Today's Reading
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Wednesday, April 22 : Acts of the Apostles 8,1b-8.
There broke out a severe persecution of the Church in Jerusalem, and all were scattered throughout the countryside of Judea and Samaria, except the Apostles. Devout men buried Stephen and made a loud lament over him. Saul, meanwhile, was trying to destroy the church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment. Now those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. Thus Philip went down to (the) city of Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah to them. With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed and crippled people were cured. There was great joy in that city.
Today's Bible Verse
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Today's Verse - Romans 1:20
Since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities — his eternal power and divine nature — have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse.
Thoughts on Today's Verse...
The touch of the Master's hand is all around us. We can see it in the order, beauty, specificity, and dazzling variety of creation. The great expanse of space, with its billions of stars, along with the incredible world of the microscopic, is all testimony to an Orderer of great creativity and inestimable power. Our heavenly Father has left his fingerprints all over his world, his creation, his universe, so we can know that he has been here and will not abandon the work of his hands. But, will we respond to this beauty in creation by seeking to live by the ways of the Great Orderer, the Creator of the universe, or will we choose for ourselves, or something else, to replace God? Will we choose to reflect his righteous character, gracious compassion, and loving justice over asserting our human arrogance and destructive self-will? God has revealed himself, and we are without excuse. Will we choose our own way, or God's?
My Prayer...
O God, thank you for your creation. Thank you for its beauty and variety. Thank you for the changing seasons and the beauty of Spring and Autumn. Most of all, thank you for choosing to show yourself to us, your creatures, in the things you have created. We pledge to respond to such bountiful grace with loving obedience. We commit our lives and this prayer of thanks to you, in the name of Jesus. Amen.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Today's "Daily Wisdom"
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Proverbs 18:8 - Verse for Apr. 22nd
The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they go down to a man's inmost parts.
Ⓒ 1996-2026 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent.
Today's "Passion for Praise"
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Full Life Praise (Apr. 22nd)
I will sing of your love and justice, LORD. I will praise you with songs. I will be careful to live a blameless life — when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.
Ⓒ 1996-2026 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent.
Today's "What Jesus Did!"
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'What Do You Notice Here?' - John 6:10-11
"Tell everyone to sit down," Jesus said [after being told that a boy in the crowd had five barley loaves and two fish]. So they all sat down on the grassy slopes. (The men alone numbered about 5,000.) Then Jesus took the loaves, gave thanks to God, and distributed them to the people. Afterward he did the same with the fish. And they all ate as much as they wanted.
Key Thought
What do you notice here? The organization? The number of people? The bread and the fish? The blessing? The full bellies? Look at the impossible. This sort of thing just doesn't happen. It's ludicrous. It's simplistic. Yet, the impossible occurs when our limited resources are brought to Jesus. Jesus and the impossible go together. The question is not whether Jesus can and will do the impossible, but whether we'll get to participate with him in the impossible. Notice that with Jesus, the impossible is suddenly within reach even in the most difficult of circumstances and with only the most basic of resources.
Today's Prayer
Father, thank you for giving me the impossible through the work and presence of Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen.
Related Scripture Readings
Ⓒ 1996-2026 Heartlight, Inc. This material may not be reproduced in part or whole for commercial use without written consent. What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware and is available in book form. Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Liturgical Holidays
Ascension
(Thursday, 14 May 2026)
Pentecost
(Sunday, 24 May 2026)
Whit Monday
(Monday, 25 May 2026)
Trinity Sunday
(Sunday, 31 May 2026)
The Cure: What if God isn’t Who You Think He is and Neither are You?
This is a must-read on God’s grace and living authentically, written by John Lynch, the founder of Trufaced.The Cure gives the diagnosis of this century’s religious obsession with sin-management. It has poisoned the Church, obscuring the Original Good News and sending millions away-wounded, angry and cynical, from nearly any organized expression of faith. The Cure offers an authentic experience in Christ that frees some from a self-rewarded righteousness, and others from a beaten down striving for a righteousness they can never seem to attain. The Cure infuses a relational theology of grace and identity, which alone can heal, free and create sustainable, genuine, loving, life-giving communities.