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

Layers of Love

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Galatians 6:10 – “Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone — especially to those in the family of faith.” 

I was digging through an old box when I found a photo I had not seen in years.

There I was: second grade me, with the biggest smile and standing in a green dress, white cardigan, and the tallest, most over-the-top Easter bonnet you have ever seen. It kind of looked a little bit like a birthday cake on top of my head. One with many layers and a ribbon that tied it under my chin.

I laughed out loud. “Wow, Mama… you really outdid yourself.”

And she did.

Our class was having an Easter parade, and every kid was supposed to make a bonnet. But I didn’t make mine. Instead, my mom stayed up at the kitchen table and tirelessly worked cutting and sewing, layering ribbon and lace until it was completed.

I was so proud to wear that bonnet. I felt like the queen of the Easter parade.

And now, looking at that picture as a grown woman, it is obvious to me what that Easter bonnet meant to me. I knew that I was loved by my mom.

It made me wonder how many people are walking through life without anyone making them feel cared for like that. Without anyone going the extra mile just to say, “You matter to me.”

We have the chance to be that for someone: to show up, to do more than is required, and to speak worth over someone’s life.

Because love that costs you something—even if it is just your time—is the kind people remember. And sometimes, the simplest things we make or give or do in love end up being the things they carry with them forever.

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Jesus Knew and He Came Anyway

“Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” 

Hebrews 12:2

I want you to think about all that He went through in that last week of His life for you. It was a week where everything changed in the history of the world and in the trajectory of all of our lives.

It started with Palm Sunday. He rode into Jerusalem for you. He knew that when He got there the same people that were cheering for Him would be the same people—just days later—demanding that He be put to death. But He did it for you.

He came into Jerusalem and there were people that were so excited because this guy who was the Messiah they finally expected. They didn’t know whether or not He could redeem them from their sins. They didn’t know about all that stuff. But what they did think was that He was coming to restore political glory back to them. They had been so ravaged by the Romans that they were expecting this was the guy that was gonna restore Israel to her former glory.

So they laid down their palm branches and they shouted, “Hosanna! King of the Jews!” They had been conquered by everybody at that point—the Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and the Romans. They were zero for five, and they were excited that somebody had finally come to give them political victory.

They didn’t realize that that’s not why Jesus came. He didn’t come to Jerusalem to kick out the Romans. He came to kick out sin. He came to make sure that none of us had to pay our own wages for our sin. Aren’t you glad about it?

That’s not what they expected. It’s not even what they wanted.

Palm Sunday represents all the times that we get really excited because of all the things we expect Jesus has come to do for us. We’re so excited because we have predetermined expectations of what He desires to do in our life. We think He has come to bring miracles with no requirements, no dying, no suffering, but this Jesus came to lay down His life.

He survived brutal whippings and beatings and mocking. He was dressed in purple, a robe just to mock Him. And there was a crown of thorns that was not lightly placed upon His head. It was driven into His skull for you and for me.

There was no bleaker moment in all of human history. The people who had just celebrated Him now they were demanding His death. He knew that going in, but He did it for you and He did it for me.

They hung Him high. They stretched Him wide. He hung His head, and for me and for you, He died. That’s love.

— Priscilla Shirer

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The Courage To Follow Through

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“Let what you say be simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything more than this comes from evil.” 

Matthew 5:37 

In radio, you learn quickly—if you make a promise, people will remember. 

I’ve spent years helping with fundraisers at stations across the country. It’s one of my favorite things—watching generosity ripple through a community, knowing that each dollar represents a life touched. When my friends in Minnesota invited me to help with their fundraiser, I was all in. 

We were live on-air, pushing to meet the station’s goal, doing everything we could to keep listeners engaged. And then, in a burst of enthusiasm, Andy Youso, Niki, and I made a bold pledge: if we hit our goal, we would jump into Lake Superior. 

We made a big deal out of it, laughing and daring people to make it happen. 

And they did. The goal was shattered.  

But…that’s where things got complicated. I had already left town by the time the challenge came due, which meant Andy and Niki braved the icy waters without me. I figured that was the end of it. Life moved on. We celebrated the win. 

But Andy? Andy did not move on. 

Any time my name came up, so did this unfinished business. “Lisa still hasn’t jumped in,” he’d remind me. Again and again and again. 

And the truth was? He was right. I had made a promise. I had said yes. And my yes needed to mean something. 

So I booked another flight to Minnesota. 

I stood on the edge of that freezing lake, feeling the wind bite through my jacket. I thought, Well, this is it. No backing out now. And then, I took a deep breath and jumped. 

And as the icy shock stole my breath, I couldn’t help but laugh. Because in that moment, it wasn’t just about a fundraiser or a bet—it was about integrity. About living out the kind of faith that does what it says. 

These days, people break commitments like they’re nothing. But what if we chose to be different? What if we decided that when we say we’ll do something, we actually do it? 

It might not always be easy, but that’s the kind of person I want to be. 

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Your Story Could Change A Life

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“And He said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’” 

Mark 16:15

“My wife didn’t grow up in a Christian home. To this day, her parents are still not Christians. 

When she was 22, a friend invited her to church, and for the first time, my wife heard the Gospel. That day, she gave her heart to Jesus. God immediately changed her life. 

Overwhelmed by the beauty of God’s saving grace and the new life she had been given, my wife was admittedly mad. She was angry with her Christian friends.  

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked them. “I’ve been struggling for so long. I’ve been completely miserable. This is such a better way to live. Why did you never tell me about Jesus?” 

Evangelism is an important part of God’s plan. It’s our job as believers to look for opportunities to share the love of Jesus with the people around us.  

What if the person sitting beside you in the cubicle at work doesn’t know who Jesus is? What if the waitress at your favorite restaurant needs a healing but doesn’t know the Healer? What if your next-door neighbor has never experienced the life-changing power of Christ? 

You might not know what someone else is going through, but you can know with certainty that everybody’s going through something. You might not have the full story, but God does, and He can use even a short, honest conversation to change someone’s life. 

As the church, it’s our job to tell somebody. You don’t have to deliver an eloquent speech. You don’t have to be a gifted public speaker. Words don’t have to be your strong suit. All you have to do is share what God’s done in your own life.  

Then you’ll be living out a very important part of the plan God has for you. Watch how walking in this kind of obedience to His word will change your life and the lives of those around you!” 

— Danny Gokey

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God Is Always Cheering For You

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“O Lord, you have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.”

Psalms 139:1-3

I was a Bali Ha’i girl. 

Not the lead. Not even a sidekick. Just a nameless background character in my high school’s production of South Pacific, swaying in unison with a dozen other girls who had also been too nervous to audition. 

It was opening night, and my parents were sitting proudly in the audience. 

“Where’s Lauren? I don’t see her,” my dad whispered, scanning the stage. 

Mom gasped. “You think she got sick?” 

Y’all. They thought I was home with the flu. Meanwhile, I was fifteen feet away, swaying my heart out, grinning at the spotlight, and being completely, spectacularly unnoticed by the people who raised me. 

After the curtain dropped, they rushed backstage to look for me. 

“Lauren? Lauren?”  

I turned around, makeup smeared and hair half-unpinned. They gasped. 

“Oh! There you are! We thought you had the flu!” 

I blinked. “You—what?” 

“We couldn’t find you! But we cheered anyway.” 

And cheer they did. Night after night, through every show, they clapped like I was the star. It didn’t matter that I never had a single line. 

Because that’s what love does. It shows up, over and over, even when you think no one sees you. And if human parents can love like that, imagine how much more God does. 

He never loses sight of you. He never mistakes you for someone else. He’s right there, front row, cheering louder than anyone else in the room. 

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When Hope Feels Impossible

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Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 

Hebrews 10:23

Courtney reached for the stuffed giraffe, waving it in front of the baby in front of her. He let out a squeal as his tiny arms reached up to grab it, fingers barely able to close around its soft body. 

She laughed, brushing a curl off his forehead. “You like that one, huh?” 

He giggled in response. A tube ran from his nose, looping over his chubby cheek. Another fed into his stomach, connected to the machine beside him. A year ago, the sight of it would’ve sent a lump straight to her throat. 

Now? 

Now she just saw him. 

Her miracle boy. 

She hugged him close, rocking back and forth, soaking in the warmth of him, the weight of him. 

She remembered sitting in a doctor’s office, gripping her husband’s hand like it was the only thing keeping her grounded. 

“Your son has a rare form of dwarfism. He will not live.” 

The words landed like bricks, one after another. No hope. No future. Just impossible decisions no parent should ever have to make. 

Except—something in her refused to accept that. So, she fought. 

She dug into research, spent late nights scouring medical journals, and prayed like never before. And somewhere in that searching, she felt it—that quiet nudge, that voice that said, Keep going. Don’t be afraid. 

After six months in the hospital, against all odds, they brought him home. 

Now, here he was—laughing, playing, thriving. 

Courtney knew the road ahead wouldn’t be easy. There would be more hospital visits, more scary nights, more unknowns. 

But she also knew this—God had been better to them than she had ever dared to hope. 

It’s easy to get caught up in the fear of what’s ahead. To wonder if you’ll have enough strength or faith to make it through. 

But today, she wasn’t looking forward. She was looking back. 

At every time, God had provided. At every moment, she thought they wouldn’t make it—but did. And if God had carried them this far, He wasn’t about to stop now. 

Maybe that’s something we all need to remember. When fear whispers about the future, look back. Look at all He has done. And dare to believe He will still be good in the days to come. 

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Bloom Where You’re Planted

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“Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” 

John 15:2

I don’t know why I thought keeping plants alive would be easy. Water, sunlight, and a little love—how hard could it be? 

I envisioned a home filled with thriving greenery and blooming flowers. So, I headed to the store to buy all the supplies: pots, soil, a watering can, and a few plants I had no idea how to care for.  

But I was confident I would become a plant mom in no time. 

But as you might guess, things didn’t go as planned. I either watered them too much or too little, put them in too much sun or not enough. Despite my best efforts, a few of them started to wither. 

I felt a little defeated—why was this so hard? 

After doing a little research, I quickly realized my mistake. I had not taken the time to learn what each plant needed to grow. Some love sunlight, and some love shade. Some want constant watering, while others prefer dry soil. I had been treating them all the same—assuming what worked for one should work for another. 

Life with God isn’t so different. How often do I make my plans, set my expectations, and assume things should grow a certain way? But when something withers—when relationships change, when opportunities don’t work out, or when life takes an unexpected turn—I feel lost. 

But God is the Master Gardener, not me. 

He knows exactly what He’s doing. Sometimes He prunes things I thought were good. Sometimes, He allows seasons of waiting, where nothing seems to be happening. And sometimes, He uproots me entirely and plants me somewhere unexpected. Just like with my plants, I may not always understand why—but that does not mean He isn’t working in my life.  

Maybe you are in a season of your life that does not make sense. Can I encourage you? 

Trust the Gardener. After all, a plant can’t see the full picture—but it does not have to. It simply needs to trust that the gardener knows how to make it bloom. 

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The Road Back To Peace

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“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” 

Hebrews 13:8

My son tugged at my shirt, his tear-streaked face looking up at me, searching for reassurance. I bent down, wrapping him in my arms. 

“It’s gonna be okay, honey,” I whispered. 

And the second I said it, I felt the weight of those words. Because I remembered a time when I was not so sure. 

I grew up in church. I knew all the right things to say and all the right things to believe. But when I got hurt—really hurt—by people who claimed to follow Jesus, it shook something in me. Suddenly, I didn’t feel safe anymore. 

By the time I got to college, I wasn’t sure what I believed. I listened as people dissected faith, calling it outdated. And little by little, I started wondering if maybe they were right. 

So I went looking for the truth.  

I read, studied, and explored different religions, hoping one of them would bring me peace. But the more I searched, the more lost I felt. 

And then, one night, I hit my lowest point. 

I was tired. Empty. Done. And in that moment, with nothing left to give, I prayed the most desperate prayer of my life. 

“Jesus, if You are real, I need You.” 

And in that moment, I knew. He was there restoring and uplifting me. 

It wasn’t an argument that convinced me. It wasn’t a philosophy that finally made sense. It was a peace that wrapped around me that could only have come from Him. 

Now, holding my son, I breathed in that same peace, kissed his forehead, and whispered again. 

“It’s gonna be okay, honey.” 

And I knew, beyond any doubt, that it really would be. 

— Tasha Layton

 

Lyrics “Never”

Verse 1
When this broken world is breaking me down
When my tears and knees both fall to the ground
When my questions make me doubt You more than ever
You remind me that Your answer is always “never…”

Chorus
Never forgotten
Never forsaken
Never abandoned
Not for a second
I am safe in Your hands
Always and forever
You’re never not working
My heart is the proof
There’s not a broken too broken for You
Will there ever come a day when You’re not holding me together?
You say “never”

Verse 2
Every single time I look back I see
There’s never been a promise You didn’t keep
You don’t waste the wounds, You use them for the better
When it comes to You Your answer’s always, “never ”

REPEAT CHORUS

Bridge
You never let me down
No, You never let me down
When did You ever let me down?
Never, No Never

You never let me down
No, You never let me down
When did You ever let me down?
Never

REPEAT CHORUS

Outro
You say “never”
You say “never”

You never let me down
When did you ever let me down?
Oh, never
Never!

Written by Tasha Layton, AJ Pruis, Keith Everette Smith, Matthew West

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From Hardship to Hope

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“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” 

Romans 8:18 

Albert Brumley had been working since sunrise, and he felt every minute of it. His back ached. His hands were raw. His mind ran in circles, weighed down by worries that had nothing to do with the field in front of him. The country was in crisis, people were struggling, and the work never seemed to end. 

He exhaled hard and pressed his palm against the plow. Lord, how much longer? 

That was when he saw it—a bird lifting off the fencepost. One beat of its wings and it was free, soaring higher and higher, carried by nothing but the wind. 

Something deep in his chest cracked open. That’s what I want. To be lifted. To escape this heaviness. 

He knew he wasn’t alone in feeling this way. He saw it in the faces around him—people carrying more than they could bear, pushing forward because they had no other choice. But what if there was something greater waiting beyond all of this? What if one day, every burden would be lifted? 

That longing didn’t leave him. It stayed with him as he worked, as he walked, as he hummed a tune under his breath. A song was forming. 

By the time he got home, he was writing as fast as his hands could move. That simple song—born from sweat and struggle—would go on to bring comfort to millions. It would be sung in churches, at funerals, in quiet moments when hope felt far away. 

Because it wasn’t just a song. It was a promise. 

Some glad morning, when this life is over 
I’ll fly away 
To that home on God’s celestial shore 
I’ll fly away

I’ll fly away, oh glory 
I’ll fly away 
When I die, hallelujah, by and by 
I’ll fly away 

If your heart is tired, if the weight feels too much, remember this: it won’t last forever. God has prepared a place where every burden is lifted. Hold on—because on the horizon, joy is coming. 

 

LYRICS

Some bright morning when this life is over
I’ll fly away
To that home on God’s celestial shore
I’ll fly away

CHORUS:
I’ll fly away, oh glory
I’ll fly away, in the morning
When I die, Hallelujah by and by
I’ll fly away

When the shadows of this life have gone
I’ll fly away
Like a bird from these prison walls I’ll fly
I’ll fly away

CHORUS

Oh, how glad and happy when we meet
I’ll fly away
No more cold iron shackles on my feet
I’ll fly away

CHORUS

Just a few more weary days and then
I’ll fly away
To a land where joys will never end
I’ll fly away

CHORUS:
I’ll fly away, fly away, oh glory
I’ll fly away, in the morning
When I die, Hallelujah by and by
I’ll fly away
I’ll fly away

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When God Says, “It’s Time”

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“The steps of a man are established by the Lord, when he delights in his way; though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong, for the Lord upholds his hand.”

Psalms 37:23-24

J.D. stood in front of the mirror, gathering his long hair into a loose ponytail. He had waited years for this—the chance to grow it out. His Christian school had always required boys to have short hair, but once we started homeschooling, he finally had the chance to let it grow. And so, he did. 

I didn’t mind it much. It was just hair, and a chance for him to figure out who he was and wanted to be. Despite the challenges of being mistaken for a girl, I knew it was crucial to support his journey of self-expression and independence. But as time passed, I found myself wondering if I was doing the right thing. 

Then, one evening, he came to me and said, “Mom, do you think I should cut my hair?” 

I hesitated. “Well, what do you think?” 

He shrugged. “I think I want to, but I am just not sure when.” 

Everything in me wanted to say, Now! Right now is a great time! But instead, I swallowed my eagerness and smiled. “Whenever you’re ready, just let me know.” 

Weeks passed. If I ever mentioned it, his answer was the same: “Not yet.” Then, one day, he walked into my home office with his face clouded with uncertainty. “Mom, I want to cut my hair… but I’m scared. It feels like part of my identity. I don’t know who I am without it. Will you pray for me?” 

So, we prayed. For clarity. For peace. For him to hear God’s voice. 

The next day at work, I got a text. “Mom, I was talking to my teacher, and she told me she had a dream that I cut my hair. I think this is what I want to do! I’m ready.” 

That night, as the scissors snipped through each lock, J.D. lifted his head as he studied his reflection. His smile said everything. You see, it was never about the hair, but all about how he saw himself in God’s eyes. Now, he had his answer. 

Years have passed since that moment, and J.D. now stands on the edge of adulthood, facing bigger decisions than a haircut. But when I think back to that night, I am reminded: If God could guide him then, He can guide him now. And He can do the same for all of us. 

Because no decision—big or small—falls outside of His care. 

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