Daily Bible Verses

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. (Galatians 5:22,23)

...

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness a light has dawned.
6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it with justice...

Then he said to me, ‘Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, “This is what the Sovereign Lord says: come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.”’ (Ezekiel 37v9)

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2025-05-16-dry-bones-r25 

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, ‘I am God Almighty (“El Shaddai”); walk before me faithfully and be blameless.  (Genesis 17:1)

In the book of Exodus and elsewhere, God is El Shaddai, God of the mountain or God Almighty [Genesis 17:1; Exodus 6:3; Job 8:5]…. In the original Hebrew, the phrase simply reads “God of the mountain.” In Hebrew,...

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.  3 And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was...

The Mothering God gives birth to us and gives us life. The Mothering God nurtures us and provides shelter when we need it. Luke 13:34 says, “How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” As a hen gathering her brood, the Mothering God protects us under her wings. When we feel alone and broken, God provides shelter for our brokenness, loss, and suffering. Those who suffer from the effects...

Pray constantly

We all have the spirit of life breathed into us, and life is thus a gift from God. For Desmond Tutu, we become God’s breath in the world in order to transfigure creation to look like the Creator. Tutu used to say, in his pastoral visits to churches, that you and I are placed in this world of hatred, violence, anger, injustice, and oppression to help God transform it, transfigure it, and change it so that there will be compassion, laughter, joy, peace, reconciliation,...

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: the old has gone, the new is here!

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2025-05-9-transformed-lives-r25 

The 2024 Happiness Report observed data on six areas which are said to create happiness. These six areas related to the average amount of money received by individual citizens, social support, healthy life expectancy, freedom, generosity and corruption.  From a global and historical perspective we have much to be happy about in the UK in the 21^st Century. 

However, Luke’s version of the Sermon on the Mount (Luke 6.20-20) declared:
Happy are you poor...

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2025-05-7-umbilical-r25

He says, ‘Be still, and know that I am God;
    I will be exalted among the nations,
    ...

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2025-05-5-listening-r25 

1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
    when we remembered Zion.
...

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2025-04-30-up-the-lane-r25

14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need....

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

If the Sun is the source of flow in the economy of nature, what is the “Sun” of a human gift economy, the source that constantly replenishes the flow of gifts? Maybe it is love.

Reflecting on the abundant Juneberries she has been gifted from a nearby tree, Potawatomi botanist Robin Wall Kimmerer considers the gift economy of natural processes: 

This pail of...

Consider the ravens: they do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!   Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labour or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendour was dressed like one of these. ...

No one who hopes in you    will ever be put to shame (Psalm 25:3)

Death is not only physical dying. Death also means going to the full depths of things, hitting the bottom, going beyond where we’re in control. When we go into the full depths and death of anything , even the depths of our own sin, we can come out the...

12 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid.
13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind,
14...

In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed. —Mark 1:35 

If the desert is a place of renewal, transformation, and freedom, and if the heat and isolation served as a nurturing incubator …, one wonders if a desert experience is necessary to reclaim this legacy.  

One need not wonder long when there are so many deserts within reach. Today’s wilderness can be found in bustling suburban...

5 Some of his disciples were remarking about how the temple was adorned with beautiful stones and with gifts dedicated to God. But Jesus said, 6 ‘As for what you see here, the time will come when not one stone will be left on another; every one of them will be thrown down.’

...

Blessed are the peacemakers,
    for they will be called children of God.

https://www.thefuelcast.com/library/2025-04-2-the-bible-and-violence-pa…

‘I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people – for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.’ 1 TIMOTHY 2:1-2
 
I pray for those in government, royalty, and all in authority in my workplace. Please give them wisdom and strength for their roles.

‘Prayer isn’t just one thing...

‘You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.’ GENESIS 50:20
 
Lord, thank you that you know the end from the beginning. Help us to seek your perspective.

Being thankful in all circumstances is not the same as being thankful for every situation in which we find...

‘I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.’ JOHN 16:33
 
‘Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honour and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!’ (Revelation 7:12)

The act of rejoicing is something quite different from naïve optimism. It is not subject to the ups and...

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good” Romans 12:21

That is the heart of the challenge—what do we believe? What is our ground? What narratives have shaped us and are shaping us? We must have the clarity to name evil for what it is, yet without losing ourselves in othering, understanding that in some way or form, we are part of what we are naming. We must engage not just with what’s out there but with what’s within us as well. History is filled with...

Not Following the crowd 

A preacher gets up, quotes scripture, and reminds the gathered congregation that God loves the outcast—those in fear for their lives—the poor, prisoners, the disabled, and the oppressed. 

In response, an outraged mob tries to kill the preacher…. 

Jesus spoke directly to the congregation saying that God loved widows and those stricken with leprosy—implying that his neighbors had not treated widows and lepers justly. They...

‘Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.’ (Galatians 6:2)

God’s calling to ‘carry each other’s burdens’ begins with individuals, but it can also inspire whole communities to collectively reflect Christ’s love by supporting and serving others. In the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), violence had divided one village in the Ituri province for years. But through Tearfund’s peacebuilding workshops, local churches held...