Daily Devotional

By Glen A. Huff

Daily Devotional is a worship aid designed to help the reader focus on scripture and its application each day. The book originated with weekly inspirational e-mail messages sent to a small group of readers who forwarded the messages to others. Over a period of more than 7 years the messages made their way into a variety of places including the Pentagon, prisons, military encampments in Iraq, used car lots and beauty salons, to name a few. Those messages have been compiled into the Daily Devotional.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Aug 27, 2010
• ISBN: 9781453555439

Book preview

January 1

NEW YEAR, FRESH START

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

—1 John 1:9.

The old adage Confession is good for the soul could have had its origins in the writings and thoughts of the apostle John. In his pastoral letter, John emphasized the need for confession. He understood that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but he also knew that through confession of sins we can be forgiven, justified, and purified (1 John 1:9; see also Acts 13:39; Romans 3:24).

In this season of the New Year, we sometimes resolve to do things differently. All too often, however, even our purest intentions are derailed by baggage carried over from previous years. John’s instructions provide a solution.

By confessing our sins and resolving to follow Christ, we are forgiven. We can begin the New Year with a clean slate. In Christ we have a do-over. Regardless of who we’ve been, what we’ve done, and how we’ve gotten to where we are, we get a fresh start with our Maker if we will confess our sins to Him and strive to walk in the path He has created for us.

Changing our ways and resolving to emulate Jesus as we enter the new year begins with confession—that is, acknowledging our shortcomings and opening our hearts to the Holy Spirit’s leading so that we follow a new course leading to changed lives. Through confessing our sins and concentrating our forward focus on Jesus, the old is wiped away and we become a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17).

May we begin this year with confession, cleaning out the old so that our lives may be renewed in Jesus.

January 2

ONE NATION UNDER GOD

If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all His commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth.

—Deuteronomy 28:1

Today, when an oath of office is administered, the person taking the oath usually places his/her hand atop a closed Bible. When, however, George Washington took the oath of office on April 30, 1789, to be the first president of the United States, he instructed that the Bible upon which he took the oath be opened to Deuteronomy 28. Washington, no doubt, sought to invoke the blessings promised in Deuteronomy for his new God-fearing nation.

Following that reverent beginning, we have been blessed in the city and blessed in the country (Deuteronomy 28:3); our fertile farmlands have produced bountiful harvests (Deuteronomy 28:4, 5). The enemies who have risen up against us have been defeated. (Deuteronomy 28:7). As promised, the Lord [has opened] the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands (Deuteronomy 28:12). America has become a blessed stronghold among nations.

That same chapter, however, specified curses that would follow for a nation that became disobedient to God. You will be cursed in the city . . . the fruit of your womb will be cursed and the calves of your herds (Deuteronomy 28:16-18). The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies (Deuteronomy 28:25). The alien who lives among you will rise above you higher and higher (Deuteronomy 28:43).

Today amidst ongoing efforts to eradicate God from our schools, public places, and everyday activities, we see our cities increasingly vulnerable to terrorist attack, mad cow disease crossing our borders to enter our farmlands, defeats in Vietnam and now perhaps Iraq, and illegal aliens crossing our borders in record numbers and wrecking havoc in the process. Coincidence, some will say. Others, however, will recognize these disturbing trends as Providence.

There is a solution. If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chronicles 7:14). We Christians (called by the name of Christ) have an urgent responsibility today to humble ourselves and pray and turn our country from its evil ways. May we heed the warning, humble ourselves in prayer, and once again hail God as our Lord, to whom we owe our full obedience.

January 3

BOUNTY

When they had done so (lowered their fishing nets as Jesus told Peter to do), they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

—Luke 5:6-7

Peter and his colleagues fished all night long but caught nothing. Jesus instructed the fishermen to put out into deep water and let down the nets for a catch (Luke 5:4). The fishermen did as Jesus instructed even though they had no luck previously. Amazingly, the resultant catch strained their nets and filled their boats to the point of nearly sinking.

Why did Jesus provide so bountifully? Did He want to prosper these fishermen who had accommodated Jesus previously with a boat from which to address the crowds? Did Jesus expect Peter and his coworkers to sell the fish to accumulate a tidy nest egg?

Surprisingly, the reaction of Peter and two of his partners was to pull their boats up on shore and leave everything (boats, nets, and the huge catch) to follow Jesus. Sometimes God prospers us so that we can leave it all behind to redeem His earthly blessings for treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:20).

Unfortunately, we often have difficulty understanding the challenge. During his early years as a commercial salmon fisherman in Alaska, my brother was astonished to learn that each year, several fishermen would die because they overloaded their boats with catch to the point of sinking.

When we cling to the bounty we’ve received on earth, the risk of loss is great and transcends this world. In the Gospel of Mark, a devout rich man was unable to separate from his possessions as instructed by Christ. Jesus responded, How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God! (Mark 10:23).

May we muster the strength this day to leave everything behind to follow Jesus.

January 4

EVERLASTING LIFE

You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning—though in the morning it springs up new, by evening it is dry and withered.

—Psalm 90:5

With these ancient words of Moses, a recent planning retreat began for my partners and me. At the appointed moment, everyone was asked to stand as a casket rolled into the meeting room, much to the surprise and astonishment of my partners. No sound was heard except the deliberate reading of the psalm, You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning . . . by evening it is dry and withered (Psalm 90:5). This dramatic start reminded us to act now on the things that are of importance.

If our time on earth was all there was to life, we could easily become discouraged at the futility of such a temporal venture. But through God’s Word, there is more. In his writing to the early church, Peter recalled the words of the prophet Isaiah, All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field; the grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of the Lord stands forever (1 Peter 1:24-26, quoting Isaiah 40:6-8).

Jesus is the Word of God that stands forever (John 1:1-2, 14). When we commit our earthly life to Jesus, we take on a different life perspective. The things of this world become less important because we are no longer limited to our given days on this planet. The limitations and struggles that plague us now are temporary; difficulties will terminate after a short span of life, and then we will dwell in the House of the Lord forever (Psalm 23:6).

The trappings of this world, even our bodies, are temporary (2 Corinthians 5:1). Paul taught the early church in Corinth that the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53). We are freed from the empty way of life by covering ourselves with the atoning sacrifice of Jesus (1 Peter 1:18-19).

May we be freed from the futility of this world by focusing on what is of true and lasting importance, the Word of God.

January 5

GOD OF ORDER

For God is not a God of disorder but of peace.

—1 Corinthians 14:33

When Paul instructed the early church in Corinth, he pointed out that God creates order and peace. For example, he advised that speaking in tongues in front of the congregation should be done in turns and only if someone with the gift of prophecy is present to interpret (1 Corinthians 14:27-33). Disruptions to worship should be minimized (1 Corinthians 14:35). Paul suggested that we are to exercise the gifts given to us by God, but everything should be done in a fitting and orderly way (1 Corinthians 14:40).

From the outset of the Bible, we learn that God creates order (Genesis 1:1). Chaos is an anathema to our Lord. But Satan, who prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8), frequently sows seeds of discord and dissension to interrupt the smooth operation of the church. When Satan is allowed a foothold, harmonious exercising of the gifts of the Spirit gives way to competition and self-centeredness.

The antidote for chaos is not the dictating of form and structure. In fact, we should allow the Holy Spirit to lead us (see, for example, Ephesians 5:18). Rather, we must be on guard to resist anything that seeks to take away from Christ’s position as head of the Church. Order and peace are hallmarks of God. Such calm prevails when we humble ourselves under God’s mighty hand and when we cast all [our] anxiety on Him because he cares for [us] 1 Peter 5:6-7.

May we therefore yield to Christ’s headship in the church, receiving the order and peace that come from God.

January 6

THE GIFT

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

—Matthew 2:11

Of all the gifts of the Magi, perhaps the most curious is myrrh. Gold was an appropriate gift for a king, and Christ was destined to become a king (Revelation 19:16). Incense was suitable for lifting prayers to God (Psalm 141:2), and Jesus came into this world so that God would be with us (Matthew 1:23). But myrrh was an ointment used in embalming the dead. What kind of a gift was that for a newborn infant?

Myrrh is first referenced in scripture at Exodus 30:23. Myrrh was the initial ingredient specified by God in His formula for the sacred anointing oil given to Moses. Moses was instructed to apply the myrrh-laced oil to the implements of worship within the Tabernacle tent, thereby consecrating them into holy service (Exodus 30:26-29). In Christ’s time, references to myrrh were much more ominous. At His crucifixion, Jesus was offered (and refused) a sedative concocted of wine and myrrh (Mark 16:23). After Jesus was removed from the cross, Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes to prepare Christ’s body for burial (John 19:39). The element myrrh has symbolically bridged God’s holy kingdom with Christ’s earthly suffering and death.

Myrrh seems a morose gift to have been presented to the Christ child. Yet in retrospect, it forecast the importance of His death as part of the plan for our access to God’s holy kingdom. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus became the gift for each of us, allowing us to enter into God’s holy presence (Acts 4:12).

May we embrace God’s plan in all its aspects, not only His royal kingship, and not only His holiness, but also the sacrifice that was and is required for us to come into His presence.

January 7

GOD IN THE WORKPLACE

But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth.

—Deuteronomy 8:18

Everything comes from God. We tend, however, to compartmentalize our lives, separating things we associate with God from those we associate with this world.

Our work life, for example, is a gift from God. He . . . gives [us] the ability to produce wealth (Deuteronomy 8:18). Do we tend to shut God out of our workplace? What percent of the waking hours of our adult life is spent in work? If we lock God out of our job, we’re removing Him from the largest portion of our life!

As Christians we are called to live in the presence of God wherever we are. John Beehner, the founder of a Christian businessmen’s group known as Wise Counsel says, Every business is a ministry, and every ministry a business. Every business ministers to people and teaches them values. It’s just a question of what values they’re teaching.

Similarly, in his book titled God Owns My Business, Stanley Tam writes, Too often people think of church as a relationship apart from life. It’s something you do on Sunday, but it scarcely relates to what you do the remainder of the week. This is why lay witness is so important. You and I touch men in the crossroads. We see them as they are, and they see us as we are, sleeves rolled up, hard at it, no pretense. No Sunday front. And this is where the gospel is most relevant.

Our job as Christians is to integrate our faith with our daily business life. God is relevant even in our ability to produce wealth. Let us invite God into our jobs.

May we open ourselves, even to the point of vulnerability, to welcome God in the workplace.

January 8

REBIRTH

No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to Spirit . . . You must be born again.

John 3:5-7

God has been no stranger to this earth that He made. At the time of Adam and Eve, God walked through the Garden of Eden and talked with them (Genesis 3:8). Once sin separated mankind from God, however, Adam and Eve were banished from the lush garden of God’s presence (Genesis 3:23).

Through the birth of Jesus, God once again walked amongst the people He had created (John 1:14). And following Christ’s resurrection from death, God’s Holy Spirit came to dwell with those who allowed Christ’s Spirit to live within them as Lord and Savior of their lives (John 1:12-14). Now we can walk and talk with God, much like Adam and Eve did, if we allow our spirit to be reshaped under the influence of Christ’s Spirit; that is, we must be born again (John 3:7).

The idea of reforming our spirit so that it evidences Christ’s perpetual presence is sometimes difficult to grasp. After all, isn’t our spirit something with which we are born? How can someone else affect our spirit?

Many a young father can recall the days before the birth of their first child. Up until that time, life for them was seen from a certain perspective: sometimes carefree, sometimes painful. But once they held their own child for the first time, their outlook changed. Suddenly, the lifestyle of yesterday was a distant past, and new meaning was born into their life.

Being born again is perhaps like the metamorphosis that takes place in the hearts of new dads when they hold their child close for the first time. Their values change. Suddenly they have new purpose in life, a mission to nurture another soul.

In this post-Christmas season, may we hold the Christ child close and claim Him as our own so that our lives are redirected and we come to walk and talk with our God just as naturally as did Adam and Eve.

January 9

LISTEN TO HIM

Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.

—Luke 9:30-31

At the time of the transfiguration, Moses and Elijah were observed speaking with Jesus about Christ’s impending death at Jerusalem. The disciples recognized Moses, often identified with the law, and Elijah, one of the greatest prophets, who spoke for God. Moses and Elijah were great, but neither had been able to accomplish the salvation of mankind’s souls. The brief conference among the three must have resembled a quarterback huddle before the last minutes of the greatest game of all time.

I’ve wondered what was said amongst the three. Scripture merely says that they came together in connection with the fulfillment Jesus was about to bring at Jerusalem. There was a plan, and it involved joining law and prophecy. More than four hundred years earlier, the prophet Malachi had spoken of this day. Remember the law of my servant Moses, the decrees and laws I gave him at Horeb for all Israel. See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the father to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers (Malachi 4:4-6).

Jesus came to fulfill the law and the prophecies that had gone before him—Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). According to Jesus, the two greatest principles of life were to love God and to love one another—Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments (Matthew 22:37-38). At the transfiguration, once the clouds cleared, Jesus was alone, and the voice of God was heard to say, This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him (Luke 9:35-36).

As we face potentially divisive issues of life (e.g., issues concerning homosexuality or prayer in public settings, etc.), neither law nor relationships, by themselves, are enough. Jesus provides the right balance of principles tempered by love.

May we listen to Him.

January 10

NEW LIFE

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

2 Corinthians 5:17

We run the area’s greatest cemetery organization, the speaker explained. He was from Teen Challenge, and his point was that troubled youth who came to live at the teen home were likely to die to their old ways and be born anew. For most at the home, this was a last chance. Perhaps the line from Mother Teresa summed up the conversions experienced there, You will never know that Jesus is all you need until Jesus is all you’ve got.

Most of us go through life without experiencing such dramatic life changes. Yet Jesus’s advice to Nicodemus was that we must be born again. No one can enter the Kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit (John 3:5). Being born of the Spirit is imperative. For some, that effort may include kicking a drug habit or shedding a life of crime. For others, however, the change may be difficult because it is subtle.

Whether our conversion is dramatic or subtle, being born of the Spirit requires our total submission and dependence on Christ. The role of the Holy Spirit is to lead us to that point. Paul, in his letter to the Philippians explained, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord (Philippians 3:8). A new person is created when we can die to self-reliance and self-dependence and declare Christ as Lord of all aspects of our life.

May we this day experience the new birth that comes from knowing that Jesus is all we need.

January 11

RECIPROCITY

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.

Matthew 7:12.

My college literature professor announced that if he could, he would withhold each student’s grade until he visited their home ten years after taking his class. Anyone caught reading only Readers’ Digest would fail the course.

We live in a time of CliffsNotes, condensations, and summaries. Jesus spoke for just such times. In a single verse he summed up the law and the teachings of the prophets. Do unto others, as you would have them do unto you (Matthew 7:12).

Elaboration of this basic tenet appears throughout the Bible. For example, in the book of Luke, Jesus offers advice for those who do not want to be judged or condemned; don’t judge or condemn others (Luke 6:37). Similarly, if we want forgiveness, then we are to forgive others (Luke 6:37). To receive, we are to give (Luke 6:38; see also Galatians 6:7, A man reaps what he sows.).

Condensed versions and summaries are not bad things so long as we don’t let them rob us of the full meaning. Are we looking for love today? Then show love to someone. Do we desire fairness or even generosity? Then dish it out. What are you seeking? The answer to that question defines the action incumbent upon us.

May we treat others as we would like to be treated.

January 12

WATERMARK

But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.

—John 3:21

Good quality stationery has a watermark which is visible when the paper is held up to light. The manufacturer embeds that mark within the paper as a sign of quality and designation of origin.

Each Christian has a watermark (the mark of the Holy Spirit, Ephesians 1:13) placed within them by our Creator when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. When we are held to the light of judgment, our watermark shows so that it is plainly seen that God is at work in our life.

May we live according to Jesus’s example so that we are marked as God’s in all we do.

January 13

LASTING WORTH

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

—Philippians 4:8

Handel’s Messiah was performed at church this week. Handel composed his famous choral and symphony work, Messiah, in 1741. For more than two hundred years, Messiah has been one of the best-known and best-loved works of all time. The great composer was inspired by the life of Christ and reflected that in music, which includes passages from Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, Job 19, and Revelation 5. What is it that provides the timeless popularity and lasting worth?

Many Renaissance paintings from the old master artists hang in the Victoria and Albert Museum located in London, England. Most of the works depict scenes from the Bible. These paintings are among the most prized possessions on earth. What is it that causes these old canvases to be so highly valued centuries after the artists are dead and gone?

The scriptures have long inspired master painters, sculptors, and composers. The world’s all-time bestseller among books, the Bible, is the single greatest source of things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy.

May we focus on the Word that has inspired greatness since the beginning of the earth.

January 14

DISOBEDIENCE

Then they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves . . . But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. The Lord said, If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.

—Genesis 11:4-7

The Bible’s account of the Tower of Babel is brief but appears to speak of people’s runaway ego rebelling against God by planning to devise their own way to heaven. According to the account in scripture, multiple languages were introduced in order to deter development of a misplaced sense of self-reliance in the quest to be joined with God. Confusion ensued.

A friend recently postulated that disobedience results in confusion, which in turn causes pain. As children, most of us responded to the stimulus of pain by coming back into proper alignment with authority. As adults, however, we sometimes are calloused to the painful consequences of our disobedience and therefore fail to respond appropriately to corrections designed to bring us back into alignment with God’s plan.

Some things have not changed with time. Egos continue to interfere with achieving the proper relationship between God and mankind. Those who delude themselves with thoughts that they can chart their own unique course that leads to heaven have confused God’s Word much as if they have heard in a different language. Jesus directly stated that He is the way to heaven and that no one comes to the Father except through [him] (John 14:6).

When we deviate from God’s plan, we often encounter confusion and pain. Scripture is replete with explanations and examples of the effects of disobedience. See, for example, Deuteronomy 11:28 (curse follows disobedience), 1 Samuel 12:15, Ephesians 5:6 (God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient), 2 Thessalonians 1:8, and Hebrews 2:2.

Jesus instructed His disciples, Unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 18:3). Perhaps included in Jesus’s teaching was the concept that we must be responsive to correction and not insistent on our own ways.

May we submit to God’s correction and comply with His Word, avoiding disobedience and its confusion and pain.

January 15

PEER INFLUENCE

Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial (Satan)? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God.

—2 Corinthians 6:14-16

The company we keep influences us. Friendships and relationships are among the choices each of us makes as we journey in our faith walk. The people with whom we repeatedly relate during our lives will affect our course.

The magnetic compass located in the cockpit of an aircraft always has a deviation card placed nearby. That placard warns the pilot about the extent to which the magnetic compass is affected by the other equipment on board. At the start of the trip, a small deviation from course may not make much difference, but over time as the trip progresses, the effect of a small compass deviation can lead the aircraft off course enough to miss its intended destination.

Each of us is to set our moral and spiritual compass in such a way that as we journey through life, we are drawn closer and closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The company we keep, however, will affect our compass. What appears as a small deviation from the path of Christ ultimately could cause us to miss altogether the narrow gate that leads to heaven (Matthew 7:13-14).

As we select our friends and business associates, let us be mindful of the subtle effect their presence may have on our lives. May we choose wisely those who share our path so that their presence may not lead us astray.

January 16

NURTURING THE NEXT GENERATION

I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in the truth.

—3 John 4

As we age and mature, we often come to the realization that our lives have the most meaning when we make a difference for the next generation. For many years I have planned and prayed about my own life, but my more fervent prayers and plans now are about my children.

The apostle John appeared to take great joy in being assured about his children’s belief and their Christian walk. John’s children were the members of the next generation who would carry the message of Jesus Christ forward long after John was dead and gone. For John, the value of his life on this planet would be measured not by the effect that the Gospel had on him, but by the effect that he (as a living example and teacher of the Gospel) had on the next generation of believers.

As it turned out, through his writing and teaching, John influenced many generations to advance the Gospel. The example of John is commended to each of us. We too are called to make a difference for our progeny by setting an example and participating in the education of our young people. No greater legacy can be left than to accomplish great things in the hearts and minds of those who follow after us.

May we find our greatest joy in the effect we have in advancing the Gospel to the next generation.

January 17

FAITH

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

—Hebrews 11:1

The ancient writing, Desiderata, boldly declares, Whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the world is unfolding as it should. Sometimes it is difficult to see God’s presence in our frenetically paced world. Strife and discord too frequently affect us. Yet even where He is not apparent, God is there.

If we seek Him, we will find Him (Matthew 7:8) even when the world does not appear to be unfolding as it should. That is the point of faith, believing in God’s presence when He is not apparent. Jesus told doubting Thomas, Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).

May we this day seek God even where the world would not look for Him, and may we know from the outset that He is there.

January 18

FORGIVE US AS WE FORGIVE OTHERS

Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.

—Matthew 6:12

This familiar line from the Lord’s Prayer states a weighty truth. In fact, this was the one line upon which Christ elaborated, For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins (Matthew 6:14-15). Later, Jesus told a parable about the unforgiving debtor who was thrown back into debtor’s prison (Matthew 18:21-35). Jesus concluded that story with This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother from your heart (Matthew 18:35).

If we are at odds with our brother, we are instructed to leave the altar and make things right so that the problem with our brother does not become an interference in our relationship with God (Matthew 5:23-24). Forgiving others may not come easily. It may require writing that letter you’ve been avoiding. It may mean saying I’m sorry, even when we rationalize that the total fault does not belong to us. Similarly, the Bible instructs that our prayers may be hindered if our relationship is not right (1 Peter 3:7).

Do your prayers seem to be bouncing off the ceiling and returning to you empty? Do you have enmity with a brother or spouse? We are called to do our part at mending broken relationships; it is a basic truth in God’s master plan for us.

May we truly forgive.

January 19

AVOID EARTHLY WISDOM

See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.

—Colossians 2:8

One of the greatest challenges before us today is to find correct perspective. We are bombarded with hollow and deceptive human philosophies that ignore Christ, such as Be politically correct and keep religion in its place or Look out for number one or You go through life only once, so go with gusto! Many man-made approaches to life completely disregard God.

Christ’s promise is that He is always with us (see, for example, Matthew 28:20). He has been appointed as the head over every power and authority (Colossians 2:10). Why then, if the greatest power and authority in life is with us, would we govern our lives by trite man-made philosophies?

May we be on guard, focusing on Christ (through study and prayer) and resisting the wisdom of this world.

January 20

ANOINTING

She has done a beautiful thing to me . . . . She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial.

—Mark 14:6, 8

Just a few days before Christ’s crucifixion, Mary broke open an alabaster jar and poured out its contents, very expensive perfume, anointing Jesus. Because of the timing of His death and resurrection, this was the only anointing Jesus received to prepare for [His] burial (Mark 14:8). On Sunday morning when the women belatedly brought spices to anoint Jesus’s body (Mark 16:1), Christ had risen.

Little did Mary know that her act of love and devotion would be the last blessing she could give to her Lord during His lifetime on earth. Little did she know that the breaking of the alabaster jar would precede the breaking of Christ’s body, given for her (and us). (See Luke 22:19.) And little did she know that the pouring out of the perfume preparing Christ’s body for burial would foretell the pouring out of His blood shed for her (and us) to prepare our souls for life after death (see Luke 22:20).

Mary had done a beautiful thing for Jesus. Jesus has done a beautiful thing for us. His valuable body was broken and His expensive blood sacrificed so that we may be anointed and prepared beforehand for life after death.

Mary’s anointing of Christ was not wasted because He accepted it. Likewise, let us not waste Christ’s anointing; accept it.

January 21

THE NARROW GATE

Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

—Matthew 7:13-14

One of the major issues of a recent session of the Virginia General Assembly was how to provide adequate funding for roads. We need more roads which will carry greater numbers of people because so many people are going to the same places.

The Bible warns that masses of people will travel the same broad roads of life leading to destruction (Matthew 7:13). The attitude seems to be If everyone else is going there, then that’s where I want to go too!

But Jesus told us that the road to heaven is narrow and the gate is small (Matthew 7:13). The gate is so small that we can’t fit our great egos through it (see Matthew 6:2, 6, 16—give, pray, and fast in private, not for show). Neither can we pack our earthly treasures through the small gate (see Matthew 6:19, Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth.). One insightful bumper sticker reads, I’m lucky. I came into this world with nothing and I still have it.

The road to heaven is not hard because Jesus is there with us (see Matthew 11:30, My yoke is easy and my burden is light.). Nevertheless, being on the straight and narrow does require our seeking the correct way (Matthew 7:7, Seek and you will find.).

The superhighway of life does not lead to heaven. If, therefore, we find ourselves in the fast lane, laden with all the burdens of the day and the stuff of this world, it may be time for us to check our bearings and our load. We may not be heading where we intended.

May we take the less-traveled narrow lane with the small gate that is the path that leads to eternal life.

January 22

CONNECTED TO HIM

Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me . . . . This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

—John 15:4, 8

As a child I dreamed of being a self-made man. I reasoned that success comes to those who work for it, and I intended to be a success; therefore, I set out to make things happen in my life. What I may have lacked in connections or talents, I would make up for with persistence. I was well intentioned, and tenacity can be an attribute (although it is close kin to stubbornness).

Some Christians approach bearing fruit the same way. They reason, God has called me to bear fruit and therefore I will make it happen. Such people, although well intentioned, often become rigid, overbearing, and judgmental.

Jesus explained that while we are called to bear fruit, no man can bear fruit on his own. We must remain in the vine, that is, connected to God. Our job is to be in constant fellowship with Jesus. The Holy Spirit draws us to Him. Therefore, we need to remain free to follow the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives, rather than holding strictly to a self-determined course.

The fruit of the spirit (as described in Galatians 5:22-23) is a natural outgrowth of remaining in the vine (connected to Jesus) and absorbing the life-giving sap (Holy Spirit). The Holy Spirit is key to remaining connected to and dependent on Christ. Relying on the Holy Spirit means being open to the spontaneous opportunities we encounter in daily life. When we lean totally on Jesus, as prompted by the Holy Spirit, the fruits are produced naturally.

May we this day abandon our own plans for being good Christians so that we may instead be open to the direction and leading of the Holy Spirit within us, allowing the fruits of the Spirit to be naturally produced.

January 23

TURN TO GOD FIRST

When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers.

—Luke 2:45-46

Imagine the anxiety! These parents were searching for their lost twelve-year-old son for three days. And wasn’t it like a twelve-year-old boy to wander from the extended family while they were in Jerusalem for the Passover feast! When the family left, Joseph thought Jesus must be walking with the women and children; and Mary thought that Jesus, now nearly a man, must be traveling with the men. After being on the road for an entire day, Joseph and Mary discovered that Jesus was not with either of them. Jesus was lost.

Joseph and Mary returned to Jerusalem and spent three harrowing days searching everywhere for the boy. By the end of three days, hope was evaporating; they were, no doubt, fearful of the worst. In desperation and as a last resort, they went to