thoughts by Phil Ware Archives - Page 18 of 23

Published April 6, 2017

Delight Yourself

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.” Psalm 37:4

Thoughts on today’s verse

Rather than seeing this as a way to get our wish list granted, let’s see it for what it really is — an invitation to seek a love relationship with God above all other things. In finding him, we will find our priorities properly aligned and our hearts tuned to know what is really valuable and what is not. Then we will see that what we have in him is our heart’s greatest desire.

Prayer:

Awesome and Gracious Father, I confess to you that so often my heart is full of selfish things. But in moments like these, Father, I recognize that you are what I most need and your will is my heart’s desire. Please kindle your Spirit in me so that I may see through any selfish, deception that would rob me of having you first in my life. Forgive me when I’m petty, selfish and shallow. May I know you as much as is possible for a mortal to know you, not so that I may be full, but that you may be honored. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

by Phil Ware

used by permission.
You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, you can learn how to start one at this link:
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A New Covenant

Published February 27, 2017

A New Covenant

“He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant – not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.”
2 Corinthians 3:6

A new covenant — God willingly entered into a new agreement with us, his creatures, sealed it with the blood of his Son Jesus, and sent the Spirit to give us the power to live the life of this new covenant. God has made a covenant of love and grace with us. The Almighty has then turned around and made us worthy and competent to share that covenant with others. Now wonder it is life-giving: it brings life to us and through us!

Prayer:

O holy and majestic God, thank you for your grace that has saved me from sin and has redeemed me from the law of sin and death. Thank you for sending the gift of your Son and the gift of your Spirit so that I can live with you in a covenant of life, grace, and love. While I confess my weaknesses, I also promise you that I will live to honor your sacrifice, love and covenant, trusting that you will ultimately empower me to be what you are calling me to be. In Jesus name I pray. Amen.

by Phil Ware

used with permission. You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, you can learn how to start one at this link:
http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/4laws/law0.html

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Rely on God’s Love

Published February 16, 2017

Rely on God’s Love

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him.” 1 John 4:16

Thought
We can be sure that God loves us. He wants us to live in and be blessed by his love. That love is more than just the grace that reaches us when we are saved. God’s love extends through us. His love is redemptive in our loving behaviors to others. His presence is seen in our loving attitudes and deeds. God wants his love to be shared by us to others. In this way, his love blesses us when we receive it and also when we share it!

Prayer
Father in heaven, I rely on your love. I cannot imagine my life without it; I would be completely lost. However, I know you love me Father. I am confident about my future, full of joy in this moment, and standing on tiptoe until your love is fully realized in your presence at Jesus’ coming. Thank you for loving me. In Jesus’ name I thank you. Amen.

By Phil Ware

used with permission.
You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, you can learn how to start one at this link:
http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/4laws/law0.html

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The Way I Take

Published February 3, 2017

The Way I Take

“He knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold. My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside.” Job 23:10-11

Thoughts on today’s verse:

How we long for this to be our true confession. We are not yet gold, but long to be. We are not yet fully following his steps, but are trying. We have tried not to turn aside, but we sometimes falter. Thank God for his grace until our intentions and desires are fulfilled!

Prayer:

Magnificent Creator and Sustainer of the Universe, I confess my sin and my inability to follow your paths. Forgive me. I commit my life to serve you in holiness and joy. Thank you for your grace, which covers my sin, and perfect in me the character of Jesus. Through him I pray. Amen.

by Phil Ware

used with permission. You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

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In God I Trust

Published January 22, 2017

In God I Trust

“In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. what can mortal man do to me? “ Psalm 56:4

Thoughts on today’s verse

One of the powerful things about having a Bible, a repository of God’s words, is that its age and varied countries and cultures remind us how enduring God’s truth actually is. Yet it is God in whom we put our trust. His enduring presence through cultures, centuries, and countries reminds us that eternal is outside our grasp, but God holds us in his grasp.

Prayer:
O Great and Eternal God, thank you that you are more stable than the ground on which I stand, more enduring than the mountain peaks I admire, and more constant than the waves upon the oceans. I trust my life and my future and soul with you. Please be pleased, but even more, help me to be constant in faithfulness to you. Through Jesus I ask this prayer. Amen.

by Phil Ware

used with permission. You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

If you don’t have a relationship with Jesus, you can learn how to start one at this link:
http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/4laws/law0.html

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God’s Ways

Published January 10, 2017

God’s Ways

“My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah 55:8-9

Thoughts on today’s verse

No matter how we try to perceive God, he is still God and we are not. We must forever remember that the original, and still primary sin was to try to become like God in terms of knowledge and understanding. We are to know God, but we can never fully know about him. We are to take on his character, but we cannot approach his majesty. This is both exciting and frustrating. But the promise remains that one day we will be like him and see him as he is.

Prayer:

Tender Shepherd, thank you for being so patient with me when I cannot fully understand and appreciate your holy and transcendent character. Thank you for sending Jesus so I can know you better and trust you to know me better than I know myself. I look forward to seeing you face to face when Jesus comes to bring me home. Until that day, please know I love you. Through Jesus I offer my thanks and praise. Amen.

by Phil Ware

used by permission.
You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

You can learn how to start a new life with Jesus. Read this explanation at:
http://www.thoughts-about-god.com/4laws/law0.html

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PHOTO CREDIT: 23 Mar 2005, Hawaii, Hawaii, USA — Hilly Road — Image by © Royalty-Free/Corbis

Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Phil Ware

His Wonderful Light

Published September 25, 2016

His Wonderful Light

“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” 1 Peter 2:9

Thoughts on today’s verse

We’ve been picked to be on God’s team, and we were picked first! We have an important role to play in the unfolding of the world’s history. We’re here to declare God’s praises to those who don’t know him so they can find his marvelous light and leave their world of darkness.

Prayer:

O Great Light of Eternal Hope, I praise you and thank you for including me in your people. Now move me and empower me to share your Gospel with others so the world might truly know that Jesus is Lord. Through him I pray. Amen.

By Phil Ware

used with permission. You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

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How do You View God?

Published September 15, 2016

How do You View God?

“God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:17

Thoughts on today’s verse:

How do you view God? Is he someone looking for a way to condemn you? Is he an out-of-touch old man who doesn’t really know what it’s like in our modern world? Is he too holy to soil himself with the concerns of mere mortals and has left it up to us to work everything out for ourselves? No. NO. NO! God chose to enter our world and experience it from the side of mortality. God chose to enter our world, not to condemn us, or it, but to redeem it. Jesus is the great reminder that God longs to save us, not judge us. Thank God for God! Thank God for Jesus who was God with us.

Prayer:
Holy and Heavenly God, thank you that you live with those who are contrite and repentant and who long for your presence. You know we are only mortal, but you love us. You know that we are flawed, but you redeemed us. You know that we are not perfect, but you sent Jesus as the perfect sacrifice to save us. Thank you. Through my Savior I offer my sincerest gratitude and praise. Amen.

By Phil Ware

– used with permission.
You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

Email Visitors, please visit our webpage to leave a comment. We warmly invite your thoughts on this devotional.

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Truly Worthy

Truly Worhy Devotional - 1 Chronicles 29:11

Published September 5, 2016

Truly Worthy

“Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all.”
1 Chronicles 29:11

Thoughts on today’s verse:

Praise is letting God know we recognize him for who he is, what he has done, and what he is doing. But more than informing God of his greatness, praise is rejoicing before him in his greatness and recognizing that not only is his grace without comparison, his majesty and might and holiness and faithfulness and righteousness and mercy and love and forgiveness and justice and… are without comparison. Praise is thankful celebration that he is God, and even more importantly, that he is our God.

Prayer:

Great and Gracious God without comparison, you are truly worthy of my best words and best thoughts and best imaginings. I worship and submit to you, rejoice that you are who you are, celebrate what you have done, and long for what you are yet to do. You are magnificent, my Father and my God. Through Jesus, and because of his matchless love, I praise you. Amen.

By Phil Ware

used with permission. You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

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Your Grace

Published July 26, 2016

Your Grace

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:27

Thought
In our busy world, we often let ourselves get preoccupied with worrisome and inconsequential things. What does this get us? Far from making our lives more productive or adding to our longevity, we know for a fact that worry hastens our demise and robs our days of joy and grace.

Prayer
Father, thank you. Thank you for making the earth hold its orbit and my heart have its beat. Thank you for giving me a future beyond the boundary markers of my mortality. Thank you for pouring your grace and numerous blessings into my life. Forgive me, Lord, when I do not count these blessings enough and begin to worry how I might acquire more or fear losing those things that I have. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

By Phil Ware

used with permission.
You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

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Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Phil Ware

I Take Refuge

Published July 22, 2016

I Take Refuge

“O LORD my God, I take refuge in you; save and deliver me from all who pursue me...” Psalm 7:1

Thought

Who or what is pursuing you? Is it a past mistake? Is it an old enemy? Is it your conscience? Is it a nagging sense of guilt? Is it someone who wants to do you physical harm? Is it a physical illness? In the middle of all the storms and struggles of life, where do you go to find peace and security? There is only One who can be a true and lasting refuge. Just One!

Prayer

Father God, you are my refuge and source of strength when my courage is gone and my soul is weary. Please, dear Father, destroy all the forces and powers and enemies that pursue me and seek to take me captive and draw me away from you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

By Phil Ware
used with permission.
You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

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Genuine Life

Published June 26, 2016

Genuine Life

“In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5

Thought

Life! Not just living, but true, genuine life. Life that gives us light that darkness cannot steal away. That’s why God sent Jesus! Thankfully that light still shines and all of Satan’s horses and all of Satan’s men cannot put their deepest darkest darkness together again! Hallelujah!

Prayer

For every good and perfect gift, for the light I have even in my moments of deepest darkness, for the hope I have of living with you in glorious and unapproachable light, I thank you and praise you with eternal joy, now and forevermore. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

By Phil Ware

used with permission.
You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

Thoughts by All Thoughts by Men thoughts by Phil Ware

Good Enough

Published May 21, 2016

Good Enough

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8

Thought

God didn’t wait till we were “good enough” to bring us his salvation. Instead, he came when we were most lost and needed his grace the most. But then, that’s what love really means by God’s definition. It’s more than something declared or felt, it’s something radically demonstrated.

Prayer

Holy and loving Father, thank you for demonstrating your love in such powerful and sacrificial fashion. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

By Phil Ware

used with permission.
You can also follow Phil’s daily devotionals on http://www.verseoftheday.com

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For God Loved the World

Published April 11, 2016

For God Loved the World

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16

Thought

Did you know the Bible doesn’t just say, “God loves you.” Now don’t let me confuse you. Scripture does tell us many times that God loves us. However, don’t miss the important truth here. Each time Scripture tell us that God loves us, it also demonstrates that love as well. God’s love is more than emotion and intention. God’s love is demonstrated. God loved us so much he didn’t just say, “I love you.” God showed his by sending and sacrificing his Son to give us his incomparable love! We never have to doubt that God means what he says. He has backed up his promises of love with his actions.

Prayer

Loving and Almighty God, thank you for loving me. Thank you for both saying it and showing it. Please know, dear Father, I love you, too! Accept my words and actions today as a testimony to my love. Through Jesus I pray. Amen.

By Phil Ware

used with permission.
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To Him Who is Able

Published April 5, 2016

To Him Who is Able

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” Ephesians 3:20-21

Thought

We have far greater power than we often realize. That incredible power is at work within us (see Ephesians 1:18-19). This promise of power, however, is tied to two opportunities God gives us daily. First, it is based on actively asking for God to do great things based upon a holy charged imagination. Second, it is based on our living to bring God glory. So let’s ask, imagine, and give God glory; then let’s praise him for doing far greater things than what we ask or even imagine!

Prayer

Dear Father in heaven, forgive me for my pedestrian dreams, my selfish prayers, and my short-sighted goals. Awaken my heart to your will and open my eyes to your plans by the power of your Holy Spirit. As you do this, dear Father, please do it to your glory and praise. In Jesus’ name I ask this. Amen.

By Phil Ware

used with permission.
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“In him was life, and that life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not overcome it.” John 1:4-5

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