Daily Bible Verses

The easter story starts at the tomb. 

If you ask Jewish people what the central story of their Bible is, they will usually say the Exodus, the story of their refugee ancestors being enslaved by the rulers of the Egyptian Empire, until God liberated them and led them to freedom somewhere between 1500 and 1200 BCE.

Sadly, the enslavement and mistreatment of refugees has happened too many times and to too many people over the centuries since then. ...

 
Richard Rohr points out how honor-and-shame systems play out around and within us today:
One of the best ways to study Scripture is to use the lens of cultural anthropology; in other words, to learn about the social setting in which Jesus lived and the problems with which he was dealing. What we find is that the culture of his time was overwhelmingly dominated by an honor-and-shame system largely based on externals. In truth, we still live that way in the United...

I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.

We know that the whole creation has been...

‘I now establish my covenant with you and with your descendants after you and with every living creature that was with you – the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature on earth. I establish my covenant with you: Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.’
 
And God said, ‘This...

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-03-27-the-parable-of-the-persi…

18 Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. 2 He said: ...

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-03-20-the-rich-man-and-lazarus-r26   

19 ‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. 20 At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores 21 and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores. 22 ‘The time came when the beggar died and the...

8 ‘Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins^[a] and loses one. Doesn’t she light a lamp, sweep the house and search...

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-03-11-the-cost-of-discipleship-r26 

25 Large crowds were travelling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 ‘If anyone comes to me and does not hate father...

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-02-27-teaching-about-prayer-r26 

1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’

...

Psalm 37.1–11, NIV

Of David.

Do not fret because of those who are evil
     or be envious of those who do wrong;
for like the grass they will soon wither,
     like green plants they will soon die away.

Trust in the LORD and do good;
     dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.
Take delight in the LORD,
     and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your...

Adam and Eve are made in the “image of God” (Genesis 1:27) and are part of a creation which is “very good” (Genesis 1:31) AND Adam and Eve ate from the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” as a result of which we all carry a frailty and woundedness. Just as goodness is inherent and shared, so it seems with evil. This is a very merciful teaching. Knowledge of our shared wound ought to free us from the burden of unnecessary and individual guilt or shame and help us to be forgiving and...

Grace is the foundation of God’s restorative justice. Richard Rohr writes:
The Hebrew prophet Ezekiel affirms the unique and rarely understood notion of grace. Midway through the book, God speaks: “I am going to renew my covenant with you; and you will learn that I am Yahweh, and so remember and be covered with shame, and in your confusion be reduced to silence, when I have pardoned you for all that you have done” (Ezekiel 16:62–63).
Here, the Jewish people had not even asked for or...

59 ‘“This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will deal with you as you deserve, because you have despised my oath by breaking the covenant. 60 Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you. 61 Then you will remember your ways and be ashamed when you receive your sisters, both those who are older than you and those who are younger. I will give them to you as daughters, but not on the basis of my covenant with...

The heavens declare the glory of God;
   the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;
   night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;
   no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,
   their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber,
...

‘Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.’ (John 13:14–15)
 
Lord Jesus,
Thank you for your servant-hearted love that led you to the cross.
Thank you for showing us, your church, how we should love and serve one another.
Open my eyes to see the needs of those around me, so I can love and serve them.
I pray for churches around the world who are...

Read Psalm 61, NIV

Hear my cry, O God;
    listen to my prayer.

 From the ends of the earth I call to you,
    I call as my heart grows faint;
    lead me to the rock that is higher than I.
For you have been my refuge,
    a strong tower against the foe.

I long to dwell in your tent for ever
    and take refuge in the shelter of your wings...

Read Psalm 13

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

How long, LORD? Will you forget me for ever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
 How long must I wrestle with my thoughts
    and day after day have sorrow in my heart?
    How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Look on me and answer, LORD my God.
    Give light to my eyes, or I...

Read Psalm 88.6–18

You have put me in the lowest pit,
    in the darkest depths.
Your wrath lies heavily on me;
    you have overwhelmed me with all your waves. 

 You have taken from me my closest friends
    and have made me repulsive to them.
I am confined and cannot escape;
     my eyes are dim with...

Psalm 33.6–15

By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
And all the host of them by the breath of His mouth.
He gathers the waters of the sea together as a heap;
He lays up the deep in storehouses.

Let all the earth fear the LORD;
Let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of Him.
For He spoke, and it was done;
He commanded, and it stood fast.

The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to...

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-02-25-jesus-visits-martha-and-mary-r26

38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the...

Psalm 104.24–30, NKJV

O LORD, how manifold are Your works!
In wisdom You have made them all.
The earth is full of Your possessions –
This great and wide sea,
In which are innumerable teeming things,
Living things both small and great.
There the ships sail about;
There is that Leviathan
Which You have made to play there.

These all wait for You,
That You may give them their food in due season.
What You give them they gather in;
You open Your hand,...

Estelle Frankel, a teacher of Jewish mysticism, describes how the story of Exodus reveals our human preference for what is known, even if something new may be better for us:

All freedom journeys require an open mind—a mind that is not conditioned by past knowledge and experience, but open to possibility. Questioning opens the doors of our imagination, enabling us to consider alternatives to the status quo. Unless one is capable of imagining another possible reality, one cannot free...

Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy (Matthew 5v7)

• Mercy is the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever, despite our sinfulness. We see God’s mercy supremely in the life of Jesus. (Pope Francis)
• The gospel merciful are… those who put themselves under another to support them, to be sensitive to them, even to feel sad with them.  (Frederick Bruner)
• whereas grace is a loving response when love is...

Psalm 48, NIV  

Great is the LORD, and most worthy of praise, 
   in the city of our God, his holy mountain.

Beautiful in its loftiness, 
   the joy of the whole earth, 
like the heights of Zaphon is Mount Zion, 
   the city of the Great King.

God is in her citadels; 
   he has shown himself to be her fortress.

When the kings joined forces, 
   when they advanced...

43 ‘You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbour^[a] and hate your enemy.”...

Psalm 1

Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked 
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers, 
but whose delight is in the law of the LORD, 
and who meditates on his law day and night.
That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season 
and whose leaf does not wither –
whatever they do prospers.

Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the...

The poet paints a vivid image of the natural world. But there’s more going on here than meets the eye. The references to sea creatures, the stormy wind and the depths are nods to pagan mythical figures: Tiamat, the divine sea monster; Baal, the storm god believed to control the weather and ‘the depths’, a code word for the forces of chaos.  

The poet lists these scary characters with a wry smile. They’re neither gods nor demons, but simply part of nature. They depend on their...

• Psalm 46 includes three selahs – a written direction, which scholars suggest is a musical interlude - a pause.
• When we pause, we give ourselves space to hear the voice of our heavenly Father saying, ‘be still, and know that I am God’ (verse 10).
• The ‘knowing’ described here in the Hebrew is the kind gained through seeing. In verse 4, the writer sees a city, a ‘holy habitation’ sustained by a ‘river’ – a prophetic glimpse of heaven also found in John’s vision in...

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God...

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-02-23-the-parable-of-the-good-samaritan-r26

29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’

30 In reply Jesus said: ...

Richard Rohr describes how Moses gradually learned to trust in God’s love:
According to the book of Exodus, “The Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, as a person speaks to a friend” (33:11). And yet the Exodus text also demonstrates how coming to the point of full interface is a gradual process of veiling and unveiling. God takes the initiative in this respectful relationship with Moses, inviting him into a greater intimacy and ongoing conversation, which allows...

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-02-20-the-mission-of-the-seventy-r26

Luke 10

1 After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2...

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
    and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him...

“Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8:7).

The desert elders have meant so much to me, and the really great thing is that even before I quite understood them, I loved their stories. My favorite story is about Abba Moses of Egypt. Somebody sent a message to him and said, “We need you to come to the elders’ gathering because there’s someone who has committed a sin, and we need you to help us make a judgment about his behavior.” He just said...

“But who told you that you were naked?” (Genesis 3:11)

Richard Rohr reflects on God’s tenderness towards us, even when we make decisions that harm ourselves or others:
Alienated people stop trusting that reality is good, that we are good too, and that we belong — to God and to one another. By eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam’s and Eve’s eyes were opened to a split universe of suspicion and doubt.  
Adam and Eve offer the perfect...

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.  (Revelation 22v1-2)

Richard Rohr identifies in Revelation, the last book in the Bible, a “return to the garden” for all of creation:...

Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves together to make themselves loincloths (Genesis 3:7)

Richard Rohr reflects on God’s tenderness towards us, even when we make decisions that harm ourselves or others:
Alienated people stop trusting that reality is good, that we are good too, and that we belong — to God and to one another. By eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam’s and Eve’s eyes were opened to a split universe of suspicion and doubt.  
Adam...

These are the words of him who is the First and the Last, who died and came to life again. 9 I know your afflictions and your poverty – yet you are rich! (Revelation 2:8,9)

https://www....

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:8)

The story of Eden reminds us of the sense of wonder at the beginning of time when all was innocence, nothing yet wounded. The garden was tended by the woman and the man. They lived in...

As you know and as God is our witness, we never came with words of flattery or with a pretext for greed, nor did we seek praise from mortals, whether from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 2:5–6

Every day we encounter examples of both healthy and unhealthy leadership. Often, the difference lies not in ability or position, but in character – and in how power is used. When power is misused, it controls and oppresses. When...

And he said: ‘Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:3)

The nostalgia for what has been lost remains long after childhood can impel seekers to search both within themselves and out in the world for this lost place, time and state of mind. For Thomas Merton it is the nostalgia for, or intuition of, paradise, and is a longing for a return or restoration to an original state of being which is Eden....

He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’ (Genesis 3v10)

Dr. Brian Bantum reflects on the story of Adam and Eve as one that initiates us into the freedom of individuality and difference, for good and for ill: 
When I come back to the story of humanity’s fall I still see...

Surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.’ (Matthew 28:20)

Almost immediately after the protest [in Montgomery, Alabama] started we had begun to receive threatening telephone calls and letters. They increased as time went on. By the middle of January, they had risen to thirty and forty a day….
As the weeks passed, I began to see that many of the threats were in earnest. Soon I felt myself faltering and growing in fear…. One night at a mass...

Jesus said “Come, follow me” (Matthew 4:19)

What, then, does it mean to follow the call of Jesus?
History is continually graced with people who somehow learned to act beyond and outside their self-interest and for the good of the world, people who clearly operated by a power larger than their own. Consider Gandhi, Oskar Schindler, and Martin Luther King Jr. Add to them Rosa Parks, Mother Teresa, Dorothy Day, Óscar Romero, César Chávez, and many unsung leaders. Their inspiring...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8vyfp0aVHk

Pray continually 1 Thessalonians 5:17

Consecrate the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you; each of you is to return to your family property and to your own clan  (Leviticus 25:10)

A community’s study of Jubilee and their unexpected receipt of $10,000 in a legal settlement led to a creative action on Wall Street:
We thought, “Wow, this money isn’t just for our nonprofit. This should go to folks on the...

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5v5)

Jesus calls to be God-controlled. The word for meek was used of animals brought under control. For instance, it could be used of a horse broken in. In being tamed, it is still powerful and strong, but now it is useable and brought under control. Aristotle, the ancient Greek philosopher and polymath (384-322 BC) said that a meek person is “neither too hasty nor too slow-tempered. He (or she) does not become angry with...

5 When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming towards him, he said to Philip, ‘Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?’ 6 He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do.
...

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors (Matthew 6v12)

The jubilee mandate helps us to imagine what a community living life in all its fullness could look like when living justly, loving compassion and walking humbly.
—Cheryl Haw and Caitlin Collins, Jubilee, God’s Answer to Poverty

Author Kelley Nikondeha describes how Jesus encouraged his disciples to practice jubilee actions in their daily lives: 
Under the Galilean sun Jesus taught his disciples to pray...

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-02-4-hope-cc-r26 

20 We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and...

 
Observe the sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. 
—Deuteronomy 5:12–14
Theologian Cindy Lee explains how Moses and the Israelites practiced Sabbath as a liberating rhythm of life:
Work and rest are justice issues that affect our everyday spiritual formation…. We cannot rest well unless we unform our distorted practices of work. We...

30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, ‘See, the Lord has chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 31 and he has filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills – ...

God loves justice and hates robbery and wrongdoing [Isaiah 61:8].


The consequences of justice and righteousness are shalom, an enduring Sabbath of joy and well-being. But the alternative is injustice and oppression, which leads inevitably to turmoil and anxiety, with no chance of well-being.
—Walter Brueggemann, Peace: Living Toward a Vision

Shalom is communal, holistic, and tangible. There is no private or partial shalom. The whole community must have shalom or no one...

We always give thanks to God for all of you and mention you in our prayers, constantly remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labour of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

1 Thessalonians 1:2–3

While no church is perfect, Paul reminds us that there is such a thing as a model church (1:7) – a community of believers who bring God’s kingdom into everyday life and shape the culture around them.

Thessalonica was a thriving port city...

 Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. —Matthew 6:11–12
 

These phrases in the prayer of Jesus or the “Our Father” on bread and debts are clearly a prayer given to the poor. Bread and debt are the preoccupations of the peasant class. How do I have food for tomorrow and how do I pay my bills? In the Old English of the King James Bible, the word “debts” was rendered as “trespasses.” It seems unchangeable now...

 “He would never speak to them except in parables” (Matthew 13:34)

Most Christians today don’t know that the early centuries of Christianity—through authoritative teachers like Origen, Cyril of Alexandria, Augustine, and Gregory the Great—encouraged as many as seven “senses” of Scripture. The literal, historical, allegorical, moral, symbolic, eschatological (the trajectory of history and growth), and “primordial” or archetypal (commonly agreed-upon symbolism) levels of a text...

6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. (1 Timothy 6:6-8) 

...

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have known sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the person of God may be proficient, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14–17)

I remember my first day at Papa’s...

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-01-28-prayer-is-hard-r26

Psalm 63: 

1 You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
...

For we now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. (1 Corinthians 13:12) 

Richard Rohr encourages us to read the Bible seeking an inner experience instead of authoritative answers:

The amazing wonder of the biblical revelation is that God is very different than we thought and much better than we feared. To paraphrase what evolutionary biologist J.B.S....

‘Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep’ (Romans 12:15

Why we cry in the dark: Cinema offers a surprising way of learning to love our neighbours.
    

More than once over the past few weeks, someone’s delivered a line that tenses my chest, clenches my jaw, and brings prickly wetness to my eyes. For just a moment, I’ve escaped the anxieties of my own life, caught up in a greater story, gently moved by God’s Spirit.
...

3 Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them round your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.
4 Then you will win favour and a good name in the sight of God and man.
5...

Matthew 10:31 So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows. 

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-01-16-beating-burnout-part-3-s…

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Look! God’s dwelling-place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  Revelation 21:3

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2026-01-21-the-love-of-god-r26

But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, ‘Fellow Jews and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning. No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:

‘In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
   and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young...

⁶ ‘Sarai ill-treated Hagar; so she fled from her. ….⁷ The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert ….¹⁰ The angel said, ‘I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.’    ….¹³ Hagar gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for...

1 The Lord had said to Abram, 
‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 ‘I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you;
I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.’  (Genesis 12:1-3)

According to the ancient stories of Genesis, God is up to something...

They said to him, “Rabbi” (which translated means teacher), “where are you staying?” He said to them, “Come and see.” —John 1:38–39
Richard Rohr considers the invitation to discipleship Jesus extends today:
When Jesus goes out to Galilee, his initial preaching is summed up in the verse, “Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand” (Matthew 4:17; Mark 1:15). “Repent” (or metanoia in Greek) means to turn around, to change. The first word that comes out of Jesus’s mouth is repent, change....

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 5v3)

Who precisely are the “poor in spirit” whom Jesus blesses? Again and again in the Psalms ‘poor’ and ‘pious’ are synonymous for those who out of their need cast themselves wholly on God for their salvation (see Psalms 9.18; 33.18; 40.18). They are the poor of Isaiah 61.1, who are “oppressed” and...

8 ‘Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labour and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord...

The question of why there is anything at all, why there is something and not nothing, finds an answer in the basic character of the Creator: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). The living God is love, faithful, challenging, and compassionate love as the scriptures often declare…. This love is the wellspring of creation. There is no pressure on infinite holy mystery to create and continuously support a world. How could there be? It is done freely, as a flaming, generous act of love, the plentitude of...

18 There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. 19 We love because he first loved us. (1 John 4)

https://www.youtube.com/watch...

Then God looked at all God had made, and God saw that it was very good.
—Genesis 1:31

In the pronouncement that “it is good,” the Creator is making an accurate judgment about all that exists. By proclaiming that everything is good, right, in order, and as it should be, God sets the state of earthly normalcy. “Good” becomes the once-and-for-all standard of life on earth….
In the first account of creation, each action and each result of God’s action is differentiated. Not one...

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning – the sixth day. (Genesis 1:31)

The first and greatest surprise—a miracle, really—is this: that anything exists at all…. The first pages of the Bible and the best thinking of today’s scientists are in full agreement: it all began in the beginning, when space and time, energy and matter, gravity and light, burst or bloomed or banged into being. In light of the Genesis...

¹³ Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.’ ¹⁵ The woman said to him, ‘Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.’ (John 4v13-15)

If you don’t go to the well, you cannot draw water. You...