Love God. Love the children of God

If we say, “I love God!”
but loathe a brother
or sister in Christ,
we’re lying!

If we have no regard
for Christians we see,
how can we love God
Who cannot be seen?

The Lord gives this clear command:
If we truly love God, we’ll truly care
about the children of God.

1 John 4:20-21 from the Verse of the Day posted by Bible Gateway and prayer-a-phrased by Mary Sayler, © 2017


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God Is Love

1 John 4:11-18

Beloved, God loves us so much,
we must love one another too.

No, we haven’t seen God,
and yet, by loving one another,
God lives in us!
And God’s love perfects ours.

How do we know we’re in God,
and God is in us?
We have His Spirit.

Furthermore, we have seen
(through God’s Word) how
the Father sent His Son
to save us and the world.

If we acknowledge Jesus
as the Son of God,
we can be sure God lives in us
and we in Him. And we can know
and believe in the power of love
God gives.

For God Is Love!

So as we remain in love,
God remains in us
and brings our love
to perfection.

Then we can know for sure
not to worry about judgment day
because we’re living as God wants.

Oh, Beloved, in love
there is nothing to fear!

God’s perfect love
frees us
from any fears we have
of being punished,
tormented, or even
harshly rebuked.

So if you’re still afraid,
pray to experience
ever more fully
the pure, pure love
of God.

© 2016, Mary Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in 1 John 4 with the help of several of the many translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Obliged to love

Romans 13:8-10

Don’t be obliged
to anyone for anything
except for being
obligated to love.

Whoever loves others
has fulfilled the law!

Consider the commandments:

Do not commit adultery with anyone.
Do not murder anyone.
Do not steal from anyone.
Do not scheme to get
what anyone else has.

See?
The commandments add up to one:

Love anyone as yourself.

Love harms no one!
Therefore, your love fulfills God’s law.


© 2015, Mary Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Romans 13 from several of the many translations on Bible Gateway

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Christ’s love does not let us down

Romans 5:5-11

Our hope in Christ Jesus
does not disappoint us
or put us to shame
because the Holy Spirit
pours into us
the love of God!

For when we were weak and helpless
and unable to save ourselves,
Christ died for all of us – sinners all –
at just the right time.

Think of it! Few of us would be willing
to die for someone else, though, perhaps,
we might for family or friend.

But the Lord proved His amazing love for us
that, while we were way far away from God,

Christ died for us:

justifying us by His blood,
saving us from end-time wrath,
reconciling us to God by His death.

Oh, how much more
will our lives be saved by His life!

Praise God!

Through Jesus Christ our Lord
our fellowship with God, ourselves,
and one another is restored!


© 2015, Mary Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Romans 5:5-11 from several of the many translations found on Bible Gateway

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To the young or inexperienced

1 Timothy 4:12-16

Beloved,
give no one cause to look down on you
just because you’re young or inexperienced.

Set a good example
by the way you speak, act,
and show love, faith, and
wholesome behavior.

Keep reading God’s word
before teaching
or exhorting anyone else.

And do not neglect
the God-given gift
you have received –
conferred to you
through the church.

Practice these things.

Be committed to them.

Then your spiritual growth
will be a blessing to everyone.

Take care of yourself
and what you say
in teaching others.

As you keep on doing
your work in the Lord,
you’ll receive saving grace
for yourself and all who listen.

© 2015, Mary Sayler prayer-a-phrased these words from today’s Epistle reading in 1 Timothy by drawing on a variety of translations on Bible Gateway.

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For God so loved the world

John 3:13-17

And Jesus said,
“No one has gone up to heaven
except The One
who came down from heaven:
the Son of Man.

And as Moses lifted up
the serpent in the desert,
so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
so that everyone who believes in Him
may have everlasting life.”

For God so loved the world,
He gave His only Son
so that everyone
who believes in Him
might not perish
but have eternal life.

For God did not
send His Son into the world
to condemn the world,
but that, through Him,
the world might be saved."


© 2015, Mary Sayler prayer-a-phrased these lines from today’s Gospel reading in John with the help of translations on Bible Gateway.

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Deck yourself out in love

Colossians 3:12-17

You are God’s chosen ones –
the holy elect –
dearly loved!

Now clothes yourselves
in mercy, kindness,
gentleness, and patience,
so you can bear up
under complaints
and forgive one another
as the Lord has forgiven you.

Beyond this
clothe yourself in love –
the perfect bond –

and let the peace of Christ
control your hearts.

You’re called to be
One Body in peace,
so be thankful!

Let the word of Christ live
in you richly
as you teach
and exhort one another
with wisdom,
singing Psalms and hymns
and spiritual songs
with hearts given in grace
to God.

And whatever you do –
whether in words or actions –
do all in the Name
of the Lord Jesus
with thanks to God our Father
to Whom we belong
in Christ.

© 2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading from Colossians with help from the many translations on Bible Gateway.

Love brings home the Lord

John 14:23

Jesus answered and said,

If you love Me,
you will keep My word,
and My Father will love you.
And We will come to you,
and make Our Home
to be at home
with you.

©2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased this verse in the Gospel of John with readings from many of the translations provided on Bible Gateway.
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First Commandment: Love

Mark 12:28-31

Hearing an argument,
one of the scribes
came forward to ask,
“Then which is the first
of all commandments?”

Jesus replied,
“The first is this:
Hear, O Israel!
The LORD our God
is the only LORD,
and you shall love
the LORD your God

with all of your heart,
with all of your soul,
with all of your mind,
with all of your strength,

and the second command is this:

you shall love your neighbor
as yourself. No other
commandments are greater
than these.”

©2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in the Gospel of Mark by referring to several of the many translations provided by Bible Gateway.

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For the love of Christ

Prayer-a-phrase of John 15:12-17

And Jesus said to all who follow Him:

Here’s what I want you to do:
“Love one another as I love you.”

What kind of love is that?

The greatest love is when
you give your life for your friends.

You are My friends,
and you show this
by doing as I ask.

You’re not enslaved by Me!

A slave has no idea what his master is doing!
But I told you everything I’ve heard from My Father,
because you are My friends.

You didn’t choose Me first,
but I chose You,
and now I’m appointing you
to go and bear fruit for eternity!

Then, whatever you ask the Father in My Name,
He will be able to give you
as you fulfill My command:

Love one another.


©2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased this scripture in John 15 from several of the many translations found on Bible Gateway.

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The love commandments

Mark 12:28-31

Coming up to Jesus, a religious expert asked,
“What’s the most important commandment?”

Jesus said, “The first thing to hear and heed is this:

The Lord, our God
alone is God!

And you shall love the Lord your God
in body, mind, and spirit:

with all of your heart,
with all of your soul,
with all of your mind,
and with all of your strength and being.

The second thing to hear and heed is this:

Your shall love other people just as much
as you must love yourself.

No other commandments mean more than these.


©2015, Mary Harwell Sayler prayer-a-phrased this scripture in Mark 12 from some of the many translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Love and pray for your enemies

Matthew 5:43-48

To all who follow Him, Jesus says:

You have heard people say
it’s okay to love your neighbors
and hate your enemies,
but I say,
Love your foes
and pray for those who trouble you.
This shows you’re children
of your Father, Who makes the sun
shine on the good and the bad,
and Who causes rain to fall on all –
the just and the unjust.
For if you love only those who love you,
what reward can be had?
Even despicable people do the same!
And if you greet only your brothers and sisters,
what’s unusual about that?
Even pagans greet their own families!
To be perfectly fair,
care for others as your Heavenly Father
perfectly loves and cares for you.


©2015, Mary Harwell Sayler, poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Matthew with the help of translations found on Bible Gateway.
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Born again in love

1 John 4:7-10

Beloved, let’s love one another!

Love comes from God,
so everyone who knows love
knows God,
and is born again.

People who show no love
do not know God
for God is love.

And the love of God
became clear
as God sent
His only begotten Son
into the world
to imprint His life upon us.

So, our love comes,
not because we love God,
but because God loves us
and gave His Son
as the expiation –

the compensation,
the penance,
the punishment,
the amends –

for our sins.


©2015, Mary Harwell Sayler, poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in I John by comparing many of the translations found on Bible Gateway.

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See the love!

1 John 3:1-2

Oh, look!

See what love the Father
has poured onto us,
the children of God!

That’s who we are!

And we know Whose we are –
whether other people
know it yet or not.

Oh, Beloved,
we are God’s children –
now!

What we will be
has not yet been revealed,
but we do know this:

When Christ comes,
we shall be like Him
for we shall see Him
as He is.


©2015, Mary Sayler, poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in I John by comparing many of the translations found on Bible Gateway.

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Loving and living in the light of Christ

Prayer-a-phrase of 1 John 2:3-10

How do we know we know God?
If we keep Christ’s commandments!

People who say they know God
but do not obey God’s Word
are just lying to themselves,
and the truth is not in them.

But whoever obeys God’s Word
is perfected by the love of God.

By this we'll know: If we say
we live in Christ,
we will walk as Jesus did.

Beloved, this isn’t a new command
as it’s been true since the beginning,
so you’ve already heard this word,
and yet, this is new
because it’s come true now
in Christ and in you:

Darkness is passing away,
and true light shines in Christ!

So, if you say you live in the light
but loathe other Christians,
you’re still in the darkness.

Those who love all believers
will live in the light of Christ
and cause none to stumble.


©2014, Mary Sayler, poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in I John by comparing translations on Bible Gateway.
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Jesus Christ says, I love you!

I correct and discipline
those whom I love.

I correct and discipline
you, My love.

Be earnest about turning
your heart and life
toward Me.

Listen!
I’m standing at your door,
knocking.

If you sense My voice
and open your heart, I
will come in
to be with you
and sit down with you,
and together,
we shall dine.

Stay with Me, and I
will seat you near My throne,
just as My Father did for Me.

If you can hear,
listen –
listen to what the Spirit
is saying to you
who live in Me.

Revelation 3:19-22


©2014, Mary Sayler, a poet, writer, and lifelong lover of Christ, the Bible, and the church, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Revelation by comparing translations on Bible Gateway.

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What love does

Remind everyone to obey
those in authority
and be ready to do good.

Remind everyone not
to talk ill of anyone nor
quarrel, but be
gentle and respectful of all.

Remember how we once
foolishly disobeyed? We, too,
went the way of envy
and other evils, and, oh, how
we hated one another!

Then God
our Savior
showed us true
kindness and love
by saving us –
not because
of anything
we had done,
but because
of God’s own
mercy.

And God cleansed us from sin
and gave us a fresh start
and gave us a new life in the Spirit
and generously poured into us
the Holy Spirit of our Savior
Jesus Christ.

God’s grace made us righteous.
God's gift gave us confidence
and hope
of life
forever in Christ.

Titus 3:1-7


©2014, Mary Sayler, a poet, writer, and lifelong lover of the Bible, prayer-a-phrased today’s reading in Titus by comparing translations on Bible Gateway.


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How to imitate Christ’s love

Philippians 2:1-5

Beloved,
If you can find any encouragement in Christ,
any comfort in God’s love,
any fellowship in the Holy Spirit,
any compassion and any mercy anywhere,
you’ll bring joy to the Family of God
by having the same mind,
the same love,
the same loving thoughts
to unite your hearts.

Instead of focusing only on yourself
and the attention you might like,
focus on other people
and their needs.

Then you’ll see – really see –
and look out for others
The Way
Christ Jesus looks out
through His love for you.


©2014, Mary Sayler prayer-a-phrased today’s Bible reading in Philippians 2:1-5 by comparing translations found on Bible Gateway.

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How faith in Christ leads us to love

Because of our faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ,
we have been made right with God!

With God, we have peace.

Because of our faith
in the Lord Jesus Christ,
we have access
to the Grace of God,
and we rejoice in the hope
of God’s Glory.

We can even rejoice
in our troubles,
knowing that trials help us
to endure,
and endurance develops
our character,
and character strengthens
our hope,
and hope will not lead
to disappointment

because the Love of God
pours into our hearts,
through the Holy Spirit,
Who has been given to us
and keeps filling us
with God’s Love.

©2014, Mary Sayler prayer-a-phrased Romans 5:1-5 from the poetic words found in many translations on Bible Gateway.

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God’s Love reaches everywhere and to all

Prayer-a-phrase of Psalm 36:5-9

O, Lord God,
Your Love reaches beyond the heavens
and Your faithfulness
beyond any clouds we may see.

Higher than great mountains
is Your righteousness,
and Your fair justice
fills the great deep.

What loving care You take
of all living creatures!

How priceless, O God,
is Your loving kindness!

All who trust You will
find shelter beneath Your wings.

For You pour
Your very own goodness into us
and help us to be delighted
with Your good gifts.

O Lord,
You are the Fountain of Life,
and in Your Light,
we see light.


Prayer: In Your love, Lord God, help us to see the love around us in Jesus’ Name.


©2014, Mary Sayler prayer-a-phrased the above poem from the many translations of Psalm 36 found on Bible Gateway.
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