Daily Light on the Daily Path

January 1

But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind,…I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

FATHER, I WANT those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me.—I know whom I have believed, and am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day.—He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Morning

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.—Let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus.

PHIL 3:13-14. John 17:24. 2 Tim. 1:12. Phil. 1:6. 1 Cor. 9:24-25. Heb. 12:1-2.

The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.

IF YOUR Presence does not go with us, do not send us up from here.—I know, O LORD, that a man’s life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps.

Evening

The LORD delights in the way of the man whose steps he has made firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

I am always with you; you hold me by my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will take me into glory.—For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

DEUT. 31:8. Exod. 33:15. Jer. 10:23. Pss. 37:23-24; 73:23-24. Rom. 8:38-39.

January 2

Sing to the Lord a new song.

SING FOR JOY to God our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob! Begin the music, strike the tambourine, play the melodious harp and lyre.…He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

Morning

Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.—For the joy of the LORD is your strength.—Paul thanked God and was encouraged.

And do this, understanding the present time. The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

ISA. 42:10. Pss. 81:1-2; 40:3. Josh. 1:9. Neh. 8:10. Acts 28:15. Rom. 13:11-14.

May my prayer be set before you like incense; may the lifting up of my hands be like the evening sacrifice.

MAKE AN ALTAR of acacia wood for burning incense…Put the altar in front of the curtain that is before the ark of the Testimony—before the atonement cover that is over the Testimony—where I will meet with you.

Evening

Aaron must burn fragrant incense on the altar every morning when he tends the lamps. He must burn incense again when he lights the lamps at twilight so incense will burn regularly before the LORD for the generations to come.

[Jesus] is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.—The smoke of the incense, together with the prayers of the saints, went up before God from the angel’s hand.

You also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

Pray continually.

PS. 141:2. Exod. 30:1, 6-8. Heb. 7:25. Rev. 8:4. 1 Peter 2:5. 1 Thess. 5:17.

January 3

He led them by a straight way.

IN A DESERT land he found him [Jacob], in a barren and howling waste. He shielded him and cared for him; he guarded him as the apple of his eye, like an eagle that stirs up its nest and hovers over its young, that spreads its wings to catch them and carries them on its pinions. The LORD alone led him; no foreign god was with him.—Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

Morning

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.—For this God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even to the end.—Who is a teacher like him?

PS. 107:7. Deut. 32:10-12. Isa. 46:4. Ps. 23:3-4. Isa. 58:11. Ps. 48:14. Job 36:22.

What do you want me to do for you?…Lord, I want to see.

OPEN MY EYES that I may see wonderful things in your law.

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.—But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things.—Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights.

Evening

The God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and this incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is like the working of his mighty strength.

LUKE 18:41. Ps. 119:18. Luke 24:45. John 14:26. James 1:17. Eph. 1:17-19.

January 4

Since you have not yet reached the resting place and the inheritance the LORD your God is giving you.

THIS IS NOT your resting place.—There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God.…It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf.

Morning

In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.—With Christ, which is better by far.

[God] will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.—There the wicked cease from turmoil, and there the weary are at rest.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.—Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

DEUT. 12:9. Mic. 2:10. Heb. 4:9; 6:19-20. John 14:2-3. Phil. 1:23. Rev. 21:4. Job 3:17. Matt. 6:20-21. Col. 3:2.

Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?

THE STING of death is sin.—Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Evening

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness.

1 COR. 15:55. 1 Cor. 15:56. Heb. 9:26-28; 6:14-15. 2 Tim. 4:6-8.

January 5

We who have believed enter that rest.

THEY WEARY themselves with sinning.—I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?

Morning

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.—Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.

For anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own work.—Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.—This is the resting place, let the weary rest and, This is the place of repose.

HEB. 4:3. Jer. 9:5. Rom. 7:23-24. Matt. 11:28. Rom. 5:1-2. Heb. 4:10. Phil. 3:9. Isa. 28:12.

Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD; keep watch over the door of my lips.

IF YOU, O LORD, kept a record of sins, O LORD, who could stand?…For they rebelled against the Spirit of God, and rash words came from Moses’ lips.

Evening

What goes into a man’s mouth does not Evening make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’

A gossip separates close friends…Reckless words pierce like a sword, but the tongue of the wise brings healing. Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue lasts only a moment.—But no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison…Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be.

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices.—It is God’s will that you should be holy—No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

PS. 141:3. Pss. 130:3; 106:33. Matt. 15:11. Prov. 16:28; 12:18-19. James 3:8, 10. Col. 3:8-9. 1 Thess. 4:3. Rev. 14:5.

January 6

May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us.

AND YOUR fame spread among the nations on account of your beauty, because the splendor I had given you made your beauty perfect, declares the Sovereign LORD.—And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.—The Spirit of glory and of God rests on you.

Morning

Blessed are all who fear the LORD, who walk in his ways. You will eat the fruit of your labor, blessings and prosperity will be yours. Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and your plans will succeed.

Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act.—May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.

PS. 90:17. Ezek. 16:14. 2 Cor. 3:18. 1 Peter 4:14. Ps. 128:1-2. Prov. 16:3. Phil. 2:12-13. 2 Thess. 2:16-17.

The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught.

THERE IS A friend who sticks closer than a brother.—The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.—You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.

Evening

When you have done everything you were told to do, [you] should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father.

In everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.—The prayer of the upright pleases him.

MARK 6:30. Prov. 18:24. Exod. 33:11. John 15:14-15. Luke 17:10. Rom. 8:15. Phil. 4:6. Prov. 15:8.

January 7

Remember me with favor, O my God.

I REMEMBER the devotion of your youth, how as a bride you loved me and followed me through the desert, through a land not sown.—Yet I will remember the covenant I made with you in the days of your youth, and I will establish an everlasting covenant with you.—I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Morning

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.—But if it were I, I would appeal to God; I would lay my cause before him. He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed, miracles that cannot be counted."—Many, O LORD my God, are the wonders you have done. The things you planned for us no one can recount to you; were I to speak and tell of them, they would be too many to declare.

NEH. 5:19. Jer. 2:2. Ezek. 16:60. Jer. 29:10-11. Isa. 55:9. Job 5:8-9. Ps. 40:5.

I will never leave you or forsake you.

NOT ONE OF all the LORD’S good promises to the house of Israel failed; every one was fulfilled.—God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?—Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. He remembers His covenant forever.

Evening

"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.

The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing.

JOSH. 1:5. Josh. 21:45. Num. 23:19. Deut. 7:9. Ps. 111:5. Isa. 49:15-16. Zeph. 3:17.

January 8

Those who know your name will trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

THE NAME OF the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.—I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

Morning

I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread…For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever, but the offspring of the wicked will be cut off.—For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own.—He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.

Be content with what you have, because God has said, Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.—So we say with confidence, The Lord is my helper, I will not be afraid.

PS. 9:10. Prov. 18:10. Isa. 12:2. Ps. 37:25, 28. I Sam. 12:22. 2 Cor. 1:10. Heb. 13:5-6.

No lie was found in their mouths; they are blameless.

SEARCH WILL be made for Israel’s guilt, but there will be none, and for the sins of Judah, but none will be found, for I will forgive the remnant I spare.—Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Evening

He has freely given us in the One he loves.—To present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation.

To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.

REV. 14:5. Jer. 50:20. Mic. 7:18-19. Eph. 1:6. Col. 1:22. Jude 24-25.

January 9

But for those who fear you, you have raised a banner to be unfurled against the bow.

THE LORD IS my Banner.—For he will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along.

We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God.—The LORD has vindicated us; come, let us tell in Zion what the LORD our God has done.—No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.—But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.—The author of their salvation.

Morning

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.—By truth they triumph.—Fight the battles of the LORD—Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the LORD, and work. For I am with you.—Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest.—For in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.

PS. 60:4. Exod. 17:15. Isa. 59:19. Ps. 20:5. Jer. 51:10. Rom. 8:37. 1 Cor. 15:57. Heb. 2:10. Eph. 6:10. Jer. 9:3. Isa. 18:17. Hag. 2:4-5. John 4:35. Heb. 10:37.

Only one thing is needed.

MANY ARE asking, Who can show us any good? Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD. You have filled my heart with greater joy than when their grain and new wine abound.

Evening

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God…O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.

I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty…Sir, they said, from now on give us this bread."—Mary…sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said.—One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.

LUKE 10:42. Pss. 4:6-7; 42:1-2; 63:1. John 6:35, 34. Luke 10:39. Ps. 27:4.

January 10

May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

CHRIST LOVED the church and gave himself up for her,…to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.—We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

Morning

The peace of God…transcends all understanding.—Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace.

May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word.—He will keep you strong to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus.

1 THESS. 5:23. Eph. 5:25, 27. Col. 1:28. Phil. 4:7. Col. 3:15. 2 Thess. 2:16-17. 1 Cor. 1:8.

But will God really dwell on earth with men?

THEN HAVE them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them.…There also I will meet with the Israelites, and the place will be consecrated by my glory…Then I will dwell among the Israelites and be their God.—When you ascended on high, you led captives in your train; you received gifts from men, even from the rebellious—that you, O LORD God, might dwell there.

Evening

For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.—Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you.—And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Then the nations will know that I the LORD make Israel holy, when my sanctuary is among them forever.

2 CHRON. 6:18. Exod. 25:8; 29:43, 45. Ps. 68:18. 2 Cor. 6:16. 1 Cor. 6:19. Eph. 2:22. Ezek. 37:28.

January 11

Praise awaits you, O God, in Zion.

FOR US THERE is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.—That all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.—Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that confess his name.—He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.

Morning

After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice: Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.…Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!

PS. 65:1. 1 Cor. 8:6. John 5:23. Heb. 13:15. Ps. 50:23. Rev. 7:9-10, 12.

He redeems my life from the pit.

YET THEIR Redeemer is strong; the LORD Almighty is his name.—"I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. Where, O death, are your plagues?

Where, O grave, is your destruction?"

Evening

Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.

For you died and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.—On the day he comes to be glorified in his holy people and to be marveled at among all those who have believed.

PS. 103:4. Jer. 50:34. Hos. 13:14. Heb. 2:14-15. John 3:36. Col. 3:3-4. 2 Thess. 1:10.

January 12

The only God our Savior.

CHRIST JESUS…has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.—Can you fathom the mysteries of God? Can you probe the limits of the Almighty? They are higher than the heavens—what can you do? They are deeper than the depths of the grave—what can you know?

Morning

No, we speak of God’s secret wisdom, a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began.—This mystery, which for ages past was kept hidden in God, who created all things. His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him…But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

JUDE 25. 1 Cor. 1:30. Job 11:7-8. 1 Cor. 2:7. Eph. 3:9-10. James 1:5; 3:17.

When I lie down I think, ‘How long before I get up?’

WATCHMAN, what is left of the night? The watchman replies, Morning is coming.

For in just a very little while, He who is coming will come and will not delay.—He is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning.

Evening

I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.…Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. You heard me say, ‘I am going away and I am coming back to you.’

So may all your enemies perish, O LORD! But may they who love you be like the sun when It rises in its strength.—You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness.—There will be no night there.

JOB 7:4. Isa. 21:11-12. Heb. 10:37. 2 Sam. 23:4. John 14:2-3. 27-28. Judg. 5:31. 1 Thess. 5:5. Rev. 21:25.

January 13

You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.

CAST YOUR cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall.—I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation.

Morning

You of little faith, why are you so afraid?—Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.—In quietness and trust is your strength.

The effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.—Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.—Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come.

ISA. 26:3. Ps. 55:22. Isa. 12:2. Matt. 8:26. Phil. 4:6-7. Isa. 30:15; 32:17. John 14:27. Rev. 1:4.

Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry.

If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.…Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.—When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins."

Evening

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.—Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

The apostles said to the Lord, Increase our faith!

EPH. 4:26. Matt. 18:15, 21-22. Mark 11:25. Col. 3:12-13. Eph. 4:32. Luke 17:5.

January 14

The Father is greater than I.

WHEN YOU pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.’—My Father and your Father,…my God and your God.—I do exactly what my Father has commanded me.…The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work."

Morning

The Father loves the Son and has placed everything in his hands.…For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him.

Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us. Jesus answered: Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?…Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me?…I and the Father are one.…As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.

JOHN 14:28. Luke 11:2. John 20:17; 14:31. 10; 3:35; 17:2; 14:8-10; 10:30; 15:9-10.

He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.

HIS APPEARANCE was so disfigured beyond that of any man and his form marred beyond human likeness…But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Evening

But this is your hour—when darkness reigns.—"You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.—He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.—The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

GEN. 3:15. Isa. 52:14: 53:5. Luke 22:53. John 19:11. 1 John 3:8. Mark 1:34. Matt. 28:18. Mark 16:17. Rom. 16:20.

January 15

I am laid low in the dust; renew my life according to your word.

SINCE, THEN, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.—Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.—But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

Morning

For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.—Brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.

PS. 119:25. Col. 3:1-3. Phil. 3:20-21. Gal. 5:17. Rom. 8:12-13. 1 Peter 2:11.

The measure of faith.

HIM WHOSE faith is weak…Strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. You of little faith, he said, why did you doubt?…Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.

Evening

Do you believe that I am able to do this? Yes. Lord, they replied. According to your faith will it be done to you.

Lord, increase our faith.—Build yourselves up in your most holy faith—rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ.—And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves…Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in your brother’s way.

ROM. 12:3. Rom. 14:1: 4:20. Matt. 14:31; 15:28; 9:28-29. Luke 17:5. Jude 20. Col. 2:7. 2 Cor. 1:21. 1 Peter 5:10. Rom. 15:1; 14:13.

January 16

For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him.

THE FATHER LOVES the Son and has placed everything in his hands.—God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.—Far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.—For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

Morning

Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living.—You have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority.—From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.

COL. 1:19. John 3:35. Phil. 2:9-11. Eph. 1:21. Col. 1:16. Rom. 14:9. Col. 2:10. John 1:16.

Write, therefore, what you have seen, what is now and what will take place later.

BUT MEN spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.—We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

Evening

"Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself!

Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have." When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.—The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe.

We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.—So that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.

REV. 1:19. 2 Peter 1:21. 1 John 1:3. Luke 24:39-40. John 19:35. 2 Peter 1:16. 1 Cor. 2:5.

January 17

In your love you kept me from the pit of destruction.

HE SENT HIS one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Morning

Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.—O LORD my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. O LORD, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit.

When my life was ebbing away, I remembered you, LORD, and my prayer rose to you, to your holy temple.—I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock.

ISA. 38:17. 1 John 4:9-10. Mic. 7:18-19. Ps. 30:2-3. John 2:7. Ps. 40:1-2.

What is now.

NOW WE SEE but a poor reflection.—At present we do not see everything subject to him.

And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.—Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.

Evening

But, dear friends, remember what the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ foretold. They said to you, In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires.—The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Dear children, this is the last hour.—The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

REV. 1:19. 1 Cor. 13:12. Heb. 2:8. 2 Peter 1:19. Ps. 119:105. Jude 17-18. 1 Tim. 4:1. 1 John 2:18. Rom. 13:12.

January 18

The one to come.

JESUS, WHO was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.—One died for all.—For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Morning

The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.—God said, Let us make man in our image, in our likeness.…So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him.—But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being.—For you granted him authority over all people.

ROM. 5:14. Heb. 2:9. 2 Cor. 5:14. Rom. 5:19. 1 Cor. 15:45-46. Gen. 1:26-27. Heb. 1:2-3. John 17:2.

What will take place later.

IT IS WRITTEN: No eye has seen, nor ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.—But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit.

Evening

Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him; and all the peoples of the earth will mourn because of him. So shall it be! Amen.

Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him…For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

REV. 1:19. 1 Cor. 2:9-10. John 16:13. Rev. 1:7. 1 Thess. 4:13-14, 16-17.

January 19

I served the Lord with great humility.

WHOEVER WANTS to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.

Morning

If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself.—For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.—When you have done everything you were told to do, [you] should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’"

Now this is our boast:…we have conducted ourselves in the world…in the holiness and sincerity that are from God. We have done so not according to worldly wisdom but according to God’s grace…But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

ACTS 20:19. Matt. 20:26-28. Gal. 6:3. Rom. 12:3. Luke 17:10. 2 Cor. 1:12; 4:7.

Each of us has turned to his own way.

NOAH, A MAN of the soil, proceeded to plant a vineyard. When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk…Abram…said to his wife Sarai,…Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake.…Then Isaac said to Jacob,…Are you really my son Esau?…I am, he replied.—And rash words came from Moses’ lips.

Evening

The men of