09 Jan 2026
When we allow the Lord to order our steps then we become effective and we accomplish much. Some of the things He will call us to do require His help and faith on our part. We need to believe that He can help is achieve what He wants us to do. As we get older, we need to be efficient. May we accomplish much with great efficiency, like Paul did, as God enables us for His glory. 1 Corinthians 16:1-9
Today’s Verse – Amos 5:14-15
Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the Lord God Almighty will be with you, just as you say he is. Hate evil, love good; maintain justice in the courts. —Amos 5:14-15 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… A whole bunch of folks claim that God is on their side. In reality, the important question is whether or not we are on God’s side! That’s determined more by what we seek and do rather than what we think and say. God longs to be with us, but he will not sacrifice his character to extend us cheap grace, a grace that does not call us to be like him and act for the good of others in our world. He’s looking for believers who put their character, concerns, and actions where their mouths are. My Prayer… Most holy God, your righteousness and holiness are beyond me. I know that my best efforts are only vain attempts to attain them on my own. Yet I long, dear Father, to be more like you and your Son in every way that it is humanly possible. So, dear Father, I pursue knowing Jesus as my Savior and LORD, living for him, and as much as I can, like him, in my world. As I do, I intentionally partner with the Holy Spirit to see Jesus’ love, character, and compassion come alive in me. In the name of Jesus the Righteous One, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Just Another Face in the Crowd?
Note from Jesus Dear Follower, I surprised people when I went to the Jordan River to be immersed by John the Baptist. John’s baptism — like baptism in the early church — was immersion based on repentance and for the forgiveness of sins.* It was practiced to prepare people for My coming (Mark 1:2-4). John was reluctant to baptize Me, feeling that he needed to be baptized by Me instead (Matthew 3:13-14). So why was I baptized by John? As I told John, I did it to fulfill the righteous will of My Father (Matthew 3:15). But there was also another reason. I did it to identify with you. I came as one of you (Luke 1:31). I didn’t come to your world as some alien from a foreign galaxy. I didn’t come as some super-protected divine being Who couldn’t be hurt or tempted or killed. I came as one of you: Born of a woman, just like each of you. Vulnerable to death, just like each of you. Able to be tempted, just like each of you. I shed tears, just like you. My heart broke when people made wrong choices, when they rejected Me, and when they died. I got thirsty and hungry and tired. I was truly one of you! So when I came to John the Baptist to be baptized, I may not have been just another face in the crowd, but I was one of you because you matter so much to the Father and to Me! * See Acts 2:38; cf. Acts 22:16. The English word baptize is a transliteration of the Greek word baptizô which means to dip, immerse, or plunge under water. John’s baptism was in anticipation of Jesus and did not include the gift of the Holy Spirit or the Spirit’s role baptism — Acts 19:1-7 and Titus 3:3-7. Verses to Live I love the way that Luke tells about My baptism. The way his account starts, he makes it seem like such a normal day with John the Baptist baptizing people in the Jordan River. And just as those people came to be baptized, so did I — I came as one of you! One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.” (Luke 3:21-22 NLT) One of the great blessings for you about My baptism is that you can do something I did: You can be baptized. And when you are baptized, you share in My death, burial, and resurrection so that you can also share in My victory over sin and death. I came as one of you so that you can be one with Me! Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives. Since we have been united with him in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and he will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him. When he died, he died once to break the power of sin. But now that he lives, he lives for the glory of God. So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus. (Romans 6:3-11 NLT) Response in Prayer Father, thank You for sending Jesus to be one of us. Lord Jesus, thank You for coming and sharing our world so that we can share Your home with the Father. Holy Spirit, thank You for living inside of us and transforming us to be more and more like Jesus, in Whose name I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2026, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
08 Jan 2026
There are goals for 2026,things we want to accomplish. These can easily take up all our time and energy. I pray that we shall commit these to God and ask Him to show us what to do concerning them. May we hear Him and remain open to His direction. 1 Timothy 6:6.
Daily Prayer for January 8
The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.” Luke 17:5–6, NIV Father in heaven, we thank you for the many ways you strengthen us and reveal your life to us. We thank you for all your protection, also for your protection of our faith and hope. Grant that your Spirit may penetrate us more and more, enabling us to be your witnesses in this evil and unhappy world. May your Spirit give us hope for this life and for the life to come. Amen. Recent articles on Plough Forsaking Mammon Andreas Ehrenpreis Community is not compulsory; it a joyful, voluntary act of surrender. Read now Beckoned by Beauty Kacey Sycamore How I stumbled into a story much bigger than my own – and found my way to the Bruderhof. Read now How Does Scripture Talk About Beauty? Joy Marie Clarkson and Ben Quash In a new season of the Another Life podcast, Joy Marie Clarkson and Ben Quash look at beauty in the Old and New Testaments. Read now Icon or Idol? Natalie Carnes Christianity has a love-hate relationship with sacred art. Read now The Riddle of Beauty in Nature C. S. Lewis and Gregory of Nyssa Why the poets tell us lovely falsehoods about nature. Read now
Today’s Verse – Ephesians 5:1-2
Be imitators of God as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. —Ephesians 5:1-2 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. So, if we are to sincerely flatter* God, we must choose to have the righteous character, gracious compassion, and faithful love and justice of God in our daily actions. Such imitation may be the most costly form of flattery as well. You see, love for God is never something that occurs just in our minds or our hearts. Love is something we do for another – love demonstrates itself by its actions. John said that we must love in both our deeds and our words (1 John 3:16-18). Love means to give ourselves up – what we want, our rights, our desires – to honor God and serve others (1 John 4:7-10; Philippians 2:1-10). This sacrificial love can change a marriage, a family, a friendship, a fellowship of God’s people, and ultimately the world! as dearly loved children, let’s live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us! * You may feel as I do that our goal is to honor, praise, and love God more than flattering Him. My Prayer… Abba Father, I will never fully understand how you could love me so much that you would allow your son to die for me, as the sacrifice for my sins against you. Please help me love others sacrificially. I know the power to do this is not within me, so please pour your love into my heart through your Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) so that I can share your love with others. Through Jesus, my brother, my sacrifice, my Savior and my LORD, I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
Glory in the Ordinary
Note from Jesus Dear Friend, When are you most aware of My presence with you? I can be present in the spectacular, beautiful, and wonderful. I can also be present in the quiet moments of life. I can be present when your days are mostly filled with ordinary things that go with being a part of a family, part of a community, part of a friendship, or part of a business or company. So as I began to have people gather around Me early in My public ministry, where do you think I first revealed My glory to them? It was at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. My mother, Mary, was connected to the family hosting the wedding celebration. The wine was running out. This problem would have disgraced the bride and groom, as well as brought shame on their families. My mother came to Me to see if I would help. I performed a quiet miracle by turning water into wine. John calls it a sign because it pointed to something greater than the miracle itself. Only My mother, the servants, and My first followers knew what happened. Yet the bride and groom received the honor and the families were blessed without a lot of fuss being made about Me. My first followers were watching what I did at this wedding. They discovered something I hope you will look for in your life. I quite often reveal My glory — My favor, grace, love, mercy, kindness, generosity, help, joy, and tenderness — in the ordinary events in life. I do this so that those who love Me and are looking for Me can know that I AM present. I want My disciples to know that the routine things in their lives truly matter to Me… and that there is nothing ordinary when I AM your Lord and friend. Verses to Live Here’s the story of the wedding and how My mother asked Me to save the bride and groom from embarrassment. I did, but very quietly. Yet for those watching Me, there was a glimpse of glory. These verses are a reminder to look for My actions in your everyday life! Three days after the disciples encountered Jesus for the first time, they were all invited to celebrate a wedding feast in Cana of Galilee. Mary, the mother of Jesus, was invited together with Him and His disciples. While they were celebrating, the wine ran out; and Jesus’ mother hurried over to her son. Mary: The host stands on the brink of embarrassment; there are many guests, and there is no more wine. Jesus: Dear woman, is it our problem they miscalculated when buying wine and inviting guests? My time has not arrived. But she turned to the servants. Mary: Do whatever my son tells you. In that area were six massive stone water pots that could each hold 20 to 30 gallons. They were typically used for Jewish purification rites. Jesus’ instructions were clear: Jesus: Fill each water pot with water until it’s ready to spill over the top; then fill a cup, and deliver it to the headwaiter. They did exactly as they were instructed. After tasting the water that had become wine, the headwaiter couldn’t figure out where such wine came from (even though the servants knew), and he called over the bridegroom in amazement. Headwaiter: This wine is delectable. Why would you save the most exquisite fruit of the vine? A host would generally serve the good wine first and, when his inebriated guests don’t notice or care, he would serve the inferior wine. You have held back the best for last. Jesus performed this miracle, the first of His signs, in Cana of Galilee. They did not know how this happened; but when the disciples and the servants witnessed this miracle, their faith blossomed. (John 2:1-11) Response in Prayer O Father, my life is filled with all sorts of daily expectations and duties. I ask that You open my eyes and help me see Jesus’ presence in the middle of my daily routines, no matter how unimportant and mundane they may seem to be. In addition, dear Father, I ask that You use me to help others come to see Jesus in their lives, too! I pray this in the name of my Savior, Jesus. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2026, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
07 Jan 2026
Our choices determine the path we take, so we need to be careful with that. But the ultimate thing is God’s mercy. He has discretion over our lives. Hence the need to seek Him with a sincere and contrite heart. May we find favour with Him this year. Psalm 90:1-17.
Today’s Verse – 1 Peter 1:13
Prepare your minds for action; be self-controlled; set your hope fully on the grace to be given you when Jesus Christ is revealed. —1 Peter 1:13 Thoughts on Today’s Verse… When Jesus came the first time, he came to reveal God (John 1:18; Hebrews 1:1-3). As wonderful, powerful, and gracious as he was in his earthly ministry, he did not fully reveal all of who he is. Our hope is tied to his return. When he comes this time, he won’t come to reveal God, but to reveal himself – the conquering LORD, the Rider on the white horse, our eternal Savior. Every knee will bow. We will get to see him as he really and fully is – Immanuel in power and grace, triumphant in every way. When we set our hope on Jesus’ grace at his return, we can be confidently ready for active service to our king today. We can live under his leadership with obedience and praise today because we know that great tomorrow is coming! My Prayer… O Almighty God, I long for the day when I get to see Jesus face to face, coming with the angels in power. Until that time, please fasten my heart in hope to the glory Jesus will share with me on that day, and please empower me to live as one who knows that victory is mine in Jesus beginning today. Jesus, through your powerful name I pray. Amen. All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House.
First Things First
Note from Jesus Dear Disciple, If you are going to put “first things first,” then what are these “first things” you must do with your friends and family? I know each of your relationships is unique. The history you have with friends and family can make relationships easy, quirky, difficult, confusing, and a host of all sorts of other things. So when I was asked about the two greatest commands in the Scriptures, I tried to make things very clear: Love God with all you are and love your neighbor as you love yourself (Matthew 22:36-40). Your “first things” with your friends and family should be clear: Love God and love them. After I had been baptized by John the Baptist, he began to point his disciples to Me. He wanted them to follow Me. One of those who followed Me first was a fellow who eventually becomes one of My twelve apostles. His name was Andrew. Andrew was always bringing people to meet me (John 6:5-9; John 12:20-22). This focus of Andrew’s life began immediately after he realized Who I AM. The first thing he did after spending time with Me was to go and find his brother, Simon Peter, and bring him to meet Me. One of the ways you put “first things first” with friends and family is to do what Andrew did: you bring them to Me. You don’t have to convince them of anything. Share why you have hope in Me (1 Peter 3:15-16). Then, with gentleness and respect, help them come to Me and learn more about me. You don’t have to answer all of their questions. You shouldn’t criticize them for not following me. Just simply invite them to come and see Who I AM for themselves. Invite them to decide what they believe they should do with Me. One of the reasons the Father gave you four gospels — Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in your New Testament — is to tell the story of My life so that you would have a way of inviting people to come and to get to know about Me. So I want to challenge you to let first things be first. Love the Father with all that you are. Love your friends, family, and neighbors as you love yourself. Let these two principles overlap and invite those you love to come and meet Me! It won’t necessarily be easy, but I will help you know what to say, when to say it, and how to share the invitation. Who knows, one of your friends or family members just may be someone waiting for you to be like Andrew! Verses to Live Andrew could invite his brother to meet Me physically. You can invite your friends and family to meet Me by reading John or Mark or Luke or Matthew with you. You don’t have to know the answers to all of their questions; just be a friend and an example to them of how I love them! The following day John [the Baptist] was again standing with two of his disciples. As Jesus walked by, John looked at him and declared, “Look! There is the Lamb of God!” When John’s two disciples heard this, they followed Jesus. Jesus looked around and saw them following. “What do you want?” he asked them. They replied, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?” “Come and see,” he said. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon when they went with him to the place where he was staying, and they remained with him the rest of the day. Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who heard what John said and then followed Jesus. Andrew went to find his brother, Simon, and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means “Christ”). Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “Your name is Simon, son of John — but you will be called Cephas” (which means “Peter”). (John 1:35-42 NLT) Response in Prayer O Father, there are precious people in my life who I want so desperately to know Jesus. I ask that the Holy Spirit give me the wisdom to know the right moment, the best way, and the most helpful attitude to reach their hearts. Use me, please dear Father, to invite them to Jesus, in Whose name I pray. Amen. ‘A Year with Jesus’ is written by Phil Ware. © 1998-2026, Heartlight, Inc. ‘A Year with Jesus‘ is part of the Heartlight Network.All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from The Voice™. © 2008 by Ecclesia Bible Society. Used by permission. All rights reserved.