It’s possible to read the Bible and only look for interesting facts, helpful advice, or a verse that makes you feel better. And God does all of that! But what if the Bible is meant to do something more than just inform us? What if God wants to use His Word to form you?

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16.)

The Scriptures have the power to reshape your desires, decisions, character, and worship of God. So when you’re reading the words of the Bible, they’re not like ordinary words in any other book. You are positioning yourself to hear the voice of God. 

Here’s your one thought: God’s Word trains you for the life God wants for you. If you want to be shaped by Scripture today, pray with us through the prayer below.

What makes someone good at sharing the gospel? (The gospel is the good news of how God loves and saves people from their sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus.) So, what do you need to share this good news? 

For many of us, we don’t need another sermon or Bible study. You don’t need to be a preacher or have a microphone and a platform. You don’t even need to have all of the answers or eloquent words. 

You just need to be available to the God who sends ordinary people into ordinary places with extraordinary news. Wherever you go, you carry this message of hope, truth, grace, and love. Your words and your life can point other people to Jesus. 

May we strive to be what Paul calls “Christ’s ambassadors” (2 Corinthians 5:20). Are you open to having that conversation? Pray with that person? How is God leading you to point someone to Jesus today? Remember this one thought: God sends ordinary people with extraordinary news. If you want to be open to who God might send you to today, pray with us:

Does loving God ever feel a little abstract? How do I know if I’m loving God well after all? Jesus knows this, and He doesn’t let love stay confusing. 

When asked about the greatest commandment, Jesus says to love God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Then He adds, “and the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Matthew 22:39. Your love for God and love for people are connected. 

Maybe this is why your love for God feels ambiguous. Loving God will always move you toward loving people, and loving people will help you love God. Who might God want you to notice today? Loving your neighbor might look like loving the person who interrupts you, needs patience from you, or is easy for you to overlook. Let’s pray for God’s help in loving others today. 

Have you ever taken inventory of your life and seen that God has given you some gifts? The truth is, God has given each person unique gifts. Peter writes, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.” 1 Peter 4:10. 

So your gifts are unique to you, but they’re not about you. These spiritual gifts show other people God’s grace. Do you know your spiritual gifts? There are plenty of free online spiritual gift quizzes that you can take quickly to find out. Maybe it’s encouragement or hospitality. Wisdom, discernment, or teaching. Telling others about Jesus or being generous. 

Whatever your gifts are, remember that God didn’t give them to you so that it would stop with you. Use these gifts to the full so that others can experience God’s grace. If you want to use what God has given you for the sake of others today, pray with us through the prayer below:

You can be full and still unsatisfied. It’s that empty feeling after what you thought would fill you. The letdown after a big win. And so what do we do? We try to fill ourselves with something else? Full schedule. Full bank account. Full calendar. Full phone. But as you know, full does not always mean satisfied. 

It’s not a bad thing to be hungry, but maybe we’re hungry for the wrong things. Jesus says,
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.” Matthew 5:6. 

It is possible to be hungry for holiness, what is right, and God’s way of life. The temptation is to hunger for success, comfort, attention, or control. But God blesses the hunger that leads you closer to Him.  

If your feeling restless, maybe the answer is not more __________. What is one thing that you can do today that brings you closer to God? Let’s ask Him to bless this hunger to be closer to Him.

You don’t need to know all the answers. Let that bring you some peace. And you don’t need to win arguments, sound impressive, or string together perfect thoughts. But before you think you’re completely off the hook, Peter writes, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect. (1 Peter 3:15.)

Is there something about your life that makes hope visible to others? And when someone notices, are you ready to speak with gentleness and respect? Instead of feeling the pressure to know everything, you can simply tell what Jesus has done in you. How He has come through. Why you trust Him. Because your hope in Jesus is worth sharing, and this hope is contagious. 

Just because you can do anything doesn’t mean you should. Just because something is allowed doesn’t automatically make it helpful. Paul puts it this way in 1 Corinthians 6:12: “I have the right to do anything, but I will not be mastered by anything.” 

What might your life be like if you thought of freedom like Paul? Because freedom is so much more than just doing whatever you want or not being controlled by lesser things. 

Freedom is allowing Jesus to be the master of your life so that He can lead you to life. Today’s One Thought is a question, and it’s worth asking honestly from time to time: What has more control over me than it should?

If you want to bring your habits honestly before God, pray with us through this prayer:

Have you noticed that the important things in life usually don’t grow by accident? Good health needs habits. Couples need attention. Skills need practice. And your faith is no different. 

It’s easy to let your spiritual growth go on autopilot. And while growing spiritually is always a work of God’s grace, it doesn’t mean that we should be passive. 2 Peter 1:5-8 tells us how we can join God. “Make every effort to supplement your faith with goodness, goodness with knowledge,  knowledge with self-control, self-control with endurance, endurance with godliness,  godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love.  For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being useless or unfruitful.”

The goal isn’t earning God’s love, proving anything to anyone, or becoming spiritually impressive. God is forming you to become more and more like Jesus, and you’re invited to participate with Him. 

What is one area God might be growing you right now? Consider this one thought as you’re on this journey with Him: Spiritual growth is received by grace and practiced with intention. Let’s say a prayer and listen for where God might be growing you today. 

What’s the last good intention that you’ve had? Have you ever meant to check in on an old friend? Or maybe you’ve intended to only speak kindly to yourself and others. In big or small ways, we usually have good intentions to love. But love isn’t meant to just live in our intentions. 

1 John 3:18 says, “Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” Words absolutely matter, but maybe they matter less to a watching world when our actions don’t match our words. Love becomes a little more visible when it moves.

A meal delivered. A text returned. A sacrifice made. An act of generosity given. A choice to serve when it would be easier not to. 

Let’s strive to be like Jesus who didn’t just say that He loves us; He showed us through His actions. Here’s your one thought: Love becomes real when it moves from words to actions. 

Which of these questions do you ask God more? 

“What do I need to do?” Or “Who are you forming me to become?”

You’re constantly being formed by the voices you trust, content you consume, people you imitate, and desires you feed. So it might be good to ask ourselves from time to time: what is forming me, and who am I becoming? 

Jesus isn’t just concerned with what you do. He wants you to “be transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18) The Holy Spirit is in the business of forming you to look more and more like Jesus as you turn towards Him. 

God’s vision for your life is so much bigger than just a slightly improved version of yourself. A life of being shaped more and more into the image of Jesus is what your soul longs for. If you want to be formed by Jesus today, pray with us…

Have you ever felt the pressure to say yes when you meant no? Exaggerate to sound better? Avoid truth to keep the peace? Make a promise you knew you probably couldn’t keep? It’s good to slow down and think about the words we speak. Why?

Jesus cares about the integrity of your words. In one of his teachings, he talked about people making these huge promises or vows. That’s not something they just did back then. We still say things like, “I swear!” “I bet!” “I promise!” But Jesus suggests a better, simpler way to use our words. 

“ Just say a simple, ‘Yes, I will,’ or ‘No, I won’t.’” (Matthew 5:37). Simple. Honest. No more need to stretch the truth, manage your image, cover a lie, or perform. Faithfulness today can look like telling the simple truth, humbly.

Here’s your one thought: When you’re telling the truth, less is more. Integrity means your yes is yes and your no is no. If you want God to shape your words today, pray with us today.

Not every spiritual practice is meant to be seen. Let’s just say it: sometimes that can be our motivation to live Godly lives…so that we can be noticed by other people. But some of the deepest work God does in us happens quietly. 

Jesus teaches in Matthew 6 about the spiritual practices of giving to the needy, prayer, and fasting. With each one, he says it’s better to do them privately. Which one of those practices challenges you the most? Giving, praying, or fasting?

Fasting might be the one that seems most foreign. Fasting as a spiritual practice is different than fasting for weight loss or healthier habits. Fasting makes space for God. It teaches your body that your appetites do not have to be in charge. 

Do you see an appetite for any of these things in your life lately?

Comfort

Approval

Food

Scrolling

Control

Distraction

Maybe God is inviting you to make one small, silent, hidden surrender today. Not to earn His love but to make more room for it. If you want to surrender one appetite to God, pray with us.