Key Thought

Today's Prayer

Give me the eyes of faith, O holy God, to see and the spiritual discernment to know how best to honor and praise you for your great acts of blessing, mercy, and grace. You are holy God, so teach me reverence. You are concerned and involved with my daily wounds and struggles, so teach me discernment so that I can better see your hand at work. As you show your presence in my life, use me to help spread the story of your grace and deliverance to others. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Today's Verses in Context

The next day Jesus went to a town called Nain. Jesus' followers and a large group of people were traveling with him. When Jesus came near the town gates, he saw a funeral. A mother, who was a widow, had lost her only son. Many people from the town were there with the mother while her son was being carried out. When the Lord (Jesus) saw her, he felt very sorry for her. Jesus said to her, "Don't cry." Jesus walked to the coffin and touched it. The men that were carrying the coffin stopped. Jesus said to the dead son, "Young man, I tell you, get up!" Then the son sat up and began to talk. Jesus gave him to his mother. All the people were filled with fear. They began praising God and said, "A great prophet has come to us!" And they said, "God is taking care of his people." This news about Jesus spread into all Judea and into all the places around there.

Related Scripture Readings

The Word became a man and lived among us. We saw his glory—the glory that belongs to the only Son of the Father. The Word was full of grace (kindness) and truth. John told people about him. John said, "This is the One I was talking about. I said, 'The One who comes after me is more important than I am. He was living before me.'" The Word (Christ) was full of grace and truth. From him we all received more and more blessings. The law was given through Moses. But grace and {the way of} truth came through Jesus Christ. No man has ever seen God. But the only Son (Jesus) is God. He is very close to the Father (God). And the Son has shown us what God is like.

We tell you now about something that has existed (lived) since before the world began: This we heard, we saw with our own eyes, we watched, we touched with our hands. We write to you about the Word (Christ) that gives life. That Life was shown to us. We saw it. We can give proof about it. Now we tell you about that Life. It is Life that continues forever. This is the Life that was with God the Father. God showed this Life to us. Now we tell you the things that we have seen and heard. Why? Because we want you to have fellowship together with us. The fellowship we share together is with God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ. We write these things to you so that you can be full of joy with us.

You saw these things happen—you are witnesses. You must go and tell people that their sins can be forgiven. Tell them that they must change their hearts and be sorry for their sins. If they will do this, then God will forgive them. You must start from Jerusalem and tell people these things in my name. This Good News must be told to all people in the world.