Tuesday, January 14

Isaiah 40:25-31 They who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (v.31)

What a graphic verse! I love the visual images. When we are tired and weary the Lord gives us new strength so that we can fly like mighty eagles. We receive the ability to continue to run tirelessly on our spiritual journey.

Wait is the operative word here. So often I want to run ahead of the Lord and say, “I have it all figured out, God. I want to do it this way.” But He shakes His head and says, “My dear child, you still need to learn to wait on Me.”

He is so faithful and He empowers us with His grace. Our Lord is the everlasting God who does not faint or grow weary. His understanding is unsearchable (v.28). In His infinite power and wisdom, He created the world. He says the nations are like a drop in a bucket (v.15). So are we if we fail to wait on Him.

Thank you, Lord, that You are our living, loving God.

Psalms 5, 6; Ephesians 1:15-23; Mark 1:14-28

Wednesday, January 15

Psalm 119:1-24 I have laid up thy word in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. (v.11)

What a wonderful recommendation for memorizing Scripture—committing it to heart so it can comfort us in sadness, inspire us when we meet challenges, and keep us strong when we confront temptation.

The psalm begins by promising blessedness to those who walk in the law of the Lord. We have been told of countless saints of God who, despite Alzheimer’s or lying on their death bed, are still quoting God’s word and comforting those around them.

Scripture is truly the “manufacturer’s handbook.” God gave us His word to help us know how to live and be blessed.

A good New Year’s resolution might be to memorize some psalms and favorite New Testament passages. We have read inspiring stories of prisoners of war who have maintained their sanity and that of their fellow prisoners by whispering Scripture or tapping it out in Morse code.

Dear Lord, help me meditate on Your precepts, fix my eyes on Your ways, and delight in Your statutes.

Isaiah 41:1-16; Ephesians 2:1-10; Mark 1:29-45

Thursday, January 16

Ephesians 2:11-22 He [Jesus] came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. (v.17)

Jesus came to bring peace. He broke down the dividing wall of hostility. He made us fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. There are no more alienations: Jew/Gentile, male/female, freemen/slaves. We are all one in Christ. Through his death on the cross he brought hostility to an end.

He gives us his peace which passes all understanding, peace which the world cannot give. In the midst of our hectic lives, we can tap into peace with a simple prayer. He is indeed our Prince of Peace. So many today are seeking peace through their hobbies, investments, sports activities, homes, boats, and cars but they are still separated from Christ, having no hope and without God.

May the peace that we have in our Lord Jesus Christ shine like a beacon in this dark world so our neighbors, friends, and colleagues will ask us where they also can find peace.

Dear Jesus, thanks for giving us your peace.

Isaiah 41:17-29; Psalm 18:1-20; Mark 2:1-12

Friday, January l7

Mark 2:13-22 And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” (v.17)

“The Church is full of hypocrites,” says my unbelieving friend. “That may be true,” I reply, “but they are going to the right place to be healed.”

The Church is a “hospital” for sinners, not a museum of sainthood. If we can look back for the last five years and see that we are less angry and jealous, doing less gossiping and criticizing, reading our Bible and praying more, then we know that we are allowing God’s Holy Spirit to do His work in us and we are on the road to recovery.

The religious leaders criticized Jesus for eating with tax collectors and sinners and complained that his disciples did not fast or keep the Sabbath law. But they completely missed the point. It is wonderful that he came to Planet Earth for people like you and me—so we could be forgiven and healed! Great Physician, thanks for healing me.

Isaiah 42:1-17; Psalms 16, 17; Ephesians 3:1-13

Saturday, January 18

Ephesians 3:14-21 Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, for ever and ever. Amen. (vv.20-21)

When you applied to college, were you asked to write out your life goals? I remember struggling to do that as a 16-year-old. Now, as an older woman, I look back at all of God’s gifts and goodness in my life, and it is awesome! There have been deep heartaches and losses along the way, but I have “known the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge” (v.19).

Paul prays for the members of the Church in Ephesus, “That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may have power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth... that you may be filled with all the fulness of God” (vv.17-19)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, I wish the same for you as we begin this new year together. Thanks, God, for all Your great blessings.

Isaiah 43:1-13; Psalms 20, 21:1-13; Mark 2:23—3:6

Sunday, January 19

Isaiah 43:14—44:5 “Do not remember the former things, or consider the things of old.” (v.18 NRSV)

Samuel Johnson wisely observed that we don’t need to be instructed so much as we need to be reminded. How true.

As a Christian, do you really need to be taught what is right or wrong, virtue or vice, moral or immoral? Isn’t it rather a question of applying what we know and living what we believe? Who doesn’t identify with Paul’s lament that he knows what he ought to do, but he just doesn’t do it.

In other words, remembering can be good. A primary source of faith lies in remembering God’s blessings, mercies, and His mighty works of creation and salvation. It may also be helpful in learning from past sins (and to avoid judging others) by remembering them.

But what God is telling His children held captive in Babylon, and His children today in bondage and oppressed by sin, is that He is the God of Salvation. Just as He delivered His people from captivity as He had done before in Egypt, He has delivered us from the slavery of sin through the death of His Son on the cross. For every generation in the past 2000 years, the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus is God’s “new thing.” Nothing like it has ever happened, and that is worth remembering.

Psalms 148, 149, 150; Hebrews 6:17—7:10; John 4:27-42

Monday, January 20

Psalm 25 Do not remember the sins of my youth... (v.7)

If David, who by most standards had an exemplary boyhood in service to his family, his country, and God, can beg God to forgive the sins of his youth, then what about us? While most of us avoided the juvenile delinquent label, aren’t there sins of your youth which, if conjured up, can bring on an immediate sensation of nausea? When haunted by these memories, I’ve noticed that I most regret having hurt others by things I’ve done or failed to do. I then wonder if these people I’ve hurt still remember the pain they felt, or am I the only one who remembers?

Thinking on these matters, and considering the magnitude of my sins, can either lead to a morose self-loathing or a reluctance to judge those who hurt me and a desire that God accord them the grace we all need. I know which response is the better, but it’s only through the aid and comfort of the Holy Spirit that I can pray for grace and mercy for others as fervently as I beg it for myself. May God let your cup runneth over.

Isaiah 44:6-8, 21-23; Ephesians 4:1-16; Mark 3:7-19a

Tuesday, January 21

Mark 3:19b-35 “And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand.” (v.25)

In the anxious days before the even darker days of our Civil War, Abraham Lincoln quoted this verse as support for maintaining the Union in its confrontation with States Rights. The divided house image was likened to our nation but it is also effective in describing the marital estate. Truly, a marriage divided on issues of money, sex, and children will probably fail.

And yet a marriage built, not on the sands of self-interest, but on the rock of Jesus Christ, can withstand the loss of physical or emotional attraction, financial ruin, and troublesome children—to name just three of the many reasons couples divorce. That’s not to say that Christian marriages do not fail—they do, and in approximately the same percentages as non-Christians. And in some cases of abuse and neglect, divorce may be the only choice.

But most failing marriages can be saved when the grace of God is received and allowed to grow. To those whom God has joined together, or who let God work after the fact, let no one put asunder.

Isaiah 44:9-20; Psalms 26, 28; Ephesians 4:17-32