face upon them and put more of your joy in their hearts. May they lie down and sleep in peace, knowing you alone, O Lord, make them dwell in safety. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Sacred Heart of Jesus, You know me completely and love me endlessly. Open my heart to Your mercy, peace, and compassion. Teach me to trust You more each day and help me bring Your love to others. Amen.Jesus, teach me to trust You even when life feels uncertain. Sacred Heart of Jesus, remind me that I am never alone and that Your love is greater than my fears. Amen.Sacred Heart of Jesus, thank You for loving me faithfully and completely. Help me live each day with trust, courage, and compassion. May my heart become more like Yours. Amen.Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in You.

“In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” — Isaiah 40:3 The prophet Isaiah looks ahead, pointing to a prophet who would prepare the way for the coming Messiah. John the Baptist was that prophet, and the Messiah was Jesus Christ.John presented the Messiah, Jesus, as the true light that comes into the world and enlightens every person. John also said of Jesus, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). John came baptizing with water, and he presented Jesus as someone greater than himself, who would baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. John did not feel worthy even to untie the straps of Jesus' sandals. John lived by this principle: “[Jesus] must become greater; I must become less” (John 3:30).The church cannot produce revival; however, it is up to the church to prepare the way for the Lord so that he may transform lives. Revival is the work of God, and preparing for it is our responsibility. Revival is a supernatural work of God, and we need to make a way straight in the wilderness for our God. Our lives must be the unobstructed road by which the Lord reveals himself to the world.In what ways have you been a path through which the Lord has revealed himself? Prepare the way of the Lord! Lord Jesus, make us a people who prepare your way with humility and faith. Help us to become less so that you may become greater among us. Clear our hearts of every obstacle so that your light may shine through our lives. Amen.

Sitting across from her career coach, listening to her own writing be described as "dead," Vivian Bricker felt the familiar sting of criticism land somewhere deep — not just in her confidence as a writer, but in old wounds she thought had healed long ago. In this honest and tender episode, Vivian shares the raw experience of hearing hard feedback, the spiral of self-doubt that followed, and the slow, God-guided process of learning to receive correction as a gift rather than an attack. Because that's exactly what Proverbs 15:31-32 calls it — life-giving correction — the kind that leads to wisdom and understanding when we are willing to heed it. For many of us, criticism doesn't just sting in the moment — it resurrects voices from childhood, parents who were too harsh, or seasons when we were made to feel we could never do anything right. Vivian names that pain with grace and invites us to bring it to God. Our mistakes do not define us, and constructive criticism from someone who genuinely wants to help us grow is not an indictment of our worth. With the Lord's help, we can learn to take correction in stride — not because it stops hurting, but because we trust that the path of wisdom is always worth walking. Today's Bible Verse "Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise. Those who disregard discipline despise themselves, but the one who heeds correction gains understanding." — Proverbs 15:31-32, NIV Ponder Today Constructive criticism is a gift, even when it doesn't feel like one. The Bible calls it "life-giving correction" — and those who receive it wisely find themselves growing in understanding and walking among the wise. Criticism often hurts most where old wounds already exist. When feedback triggers painful memories or childhood voices, that's not weakness — it's human. Bring those deeper wounds to God, not just the surface sting. Your mistakes do not define you. We all fall short, produce imperfect work, and have room to grow. What matters is not that we failed, but that we remain willing to learn and keep moving forward. Choose to hear the intention behind the correction. When criticism comes from someone genuinely trying to help you improve, receiving it well is an act of humility and wisdom — not surrender or shame. A Prayer for You Today Father, Criticism is not something I enjoy. Like many people, it makes me feel bad about myself and stirs up painful memories from the past. Please help me learn to accept correction and grow from it. Equip my heart to remain strong when others offer feedback that is hard to hear. While I know it may still hurt at times, I trust that You can guide me toward wisdom and help me overcome the pain and disappointment. Thank You for always hearing my prayers. In Your Son's name, Amen. Don't Miss an Episode If today's prayer encouraged you to grow through the hard things, we'd love to stay connected. Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and more content to strengthen and mature your faith every day. If you like this podcast, be sure to check out our sister podcast, Your Nightly Prayer - an evening Christian prayer podcast to help you end your day in conversation with God. https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 22-24, Romans 14 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! On this second day of June, join Hunter as we continue our journey through the Bible, focusing today on Proverbs 22-24 and Romans 14. Together, we explore timely wisdom from Proverbs and the Apostle Paul's call for a Christ-like attitude of love, unity, and harmony within the church. We'll reflect on how self-giving, forgiving, and co-suffering love can transform our lives and relationships. Along with thought-provoking readings, you'll be invited to join in prayer for our world, our families, and our own hearts as we seek to live out the peace and joy God offers. Whether you're a longtime listener or brand new, we're glad you're with us on this adventure of faith—reminding you each day that you are loved. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Attitude is everything if you want to be strengthened and built up. If you want to see that for God's people too, then attitude is really important. Paul says, if you serve Christ with this attitude you will please God and others will approve of you too. So then let us aim for harmony in the church and try to build each other up. What is this attitude? It's the attitude of Christ himself. Paul writes about this elsewhere in Philippians: don't look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others too. You must have this same attitude that Christ TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Original Post Date: June 4, 2024 === Gospel  Mark 12:13-17 Some Pharisees and Herodians were sent to Jesus to ensnare him in his speech. They came and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you are not concerned with anyone's opinion. You do not regard a person's status but teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not? Should we pay or should we not pay?” Knowing their hypocrisy he said to them, “Why are you testing me? Bring me a denarius to look at.” They brought one to him and he said to them, “Whose image and inscription is this?” They replied to him, “Caesar's.” So Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him. Reflection To live in the world is to live in a society where there are regulations and rules and we follow them. And Jesus is pointing that out to the Herodians and to the Pharisees, because what he's saying, look, okay, I'm not really engaging so much in how the world is working around you. I am working on establishing a different kind of kingdom, a kingdom of love, a kingdom of truth, and it dwells in people and will change the world. But it is not the world or society that will change us. It is God's truth that changes the world. Closing Prayer Father, we spend a great deal of time evaluating the way the world is going, but the Kingdom of God is inside, and that is the place where God is asking us to wait for and to experience the Kingdom of God, the peace and the joy that it promises. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260602dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27 God Speaks About Himself in the Plural It’s a small detail, but it makes you stop and think: “Let us make… in our image.” From the very beginning, God speaks of himself in the plural. This is not confusion or contradiction. It is a quiet glimpse into the mystery Christians later confess in more detail. The one true God is triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Here, already in creation, the triune God is at work together. And what is the result of this divine counsel? Humanity. You were not an after-thought or an accident. You were created intentionally, personally, and wonderfully. The triune God crafted human beings in his own image, capable of knowing him, reflecting his holiness, and living in perfect relationship with him and with one another. But when we look at ourselves and our world, something feels off. The image is cracked and distorted. Sin has broken what God made perfect. Instead of reflecting God’s holiness, we often reflect selfishness, pride, and fear. Instead of living in harmony, we experience division and pain. Yet the triune God did not abandon what he made. The Father sent his Son into the world. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, is called “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Where we have failed to reflect God, he does so perfectly. He lives the life we could not live and dies the death we deserved, restoring what was broken. And the Holy Spirit continues God’s creative work even now. Through the gospel, he renews hearts and reshapes lives, restoring the image of God within us. What was shattered is being made whole again. So, when you hear God say, “Let us make,” remember that this same triune God is still speaking and still working. You are not forgotten or without purpose. You were created by God, redeemed by God, and are being renewed by God. Prayer: Thank you, triune God, for your continuing work in me. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

We aren't just praying empty prayers. We aren't just saying words and lifting them up into an empty sky. We're praying to a person — and he hears us and he answers us. LINKS:Download How to Pray God's Word for Your ChildrenFollow Everyday Prayers @MillionPrayingMoms A Prayer to be "like a tree" by Nicolet Bell On today's episode of Everyday Prayers Nicolet reads Psalm 3 and we pray those words over our children. Reference: Psalm 3 Prayer: Father, help my children to be reassured that you are a shield about them. May they know and trust you as the lifter of their head. May they cry out to you and listen and hear when you answer. Assure them that you are the one who sustains them and help them to not be afraid. Help them to look for salvation in you alone, for you are the only one who can satisfy our thirsty souls. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Hungry for the gifts of the Spirit but tired of striving? This session lays a clean foundation: the gifts flow from the life of Jesus, not the strength of Adam. We begin with Romans 6 to show how new birth changes your source—your old self was crucified with Christ, and now you live in Him. From that place, revelation replaces effort. It's not about talent or personality; it's about grace multiplied through the knowledge of God and the light that only the Spirit can give.We unpack the vital difference between information and light. You can recite verses on healing and prophecy, but without Spirit-given light, ministry remains hit-or-miss. Drawing from 2 Peter 1 and 1 Corinthians 2, we explore how the Spirit reveals what eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and why that revelation centers on the Son of God. When you see Jesus victorious over death, you gain a settled confidence to confront sin, cycles, and the works of darkness. That clarity fuels consistent, humble, Spirit-led action.Expect practical guidance you can use this month: create daily intentional time with God to listen before you speak, ask for specific light about Jesus' victory for your current barriers, and lead gatherings with room for revelation rather than noise. Real stories of Spirit-prompted outreach remind us this isn't theory—families are transformed when we follow the light. We close with focused prayer and impartation for pastors, leaders, and hungry believers, trusting the God who qualifies the unqualified and prepared good works long before we asked.If you're ready to move from effort to overflow, from information to illumination, this session will help you see Jesus more clearly and walk in the grace of His gifts. Subscribe, share with a friend who's hungry for more, and leave a review telling us where you're asking God for light this week.We love to hear from our listeners! Thank you! https://www.amazon.com/dp/1639030158?ref_=cm_sw_r_cp_ud_dp_VZBSV9T4GT4AMRWEWXJE&skipTwisterOG=1 Support the showhttps://www.youtube.com/@charlesgrobinettehttps://www.instagram.com/charles.g.robinette/https://author.amazon.com/bookshttps://charlesgrobinette.com/

COMPLETAS MARTES - TIEMPO ORDINARIO(Oración antes del descanso nocturno)*Link de apoyo al canal al final del escrito*INVOCACIÓN INICIALV. Dios mío, ven en mi auxilioR. Señor, date prisa en socorrerme. Gloria al Padre, y al Hijo, y al Espíritu Santo.Como era en el principio, ahora y siempre, por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.Salmo 5 - Ant. No me escondas tu rostro, ya que confío en ti.Señor, escucha mi oración; tú que eres fiel, atiende a mi súplica;tú que eres justo, escúchame.No llames a juicio a tu siervo, pues ningún hombre vivo es inocente frente a ti.El enemigo me persigue a muerte,empuja mi vida al sepulcro, me confina a las tinieblas como a los muertos ya olvidados.Mi aliento desfallece,mi corazón dentro de mí está yerto.Recuerdo los tiempos antiguos,medito todas tus acciones, considero las obras de tus manosy extiendo mis brazos hacia ti:tengo sed de ti como tierra reseca.Escúchame en seguida, Señor,que me falta el aliento.No me escondas tu rostro,igual que a los que bajan a la fosa.En la mañana hazme escuchar tu gracia,ya que confío en ti;indícame el camino que he de seguir,pues levanto mi alma a ti.Líbrame del enemigo, Señor,que me refugio en ti. Enséñame a cumplir tu voluntad,ya que tu eres mi Dios.Tu espíritu que es bueno, me guíe por tierra llana.Por tu nombre, Señor, consérvame vivo;por tu clemencia, sácame de la angustia.Gloria al Padre, y al Hijo, y al Espíritu Santo.Como era en el principio, ahora y siempre,por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.CÁNTICO EVANGÉLICOAnt. Sálvanos, Señor, despiertos, protégenos mientras dormimos, para que velemos con Cristo y descansemos en paz.CÁNTICO DE SIMEÓN       Lc 2, 29-32Ahora, Señor, según tu promesa,puedes dejar a tu siervo irse en paz,porque mis ojos han visto a tu Salvador,a quien has presentado ante todos los pueblosluz para alumbrar a las nacionesy gloria de tu pueblo Israel.Gloria al Padre, y al Hijo, y al Espíritu Santo.Como era en el principio, ahora y siempre, por los siglos de los siglos. Amén.Ant. Sálvanos, Señor, despiertos, protégenos mientras dormimos, para que velemos con Cristo y descansemos en paz.OREMOSIlumina, Señor, nuestra noche y concédenos un descanso tranquilo; que mañana nos levantemos en tu nombre y podamos contemplar, con salud y gozo, el clarear del nuevo día. Por Cristo nuestro Señor. Amen.BENDICIÓNV. El Señor todopoderoso nos conceda una noche tranquilay una santa muerte.R. Amén.ANTIFONA FINAL DE LA SANTISIMA VIRGENBajo tu amparo nos acogemos, santa Madre de Dios, no desprecies las oraciones que te dirigimos en nuestras necesidades,antes bien líbranos de todo peligro, oh Virgen gloriosa y bendita.(337)

God Reminds Those Who Want a Deeper Relationship with Him of His Expectations for Their Management of His Resources He Provided Them MESSAGE SUMMARY: As followers of Jesus, we want to go deeper in our personal relationship with God. However, God tells some of us that we must start being more responsible for the material things that He has provided before we can go deeper into spiritual revelations. Also, many of us, while seeking to know the Lord better, want to know His will in our lives and for the World. At the same time, we want to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In Mathew 6:19-21, Jesus is telling us that all that we have, which we tend to call our own, really comes from God. God has expectations for our good management of His resources in our personal relationship with Him: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.". God tells us that we are to be good managers of His gifts; however, in Luke 12:19-21, Jesus completes a parable about a man who thought that all his assets were his and not from God: “'And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.' But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?' So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”. Pointedly, God is telling us that if we cannot be responsible for the earthly treasures, which He has provided us, then how can we be responsible for His Spiritual treasures that He wants to provide us as we seek to deepen our personal relationship with Him?   TODAY'S PRAYER: Most merciful God I confess that I have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed, by what I have done, and by what I have left undone. I have not loved you with my whole heart; I have not loved my neighbors as myself. I am truly sorry and I humbly repent. For the sake of your son Jesus Christ, have mercy on me and forgive me; that I might delight in your will, and walk in your ways, to the glory of Your Name. Amen.  TODAY'S AFFIRMATION: Today, because I am filled with the Holy Spirit, I will not be controlled by my Self-Centeredness. Rather, I will walk in the Spirit's fruit of Love. “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22f). SCRIPTURE REFERENCE (ESV): Mathew 25:14-30; Luke 12:13-21; Romans 3:19-20; Psalms 21:1-13. A WORD FROM THE LORD WEBSITE: www.AWFTL.org. THIS SUNDAY'S AUDIO SERMON: You can listen to Archbishop Beach's Current Sunday Sermon: “Our Awesome God -- Part 2: Trinity; Our Father”, at our Website: https://awordfromthelord.org/listen/ DONATE TO AWFTL: https://mygiving.secure.force.com/GXDonateNow?id=a0Ui000000DglsqEAB

Lloyd and Pastor Bennett hang out with Reformation Gun Club members Stuart, Steve, Tim, Donnie, and William to talk about various and sundry. Movies, gun rights in Virginia, and more. *Recorded May 29, 2026  Armed Lutheran Radio is a listener-supported podcast. If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, The Reformation Gun Club! http://www.ReformationGunClub.com Links of Interest Buy Duty to Defend, Volume 2 on Amazon – https://amzn.to/3D3frE5* Prayer of the Week Almighty and everlasting God, who has given to us, Your servants, grace, by the confession of a truth faith, to acknowledge the glory of the eternal Trinity and in the power of the Divine Majesty to worship the Unity, we implore You that You would keep us steadfast in this faith and evermore defend us from all adversities; who lives and reigns, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. Get in Touch Visit our Feedback Page - https://armedlutheranradio.libsyn.com/contact Please tell your friends about us, leave an iTunes review, and like us on Facebook Join our Facebook group - https://www.facebook.com/groups/fansofarmedlutheranradio Subscribe to us and follow us on Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/armedlutheran Check Out More at our Website- http://www.armedlutheran.us Use these Links to Support Armed Lutheran Radio If you value the information and entertainment we provide, consider supporting the show by joining our membership site, or shopping at your favorite online stores using the links below. Check all the books by the Armed Lutheran - https://amzn.to/4kan8JL Shop at Amazon* - https://amzn.to/4ahxBii Armed Citizens Legal Defense Network - https://www.armedcitizensnetwork.org Disclaimer The links above which are indicated with an asterisk (*) are affiliate links, which means that if you choose to make a purchase, I will earn a commission. This commission comes at no additional cost to you. New Original Music by Reformer https://www.youtube.com/ReformerBand

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Get your Hosea Scripture Journal now. What if the greatest danger in your life isn't open rebellion, but quiet distance from God? Listen to our text today, Hosea 4:4-6a: Yet let no one contend, and let none accuse, for with you is my contention, O priest. You shall stumble by day; the prophet also shall stumble with you by night; and I will destroy your mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, — Hosea 4:4-6a God says, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." He does not say they are inconvenienced, distracted, or struggling. He says they are destroyed. And the cause is not a lack of resources or opportunity. It is a lack of knowledge. But this is not talking about information alone. The Hebrew idea behind this word points to real, personal, covenant knowledge. God is not accusing them of forgetting a few facts about him. He is saying they no longer know him as they should. The relationship has thinned. The truth has been neglected. What should have been living and personal has become distant and hollow. And notice this carefully: God says they rejected knowledge. This was not innocent ignorance. This was chosen distance and outright rejection. They had access to God's Word. They had priests. They had covenant history. But instead of receiving what God had revealed, they pushed it aside. They preferred other voices, other loves, and other ways of living. That is why this prophecy hits so hard. Destruction in our lives does not begin when we become openly wicked. It begins much earlier, when we stop pursuing the knowledge of God. That is when the drift begins. Truth grows thin. Conviction weakens. Sin becomes easier to justify. What once felt dangerous begins to feel normal. If your knowledge or relationship with God is shallow, your life will not stay strong for long. If you live on old truth, borrowed truth, or occasional truth, you will eventually feel the effects of it. You cannot neglect God privately and stay steady personally. So instead of fixing peripheral issues in your life, maybe it's time to address the relational issues with God. It might be time to address your intimacy. Take some time today to sit in God's presence. Sing to him. Pray to him. Sit quietly in his presence and merely listen to him. Get to know the Lord again, and not just more about him. DO THIS: Spend time in God's Word today with one aim: not just to learn something, but to know him more deeply. ASK THIS: Where has your knowledge of God become thin or secondhand? What habits are helping you know God more personally, and what habits are pulling you away? What is one step you need to take today to pursue God more intentionally? PRAY THIS: Father, keep me from drifting into distance from you. Deepen my knowledge of you and draw me into a living, faithful relationship with you. Amen. PLAY THIS: "The Secret Place"

Daily Dose of Hope June 2, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 2   Prayer:  Holy God, Thank you for this day and thank you for the ways you provide and care for us.  We rejoice in your powerful and mighty name.  As we read through the Scripture today and reflect on what it means for us, help us hear a new word from you.  Help us set aside the distractions of the day and really listen for your voice.  In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Daily Bible reading plan.  For the summer, we are digging into 1 and 2 Kings.  These Old Testament texts offer us so much of God's truth and I look forward to what we will learn.  Today, we read 1 Kings 2.   This chapter begins with David about to die.  He wants to provide some advice to his son, Solomon, the new king of Israel. It's troubling advice, as he provides spiritual wisdom quickly followed by political strategizing that will lead to bloodshed. The first part of his advice is Godly and sounds like the wisdom of a man after God's own heart: Follow God's laws and walk in obedience to him and then you will prosper. But the second half of David's advice is about securing the kingdom. All sense of faithfulness is now gone out the window: Avenge your father, kill those people who have done us wrong, and ensure your place on the throne. Hmmm...On the one hand, David tells Solomon to follow God and keep Torah. On the other, he tells Solomon to avenge, kill, and break Torah.   I we were to read 1 & 2 Samuel, we could do a pretty good assessment of David's life. Overall, he was a faithful man who rarely wavered from following the Lord. He definitely had some rough patches though, in which he fell away and sinned horrifically against God and other people. And those times definitely mar how we view him.  At the same time, he was always repentant and turned back toward God. Over this last little portion of his life, however, it seems that David consulted God less and in many ways grew angry and bitter.  He had made a mess of his family life, allowed horrible things to happen in his household, and generally tried to dismiss it.  I'm wondering about his regrets.   What can we learn from King David's life? He is referred to as a man after God's own heart. He wrote many of the Psalms which we read over and over again and use in worship and song. He loved God and his allegiance was undeniable. On the other hand, he was a human king and there were many times in which lust, fear, and arrogance ruled the day.   After David dies, Samuel doesn't waste a lot of time.  He takes his father's advice and runs with it.  This means eliminating political rivals, including his half-brother Adonijah.  You might have noticed that Adonijah asked to marry his father's former attendant, the virgin Abishag.  Solomon sees this request as a covert political ploy to take the throne, as marrying a former king's attendant was seen as a claim to the royal lineage.  He also kills Joab (the general) and Shimei (who was a long-time problem for King David).  There is absolutely no grace.  I can't help but wonder what this means for Soloman's reign as king.  Is this a sign of what's to come?    Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260602dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:26-27 God Speaks About Himself in the Plural It’s a small detail, but it makes you stop and think: “Let us make… in our image.” From the very beginning, God speaks of himself in the plural. This is not confusion or contradiction. It is a quiet glimpse into the mystery Christians later confess in more detail. The one true God is triune: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Here, already in creation, the triune God is at work together. And what is the result of this divine counsel? Humanity. You were not an after-thought or an accident. You were created intentionally, personally, and wonderfully. The triune God crafted human beings in his own image, capable of knowing him, reflecting his holiness, and living in perfect relationship with him and with one another. But when we look at ourselves and our world, something feels off. The image is cracked and distorted. Sin has broken what God made perfect. Instead of reflecting God’s holiness, we often reflect selfishness, pride, and fear. Instead of living in harmony, we experience division and pain. Yet the triune God did not abandon what he made. The Father sent his Son into the world. Jesus Christ, the eternal Son, is called “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15). Where we have failed to reflect God, he does so perfectly. He lives the life we could not live and dies the death we deserved, restoring what was broken. And the Holy Spirit continues God’s creative work even now. Through the gospel, he renews hearts and reshapes lives, restoring the image of God within us. What was shattered is being made whole again. So, when you hear God say, “Let us make,” remember that this same triune God is still speaking and still working. You are not forgotten or without purpose. You were created by God, redeemed by God, and are being renewed by God. Prayer: Thank you, triune God, for your continuing work in me. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Tuesday, 2 June 2026   Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Matthew 20:14   “You bear the ‘yours', and you go! I will, also, this: the last to give as also you.” (CG)   In the previous verse, the housemaster told the grumbler that he was a scammer, asking if he didn't agree to a denarius. Without waiting for a response, he next says, “You bear the ‘yours', and you go!”   In other words, “You got what we agreed on. That is yours. Take it and hit the road.” Having said that, he continues with, “I will, also, this: the last to give as also you.”   If such is his will, it has not harmed anyone else. Rather, it was an act of his own charitable goodness to hand out money as he saw fit. There was no wrongdoing, no intent of malice toward another, and the only wrong involved is that of perception by a person who had received what he agreed to work for.   Life application: In the United States, it is common to tip people who work in service industries, especially waitresses. They normally receive less pay for the work they do with others based on the anticipation that when they do a good job, they will be rewarded for it by those they serve.   It is true that some cultures or individuals don't tip, but that disregard for the care of others is their own issue. The poor servers just have to bite their lip and live with it. Besides such people, tipping is how some people are able to pay their bills. However, at some point in the past, some restaurants came to the ridiculous conclusion that it was unfair for one server to make more than the others.   Think about it. You have hired Lazy Linda. She does the minimal amount of work, is late serving people their food, and shows up ten minutes late every day. You also have Moaning Myrtle. She never smiles, complains to the customers about the amount of food they order, and has plenty of words about her unhappy family life to share with complete strangers.   You also have Piggy Peggy. Her clothes are dirty, she doesn't smell very good, and if she laughs, it is more a grunt than anything joyful. She delivers the food randomly, and when you get it, it seems something may have been picked off the plate on the trip between the kitchen and your table.   And then, there is Amazing Amy. She shows up early, always has a well-pressed, clean uniform, smiles at everybody, never has a bad word to say about anyone or anything, and never stops helping others. Her customers become regulars, they know her birthday, and always wish her a merry Christmas with a nice little gift.   Why on earth should Amazing Amy have to split the $1000.00 a day she makes in tips with Lazy, Piggy, and Moaning, who collectively make about 85 cents in tips on a good day? This rewards indolence, negative attitudes, and sloppy work. It also penalizes hard work and outstanding effort.   The first laborers hired by the housemaster got exactly what they agreed to. Maybe they worked hard, or maybe they slouched on the job, but the housemaster was faithful to meet his obligation to them. The last people were given a great measure of grace, receiving what today would be considered a nice tip for their minimal labors. But nobody was wronged in the process.   Be content with your pay. If you are unhappy with it, or with how your boss treats others for whatever reason, as long as he is not violating any law, remember that there are other options available on the other side of the door.   As Christians, we should always strive to do our best at whatever we do. Jesus' name rests on us. So honor the Lord first. In doing so, everything else will find its proper place.   Lord God, may we rejoice when others are successful. If we want what they have, may we be willing to expend ourselves to obtain those things. May we not be envious of what we do not possess. And, Lord, keep us from taking from others what they have rightfully earned. Amen.  

Proclaim to her that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for. . . . — Isaiah 40:2 God's people had ignored his law and had closed their ears to the words of his prophets. As a consequence, the people were taken into captivity and exile. Because they would not listen to the voice of grace, they heard the crack of the whip of discipline.But the same God who disciplines his people restores them by his mercy. God called Isaiah to speak tenderly and with assurance to his exiled people, proclaiming that their time of captivity was over and that their sins were forgiven. What a comforting message!Because God loves his people, he disciplines them. And along with disciplining his people, God also forgives them. God forgives his people, and he also restores them.There is no remedy for guilt except in God's forgiveness. No medicine can calm a heart tormented by guilt. No therapy can stifle the desperate cries of a conscience plagued with remorse for wrongdoing. Only God's forgiveness can lift the heavy burden that crushes us.Have you been forgiven by God? Do you enjoy the peace that “transcends all understanding” (Philippians 4:7)?Now is the time of grace. If your heart weighs heavy with sin, now is the opportune time to turn to God in repentance and seek his forgiveness. Lord God, speak to our hearts with your restoring mercy. Lift the weight of our guilt, forgive us, and lead us from discipline to renewal, bringing the peace that only you can give. In Jesus, Amen.

Revelation 1:4-6To the seven churches in the province of Asia:Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits[a] before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.

Remember: Your waiting season is not wasted. God is preparing your breakthrough.Prayer:Father, thank You that You are the God of breakthrough. Help me to remain faithful while I wait. Strengthen my faith, increase my perseverance, and teach me to trust Your timing. Just as You remembered Hannah, remember me according to Your perfect will. In Jesus' name, Amen.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/apostolic-deliverance-teaching--1288300/support.

"For the same reason you alsobe glad and rejoice with me." The Apostle Paul is inviting thePhilippians to share in his joy. Nowthink about it. Paul is in prison, suffering and uncertain about the future.Yet he keeps speaking about joy. This teaches us something so important:Christian joy is not based on circumstances. It is based on Jesus Christ. Theworld's happiness rises and falls with comfort and success, but biblical joycan exist even in suffering. Paul and the Philippians were united in sacrifice,service, and joy. TrueChristian fellowship is much deeper than just a social connection. You may goto church, attend Sunday school, participate in church events, and spend timewith other believers. You may go golfing together, play tennis, or enjoy otheractivities together. Those things are wonderful. But true Christian fellowshipis deeper than simply enjoying social events together. True fellowship issharing together in the work of Jesus Christ. Thereis joy in serving with other believers. There is joy in praying together. Thereis joy in giving together. Yes, there is even joy in suffering together. Thereis joy in seeing lives changed through the work of God as we labor togetherwith fellow believers. Some of the deepest joy believers experience comesduring difficult seasons when they see God working in powerful ways. Acts 5tells us that after the apostles were beaten, they returned to the churchrejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for Christ's name. James1 reminds us to count it all joy when we fall into various trials,tribulations, and troubles, knowing that the testing of our faith producespatience. Suffering produces Christian maturity in our lives. Joy grows when weserve God's purposes and trust God's purposes, even in suffering. Paul wantedthese believers not merely to survive hardship, but to rejoice in the middle ofit. That kind of joy becomes a testimony to the world. People expect us torejoice when things are going well. But when Christians rejoice in trials, theworld sees something supernatural, something different, and they want what wehave. Only Christ can produce that kind of joy in our lives. Maybetoday you're carrying burdens, disappointments, or heartaches. Remember this:your joy does not depend upon changing circumstances. It depends upon anunchanging Savior. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Heis still on the throne. God is still working. The gospel is still true. Heavenis still ahead. Because of that, we can rejoice. We'vebeen talking about the submissive mind here in Philippians 2. As Paul hasdescribed it, the submissive mind ultimately produces joy. The submissive mindis the same as a surrendered life. And a surrendered life produces joy inChrist. The Bible teaches us that Jesus humbled Himself. He obeyed the Father.He endured the cross. He now reigns in glory. Thatreminds me of Hebrews 12:1–3: "Therefore we also, since we aresurrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, andthe sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the racethat is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of ourfaith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising theshame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For considerHim who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you becomeweary and discouraged in your souls." My friend, when we follow thesame principle that Jesus practiced, we discover that surrender leads to joy. Let'spray together. Father, thank You for the joy that is found only in JesusChrist. Teach us to rejoice not only in blessings, but also in sacrifice andservice. Help us to trust You in every circumstance and reflect the joy ofChrist to the world around us. In Jesus' name, Amen. Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

Have you ever woken up from a dream that felt too vivid, too specific, or too persistent to simply brush aside? In this episode, Whitney Hopler gently opens the conversation about a topic that many believers wonder about but rarely discuss: can God speak through our dreams? The answer, rooted in Joel 2:28 and woven throughout Scripture, is yes — though Whitney is careful to remind us that not every dream is a divine message. Many are simply the mind sorting through the noise of daily life. But even then, the Holy Spirit is at work, quietly renewing your mind as you sleep. When a dream catches your attention — especially if it recurs — Whitney offers a wise and grounded approach: begin not with analysis, but with surrender. Before searching for symbols or patterns, simply ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom. God never sends messages to frighten or confuse you. If He is speaking through a dream, it is because He loves you and wants to draw you closer to Him — to inspire, guide, heal, challenge, or encourage you. You don't need to have all the answers today. You simply need to keep seeking, stay open, and trust that God will meet you right where you are. Today's Bible Verse "I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions." — Joel 2:28, NIV Ponder Today God can and does speak through dreams — but not every dream is a direct message. Many dreams reflect your inner world, and even those are not wasted. The Holy Spirit is always at work renewing your mind, even while you sleep. Interpretation begins with surrender, not analysis. Before searching for symbols or meaning on your own, bring the dream to God first and ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom. Pure motives open the door to clear understanding. Recurring dreams deserve prayerful attention. A dream that keeps returning may be a signal that something important in your life has not yet been addressed. Rather than rushing to conclusions, allow the Holy Spirit to unfold understanding in His timing. Peace is often a sign that God is in it. If a dream leaves you with fear or pressure, ask God to remove anything that isn't truly from Him. His guidance — even when challenging — is typically accompanied by a deep and steady sense of peace. Notice what the dream produces in you. Does it draw you closer to God? Does it lead you to pray, repent, hope, or step out in faith? The fruit of a Spirit-given dream will always point you toward what matters most from God's perspective. A Prayer for You Today Dear Holy Spirit, You know every detail of my mind and life far better than I do. If this dream is a message You are speaking directly to me, please give me wisdom to understand it clearly and courage to respond in obedience. Help me not to rush ahead of You or jump to conclusions, but to wait patiently for Your guidance. Remove confusion, fear, and distraction from my mind and replace them with clarity, peace, and truth. Thank You for being near, for speaking in ways I can understand, and for guiding me step by step as I seek You. Amen. Don't Miss an Episode If today's prayer helped you bring your questions to God with greater trust and openness, we'd love to stay connected. Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and more content to help you hear and follow God's voice every day. If you like this podcast, be sure to check out our sister podcast, Your Nightly Prayer - an evening Christian prayer podcast to help you end your day in conversation with God. https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

On the first day of each month, we release Grace & Knowledge, a more in-depth article from Paul that allows him to expand on biblical truths beyond his weekly Wednesday's Word.Our prayer is that this resource helps you “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen” (2 Peter 3:18).In this month's Grace & Knowledge, Paul explains how Christians must hold together their identity as both sinners and children of grace, finding hope in God's forgiveness, power, and ongoing work of deliverance through Christ.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 19–21, Romans 13 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible! On this first day of June, we continue our journey through scripture, exploring Proverbs 19–21 and Romans 13. Join Hunter, your Bible reading coach, as he reflects on the wisdom of walking with integrity, the value of wise counsel, and the call to clothe ourselves in the presence of Christ. Together, we'll seek encouragement to live honorable lives, rooted in gratitude and strengthened by God's love. Let's open our hearts and let God's Word shape us for the day ahead. TODAY'S DEVOTION: Clothe yourself with the presence of Christ. That's the invitation the apostle Paul gives us—put on Christ as if you were putting on new clothes. The world can be dark and challenging, yet Paul tells us our shining armor is none other than Jesus himself. When we are wrapped in him, when we let his presence surround and cover us, we are able to love our neighbors as ourselves, to walk honorably, and to live the kind of life that shines as a light in the darkness. There really isn't any other way to live the Christian life but in him. "Christ in you, the hope of glory"—this is called a mystery, but it's the center of it all. As we step out into our day, it's not about our own strength or resolve; it's about dressing ourselves in his strong, peaceful, joyful presence. This presence is the source of everything we need for whatever the day might hold. His presence both covers and empowers us, embracing us, making us ready for whatever may come. Be ever mindful that as you walk through this day, you are not walking alone or uncovered. You are clothed in Christ, your armor against the darkness, your peace in the storm, your hope in uncertainty. Every breath you take is grace, every encounter you have is a chance to give what you yourself have received: mercy without measure, love that knows no end. Let's put on Christ today. Let's make his presence our home. That's the prayer I have for my own soul. That's the prayer I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters, my son. And that's the prayer I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Original Post Date: June 3, 2024 === Gospel Mark 12:1-12 Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant. And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully. He sent yet another whom they killed. So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed. He had one other to send, a beloved son. He sent him to them last of all, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come, put the tenants to death, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture passage: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?" They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd, for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them. So they left him and went away. Reflection The frightening thing about this passage is that we begin to see that the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders knew what they were doing. They saw in Jesus a truth that they knew they should be listening to, but they refused to because they had invested so much in a way of life that was comfortable and easy for them, that they could not let go of it. And when they realize that Jesus is addressing these words to them, that they are guilty, and so they simply went away, staying in the shame that they felt. Closing Prayer Father, over and over again you show us in subtle ways, and sometimes not so subtle, where we are wrong, where we are off. Give us the kind of openness to being found out in a sense. There's nothing wrong with admitting that we have made mistakes. There's something terribly wrong with not facing them. And we ask this in Jesus' name, Amen. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260601dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3 All Three Persons at the Beginning Before anything existed, God was already there. He did not emerge from the darkness. He spoke into it. With nothing but his powerful word, he brought everything into being. These opening words of the Bible remind us that creation is not random or accidental. It is intentional, ordered, and purposeful because it comes from God himself. And already here, at the very beginning, we see the mystery and beauty of the Trinity. The Father is the Creator, the one who wills and designs. The Spirit of God is hovering over the waters, present and active, sustaining and preparing. And the Son is the One through whom all things are made. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together bring light into darkness. That matters more than it might seem at first. The same triune God who created light out of darkness is the one who speaks into the darkness of our lives. There are times when life feels formless and empty, when sin, guilt, or uncertainty leave us without direction or hope. Left to ourselves, we cannot create light. We cannot fix what is broken. But God still speaks. Just as surely as he said, “Let there be light,” he has spoken again to us in his Word. In Jesus, the living Word, God steps into our darkness. He brings forgiveness where there is guilt, life where there is death, and clarity where there is confusion. The Spirit continues to hover, working through the Word to create faith in hearts that were once empty. So, when your world feels chaotic or empty, remember where everything began. Not with darkness, but with God. And where God speaks, light always follows. Prayer: Lord God, thank you for putting me into this world you have created. Continue to bless me with the promises of your holy Word. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

We want our children to be like a tree planted by streams of water — strong, rooted, and bearing fruit for the sake of others. LINKS:Download How to Pray God's Word for Your ChildrenFollow Everyday Prayers @MillionPrayingMoms A Prayer to be "like a tree" by Nicolet Bell Psalm 1 reminds us that kind of life starts with delight. Delight in the Word. Meditating on it day and night. This summer, we're praying that our children would have a deep desire for God — and that starts with us. Reference: Psalm 1 Prayer: Father, give my children a desire for you. Help them to delight in your word. Show me how to help our family meditate on it day and night. I desire for my children to be planted by streams of water, to be rooted deeply in your word, drawing refreshment from your living waters. Help them not to seek to quench their thirst in the things of this world, but to know you are the only one who satisfies our thirsty souls. Lord, in this new pace of summer, would you help us to pause and to dedicate time to meditate on your word day and night. May it become part of our rhythm as a family. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Every soul is immortal—but not every immortal soul will spend eternity in heaven. In today's episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef addresses a reality many avoid: Scripture teaches both heaven and hell are real, and false teachers increasingly deny these foundational truths. Drawing on C. S. Lewis' reasoning, Dr. Youssef underscores the heart of the issue: God's love is so great that He entered human history, suffered, and died to rescue sinners—yet He does not force salvation on those who refuse His gift. The Bible is clear that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23)—eternal separation from God—yet the Gospel is equally clear: eternal life is offered freely by grace. Revelation describes the eternal consequence for those who reject Christ as “the second death” (Revelation 21:8), but it doesn't end with warning—it extends an open invitation from Jesus Himself: to the thirsty, He gives water without cost from the spring of the water of life, making repentant sinners His children forever (Revelation 21:6–7). This episode calls you to weigh the Truth seriously—and to run to the Savior who alone delivers from judgment and secures everlasting life. Prayer: God, thank You for saving me from hell and to heaven. Grant me courage to share Your Good News with those around me. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon Revelation for Today, Coming Soon: WATCH NOW|LISTEN NOW The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today's devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don't have to walk through it alone.

When God made fish and told them to be fruitful and multiply, He gave some of them very special abilities so that they could do this. Some 23 families of fish actually change from females to males or from males to females, to help their species reproduce.This ability to change sex, as do tropical fish, produces some amusing behavior. Clownfish are particularly popular among fish hobbyists, who might find that top female fish they recently purchased has become another male! Often, the wrasse family spawn on large coral reefs, dominated by stronger, territorial males who chase the weaker males away from the reef. But often the smaller males will take on the appearance of a female. Under this disguise, they join the line of females that are waiting to spawn with the dominant male. While in line, these pretenders encourage the ladies in waiting to spawn with them, rather than with the large dominant male.This biological clowning poses a couple of problems for believers in evolution. For one thing, it encourages the very opposite of reproduction of the strongest and best. And there are so many different kinds of fish that change sex that evolutionists have decided that they must have evolved several times.Of course, we know that the natural ability to change sex came from an imaginative Creator.Genesis 1:21-22"And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good. And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”Prayer: Dear Father, I took in wonder and awe at the beauty and imagination You expressed so freely in Your work of creation. Help me to never cease glorifying You as my gracious and wonderful God! Amen.REF.: Robert Warne, “Metamorphosis”.  To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29?v=20251111

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Get your Hosea Scripture Journal now. What causes a nation to slowly fall apart? God answers that question with surprising clarity. Listen to our text today, Hosea 4:1b-3: There is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land; there is swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery; they break all bounds, and bloodshed follows bloodshed. Therefore the land mourns, and all who dwell in it languish, and also the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens, and even the fish of the sea are taken away.— Hosea 4:1b-3 That is where the decay begins. Not with politics. Not with policies. With the absence of God. Not the absence of religious talk—but the absence of truly knowing him. That word "knowledge" has more meaning than it sounds. The Hebrew word is: דַּעַת (daʿat) — from the root יָדַע (yada). It doesn't mean information—it means relationship. Personal, experiential, covenant knowing. God isn't saying they forgot facts about him. He's saying they don't know me intimately or relationally anymore. And once that foundation is gone, everything built on it begins to weaken. Faithfulness fades. Love becomes shallow. Truth becomes flexible. What follows is predictable. A list of five behaviors follows: "Swearing, lying, murder, stealing, and committing adultery…" These are not just individual sins. They are symptoms of something deeper. When people lose their knowledge of God, they lose the standard that once shaped their lives. Boundaries begin to disappear. "They break all bounds…" And when there are no boundaries, there is no restraint. "Bloodshed follows bloodshed." This is what decay looks like. It spreads. It compounds. It becomes cultural. But it doesn't stop with people. "The land mourns…" Even creation feels the destruction of it. This takes us all the way back to Genesis. When sin enters, it never stays contained. It affects everything—relationships, communities, even the earth itself. So let's make this personal. If your life feels unstable, truth feels negotiable, love feels inconsistent, don't blame others or your circumstances too quickly. It might be that you have drifted in your relationship with God. Not your belief in him. Not your language about him. Your knowledge (or relationship) with him. Because you don't drift into a relationship with God. You drift away from him. Quietly. Gradually. Almost without noticing. Until one day, what once felt wrong feels normal. And what once felt true feels optional. Don't just ask, "What needs to change?" Ask: "Do I actually know God anymore?" DO THIS: Spend time today in God's Word and focus on one truth about who he is, not just what he commands. ASK THIS: Where do you see the effects of a lack of God's truth in the world around you? How has your understanding of God shaped your daily decisions? What is one way you can grow in truly knowing God this week? PRAY THIS: Father, deepen my knowledge of you. Help me build my life on your truth so I don't drift into confusion or compromise. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Knowing You (All I Once Held Dear)"

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260601dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3 All Three Persons at the Beginning Before anything existed, God was already there. He did not emerge from the darkness. He spoke into it. With nothing but his powerful word, he brought everything into being. These opening words of the Bible remind us that creation is not random or accidental. It is intentional, ordered, and purposeful because it comes from God himself. And already here, at the very beginning, we see the mystery and beauty of the Trinity. The Father is the Creator, the one who wills and designs. The Spirit of God is hovering over the waters, present and active, sustaining and preparing. And the Son is the One through whom all things are made. Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together bring light into darkness. That matters more than it might seem at first. The same triune God who created light out of darkness is the one who speaks into the darkness of our lives. There are times when life feels formless and empty, when sin, guilt, or uncertainty leave us without direction or hope. Left to ourselves, we cannot create light. We cannot fix what is broken. But God still speaks. Just as surely as he said, “Let there be light,” he has spoken again to us in his Word. In Jesus, the living Word, God steps into our darkness. He brings forgiveness where there is guilt, life where there is death, and clarity where there is confusion. The Spirit continues to hover, working through the Word to create faith in hearts that were once empty. So, when your world feels chaotic or empty, remember where everything began. Not with darkness, but with God. And where God speaks, light always follows. Prayer: Lord God, thank you for putting me into this world you have created. Continue to bless me with the promises of your holy Word. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Daily Dose of Hope June 1, 2026   Scripture: 1 Kings 1   Prayer:  Holy and Almighty God, We come to you today in humility but also with expectancy.  As we start a new reading plan, we need to hear a word from you.  We need to sense your presence and be reminded of how you walk alongside us.  We want to learn and grow.  Challenge us, Lord.  In these next few moments of silence, help us settle our mind and gather our scattered thoughts, focusing on you and you alone...In Your Name, Amen.   Welcome to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the New Hope Daily Bible reading plan.  For the summer, we are digging into 1 and 2 Kings.  This should be a really interesting and even challenging reading plan and I'm looking forward to journeying through it with all of you.    Let's start by talking a little bit about these two books.  There isn't conclusive evidence as to who actually wrote 1and 2 Kings.  Tradition credits Jeremiah as the author but there is little indication that is true.  What we do know is that the book was written before the Jews went into exile by someone very familiar with Deuteronomy, as well as other historical texts related to the monarchy.  Thus, it could have been any of the prophets. Regardless, 1 Kings covers roughly 120 years of ancient Israel's history.  2 Kings covers about 250-300 years.   I Kings follows the book of 2 Samuel, which covers the turbulent, 40-year reign of King David.  2 Samuel goes into detail about David's military and political victories and his rise to power as a "man after God's own heart."  David loved the Lord.  But the author of 2 Samuel also doesn't hide King David's moral failures (think about what happened with Bathsheba), and the devastating family drama and violence that follows.  It almost leads to the collapse of the kingdom.  If it's been awhile since you've read it, it's definitely an interesting read and it will help with this study.  2 Samuel reads almost like a soap opera at times.    And that leads us to the book of 1 Kings. This book is going to bring us from a thriving, united Israel under King Solomon to a divided nation which just cannot get along.  Solomon builds the first temple, asks for wisdom from God, but then gets caught up in womanizing and idolatry.  His downfall isn't pretty and leads to the split of the nation of Israel.  By the end of 1 Kings, we will be introduced to Elijah.    Let's move to chapter 1.  King David is now very old and sick.  David's history of poor/permissive parenting is continuing to cause problems.  Because David is weak and vulnerable, one of his sons, Abdonijah, decides to take control of the throne.  Abdonijah doesn't ask for his father's permission or his blessing.  Rather, he manipulates the situation to ensure that he gets to be king. His arrogance is a bit appalling but seems in line with David's other sons.  Abdonijah recruits powerful people to support him.    This whole scene creates a serious issue. David had promised Bathsheba that their son, Solomon, would be king.  The way things were going, it wouldn't be long before Abdonijah had Solomon killed to ensure that he would have no rivals for the throne.  Both Bathsheba and Nathan the prophet step in to inform King David.  They have to move quickly.  David summons equally powerful men to support Solomon.  Then, they place Solomon on David's own mule as a sign that he is the next king.  Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint Solomon as king and he is placed on David's throne.    Keep in mind that the previous kings were not chosen this way.  With both Saul and David, the prophet Samuel communicated God's choice for king.  With Solomon, things are different.  This is to signal the beginning of the Davidic dynasty, which will eventually culminate with Jesus Christ.  God has kept his promise to David.   Blessings, Pastor Vicki  

Monday, 1 June 2026   But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Matthew 20:13   “The ‘also answering one of them', he said, ‘Scammer! Not I wrong you! Not for a denarius, you harmonized me?'” (CG)   In the previous verse, the workers who were hired earlier in the day grumbled that the housemaster made those who worked only one hour equal with those who bore the burden of the day. In hearing this, it next says, “The ‘also answering one of them'.”   This is the housemaster. He probably directs his words to the one who was the chief grumbler who stirred the others up. As for his words, “he said, ‘Scammer!'”   This is a new and rare word, found only three times, all in Matthew. It may be that because Matthew was a tax collector, there were particular words he and other tax collectors used to identify people of a certain sort. The word is hetairos, a comrade, fellow, or friend.   However, HELPS Word Studies provides insights into it, saying it is someone “posing to be a comrade but in reality only has his own interests in mind.” They also say it “suggests someone viewed (associated) as a friend, but is actually an imposter acting for self-gain.” As such, the words scammer or shammer make a suitable translation of the thought.   The housemaster continues, explaining why he is such a person, saying, “Not I wrong you! Not for a denarius, you harmonized me?”   The agreement which they came to was a denarius for the day's labor. The offer was made, the man accepted it, and a state of harmony was realized when he went off to the vineyard. Had the housemaster paid him first and sent him out the door, there would have been no complaints or grumbling because he would have been none the wiser.   However, jealousy crept into him when he saw that others benefited in a manner differently from him.   Life application: The previous administration under Joe Biden frittered away billions of dollars of taxpayer money by wiping out loans that were made to college students. The program was set up to help people get through college with the understanding that the loans were to be repaid at a set rate of interest.   It doesn't matter if the rates later seemed unfair to those who took out the loans. It also doesn't matter if they never got the job they trained for because they chose a field that nobody has a need for, like “Blue-haired social justice manager for underprivileged surfers.”   What matters is that they signed a legal document, took the money, got the education, and were required to pay it back. However, with his inability to effectively run the nation and needing to bolster his list of potential voters, Biden arbitrarily canceled these loans.   What kind of example does it set when certain people are granted such favor while others have to pay back their loans? Biden did this with the banking industry as well, bailing out those banks that were unprofitable, but which supported left-wing agendas. When a conservative bank failed, no assistance was given.   Such behavior permeated the policies of Biden's presidency, turning what was right and proper upside down. Understanding this, be sure to always evaluate your voting choices on who most closely will uphold biblical values. In doing so, you may not get the best guy in the world running things, but you will avoid real trouble that inevitably arises from hiring someone who is opposed to the moral principles set forth in Scripture.   Lord God, may we not grumble or complain when we are treated unfairly by those we interact with. We can't see all the circumstances of the future that may change, and so we should not later try to upend our agreements. Help us to stick to what we have agreed to and strive to always set a proper example for others. Amen.

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God. — Isaiah 40:1 The book of Isaiah is sometimes called “the gospel of the Old Testament” because it announces the good news (gospel) of the coming of God's servant, the Messiah, who is Jesus Christ. In chapters 1-39, Isaiah writes about history. And in the rest of the book he delivers a message of comfort, restoration, and hope.Comfort has its source in God. Only the Lord can bring peace to the human soul. Only God can forgive sins, and only in God do we find redemption.True comfort does not come from earthly things. It does not come from people. Comfort comes from God.We cannot find full comfort in various therapies or in self-help psychology. True comfort cannot be found on a couch or in a gym. We do not find our greatest comfort by enjoying the most splendid vacations or the most appetizing pleasures. Comfort cannot be acquired with money or inherited from parents. Real comfort is the work of God. God is both the source and the giver of this gift.Isaiah the prophet is ordered to comfort the people of God. But how? Not with flattering words or deceptive praise. True comfort can only be experienced when we turn to God, the inexhaustible source of grace. God alone can cancel our debt and forgive our sins. True comfort can only be found in God. God of all comfort, only you can fill our deepest needs. Throughout this month, help us to find our only comfort in you by hearing from and living into your Word. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Today we're continuing in Philippians 2, looking at verse 17,where the Apostle Paul says: "Yes, and if I am being poured out as adrink offering on the sacrifice and service of your faith, I am glad andrejoice with you all." Paul is using an Old Testament picture ofsacrifice. In those days, wine would often be poured out upon a sacrifice as anoffering to God. Paul says that his own life is being poured out like thatdrink offering. What a picture of surrender! Paulwas in prison as he wrote these words. He faced uncertainty, suffering, andpossible execution. Yet he did not speak with bitterness. He spoke with joy. Whywas that? Because he had totally and absolutely surrendered his life to JesusChrist. He saw his suffering as an act of worship. Romans 12:1 tells us that weare to “present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable untoGod, which is only our reasonable service” after all that God has done forus. Christianity is not merely believing certain truths. It is the offering ofourselves fully to God. Paul'sjoy did not depend upon comfortable circumstances. His joy came from knowingthat his life was being used for the glory of God. Oh, my friend, what adifference it makes when we begin to understand that! This is the secret oflasting joy. The world says today that joy or happiness comes from getting. Butthe Bible, and Jesus Himself, teach us that joy and true blessedness come fromgiving. In Acts 20:35, we read these words that Jesus said: "It is moreblessed to give than to receive." Somany of us today struggle with joy because we are focused mainly onourselves—what we want, what we feel, and what we are going through—instead offocusing on God and His glory. Joy grows when we pour out our lives in servingChrist and others. Have you ever poured out your life? The Scriptures tell usthat Jesus Christ poured out His blood on the cross, and He became brokenbread. That is what the Lord's Supper is about: broken bread and poured-outwine. Today that is what we can become in the hands of our Lord Jesus Christ bythe grace of God. Aswe do, we begin to nourish others until they can learn to nourish themselves. Wemight even become a doormat. Yes, people may wipe their feet on us. Yet werejoice when that happens, just as Paul did in prison. What joy we have insidebecause we know that the feet of those who wipe their feet on us are cleanernow. Perhaps, as a result of our response rather than our reaction, they toowill glorify Christ and come to know Him. Paulrejoiced even while suffering because sacrifice for Christ is never wasted. Missionariesunderstand this great truth. Faithful pastors understand this truth. Godlyparents understand this truth. Godly Christians—believers who give their livesin service through the ministry of their local church—understand this truth. Sometimesserving Christ is costly. It may cost comfort, convenience, popularity, andeven relationships. But nothing given to Christ is ever lost. Jim Elliot, thegreat missionary martyr, once said: "He is no fool who gives what hecannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." Noless than six times, Jesus said in the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, andJohn—that when you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you loseyour life for His sake and the gospel's, you will find it. So today, askyourself: Am I living sacrificially for Christ? Am I holding back areas of mylife from God? Am I willing to be poured out for His glory? The greatest lifeis not the comfortable life. It is the surrendered life. I pray that this isyour heart today. Let'spray together. Father, thank You for the example of Paul, and above all, theexample of Jesus Christ. Teach us to live sacrificially and joyfully for Yourglory. Help us to absolutely surrender all of our lives completely into Yourhands. We pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Godbless and may you have a wonderful, wonderful day!

 1 Then shall the kingdom of heaven be like to ten virgins, who taking their lamps went out to meet the bridegroom and the bride.Tunc simile erit regnum caelorum decem virginibus : quae accipientes lampades suas exierunt obviam sponso et sponsae. 2 And five of them were foolish, and five wise.Quinque autem ex eis erant fatuae, et quinque prudentes : 3 But the five foolish, having taken their lamps, did not take oil with them:sed quinque fatuae, acceptis lampadibus, non sumpserunt oleum secum : 4 But the wise took oil in their vessels with the lamps.prudentes vero acceperunt oleum in vasis suis cum lampadibus. 5 And the bridegroom tarrying, they all slumbered and slept.Moram autem faciente sponso, dormitaverunt omnes et dormierunt. 6 And at midnight there was a cry made: Behold the bridegroom cometh, go ye forth to meet him.Media autem nocte clamor factus est : Ecce sponsus venit, exite obviam ei. 7 Then all those virgins arose and trimmed their lamps.Tunc surrexerunt omnes virgines illae, et ornaverunt lampades suas. 8 And the foolish said to the wise: Give us of your oil, for our lamps are gone out.Fatuae autem sapientibus dixerunt : Date nobis de oleo vestro, quia lampades nostrae extinguuntur. 9 The wise answered, saying: Lest perhaps there be not enough for us and for you, go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.Responderunt prudentes, dicentes : Ne forte non sufficiat nobis, et vobis, ite potius ad vendentes, et emite vobis. 10 Now whilst they went to buy, the bridegroom came: and they that were ready, went in with him to the marriage, and the door was shut.Dum autem irent emere, venit sponsus : et quae paratae erant, intraverunt cum eo ad nuptias, et clausa est janua. 11 But at last come also the other virgins, saying: Lord, Lord, open to us.Novissime vero veniunt et reliquae virgines, dicentes : Domine, domine, aperi nobis. 12 But he answering said: Amen I say to you, I know you not.At ille respondens, ait : Amen dico vobis, nescio vos. 13 Watch ye therefore, because you know not the day nor the hour.Vigilate itaque, quia nescitis diem, neque horam.St Angela adopted the rule of St Francis, and later founded the Order of the Ursilines uniting "evangelical poverty to the merit of virginity." She died A.D. 1540.

Paul wrote “to live is Christ, to die is gain” from a prison cell, not knowing if he'd live or die. And he was still steady, joyful, and free. In this episode we walk through Philippians 1:19-26 and unpack what it actually looks like to live that way, where Jesus is so much of your life that nothing, not even death, can shake you. We get into the fill-in-the-blank that exposes what you're really living for, what it means to magnify Christ as a telescope to the church and a microscope to the world, and the grace that does the work in you so you stop white-knuckling your way into loving God.After the Amen question: In what area of your life does Christ need to be magnified?Donate: amenpodcast.com/donatestudy guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1panX8cYLFuG4EuSkZmmYjngx8wLUuJN8/view?usp=sharinge This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amenpodcast.substack.com

Walking through the aisles of a home décor store, surrounded by signs declaring "Peace," "Joy," "Hope," and "Strength" — it's a lovely sight, but Emily Rose Massey asks the question most of us don't stop to consider: are those words actually rooted in anything real? Because hope that isn't anchored in Christ is just a sentiment — beautiful to display, but powerless when the storms come. In this episode, Emily draws a clear and urgent distinction between the hollow encouragement the world offers and the true, anchored hope that only God's Word can produce in the hearts of His people. True hope, Emily reminds us, is not something we can conjure through positive thinking or a well-timed pep talk. It is a gift given by the Holy Spirit, cultivated through Scripture, and grounded in the unshakable faithfulness of God. Romans 15:4 tells us that everything written in the Word was written for our instruction — so that through perseverance and the encouragement of Scripture, we might have hope. That hope lifts our eyes above the chaos of our circumstances and fixes them on what is eternal. And it is that eternal perspective — the certainty of a heavenly home and the return of Christ — that fuels us to keep putting one foot in front of the other, no matter how dark things become. Today's Bible Verse "For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope." — Romans 15:4, NASB Ponder Today Hope rooted in anything other than Christ is empty. Decorative signs, motivational quotes, and self-encouragement have their place — but they cannot sustain you through real suffering. Only hope anchored in Christ holds when the storm hits. True hope is a gift from the Holy Spirit, given through Scripture. The more we fill our hearts and minds with God's Word, the more our capacity for genuine, sustaining hope grows. This is not passive — it requires intentional, daily engagement with the Bible. An eternal perspective is your greatest weapon against despair. When you remember that this world is not your home, the chaos around you loses its power to define you. Being heavenly-minded during earthly trials is what keeps hope alive. Your feelings of hopelessness are not the final word. As children of God, we are called to move beyond what we feel and remind our hearts of what is true. The Holy Spirit is ready to help us in our weakness — we simply need to ask. The hope you carry is meant to be shared. You have been given an anchor in a world that is desperately adrift. That message of hope in Christ is not just for you — it is good news for the lost and hurting people around you. A Prayer for You Today Dear Heavenly Father, You have given me the gift of faith in Your Son, and my hope is not built on what this world offers — fleeting and fragile — but on what is eternal and settled. Help me guard my heart when my circumstances tempt me to give in to despair. Remind me that the chaos of this world cannot cause me to sink, because I am anchored in the hope of the heavenly home that awaits me. May I carry that message of hope to the lost and hurting around me. In Jesus' name, Amen. Don't Miss an Episode If today's prayer helped anchor your soul in something deeper than circumstances, we'd love to stay connected. Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and more content to keep your hope fixed firmly on Christ every day. If you like this podcast, be sure to check out our sister podcast, Your Nightly Prayer - an evening Christian prayer podcast to help you end your day in conversation with God. https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 16–18, Romans 12 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE: TODAY'S DEVOTION: TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL  

Paul wrote “to live is Christ, to die is gain” from a prison cell, not knowing if he'd live or die. And he was still steady, joyful, and free. In this episode we walk through Philippians 1:19-26 and unpack what it actually looks like to live that way, where Jesus is so much of your life that nothing, not even death, can shake you. We get into the fill-in-the-blank that exposes what you're really living for, what it means to magnify Christ as a telescope to the church and a microscope to the world, and the grace that does the work in you so you stop white-knuckling your way into loving God.After the Amen question: In what area of your life does Christ need to be magnified?Donate: amenpodcast.com/donatestudy guide: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1panX8cYLFuG4EuSkZmmYjngx8wLUuJN8/view?usp=sharinge This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit amenpodcast.substack.com

https://wels2.blob.core.windows.net/daily-devotions/20260531dev.mp3 Listen to Devotion In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. Genesis 1:1-3 A Mystery for Our Comfort Already at the very beginning of time, we see God in three persons working to bless us. God the Father created all things. The Holy Spirit participated in a miraculous way as he hovered over the waters, and the apostle John reveals that it was through Jesus, God the Son, that all things were called into being. The Bible clearly teaches that there is one God in three persons. Each person, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, is separate and distinct, yet there is only one God. In other words, One + One + One = One. Obviously, this equation does not add up. Throughout history, people have tried to understand the mystery of the triune God. But no matter how hard we try, finally, it just doesn’t add up. But should it really surprise us? Is it really all that unreasonable that we can’t completely fathom the all-knowing, all-powerful, and all-holy God? When we are confronted with this mystery, there are two ways we can respond. We can arrogantly raise our voices and argue with the creator of heaven and earth, or we can humbly bow our heads in worship to praise the one who is above all. The Holy Spirit moves us to do the latter. With the psalmist, we can proclaim: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain” (Psalm 139:6). But the Bible doesn’t reveal the triune God only to humble us, but also to comfort us. Just as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were active and working in creation, they were also active and working in our salvation. The Father sent his one and only Son. The Son freely offered his life for our sins. The Spirit brings what Jesus accomplished to us personally by creating faith in our hearts, enabling us to receive forgiveness of sins and the promise of everlasting life. Prayer: Almighty God, you are beyond my understanding and intellect. Thank you for revealing yourself to me in the pages of the Bible, and leading me to your Son, Jesus Christ, my Savior. Amen. Daily Devotions is brought to you by WELS. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

In the midst of Revelation 16—between the sixth and seventh bowls of judgment—God inserts a powerful parenthetical statement that shines like a beacon: “Look, I come like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake and remains clothed…” (Revelation 16:15). In this episode of the MY Devotional Podcast, Dr. Michael Youssef explains why this is more than a warning—it's an encouragement for believers watching the world plunge deeper into darkness. Dr. Youssef connects Revelation 16:15 to the consistent “thief” language repeated across Scripture. Jesus used the same imagery to urge watchfulness (Matthew 24:42–44), and Paul and Peter echoed it to describe the suddenness of the Day of the Lord (1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Peter 3:10). When God repeats something four times, He intends for His people to take notice. The Day of the Lord will come like a thief to those who are spiritually asleep—but to those who are alert, it will be a glorious day. This devotional will strengthen you to stay watchful, live ready, and hold onto the blessing of hope—because Christ's return will not surprise the faithful, even if it shocks the world. Prayer: Lord, when I am overwhelmed by the brokenness of this world, give me an eternal vision of Your love and purpose. Help me to trust in You and find peace in Your saving grace and coming Kingdom. I pray in the name of Jesus. Amen. “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42). Learn more in Dr. Michael A. Youssef's sermon Revelation for Today, Reward or Judgment Part 2: LISTEN NOW| WATCH NOW   The voice you hear on the MY Devotional podcast is digitally generated with Dr. Youssef's permission. If today's devotional stirred a question, burden, or need for prayer, you don't have to walk through it alone.

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day. Get your Hosea Scripture Journal now. What if God put your nation on trial… and you were part of the evidence? Listen to our text today, Hosea 4:1: Hear the word of the Lord, O children of Israel, for the Lord has a controversy with the inhabitants of the land. — Hosea 4:1 "Hear the word of the LORD…" Underline that because this chapter isn't a suggestion to hear. It's a summons to hear. God is calling his people to listen because he is about to present a national case against the nation of Israel. For what? "A controversy…" The Hebrew word is rîb. It's not a casual disagreement. It's courtroom language— a legal dispute, a formal charge, a covenant lawsuit being brought against them. God is confronting everyone. Not just their national leaders, or their priests, but the whole land. Everyone is included. This is what makes this chapter so sobering. God is not addressing a single failure. He is addressing the entire culture. A people who have drifted so far from him that their entire way of life is now under review. So chapter 4 is where Hosea's tone shifts. The first three chapters showed us God's heartbreak. The wounded husband (God) pursuing an unfaithful whoring bride (Israel). But now we see something else, someone new. The righteous judge. The One who sees clearly through this national mess. One who speaks truthfully into the whoredom of the land. One who will not ignore what has been done. Because love never cancels justice or ignores injustice. It demands it. And before God lists the charges in this chapter in his courtroom, he calls for attention with the word: "Hear…" This is the Hebrew word shema—the same word from Deuteronomy 6:4, the central confession of Israel: "Hear, O Israel…" It doesn't just mean listen. It means listen with the intent to obey. And don't miss this. These are the same people who recited the Shema daily, who knew the words, who claimed to hear God, and yet—they no longer shema. They heard the words, but stopped obeying the voice. And what God is about to say to Israel isn't just for them. It presses into our time. Because it is possible for a nation to become so comfortable, so distracted, so self-defined that it stops listening to God entirely. So here's the question we all need to sit with today: Are you still listening to God? Not once in a while. Not when it's convenient. Not when things fall apart, and you need help. But consistently. Because before anything else changes in your life, you have to hear what God is saying. So slow down and hear from the great Judge who wants to speak the truth about you in your life today. DO THIS: Set aside five minutes today to read God's Word slowly and ask him to help you truly hear what he is saying. ASK THIS: When was the last time you intentionally listened to God through his Word? What distractions make it difficult for you to hear from God consistently? How can you create space in your life to listen more intentionally? PRAY THIS: Father, help me hear your Word clearly and respond with humility. Keep my heart attentive to your voice. Amen. PLAY THIS: "Speak O Lord"

The End of the World Jonathan Parnell Download Psalm 97,The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;let the many coastlands be glad!2 Clouds and thick darkness are all around him;righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.3 Fire goes before himand burns up his adversaries all around.4 His lightnings light up the world;the earth sees and trembles.5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord,before the Lord of all the earth.6 The heavens proclaim his righteousness,and all the peoples see his glory.7 All worshipers of images are put to shame,who make their boast in worthless idols;worship him, all you gods!8 Zion hears and is glad,and the daughters of Judah rejoice,because of your judgments, O Lord.9 For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;you are exalted far above all gods.10 O you who love the Lord, hate evil!He preserves the lives of his saints;he delivers them from the hand of the wicked.11 Light is sown for the righteous,and joy for the upright in heart.12 Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!This morning I want to talk to you about the end of the world. For as long as there has been a world, humanity has been fascinated with this topic. This has been true of cultures all over the world all throughout history — from Ancient Mesopotamia to Chinese dynasties, from Norse Vikings to sub-Saharan Africa, from medieval Europeans to modern Americans — it's a human thing to wonder about the world's end.And in the Bible itself, the end of the world was on the table right away!In the Book of Genesis, just five chapters in, the Flood could have been the final judgment to end the world — and it would have been if not for the mercy of God!But because of God's mercy, and because of his patience (the apostle Peter tells us), the final end of the world has been delayed. Still.But the end is coming, and that's what I want to talk about this morning. And the real reason I wanna talk about the end of the world is because it's the topic of Psalm 97.There are three parts to the psalm, and I'm gonna title each part with what its mainly about:Part 1, verses 1–6 is Christ will come again.Part 2, verses 7–9 is Every human will respond. Part 3, verses 10–12 is How God's people live in the meantime.We're gonna spend most of our time on Part 3, but first Part 1.1. Christ will come again (vv. 1–6)Psalm 97, verse 1 just picks up where Psalm 96 left off. Psalm 96 envisions all of creation rejoicing, and the last verse of Psalm 96 explains why. This rejoicing is, verse 13,“…before the Lord, for he comes, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness, and the peoples in his faithfulness.”97:1, then, says: Yes, that's right, the Lord reigns and all the earth rejoices, even the coastlands. That's the deepest corners of the earth. The parts way out there.Then verses 2–5 describe the coming of God with this intense imagery. Listen to this: clouds and thick darkness. A throne of righteousness and justice. Fire going before him, consuming his adversaries. Lightning flashes. The earth itself trembles. Mountains melt like wax.To a casual reader, this sounds like a really bad thunderstorm. But when we have the whole Bible in mind, we can pick up the allusion to Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai was when God came down on the mountain to give the law: Exodus 19:18,“Now Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke because the LORD had descended on it in fire. The smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the whole mountain trembled greatly.”Deuteronomy 4:11,“the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom.”The Final TheophanyThis was an amazing moment in history. The word for it is a ‘theophany' — which means a God-appearing. That's what Sinai was.And now Psalm 97 is describing another theophany — it's a future, final God-appearing, that's envisioned to be like Sinai!That's because the Original Law-Giver and the Final Judge are the same. That's why the imagery is the same, except in this future, final appearing, God comes in the person of Jesus Christ. We know this from the New Testament: John 5:11,“The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son.”Matthew 24:30,“Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man… and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.”2 Thessalonians 1:7,“the Lord Jesus [will be] revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire…”The end of the world is now what we call the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. The God who once descended on Sinai in clouds and fire will appear again finally in the person of Christ, and “every eye will see him” — Revelation 1:7. Everybody will see him, and everybody will respond, one way or another. That's Part 2.2. Every human will respond (vv. 7–9) Humanity is divided into two categories that will be clearest on the final day of judgment.Jesus has called these categories the wheat and the tares. The Psalms use the language of the righteous and the wicked. The New Testament draws the line as between believers and unbelievers — those who are in Christ and those who are not. And when Jesus comes back every eye will see him — those who have been united to him by faith and those who have rejected him. They all will see him, but they're gonna respond differently. Shame for IdolatersVerse 7 tells us the unbelievers (those who reject Christ) will be put to shame — but here they're described as the “worshipers of images” … as those who “boast in worthless idols.” Which is a good reminder! I want you to get this: there is really no such thing as an unbeliever. Everybody believes in something. The question is never if you believe, but who you believe in. So, unbelievers are always more accurately called “idolaters.” They've chosen to reject the one true God, and instead, they've replaced him with some other ‘little-g god' — and for the last hundred years in our society, the ‘little-g god' of choice is the Modern Self. That's the point of theologian Carl Trueman's book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self (it's a helpful book written a few years ago).In one sense, modern idolatry is as old as it comes — our society has “exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen” — that's Romans 1:25.But what makes us different today is that, with our technologies, we have said, “I will make myself like the Most High” (Isaiah 14:14) …So we want to create human life … We want to determine our own sexuality …We want to invent our own morality … We want to become super human in our daily lives and live longer than ever … We even want to have the final say on when and how we die … The whole thing is about putting Self in the place of God.That's what transhumanism is — it starts with the myth of exclusive humanism (that's the idea that there is no God, but only us). That paves the way for the idolatry of the Self — the idea that “We are all God.” And right now, it's just so clear that's what's going on. If you look around in our culture, the idolatry of Self is having its moment. But on the day Jesus returns, at the end of the world, every unbeliever/every idolater/everyone who rejects Jesus will be put to shame. That means eternal regret. They will hate the choices they have made. The lies they have embraced will be exposed. And the demonic forces behind the idolatry will also bow the knee in submission to Jesus! (That's the end of verse 7.) The Day is coming. Joy for BelieversBut now in verse 8 notice the contrast to believers, to those who trust in Christ — that's who Zion and Judah represent. It's the people of God. Zion is glad! The daughters of Judah rejoice! And the mention of “daughters” in verse 8 is an idiom for villages or small towns. (This is an insight from Christopher Ash.) He says the idea here is that it's not just the capital city, Zion, that rejoices, but it's all believers everywhere! Even what might seem like the smallest outpost of kingdom of Christ, even the parts way out there, like in the middle of North America — on that day we're all rejoicing together … believers from “every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages” … We will all say, “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory!” (Revelation 7:9; 19:7). On that day, verse 9 will be the clearest reality of all:“For you, O Lord, are most high over all the earth;you are exalted far above all gods.”In other words, Jesus has ultimate supremacy … “every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth and under earth, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:11).This is what Psalm 97 is getting at. In summary, Psalm 97:1–9 is the Christian hope in a nutshell: One day Jesus is coming back in judgment and salvation — judgment for those who reject him and salvation for those who trust him. And by his grace, church, we trust him. We will rejoice on that day. We will love his future, final appearing! Amen.The big question now is: How do we live in the meantime?3. How do God's people live in the meantime?Now this is the church's question. We ask it together, and the New Testament is all about it. But verses 10–12 in Psalm 97 give us a pretty good answer, and that's what I wanna show you. But I want to help you bring it down more personally. This is a topic that can be so out there and theoretical, but don't let it be. I want you to think, right now: Jesus is coming back one day. Now ask yourself this question: What does God want me to do in this life? How should I live in the meantime?According to verses 10, 11, 12, we see at least three answers. First is this:1. Lead a moral life.This is verse 10, and it's one you need to see. So everybody help me out. Find Psalm 97, verse 10:“O you who love the Lord, hate evil!”“Hate evil” — this is a command, and it's one that we are not set up well to understand. That's because “hate” is a biblically strong word that we use too commonly. And “evil” is a biblically common word that we use too strongly. That make sense? We've weakened the word hate and narrowed the word evil. So we have to slow down and think about this.To hate something is to have an intense hostility against it. It's not a mood, it's a conviction. We shouldn't casually throw the word around about food or weather or sports teams. And evil is anything that defies the moral will of God — anything that is a deprivation or distortion of God's goodness. It's not just the worst, most horrible things nobody likes to talk about. But truly, sin, of every kind, is evil. See, we often define evil horizontally: we think it has to do with how much hurt it causes other people. But the Bible, first, defines evil vertically: the issue is what it says about God.Evil is evil because it defies him, it rejects him, it dishonors him. This is why we must have a God-centered morality.Right and wrong, good and evil, is not whatever you want it to be in the moment. But good and evil — the moral framework of reality — is an objective standard determined by the righteousness of God, and he has revealed this to us as his moral will in Scripture. What a gift!God guides us how to live in harmony with his holiness. He shows us how to lead a moral life, which means we hate evil. I think this is one of the greatest needs in our day for the church's witness. We need moral clarity — the ability to recognize evil, the courage to call evil evil, and the God-centered conviction to hate evil.And that means the evil out there, but it starts first with the evil within our own hearts. It's been said that many Christians today are soft on evil. And wherever that's true, my theory is that we're soft on evil culturally because we're soft on evil personally, and we're soft on evil personally because our vision of God is small … Wherever our understanding of God's glory is frail, and our commitment to his word is weak, we will get this wrong.And if we're ever gonna experience true revival, in our church, in this country, it will include a recovery here. Spurgeon put it plainly. He said, “We cannot love God without hating what he hates.”Until Jesus returns, in the meantime, we're called … you're called … to lead a moral life.Second thing to do in the meantime …2. Lead a hopeful life. This is verse 11:“Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the upright in heart.”A few years back, the Holy Spirit made this verse pop off the page to me. I wrote it out on a notecard and put it on my desk. I think it's a glorious sentence. Notice first that it's an agricultural metaphor, which we see a lot of in Scripture. Light and joy are sown. The focus is on planting, on sowing, but the words “light” and “joy” sound more like a harvest. How do you sow light? How do you plant joy? You don't. You sow something else that, in the moment of sowing, looks different from what you hope it will become.I just re-seeded my front yard. Tall fescue grass: Thick, forest-green blades, cool to the touch on the hottest summer day, firm but humble, durable but inviting, elegant but approachable — oh it will be wonderful! But what I held in my hand, before I dropped it in the ground, looked nothing like that — it looked nothing like what it will become. It was just a seed.That's so much of life, isn't it? Life in this meantime is sowing. It's planting. And a lot of times, we want to judge the future harvest by how the seed looks now. It's such an easy mistake to make. How do we not do that?How can we call it light now in the sowing? How can we call it joy now? The answer is hope. Our hope is in the harvest, and it's so sure — God's promise is so certain — we can say the light is in the ground. The joy is coming, and it's already here. That's what it means to lead a hopeful life.Third thing to do in the meantime …3. Lead a thankful life.This is verse 12:“Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous, and give thanks to his holy name!”Rejoicing and thanksgiving — it's the same idea. We rejoice in God and we give him thanks in response to who he is and what he's done. Now, I'm just going to use the word thankful because it's the last word in verse 12 and it encapsulates joy. Thankfulness includes joy. And this is such a fitting way to conclude Psalm 97, and really, to conclude everything. For everyone who trusts in Christ, thankfulness will be the posture of our hearts at the end of the world. We begin doing now what we will do forever. We're called to lead a thankful life today: Colossians 3:15,“And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… And be thankful.”1 Thessalonians 5:18,“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”Now, how do we do that? What does it look like to lead a thankful life?I think it comes down to the discipline of daily thankfulness.Very practically, just imagine how you start and end your days. You wake up every morning. We all start there. Now what if, first thing in the morning, when you're awake for your brain to work, you thanked God? Thank him for something specific — a provision, a gift, an experience. Start by thanking him. And then that night, with your head on your pillow, when God has brought you through another day, you end your day by thanking him for it. Even when things are tough, when things go sideways, in the full assessment of everything, there's a reason to be thankful. Give God thanks as you fall asleep, give God thanks when you wake up — and if you do that everyday that becomes a thankful life. It will be a life that honors God until that final day when we step into the eternal morning. This is how we live as we wait for the end of the world, because, as Psalm 97 shows us: Because Christ will come again. And every human will respond to his final appearing, either in shame or joy. And until that day, in the meantime, lead a moral life, lead a hopeful life, lead a thankful life.Father in heaven, the life to which you have called us is a life that you create. Thank you for the Holy Spirit! Thank you for his presence and power day by day, moment by moment. We need him. Thank you that your Spirit brought us from death to life through the gospel. Thank you that he opened our eyes to see Jesus and to know your great love for us.Thank you for the hope that your Spirit guarantees in our hearts — the hope that Jesus will return and make all things new. We long for that day. And we pray, with the apostle John, Come, Lord Jesus!In his name, amen.

Imagine a life of faithful church attendance, Bible reading, and devoted service — only to one day discover that the works you built were consumed by fire, reduced to ash, because they were constructed on something other than a fully surrendered heart. In this sobering and Spirit-stirring episode, Keneesha Saunders Liddie calls us to do something most of us quietly avoid: look honestly in the mirror. Not just to see what's there, but to do something about it. Because self-examination without repentance and return is just self-awareness — and God calls us to so much more. Drawing from the grief-soaked book of Lamentations, Keneesha points to Jerusalem in ruins — a people whose neglect of God's goodness, whose murmuring and complaining, had left them exposed to judgment and devastation. The haunting question she raises for each of us is this: are we sitting in our comfortable filth longer than we should? The good news is that the same God who allowed Jerusalem's ruin also made a way for its restoration. He is calling us back — to examine our ways, to test our hearts, and to return to Him so He can restore, cleanse, and renew us. Today's Bible Verse "Let us examine our ways and test them, and let us return to the Lord." — Lamentations 3:40, NIV Ponder Today Self-examination is not optional for the believer — it's a daily discipline. We are called not merely to reflect on our condition but to act on what we find, returning fully to the Lord from whatever is hindering us. Looking in the mirror means nothing if you walk away unchanged. James warns that hearing the Word without doing it is self-deception. The goal of honest self-examination is always repentance and return — not just recognition. Murmuring and complaining reveal a heart that has stopped noticing God's goodness. Jerusalem's downfall began with neglecting to reflect on what God had done. Gratitude is not just a spiritual discipline — it is a safeguard against spiritual drift. We often stand in the way of our own restoration. When we choose to sit in comfortable sin rather than return to God, we delay the very healing and renewal He is ready to bring. Don't stay in the ruins longer than you need to. God inhabits the praises of His people. Even in the middle of trials and difficulty, turning complaint into praise is not denial — it is an act of faith that invites God's presence into your circumstances. A Prayer for You Today Heavenly Father, I humbly bow before You, first thanking You for Your goodness toward me. Search me, O God — if there is any wicked way within me, restore me to You. Forgive me for everything I have done against You, and reveal the places in my life where my motives and intentions have been wrong. Draw me back to You. Help me to praise You when I feel like complaining, and give me the wisdom to turn my difficulties into worship. I want to live a life fully surrendered to You — examining myself often, so that my life may reflect holy consecration unto You. In Jesus' name, Amen. Don't Miss an Episode If today's prayer stirred a desire for a deeper, more honest walk with God, we'd love to stay connected. Subscribe to the LifeAudio newsletter at LifeAudio.com for daily prayers, devotionals, and more content to keep your heart surrendered and your faith growing every day. If you like this podcast, be sure to check out our sister podcast, Your Nightly Prayer - an evening Christian prayer podcast to help you end your day in conversation with God. https://www.lifeaudio.com/your-nightly-prayer/ Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Read OnlineGod so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. John 3:16–18Saint John the Apostle is identified in his Gospel as “the disciple whom Jesus loved,” a title that appears multiple times and has been consistently understood in the Church's tradition to refer to John himself (cf. John 13:23; 19:26; 20:2; 21:7; 21:20). By calling himself the beloved disciple, John was revealing his interior experience of the perfect love he encountered in Jesus. Certainly, Jesus loved everyone—equally and without limit. Yet John includes this personal designation not to claim favoritism, but to offer a personal testimony to the divine love made manifest in Christ's humanity—love he experienced firsthand and which changed his life.Love plays a central role in John's writings—not only in his Gospel but also in his letters and the Book of Revelation. In his First Letter, likely written to the Christian communities he helped convert and shepherd, John declares: “God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him” (1 John 4:16). This is both a personal sentiment and a profound theological affirmation. John speaks from both divine inspiration and lived experience; he had walked with Love Incarnate. To say “God is love” is to profess that love is not something God merely does—it is who God is. God's love is not a feeling, not sentimentality, but the pure, self-giving, eternal communion of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—a love that precedes and surpasses all creation.That mystery lies at the very heart of today's Solemnity. Because God is Love in His very essence, love naturally flows from His divine nature in superabundance. God loves because He is Love. Today's Gospel reveals the most perfect expression of that divine essence: “God so loved the world that he gave his only Son…” This eternal, Trinitarian love is made visible in time when the Father sends the Son, conceived by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.Why does God give His Son? So that we might not perish but have eternal life. That is, so we may be drawn into the very life of God—into the Trinitarian communion of love. God desires to rescue us from condemnation and to share with us His Divine Existence.This is the essence of Divine Love. This is the Trinity. And this is the astonishing invitation extended to every soul: To believe in the Son is to begin participating in the eternal love that flows ceaselessly between the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit—a love that never ends. We are invited to be caught up by the love of God into Love Himself: the eternal communion of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.Trinity Sunday is set apart on the Church's calendar to renew our awe, deepen our understanding, and intensify our worship of the central mystery of our faith: that God is One in essence and Three in Persons. While every liturgy honors the Trinity—through prayers to the Father, in the Son, by the power of the Holy Spirit—this solemnity invites us to pause and gaze more intentionally into the inner life of God as it has been revealed to us. We do not celebrate a theological abstraction but a divine Personhood: the eternal exchange of love between the Father and the Son, perfectly expressed and eternally proceeding in the Holy Spirit.Reflect today on the Most Holy Trinity. We were made to share in Their Life and Love. Though the fullness of the Trinity remains a mystery beyond human grasp, it is not beyond human encounter. Through grace, revelation, and contemplative union, God draws us to Himself—not to explain Himself, but to be consumed by Him. Celebrate this day by repeatedly praying one of the most ancient and simple prayers in the Church:Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen! Most Holy Trinity, I love You and trust in You!  Image: Leandro Bassano, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsSource: Free RSS feed from catholic-daily-reflections.com — Copyright © 2026 My Catholic Life! Inc. All rights reserved. This content is provided solely for personal, non-commercial use. Redistribution, republication, or commercial use — including use within apps with advertising — is strictly prohibited without written permission.

Click here for the DRB Daily Sign Up form! TODAY'S SCRIPTURE: Proverbs 13- 15, Romans 11 Click HERE to give! One Year Bible Podcast: Join Hunter and Heather Barnes on the Daily Radio Bible, a daily Bible‑in‑a‑year podcast with 20‑minute Scripture readings, Christ‑centered devotion, and guided prayer.This daily Bible reading and devotional invites you to live as a citizen of Jesus' kingdom, reconciled, renewed, and deeply loved. TODAY'S EPISODE:  Welcome to the Daily Radio Bible on this 30th day of May, day 151 in our journey through the Word. I'm Hunter, your brother and Bible reading coach, here to guide you through today's readings from Proverbs chapters 13 to 15 and Romans 11. Whether you're new to the podcast or a long-time listener, our goal is simple: to read the entire Bible in a year and, more importantly, to be transformed by the God who is love. Today, we'll explore timeless wisdom from Proverbs about living wisely and faithfully, and hear Paul's moving reminder in Romans that God's grace is free and undeserved—available to all, Jew and Gentile alike. Settle in as we read, reflect, and pray together, opening our hearts to the boundless mercy and joy of God. TODAY'S DEVOTION: It is what it is. Paul wants us to know that what it really is is free and undeserved, he tells us in verse six. And since it is through God's kindness, then it is not through their good works. For in that case, God's grace would not be what it really is, free and undeserved. There is enough love to go around to everyone, Jew and Gentile alike. And that love goes beyond anything we could ever imagine or hope for. Oh, how great are God's wisdom and riches and knowledge. Oh, how impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways. But it is what it is. And what it is is awesome, undeserved grace given to all. So let's trust Him. It's about what he has done for us. It's about Him. So let's live in him and live in the light of his boundless mercy and grace even today. That's the prayer that I have for my own soul. That's the prayer that I have for my family, for my wife, my daughters and my son. And that's the prayer that I have for you. May it be so. TODAY'S PRAYERS: Lord God Almighty and everlasting father you have brought us in safety to this new day preserve us with your Mighty power that we might not fall into sin or be overcome by adversity. And in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling of your purpose  through Jesus Christ Our Lord amen.   Oh God you have made of one blood all the peoples of the earth and sent your blessed son to preach peace to those who are far and those who are near. Grant that people everywhere may seek after you, and find you. Bring the nations into your fold, pour out your Spirit on all flesh, and hasten the coming of your kingdom through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   And now Lord,  make me an instrument of your peace.  Where there is hatred let me sow love. Where there is injury, pardon.  Where there is doubt, faith. Where there is despair, hope.  Where there is darkness, light.  And where there is sadness,  Joy.  Oh Lord grant that I might not seek to be consoled as to console. To be understood as to understand, to be loved as to love.  For it is in the giving that we receive, in the pardoning that we are pardoned, it is in the dying that we are born unto eternal life.  Amen And now as our Lord has taught us we are bold to pray... Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our tresspasses as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not unto temptation, but deliver us from evil, for thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Loving God, we give you thanks for restoring us in your image. And nourishing us with spiritual food, now send us forth as forgiven people, healed and renewed, that we may proclaim your love to the world, and continue in the risen life of Christ.  Amen.  OUR WEBSITE: www.dailyradiobible.com We are reading through the New Living Translation.   Leave us a voicemail HERE: https://www.speakpipe.com/dailyradiobible Subscribe to us at YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@Dailyradiobible/featured OTHER PODCASTS: Listen with Apple Podcast DAILY BIBLE FOR KIDS DAILY PSALMS DAILY PROVERBS DAILY LECTIONARY DAILY CHRONOLOGICAL