Daily Archives: July 12, 2026

Today in the Word

Today in the Word – Moody Bible Institute – Loving Our Enemies

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Read Matthew 5:43–47

I was once studying the Gospel of Matthew with a Chinese student. When we came to Jesus’ command on how Christians are to love, he told me he didn’t understand it. I checked his vocabulary and reading comprehension, which seemed fine. I asked him to summarize the passage, which he did accurately. “What’s the problem?” I asked.

“It’s impossible!” he exclaimed. “No one can love their enemies!”

Exactly. Jesus’ command should shock us all. The normal human reaction might be to love our own people but hate our enemies. The greatest commandment is to love God and love our neighbor. But Jesus said to love our enemies as well—even to pray for those who persecute us (vv. 43–44). This did not fit the expectations of those looking for a Messiah to liberate them from the Romans—nor does it fit the way we typically live today.

The reason for Jesus’ command is “that you may be children of your Father in heaven” (v. 45). In other words, this is what it means to be a citizen of the kingdom of God. If we love those who love us, there’s nothing special about that. We are no better than a tax collector or a pagan (vv. 46–47). Jesus deepens the command, saying: “Love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:35–36; Matt. 5:7).

Jesus, of course, modeled His own teaching. While dying on the cross, betrayed and forsaken, He prayed for His enemies and forgave them (Luke 23:34). The first martyr, Stephen, imitated Christ’s example and did the same (Acts 7:60).

Go Deeper

How would following Jesus’ teaching about love change the way we live? Who are your “enemies,” and how can you love them?

Pray with Us

Father, the shocking command to love our enemies is impossible without Your Spirit. Please fill us with this impossible love for the difficult people in our lives.

If you love those who love you, what reward will you get?Matthew 5:46

 

 

 

https://www.moodybible.org/

Our Daily Bread

Our Daily Bread – Acting on God’s Promises

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Joseph . . . said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place.” Genesis 50:25

Today’s Scripture

Genesis 50:22-26

Listen to Today’s Devotion

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Today’s Devotion

Pieter kisses a framed picture of his elderly parents every night. It’s been many years since he was last with them. As a young adult, when he became a follower of Jesus, his family and community pressured him to give up his newfound belief. When he didn’t, his parents disowned him. “In the Bible, God promised He’d help His children in difficult times, and I believed Him,” Pieter said. “Choosing to follow Him brought suffering, but He has helped me endure.”

Pieter has the assurance from God that He keeps His word, so Pieter is able to trustingly act on God’s promises. We read in Genesis that Joseph, at the end of his life, was also confident in the promises of God. He told his brothers, “I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Genesis 50:24). Joseph was sure that God would keep His promise to take His people to Canaan. So he instructed the Israelites, “You must carry my bones up from [Egypt]” (v. 25).

Four hundred years later, during the exodus from Egypt, “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him” (Exodus 13:19). Eventually, “Joseph’s bones, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem [in Canaan]” (Joshua 24:32).

Let’s follow Joseph’s example of faith (Hebrews 11:22), showing our faith in God’s promises by acting on them.

Reflect & Pray

What promises of God can you act on? What practical steps can you take?

Faithful God, thank You for Your promises.

Today’s Insights

The writer of Hebrews commended Joseph for believing God’s promise that He’d bring his family out of Egypt into the promised land: “By faith Joseph . . . spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions concerning the burial of his bones” (Hebrews 11:22; see Genesis 50:24-25). In reconciling with his brothers who grievously harmed him, Joseph points us to God’s sovereignty in directing human affairs. His statement that “you intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good” (Genesis 50:20) is echoed in Romans 8:28: “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Just as “the Lord was with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2, 23), we can trust in His promise that He’ll be with us and never forsake us: “We say with confidence, ‘The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid’ ” (Hebrews 13:5-6; see Psalm 118:6-7).

 

Discover more by listening to Promise Keeper.

 

 

http://www.odb.org

Denison Forum

Denison Forum – Should I open a Trump Account for my kids?

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Stewarding our children and generational investment

Thinking about retirement…for your infant? Trump Accounts officially launched on July 4th as an investment option that will help you start that journey. All U.S. citizens under 18 are eligible to participate, but children born between 2025 and 2028 can receive an initial $1,000 deposit from the Treasury upon opening an account.

The tax-advantaged Trump Accounts are designed for long-term investing. Once your child turns 18, the account transfers to their control and operates like a Traditional IRA, with penalty-free withdrawals for approved uses like education and first-time homebuying.

Continue reading Denison Forum – Should I open a Trump Account for my kids? →

Days of Praise

Days of Praise – The Right Man on Our Side

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by John D. Morris, Ph.D.

“Behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not.” (Luke 22:31–32)

Satan wanted Peter to fall, and fall he would (v. 34). But Christ had prayed for him that victory would come. The second verse of “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” reflects our vulnerability on our own and our invincibility on His side.

Did we in our own strength confide,
Our striving would be losing;
Were not the right man on our side,
The man of God’s own choosing:
Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus it is He,
Lord Sabaoth, His name, From age to age the same,
And He must win the battle.

After revealing many thrilling blessings, Paul asks, “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31). Furthermore, neither “principalities, nor powers” nor anything else in all creation is “able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:38–39). With Him, Satan cannot win the battle for our minds or destinies. But on our own, we cannot win.

The term sabaoth is the Hebrew word for “hosts,” in particular the “host of heaven.” The term Yahweh Sabaoth or “LORD Sabaoth” occurs some 300 times in the Old Testament and constitutes a most majestic name for God. “For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; the God of the whole earth shall he be called” (Isaiah 54:5). This is none other than “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8). Creator (Colossians 1:16), Sustainer (v. 17), Redeemer (v. 20)—He must win the battle. JDM

 

 

 

https://www.icr.org/articles/type/6

Joyce Meyer

Joyce Meyer – Take a Step Toward God

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Come close to God [with a contrite heart] and He will come close to you…

James 4:8 (AMP)

The Bible shows us that God took the first steps toward us—steps to building relationship with His children. When we were far from Him, lost in our own sin, God sent Jesus (Romans 5:8). Stepping down from heaven, walking perfectly on this earth, and going willingly to the cross, Jesus gave us what we could never earn in our own effort or strength—total forgiveness of sin, complete redemption, the chance to experience a personal relationship with God, and the promise of eternal life.

And now, through the precious gift of salvation, the Bible shows us that anytime we step toward God, He steps toward us again. And His steps are much bigger than ours.

In your quiet time with God, when you give Him your imperfect, flawed love, you receive His unconditional, perfect love in return. When you have faith as small as a mustard seed, God moves the mountains in your life. When you cast your cares on God, He gives you the peace that passes understanding. Just take a step and watch what God will do!

Prayer of the Day: God, thank You for loving me first. Help me draw closer to You each day and trust You with every care and concern in my life, amen.

 

 

http://www.joycemeyer.org