Daily Bible Verses by Book

Heavenly father
give us grace to seek first your kingdom and bear its fruit today 

⁴² Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘“The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes”?
⁴³ ‘Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. 
⁴⁴ Anyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; anyone on whom it falls will be crushed...

In the New Testament, and particularly for Jesus, the most common image for what God is offering us is a banquet. It’s not a trophy, not a prize, not a reward reserved for later, but a participative and joyous party now. A banquet has everything to do with invitation and acceptance; it is never a command performance.  

Matthew’s Gospel contains the parable of the wedding banquet (Matthew 22:1–14). A king sends out his servants to let the guests know that the banquet has been prepared. “But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business” (22:5)....

Heavenly father
give us grace today to celebrate the kingdom of heaven

¹ Jesus answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, 
² “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a certain king, who made a wedding feast for his son, 
³ ...

Heavenly father
give us grace to  accept your invitation to heaven today

⁴ Again he sent out other servants, saying, ‘Tell those who are invited, “Behold, I have prepared my dinner. 
My cattle and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready. Come to the wedding feast!”’ 
⁵ ...

Heavenly father
give us grace today to look out for those who are socially excluded

⁸ “Then he said to his servants, ‘The wedding is ready, but those who were invited weren’t worthy. 
⁹ Go therefore to the intersections of the highways, and as many as you may find, invite to the wedding feast.’...

Heavenly father
give us grace today to full participate in the kingdom of heaven

¹¹ “But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man who didn’t have on wedding clothing, 
¹² and he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here not wearing wedding clothing?’ He was...

Heavenly father
give us grace today to seek after truth, rather than scoring points  or making points

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went and took counsel how they might entrap him in his talk. 
¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him, along with the Herodians, saying, 
“Teacher, we know that you are honest, and teach the way of God in truth, no matter whom you teach; for you aren’t...

Heavenly father
give us grace today to have are priorities in the right order 

¹⁷ Tell us therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?”
¹⁸ But Jesus perceived their wickedness, and said, “Why do you test me, you hypocrites? 
¹⁹ ...

Heavenly father
give us grace today to know the power of the resurrection 

²³ On that day Sadducees (those who say that there is no resurrection) came to him. They asked him, ²⁴ saying, “Teacher, 
Moses said, ‘If a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother.’ 
...

Heavenly father
give us grace today to love you with all our heart, soul and mind

³³ When the multitudes heard it, they were astonished at his teaching.
³⁴ But the Pharisees, when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, gathered themselves together. 
³⁵ One of them, a lawyer, asked him a question, testing him. 
...