S – Restore us, God; make your face shine on us, so that we may be saved.

Psalms 80:3 CSB

O – Commentary:

This line is repeated in Ps 80:7 and 80:19, but the name of God is expanded each time. Here in v. 3, the generic name for God as creator is used in Hebrew: elohim. In v. 7 and 80:14, the Hebrew text uses elohim tseva’oth, which may be rendered “God of hosts” or “God of armies.” Finally, in v. 19, yhwh elohim tseva’oth is used, which means “Yahweh God of hosts”; this is an echo of v. 4, which also uses this title

Faithlife Study Bible 

A—God wants us to return to Him. Different aspects of God’s character appeal to people, but the important thing is that people return to a relationship with Him. 

R – Heavenly Father, your character is true.  You desire a relationship with us and we step toward you today in our thoughts, words and actions.  We pray for your presence and peace as we face today’s challenges.

S – Instead, just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please people, but rather God, who examines our hearts.

1 Thessalonians 2:4 CSB

O – Commentary:

Paul and his fellow missionaries were veterans; they had been tried and tested for years. God would not have blessed their work if their motivation had not been right. Paul saw himself as a steward entrusted by God to carry His message of salvation to lost men and women (cf. 1 Cor. 9:17). Paul did not choose his work; God selected him for the high calling of proclaiming the gospel. This responsibility was most significant to Paul, who viewed himself as under God’s constant scrutiny. So he would not dare serve with the wrong motives.

“1 Thessalonians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – Another word for examine is “tests.”  Like Paul, all we think, say and do are under God’s watch.  Some believe God tests us or watches us to see us fail.  I think he is observing to see us grow and win.  When we hit the mark, he is like a proud parent of the growth.  When we don’t, his love doesn’t waiver and he desires us more.

R – Heavenly Father, you are all-knowing and you have no lack.  Thank you for trusting us with the message of the gospel.  We desire to grow in our faith and knowledge of you.  

S – He chose David his servant and took him from the sheep pens; ⁷¹ he brought him from tending ewes to be shepherd over his people Jacob—over Israel, his inheritance. ⁷² He shepherded them with a pure heart and guided them with his skillful hands. 

Psalms 78:70–72 CSB

O – God chose David not because he was perfect or sinless.  David’s faith was true loyalty and unyielding trust in the Lord.  Along with his faith, David led with wisdom and knowledge.

A – Our faith and trust in God is an important part of our walk with God.  We must continue to grow in it.  As we do, we will see God grow every aspect of us including our ability to lead and interact with others.

R – Heavenly Father, you are the only God.  Help us to grow in our faith and trust in you.  We want to know you more and our faith helps us to see more of your character and promise. 

S – Above all, put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. ¹⁵ And let the peace of Christ, to which you were also called in one body, rule your hearts. And be thankful

 Colossians 3:14–15 CSB

O – Commentary:

3:14. But over all these virtues Christians are to put on love. As Paul wrote elsewhere, “The greatest of these is love” (1 Cor. 13:13). In one’s catalog of virtues love should be the cover, because it is of supreme importance and is the perfect bond, holding them all together in perfect unity.

3:15. Believers are also to let the peace of Christ rule in their hearts because they are called to peace as members of one body. The closer believers are to Christ (and His likeness), the closer they are to each other. In interpersonal relationships “peace” (transcendent, God-given tranquility) should rule (brabeuetō, “arbitrate, decide every debate”; a word used only here in the NT; cf. katabrabeuetō, “decide against,” 2:18). 

“Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – Each day, we should put on love for God and other people.  It helps us to fulfill the two great commandments that Jesus gave us.  It should bring us to God-given peace.  That is the peace that passes our understanding and guards our hearts and minds through Christ.  

R – Heavenly Father, we surrender and worship You today.  With so much going on, we need your peace.  We choose to love You and others first as You command us.  In that genuine love, we ask for a peace that supersedes our thoughts and hearts.

S – And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. ¹⁴ He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

 Colossians 2:13–15 CSB

O – We humanly could not do anything to pay the debt for our sin.  In our birth, we were doomed for death.  Christ’s crucifixion, death and resurrection paid the debt of that sin on the cross.  In doing so, he conquered all the entities that oppose God.

A – This is the victory that comes in a relationship with Christ.  He pays the price for our sin and gives us access to a personal relationship with God.  The power of the cross in our lives is evident when we choose to walk in the freedom Christ paid for in his death.  No entity is bigger than our God.

R – Heavenly Father, we are grateful for the work of the cross.  We know and accept the forgiveness for our sins.  Thank you for desiring a relationship with us so much that Jesus would pay that price.  We choose to walk in the freedom his blood purchased for us.

S – For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile 

everything to himself, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace 

through his blood, shed on the cross.

Colosians 1:19–20 CSB

O – Commentary:

The sixth description of the exalted Christ is that all God’s fullness dwell[s] in Him. Later Paul wrote, “In Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form” (2:9). Colossians 1:19 is one of the most powerful descriptions of Christ’s deity in the New Testament (cf. Heb. 1:3). “Fullness” (plērōma), a key word in Colossians, is used in 1:19 and 2:9. (The verb plēroō is used in 1:9, 25; 2:10; and 4:17.) The noun means “completeness” and is used of a wide range of things including God’s being (Eph. 3:19), time (Gal. 4:4), and grace in Christ (John 1:16). This full and complete Deity is said to “dwell” (katoikēsai, “abide lastingly or permanently”) in Christ.

1:20. The seventh feature of Christ is that He is the Reconciler. Through Christ God will reconcile to Himself all things. The phrase “all things” is limited to good angels and redeemed people since only things on earth and things in heaven are mentioned. Things “under the earth” (Phil. 2:10) are not reconciled. On God’s restoring of nature, see comments on Romans 8:19–21; and on the reconciling of sinners, see comments on Romans 5:10–11 and 2 Corinthians 5:17–20. It is important to note that people are reconciled to God (“to Himself”) not that God is reconciled to people. For mankind has left God and needs to be brought back to Him.

“Colossians,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – Think about “all of God’s fullness” dwelling in one person.  It is mind blowing. Then think of that person crucified on the cross. Again, the “bigness” of God was killed at the hands of petty people.  Hard to fathom.  Finally, full reconciliation between man and God is created. Unprecedented.  It is humbling to read this and not feel extreme humility and gratitude.

R – Heavenly Father, we stand in awe of who you are and your love for us. Your actions leave us with nothing but gratitude and humility.  We didn’t deserve your demonstrations of love but we are so thankful for them.  Help us to reflect our love for you today.

S – He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For everything was created by him, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions 

or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through him and for him

Col 1:15–16.

O – Commentary:

visible image: In the Greek translation of the OT, eikōn (“image, representation”) is used to refer to human beings having been made in the image of God (Gen 1:26–27) and also to the wisdom figure in Jewish writings (see Wisdom 7:25–26). The NT writers speak about Christ as God’s wisdom to help explain his significance (cp. 1 Cor 1:24, 30). • He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation (or He is the firstborn of all creation): This phrase figured prominently in early Christian debates about the nature of Christ. Firstborn does not mean he was created; it is a title, drawn from the OT, indicating supremacy of rank and priority in time (see, e.g., Ps 89:27).

1:16 Thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world refer to various spiritual powers. This line emphasizes Christ’s supremacy over these beings who were getting so much attention from the false teachers (see 2:18). • Everything was created through him and for him: Christ is both the one through whom all things were created and the goal of all creation.

 New Living Translation Study Bible 

A – Jesus was God in the form of a man on earth.  He is supreme over all creation because all creation was through him.  This gives me faith to know the God I worship and serve has no rival – He alone is the one and only God.

R – Heavenly Father, you are the one true God.  You have no rival or equal.  I surrender my life and will to you today.  Empower me to walk with you and obey your direction.  Continue to reveal to me the areas of my life where I need to draw closer to you.

S – I chose you before I formed you in the womb; I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.

Jeremiah 1:5 CSB

O – Commentary:

God’s call of Jeremiah as a prophet, though brief, contained a message designed to motivate him for his task. God revealed that His selection of Jeremiah as a prophet had occurred before he had even been formed … in the womb. The word knew (yāḏa‘) means far more than intellectual knowledge. It was used of the intimate relations experienced by a husband and wife (“lay,” Gen. 4:1) and conveyed the sense of a close personal relationship (“chosen,” Amos 3:2) and protection (“watches over,” Ps. 1:6). Before Jeremiah was conceived God had singled him out to be His spokesman to Israel.

Jeremiah had been set … apart for this ministry. The verb translated “set apart” (qāḏaš) means setting something or someone apart for a specific use. Individuals or objects “set apart” (or sanctified or made holy) for use by God included the Sabbath Day (Ex. 16:23; 20:8), the tabernacle and its furnishings (Ex. 29:44; 40:9), and the priests (Ex. 29:1; 30:30). God had marked Jeremiah from conception and reserved him for a special task. He was appointed to be a prophet to the nations

“Jeremiah,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures

A – God knows each of us before we are even born.  He knows us, formed us, determined a purpose and gave us a message to share.  We are unique in the fulfillment of all of those.  It is amazing to see the strength of the body of Christ if every one of us were operating in all of those at the highest level.

R – Heavenly Father, we honor you alone as the one, true God.  We worship and surrender to you today.  Empower us to fulfill the purpose and will you have for us.  Please give us the courage to step toward you and that calling.  

S – My hand made all these things, and so they all came into being. This is the Lord’s declaration. 

I will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and trembles at my word.

Isaiah 66:2 CSB

O – God will look intently with pleasure on the person who values others, puts God’s plan above their own, and reveres God and his Word.

A – All three of these postures are doable every day.  It isn’t a debasing or thinking less of ourselves.  We should be confident in the gifts and purposes God has for us.  Yet, we should elevate the value of others, submit to God’s plan and walk in awe of Him.

R – Heavenly Father, you hold everything in your purpose and will today.  We stand in respect and awe of your infinite abilities.  Yet, you desire a true relationship with us.  Please help us to walk in humility, submission and reverence for you.

S – My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart, my portion forever. 

Psalms 73:26 CSB

O – Our human efforts and inner confidence may perish, but God is the refuge that lasts eternally.

A – Each day presents challenges on our walk with God.  We have strong, physical bodies and gifts and talents to tackle those difficulties.  There are days we fall short.  Yet, God empowers us physically and spiritually with his presence, hope and love to remain in the fight.  We may lose a battle but know that we win the overall war with God.

R – Heavenly Father, we honor you above everything else.  Empower us today to meet the challenges we face.  We invite your Holy Spirit to lead us in our thoughts, words and actions.  Please help us to think, speak and act confidently as we bring your love to others.