Daily Gospel

Joshua 24:15

¹⁵ But if you are unwilling to serve the Lord, then choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.”

- A united purpose to serve the Lord.

Proverbs 5:15

¹⁵ Drink water from your own well—share your love only with your wife.

Proverbs 5:18-19

¹⁸ Let your wife be a fountain of blessing for you. Rejoice in the wife of your youth. ¹⁹ She is a loving doe, a graceful deer. Let her breasts satisfy you always. May you always be captivated by her love.

Hebrews 13:4

⁴Give honor to marriage, and remain faithful to one another in marriage. God will surely judge people who are immoral and those who commit adultery.

- Faithfulness. Without faithfulness there is no real trust or intimacy.

Matthew 19:4-6

⁴“Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’^{£ 5}And he said, ‘this explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’^{£ 6}Since they are no longer two but one, let no one separate them, for God has joined them together.”

- Commitment.

Romans 15:1-2

¹We may know that these things make no difference, but we cannot just go ahead and do them to please ourselves. We must be considerate of the doubts and fears of those who think these things are wrong. ² We should please others. If we do what helps them, we will build them up in the Lord.

- Sacrifice.

Romans 15:5-7

⁵ May God, who gives this patience and encouragement, help you live in complete harmony with each other—each with the attitude of Christ Jesus toward the other. ⁶Then all of you can join together with one voice, giving praise and glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁷So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified.

- Understanding each other’s differences and celebrating them.

Ephesians 5:21-33

²¹ And further, you will submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. ²² You wives will submit to your husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of his body, the church; he gave his life to be her Savior.

- Mutual submission.

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

¹ If I could speak in any language in heaven or on earth^£ but didn’t love others, I would only be making meaningless noise like a loud gong or a clanging cymbal. ²If I had the gift of prophecy, and if I knew all the mysteries of the future and knew everything about everything, but didn’t love others, what good would I be? And if I had the gift of faith so that I could speak to a mountain and make it move, without love I would be no good to anybody. ³If I gave everything I have to the poor and even sacrificed my body, I could boast about it;^£ but if I didn’t love others, I would be of no value whatsoever.

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged. ⁶It is never glad about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. ⁷Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

⁸Love will last forever, but prophecy and speaking in unknown languages^£ and special knowledge will all disappear. ⁹Now we know only a little, and even the gift of prophecy reveals little! ¹⁰ But when the end comes, these special gifts will all disappear.

¹¹It’s like this: When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child does. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. ¹² Now we see things imperfectly as in a poor mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity.^£ All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God knows me now.

¹³ There are three things that will endure—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.

- Love.

James 5:16

¹⁶ Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results.

- Communication.

Proverbs 31:31

³¹ Reward her for all she has done. Let her deeds publicly declare her praise.

- A constant desire to build each other up, to enhance each other’s value.

1 Corinthians 7:3

³ The husband should not deprive his wife of sexual intimacy, which is her right as a married woman, nor should the wife deprive her husband.

Song of Songs 1:2-4

²“Kiss me again and again, for your love is sweeter than wine. ³How fragrant your cologne, and how pleasing your name! No wonder all the young women love you! ⁴Take me with you. Come, let’s run! Bring me into your bedroom, O my king.”^£

Young Women of Jerusalem: “How happy we are for him! We praise his love even more than wine.”

Young Woman: “How right that the young women love you!

Song of Songs 12-13

¹²“The king is lying on his couch, enchanted by the fragrance of my perfume. ¹³My lover is like a sachet of myrrh lying between my breasts.

- A healthy sex life.

Does God care when I feel depressed?

Psalm 139:1-12

¹ O Lord, you have examined my heart

and know everything about me.

² You know when I sit down or stand up.

You know my every thought when far away.

³ You chart the path ahead of me

and tell me where to stop and rest.

Every moment you know where I am.

⁴ You know what I am going to say

even before I say it, Lord.

⁵ You both precede and follow me.

You place your hand of blessing on my head.

⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,

too great for me to know!

⁷ I can never escape from your spirit!

I can never get away from your presence!

⁸ If I go up to heaven, you are there;

if I go down to the place of the dead,^£ you are there.

⁹ If I ride the wings of the morning,

if I dwell by the farthest oceans,

¹⁰ even there your hand will guide me,

and your strength will support me.

¹¹ I could ask the darkness to hide me

and the light around me to become night—

¹² but even in darkness I cannot hide from you.

To you the night shines as bright as day.

Darkness and light are both alike to you.

There is no depth to which we can descend that God is not present with us. When depression comes, we must remember that even though we cannot see or feel his presence, he has not abandoned us.

Psalm 130:1-8

¹ From the depths of despair, O Lord,

I call for your help.

² Hear my cry, O Lord.

Pay attention to my prayer.

³ Lord, if you kept a record of our sins,

who, O Lord, could ever survive?

⁴ But you offer forgiveness,

that we might learn to fear you.

⁵ I am counting on the Lord;

yes, I am counting on him.

I have put my hope in his word.

⁶ I long for the Lord

more than sentries long for the dawn,

yes, more than sentries long for the dawn.

⁷ O Israel, hope in the Lord;

for with the Lord there is unfailing love

and an overflowing supply of salvation.

⁸ He himself will free Israel

from every kind of sin.

We can cry out to God in prayer even from the darkest night of despair. He will hear us.

Isaiah 53:3

³ He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with bitterest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way when he went by. He was despised, and we did not care.

We know that through Christ God understands the pain of human life.

Romans 8:39

³⁹Whether we are high above the sky or in the deepest ocean, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Not even life’s worst depression can separate us from the love of Christ.

Does feeling depressed mean something is wrong with my faith?

Judges 15:18

¹⁸ Now Samson was very thirsty, and he cried out to the Lord, “You have accomplished this great victory by the strength of your servant. Must I now die of thirst and fall into the hands of these pagan people?”

1 Kings 19:3-4

³ Elijah was afraid and fled for his life. He went to Beersheba, a town in Judah, and he left his servant there. ⁴Then he went on alone into the desert, traveling all day. He sat down under a solitary broom tree and prayed that he might die. “I have had enough, Lord,” he said. “Take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors.”

Even for the people of God, depression can often follow great achievement or spiritual victory.

Psalm 35:9

⁹ Then I will rejoice in the Lord.

I will be glad because he rescues me.

Psalm 40:1-3

¹ I waited patiently for the Lord to help me,

and he turned to me and heard my cry.

² He lifted me out of the pit of despair,

out of the mud and the mire.

He set my feet on solid ground

and steadied me as I walked along.

³ He has given me a new song to sing,

a hymn of praise to our God.

Many will see what he has done and be astounded.

They will put their trust in the Lord.

Matthew 14:29-31

²⁹“All right, come,” Jesus said.

So Peter went over the side of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus. ³⁰ But when he looked around at the high waves, he was terrified and began to sink. “Save me, Lord!” he shouted.

³¹Instantly Jesus reached out his hand and grabbed him. “You don’t have much faith,” Jesus said. “Why did you doubt me?” ³²And when they climbed back into the boat, the wind stopped.

God is able to lift us out of the pit of depression and fear.

@Promise from God:

Matthew 11:28-30

²⁸ Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. ²⁹Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke fits perfectly, and the burden I give you is light.”

How should I respond to criticism? How do I evaluate whether it is constructive or destructive?

Proverbs 12:16-18

¹⁶ A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.

¹⁷ An honest witness tells the truth; a false witness tells lies.

¹⁸ Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.

If you are criticized, stay calm and don’t lash back. Evaluate whether the criticism is coming from a person with a reputation for truth or lies. Ask yourself if the criticism is meant to heal or hurt.

Ecclesiastes 7:5

⁵ It is better to be criticized by a wise person than to be praised by a fool!

Measure criticism according to the stature of the person who is giving it.

1 Corinthians 4:3-5

³ What about me? Have I been faithful? Well, it matters very little what you or anyone else thinks. I don’t even trust my own judgment on this point. ⁴ _ My conscience is clear, but that isn’t what matters. It is the Lord himself who will examine me and decide.

⁵ So be careful not to jump to conclusions before the Lord returns as to whether or not someone is faithful. When the Lord comes, he will bring our deepest secrets to light and will reveal our private motives. And then God will give to everyone whatever praise is due.

Always work to maintain a clear conscience by being honest and trustworthy. This allows you to shrug off criticism you know is unjustified.

1 Peter 4:14

¹⁴ Be happy if you are insulted for being a Christian, for then the glorious Spirit of God will come upon you.

Consider it a privilege to be criticized for your faith in God. God has special blessings for those who patiently endure this kind of criticism.

Proverbs 15:31-32

³¹ If you listen to constructive criticism, you will be at home among the wise.

³² If you reject criticism, you only harm yourself; but if you listen to correction, you grow in understanding.

We shortchange our future when we reject truthful information about ourselves. Sometimes it’s painful to hear the truth, but it’s worse to carry on without improvement.

How do we administer criticism when we feel it must be given?

John 8:7

⁷ They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, stone her. But let those who have never sinned throw the first stones!”

Romans 2:1

¹ You may be saying, “What terrible people you have been talking about!” But you are just as bad, and you have no excuse! When you say they are wicked and should be punished, you are condemning yourself, for you do these very same things.

Before criticizing another, take an inventory of your own sins and shortcomings so that you can approach the person with understanding and humility.

1 Corinthians 13:4-5

⁴ Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud ⁵or rude. Love does not demand its own way. Love is not irritable, and it keeps no record of when it has been wronged.

Constructive criticism is always offered in love, to build up. And criticism always should be responded to in love as well.

Romans 14:10

¹⁰ So why do you condemn another Christian^? Why do you look down on another Christian? Remember, each of us will stand personally before the judgment seat of God.

James 4:11

¹¹ Don’t speak evil against each other, my dear brothers and sisters. If you criticize each other and condemn each other, then you are criticizing and condemning God’s law. But you are not a judge who can decide whether the law is right or wrong. Your job is to obey it.

Matthew 7:1

¹ “Stop judging others, and you will not be judged.

Constructive criticism should always be a welcome and wholesome gift if given in a spirit of love. But we have no right to give depreciating criticism of another, for that is trying to be a judge over that person, and God alone is our judge.

@Promise from God: Romans 14:18

¹⁸ If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God. And other people will approve of you, too.