Today's Good Word comes from a particularly memorable moment in the Old Testament where God tells Saul, the king of Israel, to do battle against the Amalekites and to utterly destroy them and all that they have.

Saul destroyed most everything and everyone — except the king and the best of the livestock. Saul figured it was a good idea to make an example of the king and sacrifice the animals to God. 

Do you remember what Saul said when he returned from battle? In verse 13 he proclaimed, "I have performed the commandment of the Lord."

In his mind, he'd done what God had told him to do. Except that he didn't.

Today's Good Word sounds like a great prayer that we can all pray at the start of each day. Wouldn't it be wonderful to go an entire day without saying something negative, hurtful, or careless? What about that imaptient, demanding tone we sometimes use? I'm sure we'd all like to reach out and grab some of the words we said yesterday and put them back into our mouths. 

Today's Good Word comes from the passover story. If you remember, Moses instructed the children of Israel in Egypt to put the blood of a lamb on their doorposts so that they'd be spared from the final plague — the death of the family's firstborn. 

If you are going through something difficult today, we hope that the simple promise in today's Good Word brings you comfort and hope. 

The next time you feel like you're in a hurricane of hardship, just imagine the Lord pushing away all of the bad things that are happening, replacing the howling wind with beautiful harmony. Imagine Him fully surrounding you with His protection so that nothing can touch you. And, most importantly, reiterating His promise that He will deliver you from this time of trouble. 

Today's Good Word reminds us how important it is to see clearly. And you know we're not talking glasses and contact lenses. We need our inner eye to be operating as close to 20/20 as possible. 

What does that mean?

Today's Good Word reminds us that we must look to God every day for natural and spiritual sustenance.

Thankfully, many of us have enough actual "bread" on hand to last for weeks, so we're not wondering where our next meal is going to come from. But, each day we thank God for the food He provides, realizing that it's there because of His grace.

Today's Good Word reminds us that the work we do isn't for nothing. Sometimes we don't see the results we desire in the timeframe we expect, especially when it comes to the things of God. 

Maybe you've been teaching youth classes, but it doesn't seem like the young people are "getting it." Perhaps you've been giving your testimony to a friend or co-worker, and he or she hasn't comitted to visiting church yet. These things take time. 

Today's Good Word inspires us to take inventory of the major influences in our lives and ask, "Does this thing invite and entice me to do good and love and serve God?"

If the answer is no, then we should rethink that thing and probably get rid of its influence on us.

Today's Good Word is one you've likely heard before if you've been hanging around church for any length of time. Let's look at it and remember why it's so often quoted. 

We love Him. Who? God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. Amen! 

When Jesus Christ walked the earth, He did many amazing things that left people speechless. One of these is when he took hundreds of years of laws — the Law of Moses — and summed it up in two commandments that pretty much anyone can understand. 

1. Love God.

2. Love your neighbor as yourself.

Abhor: to regard with disgust or hatred

Synonyms: loathe, detest, despise

Today's Good Word reminds us how we're supposed to feel toward evil. We're not supposed to admire that which is evil. Or acclaim that which is evil. Or applaud that which is evil. We're supposed to abhor that which is evil. 

We hope you've enjoyed this week's theme of prayer. May the Lord inspire you with new ways that you can deepen your prayer life in 2018. Just imagine the things God might do if we devoted more time to prayer!

We hope that you enjoyed this week's messages of forgiveness. Colossians 3:13 couldn't be more clear. All believers know what it feels like to receive unmerited grace. We have Christ's example set before us, and we can draw from His strength when ours just isn't enough.

We hope that you enjoyed this week's New Year's-inspired articles. May today's Good Word remind you of the fresh start that Christ offers.

Let's start off 2018 with this beautiful verse that encourages us to be doers as well as hearers.