Daily Word Capsule

DATE - May 31st, 2022 TOPIC - I’m Thirsty BIBLE TEXT - Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, “I am thirsty.” - John 19:28 One of the women who lingered at the foot of the cross had once known thirst that ordinary water couldn’t quench. She had been an outcast among her peers, and there was no place in society for someone like her. She had a great need, and nothing could fill the emptiness, the void within her. Then came the day when she met Jesus. Although her accusers had already given up on her and would readily have stoned her, Jesus saw her need, and rather than give up on her, he faced her accusers and saved not only her life but her soul as well.  From that moment forward, Mary Magdalene was a devoted disciple of Christ, following him even to the foot of a brutal cross. When Jesus cried out in thirst, the soldiers mistook it for weakness of the flesh and thrust sour wine to his lips. What they didn’t comprehend is that

DATE - May 30th, 2022 TOPIC - The Path of Life BIBLE TEXT - How sweet are your words to my taste; they are sweeter than honey. Your commandments give me understanding; no wonder I hate every false way of life. Your word is a lamp for my feet and a light for my path. I’ve promised it once, and I’ll promise again: I will obey your wonderful laws. - Psalm 119:103-106 In this portion of Psalm 119 we can join the psalmist in thanking God for his Word, not only because it gives us understanding and discernment we would otherwise lack but because through it God provides light for every aspect of our lives—relationships, families, careers, ministries. The Word is vital if we are to walk in confidence and faith in Christ. It guides us into discovering God’s plan for us and helps us to keep away from false ways of life.  The darker the world around us grows, the more important it is to follow God’s light and obey his Word. We rarely get a giant searchlight on the future or a panor

DATE - May 28th, 2022 TOPIC - A Prayer for Unity BIBLE TEXT - [Jesus said,] “I am praying not only for these disciples but also for all who will ever believe in me because of their testimony. My prayer for all of them is that they will be one, just as you and I are one, Father—that just as you are in me and I am in you, so they will be in us, and the world will believe you sent me.” - John 17:20-21 Many Christians believe that chapter 17 of John’s Gospel is the most significant collection of words and the most important prayers recorded in human history. Here we see a clear verbal demonstration of the heart of Christ only a few short hours before he poured out his heart physically. In verse 13 Jesus himself tells us that the reason for his praying aloud before his disciples was, “so they would be filled with my joy.”  In these verses the Lord expressed his prayer for unity in love and purpose, not only for his disciples but also for us and every future believer. Centurie

DATE - May 27th, 2022 TOPIC - Tender Mercies BIBLE TEXT - Now let your unfailing love comfort me, just as you promised me, your servant. Surround me with your tender mercies so I may live, for your law is my delight. - Psalm 119:76-77 When we pray, Lord, may your unfailing love comfort those who need it today. Surround them with your tender mercies. And may they feel and experience and believe the love you have toward them, it is a powerful prayer that God delights to answer, for he is the God of all comfort. He is full of loving-kindness and tender mercies.  Do you know someone who is in the midst of a trial, someone who is sick, heartbroken, alone, or in distress and needs to be comforted by the Lord’s unfailing love today? What friends or family members need to be surrounded with God’s tender mercies? As you pray for your friends and loved ones, you can be confident that there is no pain or suffering too deep for the love and mercy of God to reach. Reach out to someon

DATE - May 26th, 2022 TOPIC - Remembering to Bless BIBLE TEXT - One day David began wondering if anyone in Saul’s family was still alive, for he had promised Jonathan that he would show kindness to them. He summoned a man named Ziba, who had been one of Saul’s servants. “Are you Ziba?” the king asked. “Yes sir, I am,” Ziba replied. The king then asked him, “Is anyone still alive from Saul’s family? If so, I want to show God’s kindness to them in any way I can.” - 2 Samuel 9:1-3 Have you ever remembered a friendship from long ago and decided to do something to reconnect with that friend? At some point King David remembered a past relationship and a promise he had made to Saul’s son Jonathan years before (1 Samuel 20:14-15). After inquiring, he discovered Jonathan’s crippled son Mephibosheth was living in Lo-debar. King David had him brought to the palace to his royal table, gave him the inheritance from his grandfather Saul, and showered him with blessings. David restored

DATE - May 25th, 2022 TOPIC - A Gift of Peace BIBLE TEXT - [Jesus said,] “I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give isn’t like the peace the world gives. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” - John 14:27 Jesus knew that as long as we live on planet Earth, there will be things that can disturb our peace and cause us to be troubled or afraid. All we have to do is turn on the news or open a newspaper to see countless reasons for us to be troubled. Remember the scares related to Covid-19, and Ebola, and mad-cow disease? violence, terrorism, and the threat of biochemical warfare? The hormones doctors thought would protect women’s hearts have been shown not to do so. Food is tainted with pesticides. It’s easy to see that this world and its circumstances won’t give us the peace our hearts long for.  But we don’t have to live in a state of despair. Jesus has left us with a great gift—peace of mind and heart right in the middle of this troubled world.

DATE - May 24th, 2022 TOPIC - Treasuring Your Truth BIBLE TEXT - Be good to your servant, that I may live and obey your word. Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your law. I am but a foreigner here on earth; I need the guidance of your commands. Don’t hide them from me! I am overwhelmed continually with a desire for your laws. - Psalm 119:17-20 Have you ever found yourself skimming rapidly over your daily portion of Bible reading to get that task mentally checked off your list? In contrast, the psalmist longed to know the wonderful truths in God’s laws and to obey them. He understood his need for God’s commands and was consumed with a desire for them. We may not always share the psalmist’s hunger and enthusiasm, but we have Psalm 119, where almost every verse describes the greatness of God’s Word.  It instructs us, encourages us, and shows us the path of life. Much more than just an intellectual challenge, the living words of Scripture are our foundation for pray

DATE - May 23rd, 2022 TOPIC - Empowered to Follow BIBLE TEXT - Happy are people of integrity, who follow the law of the Lord. Happy are those who obey his decrees and search for him with all their hearts. They do not compromise with evil, and they walk only in his paths. You have charged us to keep your commandments carefully. Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your principles! - Psalm 119:1-5 The first four verses in Psalm 119 tell us that those who are obedient to God’s commands and are wholeheartedly committed to seeking him are happy (some other translations use the word blessed), and then verse 5 expresses a prayer for God’s help to be among the people who are described here. They will be people of integrity who don’t get derailed by the enemy but walk only in God’s paths. Just as God charged his people in the psalmist’s day to keep his commandments, he charges us with doing the same. But he knew we couldn’t do it in our own strength and resources. And s

DATE - May 22nd, 2022 TOPIC - All for God’s Glory BIBLE TEXT - [Jesus said,] “All those who want to be my disciples must come and follow me, because my servants must be where I am. And if they follow me, the Father will honor them. Now my soul is deeply troubled. Should I pray, ‘Father, save me from what lies ahead’? But that is the very reason why I came! Father, bring glory to your name.” - John 12:26-28 Often when our souls are troubled and problems abound, we tend to pray prayers such as, “Lord, fix this situation so I won’t have to suffer or have problems! Make everything go smoothly in my life! Please remove the obstacles I’m facing today!” But Jesus, in view of his impending suffering and death, aligned himself with the Father’s purposes. While he prayed in Gethsemane, it was only natural for him to ask that if it were possible, he might not need to face the unspeakable torment that was to come. But his greater priority was not his own comfort; it was doing his Fat

DATE - May 21st, 2022 TOPIC - The Lord Is for Me  BIBLE TEXT - In my distress I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and rescued me. The Lord is for me, so I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me. - Psalm 118:5-7 Today’s verses tell us that the psalmist was in a frightening situation. But in his distress, he cried out to God in prayer. Because of God’s presence and strength in response to his plea, the psalmist could look in triumph at those who hated and attacked him. For every difficulty and trial, God has prepared a way. His eyes are on those who trust in him in their distress, and his ears are attentive to their cries.  You can know and rest assured that just as God was for David, He is for you! And because the all-powerful Lord who is on your side is your shield and defender, you do not have to be afraid. The Lord is greater than any problem, greater than any fear, greater than any person opposing you. T

DATE - May 19th, 2022 TOPIC - When I Am Troubled BIBLE TEXT - I believed in you, so I prayed, “I am deeply troubled, Lord.” - Psalm 116:10 God has called us to a life of prayer, of constant and ongoing communication with Him, and has purposed that we would turn to Him in our troubles. That the Almighty, All-powerful LORD wants to hear our needs and hurts is great news. But the fact that He not only hears our prayers but also intervenes and delights in showing us His loving-kindness and doing wonderful things in response to our petitions makes prayer a truly amazing thing.  Through prayer, everything can change—starting with our own hearts and lives—and even when we feel most helpless or are most troubled, God can infuse the worst situations with His light and grace. When we pray, the impossible becomes possible, and the powers of darkness are dispersed. No wonder Satan tries every scheme to keep us from praying! But because we believe in God and his limitless power, we c

DATE - May 18th, 2022 TOPIC - The Shepherd’s Voice BIBLE TEXT - A shepherd enters through the gate. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they recognize his voice. - John 10:2-4 This passage from John tells us important things about the shepherd-sheep relationship. The shepherd calls his sheep by name and leads them out; he goes before them, preparing the way and protecting them from harm. When he speaks to them, they follow him because they know his voice.  There verses remind us that because sheep are in such an intimate relationship with the shepherd and spend so much time with him, they can discern the difference between their shepherd’s voice and that of a stranger and won’t be deceived. So it is with us.  As we commune more with Jesus, our Good Shepherd, and become familiar with his

DATE - May 17th, 2022 TOPIC - A Happy Heart BIBLE TEXT - For the poor, every day brings trouble; for the happy heart, life is a continual feast.Proverbs 15:15 A person’s heart is a major concern of the Lord. God’s Word tells us that he doesn’t look at the things people look at. We look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart; that is, our “thoughts and intentions” (1 Samuel 16:7). Today’s verse tells us that a happy, or cheerful, heart makes life “a continual feast.” How do we obtain—and maintain—this happy heart? There are many clues throughout the book of Proverbs. We should not let our hearts be anxious or proud because anxiety and pride are deterrents to a cheerful heart (Proverbs 12:25; 16:5). Instead, God calls us to have pure hearts and to keep them on the right path (Proverbs 22:11; 23:19).  These are positive steps to achieving a happy heart because when we are being obedient to God’s Word and experiencing his smile of approval, our hearts wil

DATE - May 16th, 2022 TOPIC - Passing the Flame of Fellowship BIBLE TEXT - Happy are those who fear the Lord. Yes, happy are those who delight in doing what he commands. Their children will be successful everywhere; an entire generation of godly people will be blessed. . . . They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. - Psalm 112:1-2, 7 God has given us a mandate to live in such a way that the next generation will know that the Lord is God and that he is worthy of our committing our lives to him. Then an entire generation of godly people will rise up and be blessed. This psalm describes some of the keys to blessing the next generations with the truth. Those who pass on the spiritual baton to the next generation will be people who fear and worship the Lord, who delight in doing his will, and who walk in such an intimate relationship with him that they don’t even fear bad times because they are so confident of God’s care for them.  These go

DATE - May 14th, 2022 TOPIC - An Obedient Heart BIBLE TEXT - Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams.” - 1 Samuel 15:22 As the Lord had directed, Saul and the Israelite army attacked and defeated the Amalekites. But instead of killing every person and animal as God had commanded, Saul brought back Agag, the Amalekite king, and the best of their sheep and cattle. Then while Saul was trying to justify his disobedience, Samuel replied with the words in verse 22, truth that is just as important for us today as it was for people in the Old Testament: obeying the voice of the Lord, listening to him, and following His marching orders instead of our own are of far more value to God than the most expensive or grand sacrifice we could offer.  When God tells us to go or to call that person or to do this

DATE - May 13th, 2022 TOPIC - Our Rescuer BIBLE TEXT - Deal well with me, O Sovereign Lord, for the sake of your own reputation! Rescue me because you are so faithful and good. For I am poor and needy, and my heart is full of pain. I am fading like a shadow at dusk; I am falling like a grasshopper that is brushed aside. - Psalm 109:21-23 Perhaps one of the reasons God allows us to go through great trials is so that we might come to the end of our own resources and turn to him. Each difficulty is one more opportunity to depend on the Lord. When we are poor and needy, when we fade or fall or have hearts full of pain, we call on him and find him faithful. And as we cry out to God in prayer and He hears and answers us, we experience His strength and deliverance time after time.  “No matter how difficult our circumstances are,” Oswald Chambers said, “they are the means of manifesting how wonderfully perfect and extraordinarily pure the Son of God is.” When you ask the Lord fo

DATE - May 12th, 2022 TOPIC - In front of All the People BIBLE TEXT - I will thank you, Lord, in front of all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth. - Psalm 108:3-5 Identifying with Jesus “in front of all the people” is sometimes quite difficult and often unpopular. Singing praises in church or Sunday school is one thing, but singing his praises among the nations is another issue altogether. The psalmist’s declarations of praise can cause each one of us to think about our love for the Lord and the extent to which we will go to identify ourselves with him.  God’s love is absolutely and completely unfailing, and his faithfulness is so great that if we could measure it, it would reach to the clouds. Do you exalt God above the highest heavens? We serve a wonderful, loving, faithful

DATE - May 11th, 2022 TOPIC - Holy One of God BIBLE TEXT - Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, “Are you going to leave, too?” Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life. We believe them, and we know you are the Holy One of God.”John 6:67-69 In John 6, Jesus was teaching a truth that was difficult for the people to accept. Some of those who were considered followers turned away from him because of this teaching. When Jesus asked the Twelve if they were going to leave too, Peter answered, “Lord, to whom would we go? You alone have the words that give eternal life.” Peter realized that even though the teaching was difficult, only the words of Christ could give eternal life. The twelve disciples had a decision to make, and so do we. The Bible presents the truth, and sometimes the truth is hard to understand or accept. The world gives us many options that may seem easier to understand or more pleasant to hear. These opti

DATE - May 10th, 2022 TOPIC - Bread of Life BIBLE TEXT - Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. No one who comes to me will ever be hungry again. Those who believe in me will never thirst.”John 6:35 Jesus had just fed a multitude of people with only a few fish and five loaves of bread, and the crowds flocked after him. But he knew that they were looking for him because he had met their physical needs, so he told them, “Spend your energy seeking the eternal life that I, the Son of Man, can give you. For God the Father has sent me for that very purpose” (John 6:27). Jesus was pointing them to the spiritual life he offered, but the people were more interested in what Jesus could do for them.  They wanted him to give them a miraculous sign before they would believe in him. They still didn’t get it! So in this verse he declares himself to be the Bread of Life, the One who came from heaven to give life to the world. He promised that those who believe in him will never hunger

DATE  - May 9th, 2022 TOPIC - Our Mighty Helper BIBLE TEXT - [Samuel] pleaded with the Lord to help Israel, and the Lord answered. Just as Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines arrived for battle. But the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder from heaven, and the Philistines were thrown into such confusion that the Israelites defeated them. - 1 Samuel 7:9-10 When the Philistine rulers heard that all God’s people were gathering at Mizpah, they set out to attack and destroy them. But the Israelites begged Samuel to plead for God’s help. So Samuel cried out to the Lord, and God responded with an awesome demonstration of his power. His voice thundered from heaven, throwing the Philistines into mass confusion, and God’s people experienced a great victory against their enemies that day. Our modern culture often sees prayer as a magic bullet or as a formula that we can use to get what we want. It is neither. But this we know: God tells us to pray; he giv

DATE - May 8th, 2022 TOPIC - A Listening Heart BIBLE TEXT - Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Yes, Lord, your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went back to bed. And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel replied, “Yes, your servant is listening.” - 1 Samuel 3:8-10 Listening does not come as naturally to many of us as it did to young Samuel. In fact, listening isn’t what we do best. We much prefer to do the talking! It has been estimated that the average woman spends one-fifth of her life talking and speaks about three thousand words a day. For men, the number is less, but not significantly. Yet if we want miracles in our lives and in our loved ones’ lives, if we want God to direct our steps, we need to listen to God’s leading and follow it.  The good news is that hearing God isn’t a special privilege reserved only for pastors, priests, or s

DATE - May 7th, 2022 TOPIC - No Other God Like You BIBLE TEXT - Hannah prayed: “My heart rejoices in the Lord! Oh, how the Lord has blessed me! Now I have an answer for my enemies, as I delight in your deliverance. No one is holy like the Lord! There is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.” - 1 Samuel 2:1-2 Hannah’s song of praise over finally receiving God’s long-awaited gift of her son, Samuel, and her decision to dedicate him to God’s service were not just ordinary expressions of thanks. Her exultation in the Lord as the Holy and Sovereign One, all powerful and just, rings down through the centuries much the same way Mary’s did when she rejoiced at the news that she would bear the Messiah, Jesus.  Because He who created the world and rules over all things, who brings both death and life, had answered Hannah’s fervent prayers for a child, Hannah praised the Lord with all her heart. She delighted in how He had delivered her from the disgrace she had known

DATE - May 5th, 2022 TOPIC - Spread the Good News BIBLE TEXT - The woman left her water jar beside the well and went back to the village and told everyone, “Come and meet a man who told me everything I ever did! Can this be the Messiah?” So the people came streaming from the village to see him. - John 4:28-30 The Samaritan woman was so amazed by Jesus and his revelations about who he was and about the secrets of her heart and life that she forgot her water jar—the very reason she’d come to the well—and rushed back to the village to tell others about the “man” she had met. Up and down the streets she shared the good news about Jesus, for she had seen the Lord, the Messiah! Having received the living water, a perpetual spring within her that gave her eternal life (v. 14), she wanted others to know him too. So the people began streaming from the village to see him, eager to meet this incredible man who can tell people the secrets of their hearts. Sharing with others what Je

DATE - May 4th, 2022 TOPIC - SING HIS PRAISES BIBLE TEXT - I will sing the LORD’S praise, for he has been good to me. - Psalm 13:6 The Bible tells us that King David loved music. David first came to royal notice as a man “who knows how to play the lyre” and so was called in to soothe King Saul (1 Samuel 16:18). Ironically, a song sung by women (“Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands” [1 Samuel 18:7]), almost doomed David by arousing the jealousy of Saul. David later sang a funeral song for Saul and Jonathan — and another for Abner (see 2 Samuel 1:17 - 27; 3:33 - 34). Even in the short psalm above, while David cried out to God from the depths of his despair, he still found reason to sing to the Lord “for he has been good to me.” David refused to squelch his musical inclinations when he was king. As the ark was brought to Jerusalem, “David and all Israel were celebrating with all their might before the LORD, with castanets, harps, lyres, timbrels, s

DATE - May 3rd, 2022 TOPIC - Boundless Love BIBLE TEXT - God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it. - John 3:16-17 It is a marvelous and profound truth that although God loves the whole world generally, he also loves us personally and individually so much that Christ died for each of us as if there were only one of us. Because of his love for us, he poured out his life on the cross while we were still sinners. He didn’t wait for us to get our lives all cleaned up and fixed up first—we couldn’t have anyway. Instead, he demonstrated his grace in saving us even though we didn’t deserve it.  That would be amazing enough, yet this gift of love isn’t for just a few. It has no bounds because it is not a thing but a facet of the essential nature of God. His love is something he is, and because he is infinite, that love can enfo

DATE - May 2nd, 2022  TOPIC - God's Consistent Character BIBLE TEXT - In ages past you laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands. Even they will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment, and they will fade away. But you are always the same; your years never end. The children of your people will live in security. Their children’s children will thrive in your presence. - Psalm 102:25-28 Our world has seen more change from 1900 to the present than in all history recorded before 1900, and things continue to accelerate rapidly. As time speeds by, measured not just in minutes or seconds but in nano-seconds (billionths of a second), everything changes. Technology changes so fast in our twenty-first-century world that we can barely keep up with the upgrades on our computers. Our bodies undergo the inevitable aging process, and we witness constant upheaval in the nations of the