Today’s Always Uplifting Verse and Devotional to start your day off right!

Learning to Live and to Give

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Proverbs 3:9-10 — Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.

I moved to Alabama with more faith than funds.

Ministry school felt like the next right step, and I did it because I was desperate. I needed God’s help with real struggles, and I needed older, wiser Christians to steady me.

But I wasn’t wise with money. I had just graduated from a four-year university, and until then, I had lived for the weekend and was having fun having fun.

And as you can see, I needed to grow—in more ways than one.

Now I was hours from home, without a safety net. I believed God called me here, but I knew faith alone wouldn’t pay the bills. If I was going to stay, I had to learn how to honor Him with my finances.

So I got a job at McDonald’s. It was grease-on-the-sleeves, hard work. And to my amazement, living on a budget actually worked.

My tuition? Paid. Grocery bills? Paid.

But then came my student housing bill. I handed it to the church secretary, and after checking her computer, she looked up and said, “David, it seems someone anonymously paid your rent for the rest of the year.”

My jaw hit the floor.

In that moment, I felt the weight of undeserved kindness. Somebody, flesh and blood like me, gave in a way that felt radical. It felt like the love of God. That gift bought me time to breathe, to study, and to save for a missions trip I knew I was called to take. It changed me. It made me want to be that kind of giver, and to live wisely and open-handed.

That year taught me something important: money isn’t a word to avoid in church. If we learn to honor God with it, He can use us to point others toward hope.

So, whether you’re in need or in abundance today, let your budget reflect faith in tomorrow. Live generously. Save with purpose. And let God write a better story with what’s in your hands.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When has someone’s generosity reminded you of God’s love for you?
  • What would it look like for you to “honor the Lord with your wealth” this week?
  • How could your giving become part of someone else’s story of hope?
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Every Hour, I Need Him

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Psalms 34:17 – The Lord hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles.

Some days, even your own shoes feel too heavy.

That was me not long ago, dragging through the morning like I was wading through syrup. I wasn’t falling apart in some dramatic way—it was just the small stuff that piles up. Bills. Work. Loneliness. The creeping fear that maybe this is all life will ever be.

I sat in the car before heading inside, gripping the steering wheel like it might hold me together. I was praying, but not really. I was mostly just breathing.

Then, over the hum of my car’s speakers, Matt Maher’s song started: “Lord, I need You, oh, I need You; every hour I need You.”

Inside, my heart felt flooded with peace. I didn’t say anything. I just let the words wash over me, like water for my soul. I knew God was doing for my heart what I couldn’t.

Later, I looked up the story behind that song. Turns out, Maher had been asked to write something for a worship conference. He said the only way he could do it was by starting with what he himself needed.

So he sat down, thinking of old hymns and books read from C.S. Lewis, and out came that prayer of desperation set to melody. “Lord, I need You” was born from weakness.

That’s me. That’s us. Weak people, whispering weak prayers, and somehow finding strength to make it through one more hour.

And maybe that’s enough. Maybe that’s the point.

Because every hour, I need Him. And every hour, He’s already there.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When was the last time you felt too weary to pray—and how did God meet you anyway?
  • What small, quiet ways has God reminded you of His presence when life feels heavy?
  • How might weakness actually draw you closer to Him, rather than push you away?
  • Is there a song, verse, or memory that helps you remember you are never alone?

Lyrics

Lord I come, I confess
Bowing here, I find my rest
Without You, I fall apart
You’re the one that guides my heart

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

Where sin runs deep, Your grace is more
Where grace is found is where You are
And where You are, Lord, I am free
Holiness is Christ in me

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

So teach my song to rise to You
When temptation comes my way
And when I cannot stand, I’ll fall on You
Jesus, You’re my hope and stay

Lord, I need You, oh, I need You
Every hour, I need You
My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You
You’re my one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

My one defense, my righteousness
Oh God, how I need You

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Worth the Greatest Price

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1 Corinthians 6:20 – For God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 

John’s dad had a favorite phrase. He told him often as he could.

“You aren’t worth one thin dime.”

He said it enough times that eventually John believed it. That phrase stuck with him and echoed in his brain. As John grew older, he couldn’t escape those words, and he became an angry, angry person.

By the time he was grown, the impact of his father’s words crept its way into John’s marriage. He couldn’t take it any longer, so he left. He did not believe he could ever be enough for them, so John took a passive role in his wife and son’s life.

In the separation, His estranged wife lent him the family van. The only problem was the radio. It was jammed, stuck on the Christian station. He slammed buttons and twisted knobs trying to make it stop playing.

Weeks went by. Months. Eventually, he quit fighting it and started listening.

Little by little, John’s heart softened. He came back home to his family and asked if they could start going to church. John stood in the water and was baptized.

For the first time in a long time, he felt like maybe his life could be worth something after all.

One day, John decided to clean underneath that car’s radio.

He pulled it out, and discovered why his radio was stuck. There, wedged beneath the preset button, was a single dime.

John just stared at it for a long time.

That same symbol that once represented worthlessness as a boy now told him something entirely different. The coin his earthly father used to define him had been used by his Heavenly Father to redeem him.

In that moment, John realized his worth was never up for debate. He life had been bought at the highest price—the life of God’s only Son.

He still carries that dime in his pocket as a reminder of the God who never stopped believing in him.

It makes me wonder — do you know you’re worth it, too?

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Are there words from your past that still shape the way you see yourself?
  • How does knowing that you were “bought at a price” change the way you see your worth?
  • What’s one way you can remind yourself this week that your value comes from God—not anyone else’s opinion?
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Small Offerings, Big Impact

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1 Corinthians 3:6-7 — I planted the seeds in your hearts, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. It’s not important who does the planting, or who does the watering. What important is that God makes the seed grow.

The first time I hosted Bible study at my little downtown rental, it felt like feeding five thousand men with a sack lunch.

The group had started with Trace and Jordan in an old warehouse in Bawcomville. They were the kind of leaders you look up to—the ones who make you believe God really can use ordinary people. But Trace was heading back to college, and Jordan was packing for Tennessee.

The study that had changed my life—teaching me freedom, confession, and brotherhood—was about to dissolve. I couldn’t let that happen.

I looked at my two-bedroom house and thought, I’ve got room. I can at least open the door.

So I did.

And thirty men crammed into my living room like sardines in a can. The air smelled like coffee and old sneakers, voices tumbled over each other, and the floorboards groaned under the weight of laughter and prayer. It was loud, crowded, messy—and it was holy ground.

But leadership wasn’t glamorous. Some nights were heavy. Preparation felt like work, and hosting went way too late into the evening. Yet other nights, the room buzzed with the unmistakable presence of God.

Men confessed secret struggles. Some found faith for the first time. Others discovered brothers who became closer than family. Darkness lost its power under the light of truth.

And I learned something. The miracle wasn’t in my ability to lead. It was in simply making room.

That’s how the kingdom works. God takes what little we can give—time, space, a shaky “yes”—and He multiplies it until lives are changed.

Paul once reminded the church in Corinth that believers should live differently than the world—choosing grace and reconciliation over division.

“The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?” — 1 Corinthians 6:7

In other words, sometimes the most powerful thing we can do is open our hands, make space, and trust God to move through it.

We bring our loaves and fish. He feeds the multitude.

And the glory is always His.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When has God used something small you offered—your time, space, or effort—to grow something bigger than you expected?
  • In what ways are you planting or watering in someone else’s life right now?
  • Are there areas where you need to trust God for the growth instead of trying to make it happen yourself?
  • How can you make room this week for God to move through your “yes”?
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Moments That Carry Faith

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2 Corinthians 5:7 – For we walk by faith, not by sight.

Seventeen years ago, I liked to pretend I had life mostly figured out as I danced through the chaos. Truthfully, I was lost and searching.

Back then, I worked in a New York City bar, wrapped up in a world that felt exciting and reckless but hollow underneath. Nights were for partying, Sundays for dragging myself to a church pew. Somehow, I convinced myself the two worlds could live side by side. Deep down, though, I was unraveling.

But God didn’t give up on me. He never does.

There were breadcrumbs along the way—little hints that He was near. One afternoon, a church service played on my television. The preacher said something so ordinary, yet it stopped me in my tracks: “Walk by faith, not by sight.”

I can’t explain why, but those words lit up my insides like a flare.

I grabbed a marker and scrawled them across my whiteboard. For the first time in a long while, I felt steady. Those words helped me shift my eyes away from the chaos and toward God.

Even in my mess, I began to believe He was still watching over me. Looking back now, I see how those breadcrumbs led me to finally say, “I’m done” with the party life—and to go all in with Jesus.

These days, I sit on the other side of that story, working in Christian radio. And I watch the same kind of thing happen every day.

A driver leaving the hospital. A weary commuter stuck in traffic. A mom sitting in the carpool line. Then a song comes on. Suddenly, it feels like God Himself has slid into the passenger seat. Listeners call us through tears to say it was exactly what they needed in that moment.

And you know what amazes me? Those moments aren’t magic. They are generosity. They happen because someone gave—someone believed it mattered to keep the music playing.

Never underestimate the ripple of giving. You may never see the full reach of your faith gift, but it matters.

Once, I needed a phrase on a whiteboard to survive my storm. Today, someone else might need the lyric of a song. And maybe—just maybe—that song is playing because of you.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • What does it look like in your own life to “walk by faith, not by sight”?
  • Can you think of a “breadcrumb moment” when God showed you He was near, even in your mess?
  • How has someone else’s generosity or obedience impacted your faith journey?
  • Is there a step of faith God might be inviting you to take today—something that requires trust before the evidence appears?

 

LYRICS:

Would I believe you when you would say
Your hand will guide my every way?
Will I receive the words you say
Every moment of every day?

Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Well because this broken road
Prepares your will for me

Help me to win my endless fears
You’ve been so faithful for all my years
With one breath you make me new
Your grace covers all I do, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah yeah

Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Well because this broken road
Prepares your will for me

Well I’m broken, but I still see your face
Well you’ve spoken, pouring your words of grace

Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Well, because this broken road
Prepares your will for me

Well I will walk by faith
Even when I cannot see
Oh well, because this broken road
Prepares your will for me

(Well hallelujah, hallelu)
(Well hallelujah) I will walk by faith, I will walk by faith
(Hallelu) I will walk by faith, I will walk by
(Well hallelujah, hallelu) yeah, yeah
(Well hallelujah, hallelu) yeah, yeah
(Well hallelujah, hallelu) yeah, I will walk, I will walk, whoa, I will walk by faith
(Well hallelujah, hallelu) I will, oh yeah, I will, well I will walk by faith
(Well hallelujah)

Music video by Jeremy Camp performing Walk By Faith (2020 Version).

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The Day Hope Came Back

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Romans 15:13 – I pray that the God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. 

“Enclosed is a check to sponsor one day of Hope. I will be mailing checks to you monthly.”

That is what Susan wrote on the card.

Hope. The word alone brought a lump to her throat.

Hope was her Cocker Spaniel. She had a coat like caramel and eyes that always seemed to understand. For years, she was with Susan for everything. Walks in the early morning. Long afternoons on the porch. The simple parts of life no one else really saw, she was there for them all.

When she passed away in January, she did not know what to do with the grief and stillness. For a while, the house felt unfamiliar. She would catch herself reaching for the leash, looking for Hope, and listening for her feet on the floor.

But even in the ache, Susan noticed something. Each morning, she would turn on Always Uplifting 88.7 The Cross. And somehow, the words that came through the speakers gave her something she did not know she needed. Not a distraction. Not a fix. Just a reminder that hope still had a place in her story.

As she listened, she began to see hope differently.

Real hope wasn’t just the name of her dog—it was the presence of Someone greater.

“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

Now, by giving she wants to share that same hope with others.

You see, real hope is not sentimental. It is a Person who shows up when life falls apart. He is present on the good days and the bad. His name is Jesus, and if you have known Him in that way, you know He is worth sharing.

Is there someone who needs the same hope that carried you? You may not know their name. But just like Susan, you can still be part of the reason they keep going.

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When Love Leaves its Mark

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Revelation 14:13 – “Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on. ‘Blessed indeed,’ says the Spirit, ‘that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!’” 

I walked into my parents’ house and had to stop for a moment. The air smelled faintly of old wood and a hint of sugar, like it always had. I let my eyes wander, taking it all in

I drifted toward the kitchen. That room that always pulled me in first.

It was too quiet. I half expected to hear mom there, humming a hymn while making a pitcher of sweet tea. That music had once been the heartbeat of the house.

The longer I stood there, the heavier the memories pressed in. She has been gone more than two decades, and still, the ache surprises me.

People told me grief softens over time. Maybe it does. I do not cry every time I think of her, but here, in this kitchen I find myself blinking back tears.

I caught sight of her photo on the shelf and smiled through the blur. Then I noticed her Bible sitting in the corner, worn and waiting, as though she might reach for it at any moment. I wished I could tell her about the ways God had carried me.

She always made sure I heard about Jesus, even if she did not sit in the pew herself. I would give anything for her to see the woman I have become.

And as I stood there, the words of Revelation 14:13 came to mind:

“Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord… that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them.”

Even through the tears, I realized something: the lessons she left behind and the love she poured into me were bigger than the loss. That is what really matters.

I say that because I realized life is about leaving a Jesus-shaped imprint on people. Life is fleeting, but the marks we leave—especially the ones shaped by love and faith—always linger.

I took one more look around and smiled to myself. Mom’s imprint was all over this house.

And it always would be.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Who in your life has left a “Jesus-shaped imprint” on your heart?
  • What kind of spiritual legacy do you hope to leave behind for others?
  • How does the promise of rest in Revelation 14:13 bring you comfort in seasons of grief?
  • When you think about your own life, what “deeds” or moments of love do you hope will follow you and point others to Christ?
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What is Your Life Preaching

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Matthew 5:16 – In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your Heavenly Father. 

The first sermon I really remember was not told from a pulpit. No. It was from a six-year-old boy standing on a fireplace.

He was preaching into a purple and green toy microphone that came from McDonalds. And though I barely understood what he was doing, I have never forgotten it.

That boy was my cousin, Waylon. He has lived his life on the autism spectrum, and while most may see limitations, I have only ever seen his faith. And he never stopped preaching.

Today, you can still see Waylon living out the sermons he preached as a kid.

On Wednesdays, you would find him on stage at church playing his bongos. On Sundays, you would see him with hands raised high. If you asked anyone at Hodge Assembly of God, they would tell you without hesitation that he was the “head usher.” At home, Waylon kept a stack of Jimmy Swaggart tapes spinning. He listened, he learned, and he soaked it all in.

And he even has the coolest job, tailor-made for him.

He rides with the local police unit, spending time with the elderly, visiting people who are too often forgotten. He talks, he listens, he reminds them they still matter—to him and to God. And in his own way, he is still preaching sermons.

I look at his life and realize how much it shaped my own. His unwavering example helped lead me to my work at Always Uplifting 88.7 The Cross. Because I believe, like he does, that every single moment matters.

One song can meet someone at just the right time. One story can change a life. One gift from a listener can make sure someone else hears the hope they need most.

And that is the question left in my heart after sharing his story: what sermon is your life preaching? Because the truth is simple, and it is urgent: life really is about sharing Jesus. Make every moment count.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When people look at your life, what kind of “sermon” do they see?
  • How can you let your light shine today in a way that points others to Jesus?
  • Who in your life has quietly shown you what faith looks like in action?
  • What small act of love or service could become someone’s reminder that they still matter—to you and to God?
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Safe in the Arms of God

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Psalm 46:1 – God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.

Some days you don’t realize how badly you need someone until you nearly lose your footing. I think that’s why Lauren Daigle’s song “Thank God I Do” has sunk so deep into my heart.

When she first shared the story behind it, it felt like she was putting words to things I’ve known myself. She was on top of the world, in the middle of a massive tour, when everything shut down in 2020.

She thought it would be a short pause—but weeks turned into months. What she described wasn’t just disappointment, it was a crumbling. Panic attacks hit her hard, and she found herself at rock bottom, unsure who she even was anymore.

She said her mom and a friend sat with her through a seven-hour panic attack. No judgment, no shame. Just presence. And out of that experience, she wrote this song.

She said it was the clearest picture of God she’d seen in a long time. She could feel God holding her steady through the people who simply prayed. That struck me: God shows His nearness not always in lightning bolts, but sometimes in the simple company of people who refuse to leave your side.

That’s what the song reminds me of every time.

“You’re my constant, my steadiness, you’re my shelter, my oxygen.”

Those aren’t just lyrics. They’re a testimony. They’re the sound of someone realizing they are not as alone as they feared.

I’ve carried that into my own life, too. There have been times when the ground under me felt fragile, when I didn’t know how to put myself back together. And yet, I can look back and see God’s fingerprints in the people who showed up, in the peace that somehow settled in, in the safety I found in Him.

When the world feels shaky, it’s easy to believe you’re slipping away. But this song reminds me of a greater truth: God is the home I can always return to. He steadies me. He holds me safe. And for that, like Lauren, I can only say—thank God I do.

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • When have you felt the ground beneath you start to shake, and how did God show up for you in that moment?
  • Who in your life has been a steady reminder of God’s presence when you needed it most?
  • Psalm 46:1 calls God “an ever-present help.” What does that mean to you personally?
  • How might you be God’s presence to someone else who feels unsteady right now?

Lyrics:

I’ve seen love come and
I’ve seen love walk away
So many questions
Will anybody stay
It’s been a hard year
So many nights in tears
All of the darkness
Trying to fight my fears
Alone so long alone

I don’t know who I’d be
If I didn’t know you
I’d probably fall off the edge
I don’t know where I’d go
If you ever let go
So keep me held in your hands

I’ve started breathing
The weight is lifted here
With you it’s easy
My head is finally clear
There’s nothing missing
When you are by my side
I took the long road
But now I realize
I’m home with you I’m home

I don’t know who I’d be
If I didn’t know you
I’d probably fall off the edge
I don’t know where I’d go
If you ever let go
So keep me held in your hands

I don’t know who I’d be
If I didn’t know you
I’d probably fall off the edge
I don’t know where I’d go
If you ever let go
So keep me held in your hands

You’re my safe place
My hide away
You’re my anchor
My saving grace
You’re my constant
My steadiness
You’re my shelter
My oxygen

I don’t know who I’d be
If I didn’t know you
Thank God I do

I don’t know who I’d be
If I didn’t know you
I’d probably fall off the edge
I don’t know where I’d go
If you ever let go
So keep me held in your hands
I don’t know who I’d be
If I didn’t know you
Thank God I do

 

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Already Loved

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Jeremiah 31:3 – I have loved you, my people, with an everlasting love. With unfailing love I have drawn you to myself.

The day I lost one hundred pounds, I expected fireworks.

I had imagined it over and over: stepping onto the scale, seeing the number, and somehow feeling more loved by God than I did before. In my mind, I thought He would put His arm around me and whisper, “Now you are worthy. Now you are enough.”

But there I was in my own bathroom, standing barefoot on the scale, and nothing about God’s love had changed one ounce.

It was the same steady love I had known the day I could barely bend down to tie my shoes. The same love that was there when I sweated just from peeling an orange. It was the same love that never flinched when I turned to food because I did not know what else to do with my sadness.

The truth settled in slowly like the way a sunrise sneaks over the horizon. I had not earned more of His affection by shedding pounds. And the irony of it made me smile.

I was chasing a reward I already had. Yes, the discipline mattered. Yes, the growth was worth celebrating. But none of it increased the love of God that had been constant from the start.

I stepped off the scale lighter, not just in body but in heart. And it left me wondering: how many of us are still waiting for some future breakthrough to feel loved, when we are already standing in it?

— Micah Tyler

 

 

A MOMENT TO REFLECT

  • Have you ever believed you needed to earn God’s love through performance or progress?
  • How does Jeremiah 31:3 challenge the way you see your worth?
  • What would it look like for you to live today as someone who is already fully loved?
  • Where in your life is God inviting you to rest, rather than strive, in His affection?
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