Agape Always

03/27/2026

Who we are, what becomes of us in life, and what we accomplish of significance are all in God's hands. We cannot achieve lasting honor for ourselves without his blessing. We cannot secure our future or our safety without his protection and blessing. The basis of all achievement and glory is dependent upon our willingly placing our lives in his care because he alone is permanent, eternal, and offers us life that is unending, with our future secure.

My Prayer...
O God, you are my Rock, the Fortress of my life. I place myself in your care, willingly and dependently. Please take charge of my future and use me for your glory in that future. In you I take refuge, and on your strength I rely to make my days worthwhile and my life to make a difference in the world for Jesus. I seek you and your Kingdom above all other entanglements, distractions, or goals. In the precious name of Jesus, I pray this. Amen.

03/27/2026

03/25/2026

We can be forgiven of our sins, all of them, forever. That's great news, but there's even better news. We can be purified of any stain or residue from our past sins. You and I can say, "I am forgiven and purified" — pure as if I had never sinned!" That's incredible: not only am I forgiven, but I'm also made clean and new again! Not only can I have a fresh start, but I can also have a clean slate. This gift is ours when we are honest with ourselves and with God by confessing our sins and turning from them. The word "confess" our sins means to share our sins with another believer and call what we've done by the same name God does. We recognize our sin and turn from it! When we do, new life awaits; let's refuse to hesitate!

My Prayer...
Forgiving Father, please forgive me today of my sins. I confess them to you freely and honestly. I hold nothing back from you. I refuse to rationalize away or dismiss any of those sins. Now, please Father, create in me a pure heart — faithful, forgiving, gracious, and filled with only holy intentions.

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23-24)

In the precious name of Jesus, I pray. Amen.

03/24/2026

When we face death because of sin, we're only being paid what we've earned. Sin is rebellion against God — the Father who loves us and the Son who gave up glory to endure the cross to redeem us from sin! Praise God, the Father's gift of eternal life is a free gift offered to us by grace, which we accept through faith in Jesus as our Savior and Lord! We could not earn it, deserve it, or demand it. God not only provided us with this gift, but also offered it to us in love. For us to spurn it or not receive it with passionate faith is to choose to receive what we've earned:

The wages of sin is death..., but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
My Prayer...
Thank you, God, for loving me when no one else could or would. Thank you for sacrificing the most precious gift of heaven so I could join you there as your child, your beloved child, just like my Savior Jesus. Of all the gifts I've ever received, yours is the best. I offer this praise in the name of one whose gift has given me life! Amen.

03/23/2026

Only Christians win at life. That's because none of us who are human has the power to hold back our greatest enemy, death (Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 Corinthians 15:26). But when we have persevered, we are given the ultimate victory: THE CROWN OF LIFE, life that will not end (Revelation 2:10). Because our lives are in the hands of the one who defeated death, death cannot separate us from our victory in Jesus Christ our Lord! As the apostle Paul emphatically proclaimed:

When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain. (1 Corinthians 15:54-57)

My Prayer...
Thank you, Father, for giving me the assurance that when all is said and done, I will share in your life and Jesus' victory over sin, death, hell, and the evil one, forever. Help me to live today confidently, knowing that I have your life and that the living part of me, united with Jesus, will never die (Colossians 3:1-4). In the name of Jesus, my conquering King, I pray. Amen.

03/15/2026

"Jesus! Jesus! Jesus! There's just something about that name!"* The words to the song are right. Salvation from our broken world and our warped nature is found in no one else except Jesus. He is our Savior because he was willing to come to this world, bear our limitations, endure the shame of the cross, carry the weight of our sin, and then triumph over all of it to bring us grace (Philippians 2:6-11). We wholeheartedly agree: "Salvation is found in no one else"!

My Prayer...
Through the precious name of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ, my Lord, I thank and praise you, God Most High. Your love provided the sacrifice for my sin. Your power guaranteed my resurrection from the dead. Your Son's willingness to spend a lifetime with us has given me a Great High Priest who intercedes with empathy for my struggles (Hebrews 2:14-18; Hebrews 4:14-16). His example shows me your great love. Thank you, O Father! Thank you for being so gracious and giving me such a wonderful Savior. Even the very name of Jesus is precious to me! O praise his name and thank you for his grace. Amen.

03/14/2026

Wow! What a message. God wants us to be productive in our lives. He wants us to have more than just head knowledge; he wants us to put our knowledge to work in our lives and be effective and productive with it. I've got to make a genuine effort to grow in these qualities. While the Holy Spirit is doing God's work of transforming me to become like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18) and produce the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), God wants me to do my part and "make every effort" to grow in these qualities "in increasing measure." God wants these qualities to be readily seen in my life. I'm ready; how about you? Let's get after those qualities and begin today.

My Prayer...
Holy God, we are committed to "making every effort" to grow into your character. Please bless our efforts and receive them as our heartfelt expression of appreciation for your love for us, even when we were undeserving of your grace. You loved and moved to redeem us when we were "helpless," "ungodly," "sinners," and your "enemies" (Romans 5:6-10). We thank you for such loving grace and commit to being productive in our lives of faith so we can bring glory to you. We are determined to live for the praise of the glory of your grace (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14), in the name of Jesus. Amen