S – If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, 

so that we can, with reverence, serve you.

Psalms 130:3–4 NIV

O – Commentary:

iniquities The Hebrew word used here, awon, can refer to a misdeed itself, the guilt caused by the misdeed, or even the punishment for the misdeed. Here, the term is plural and likely refers to the guilt that misdeeds accrue.

who could stand The psalmist is aware that no one lives perfectly before Yahweh and that no one can withstand close scrutiny by Yahweh for misdeeds and mistakes.

130:4 is forgiveness This type of pardon goes beyond a strictly legal context to include the general stance of trust in Yahweh (compare Num 14:19–20

  Faithlife Study Bible 

A – God forgives.  The one who is perfect and without sin forgives those who cannot stop themselves from sinning.  None of us are worthy to stand before God.  Yet, forgiveness allows us to not only come into his presence; it will enable us to have a relationship with Him.  The foundation of awe and honor builds our faith in Him.

R—Heavenly Father, we honor and revere you today. Thank you for forgiving our sins. We do not deserve it, but we need it. You created a bridge to us through Jesus. We accept your forgiveness and step toward you to know you more and serve you today.

S – I know that you have persevered and endured hardships for the sake of my name, and you have not grown weary. ⁴ But I have this against you: You have abandoned the love you had at first

Revelation 2:3–4 CSB

O – Commentary:

In spite of the many areas of commendation, the church in Ephesus was soundly rebuked: Yet I hold this against you: you have forsaken your first love. The order of words in the Greek is emphatic; the clause could be translated, “Your first love you have left.” Christ used the word agapēn, speaking of the deep kind of love that God has for people. This rebuke contrasts with what Paul wrote the Ephesians 35 years earlier, that he never stopped giving thanks for them because of their faith in Christ and their love (agapēn) for the saints (Eph. 1:15–16). Most of the Ephesian Christians were now second-generation believers, and though they had retained purity of doctrine and life and had maintained a high level of service, they were lacking in deep devotion to Christ.

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

A – Our relationship with God is similar to our relationship with our spouse.  There is a time when we cannot be with them enough and our thoughts are consumed with them.  Regular time together deepens the love and bond but the outer actions can become “familiar.” Our expression of that deep love can be routine.  We cannot do this with God.  We need a fresh infusion of his love and Spirit daily resulting in a genuine expression of our love for him.

R – Heavenly Father, we love you today.  We know this in our hearts and minds but want to express this in a way that is fresh and genuine.  Help us to do this from an authentic heart.  We desire greater intimacy and understanding with you.

S – When I saw him, I fell at his feet like a dead man. He laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid. I am the First and the Last, ¹⁸ and the Living One. I was dead, but look—I am alive forever and ever, and I hold the keys of death and Hades

Revelation 1:17–18 CSB

O – John recognizes Jesus from their times on the earth together.  Yet, this is Jesus transformed into his spiritual body and it overwhelms John to the point that it is too powerful for him to bear. Jesus affirms he is God and came to earth as a man.  He was crucified and yet he lives and won the victory over death and hell.

A – John experienced the promise of what Jesus taught him as a disciple.  Jesus is God in human flesh; he was crucified, resurrected and is in heaven until he returns.  We need to live our lives in a holy fear of who God is.  We should live our lives like he is returning today.  That keeps us close to him and our hearts in an attitude that desires to honor and revere him.  There should be a fear of awe and reverence but not terror – we want to be close to our Father.

R – Heavenly Father, we worship and surrender to you.  You are the one, true God who is holy and worthy of all praise.  You are the creator of all and the judge of all.  We ask you forgiveness for our sins and shortcomings in our walk with you.  We desire intimacy and relationship with you today.

S – Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one’s youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them! 

He shall not be put to shame when he speaks with his enemies in the gate. 

Psalms 127:3–5 ESV

O – Commentary:

Children, the psalmist wrote, are some of the Lord’s providential blessings (see blessed, v. 5). They are a reward from the Lord. Sons help defend the family for they are like weapons (arrows) in the hands of a mighty man. Sons are capable of defending the family in civil cases (at the gate civil cases were discussed and decided).

The imagery of arrows and of defense “in the gate” was natural for a nation endangered from without and within.

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

A—Children and grandchildren are a gift. They are part of a person’s legacy. We must pour our knowledge and love of God into them. History shows that where there isn’t investment in spiritual understanding and growth, generations fall away from God.  We must not let this happen.

R – Heavenly Father, you are the creator of all.  Please give us the strength and understanding to invest in our children and grandchildren.  We want them to know you personally and to walk in your truth.  Give them receptive hearts to your Word and presence in their lives daily.

S – A king who judges the poor with fairness—his throne will be established forever.

Proverbs 29:14 CSB

O – Greek word for “poor:” 

dal, dal; from 1809; prop. dangling, i.e. (by impl.) weak or thin:— lean, needy, poor (man), weaker.

The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words 

A—When someone is dangling, it doesn’t matter their title, position, or wealth—they are hanging by a small tether and don’t have the ability to find security. We as believers need to go beyond ourselves to serve and help those who are in this position. Christ is our role model—he brought dignity and value to those who were dangling.

R—Heavenly Father, we worship and adore you. Please give us your understanding to perceive people as you do in the physical and spiritual realms. Give us the courage to take a step toward them in their need, knowing that we are deficient as well.  We desire to build relationships today that honor you.

S – A fool gives full vent to his anger,^, but a wise person holds it in check. 

Proverbs 29:11 CSB

O – Commentary:

A fool (kesîl; see comments on 1:7) readily gives in to anger (cf. 15:1; 29:8, 22), but a wise person maintains self-control (cf. 14:29; 16:32). Keeps himself under control is literally, “calms it back” like stilling a storm. The verb is used only here and in Psalms 65:7; 89:9 where it refers to calming the sea’s waves

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

A – Anger is healthy until it is unhealthy.  We need to express our displeasure or disagreement with things.  That is part of being a unique individual.   When we disagree with someone in a healthy way, it can bring more unity than distance.  When it goes into unhealthy, trust and relationships are broken.  Unity cannot be achieved because the distance is too great.

R—Heavenly Father, we love you today. Thank you for making us all unique individuals. Help us have healthy interactions with each other that bring unity and not distance. In our differences, let us come together as one.

S – Jesus Christ—he is the one who came by water and blood, not by water only, but by water and by blood. And the Spirit is the one who testifies, because the Spirit is the truth. ⁷ For there are three that testify:^{, 8} the Spirit, the water, and the blood—and these three are in agreement.

1 John 5:6–8 CSB

O – Commentary:

And Jesus Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross (literally This is he who came by water and blood): John’s contemporary, the heretic Cerinthus, taught that “the Christ” descended as a spirit on the man Jesus when he was baptized but left him before he died. The truth is that Jesus’ baptism and death confirmed his identity as the Christ, the Son of God. Jesus of Nazareth was and is truly the Christ, the Son of God, from the beginning and forever.

5:7–8 three witnesses: The Spirit descended on Christ at his baptism (see John 1:32–34). The water is the water in which Christ was baptized (see Matt 3:13–15; Mark 1:9–11). The blood is the blood that Christ shed at his crucifixion (see Mark 15:37–39). All three proclaim Jesus as God’s Son (5:6)

 New Living Translation Study Bible 

A – Even years after his death, Jesus was questioned about who God said he was.  We do that today.  We must know God’s word and invite him to reveal more of his “mysteries” to us.  The closer we know and understand God, the more our faith grows.  Jesus is foundational to our relationship with God.  We must believe that he was the Christ, born as a man and still, God.  His baptism and death on the cross are historical facts that point us to our true savior.

R – Heavenly Father, you are the Lord of all.  Thank you for Jesus coming to earth, being baptized and going to the cross.  Your love for us exceeds our comprehension.  We step towards you today to know you more intimately.  

S – This is how we know that we remain in him and he in us: He has given us of his Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and we testify that the Father has sent his Son as the world’s Savior

1 John 4:13–14 CSB

O – Commentary:

The Greek for “of His Spirit” (ek tou pneumatos) suggests participation in the Spirit of God, literally, “He has given us out of His Spirit.” The same construction occurs in 1 John 3:24. When a believer loves, he is drawing that love from God’s Spirit (cf. Rom. 5:5), who is also the Source of his confession of Christ (1 John 4:2). Thus both the faith and the love enjoined in the dual “command” of 3:23 are products of the Spirit’s operation in a believer. A believer’s Spirit-led obedience becomes the evidence that he is enjoying the mutual abiding relationship with God that John wrote about.

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

A – Faith and love work cohesively in us because of the Holy Spirit.   Along with our confession of who Jesus is, all three are evidence that God is working in us.  The evidence of this in our lives allows us to share God’s love with others.  Born into sin, it shows how God continues to transform us to be more like him.

R – Heavenly Father, we love and honor you.  Thank you for your Holy Spirit doing the work in us that allows us to love, grow in our faith and share about Jesus.  Your work in us empowers us to accomplish your will and purpose today.

S – Little children, let us not love in word or speech, but in action and in truth.

1 John 3:18 CSB

O – Commentary:

The true test of love is not one’s verbal profession of it (loving with words or tongue) but his willingness to help and thus to love … with actions and in truth

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

A – We can talk about what we believe and others will notice.  Yet, when we do what we believe, others will see the integrity and character of what we say.  Words are an important expression of what we deeply believe.  When we couple our words and actions we bring the richness of what we believe for others to be impacted.

R – Heavenly Father, we worship you as the true God.  Please help our words and actions to align.  Give us the strength and courage to say what we believe and accompany that with actions demonstrating it.  We want to be authentic with integrity in our walk with you.

S – I lift my eyes toward the mountains. Where will my help come from? 

² My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

Psalms 121:1–2 CSB

O – Commentary:

The mountains were known for their idolatrous worship (Deut 12:2), and Israel was enticed to the hilltop shrines (Hos 4:13). This verse can be understood as a rhetorical question expecting a negative answer: The gods of the hilltop shrines cannot rescue anyone. Others understand the mountains to be a symbol of the Lord’s strength (95:4). In that case, the question would be interpreted literally (Where does my help come from?), with the answer given in the next verse.

 New Living Translation Study Bible

A—It is easy for us to put our “trust” in something other than God. It could be our job, title, position, relationship, or accomplishment.  When we know the Lord, we recognize He is the one thing that doesn’t change.  From creation til today, He is over all and ready to do life with us.

R – Heavenly Father, we surrender and worship you today.  We invite you into all that we face today.  We will not put our trust in anything else.  Knowing that you love and care for us, we can confidently step toward you.