January

JANUARY 1

Choosing to Deny Ourselves

If any man would come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

LUKE 9:23 ASV

When we come to the end of ourselves, realizing our own helplessness, relinquishing control, and surrendering our authority to God, he will begin a new work within us. He readies us for service, filling us with holy expectations. What joy it brings our Savior when we come to this position out of love for him. A childlike heart that solely walks with and glorifies Jesus will bring our Lord great pleasure.

Whether it is due to seeing ourselves in the true light of our sin or readily offering God our lives due to his great affection for us, let us choose self-denial. We should see it as an honor to share in the sufferings of Christ. None of us have ever suffered to the point of sweating blood, but he endured that level of agony for us. What joy is ours when we offer up our lives out of adoration for Jesus!

Lord, how desperately I need you! Help me choose to surrender myself, deny myself, and follow you. Amen.

JANUARY 2

Afforded a Royal Position

Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

LUKE 12:32 KJV

Christ is the perfect Shepherd. He is our provider, caregiver, guide, restorer, comforter, and protector. He is everything! Christ the Lamb left the glory and total adoration of heaven, humbly offering himself as our sacrificial Lamb so that we may be made righteous by his blood. How can we help but proclaim, “Hallelujah! What a Savior!” Shouts of worship continue to erupt when we consider that it is the Father’s joy to give us the kingdom. Sinners are redeemed as the children of God and positioned to freely join in the inheritance that is in Jesus Christ.

What we had to offer and what Jesus sacrificed are in complete opposition. We were poor, without hope, wretched, and destitute but afforded a royal position because Jesus gave up his holy life for us. We share in the riches of salvation in Christ. Undeserving, yet we are gifted all that his glory has to offer. Let our praises ring out and continue throughout eternity in honor of our Savior and King.

Lord, may I not waste your precious promises but through the power of your promised Holy Spirit, my Helper, may I live them out in my life. Help me remember all that you have richly given to me in Jesus. Amen.

JANUARY 3

Boldly Magnify His Holy Name

The four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!”

REVELATION 4:8 ESV

May we humbly ask God for a glimpse of his perfect, holy righteousness to permeate and transform our whole being and the way we live. May his gift of faith and belief propel us to finish the race and hear the words, “Well done.” May we bow before his throne and proclaim, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.” As we gaze on his righteousness, we may be tempted to shrink back as we consider our depravity in the light of his divinity. If we feel shame, he will surely lift our head, for we stand in his presence because of his own Son’s sacrifice.

God sees Jesus when he looks at us. Christ made certain that God would accept our offering of praise through the power of his cross. We can proclaim his glory now and throughout eternity in assurance that our praises will honor him. Let us boldly magnify his holy name.

Holy God, thank you for your redeeming grace that blots out my sin by the power of your blood. Amen.

JANUARY 4

Stepping into Authority

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

JAMES 4:7 KJV

The Lord is our strength, for he tells us that he has given us the spirit “of power and of love and of a sound mind” (2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV). The darkness may toy with the thoughts in our head, but they cannot remain when we resist. We have the same power that God exerted when he raised Christ from the dead to shut down principalities, destroying any evil perpetrated against our redeemed soul. Our God has given us in Jesus the right to step into our authority to tear down any thought that does not come into agreement with our secured position in Christ.

As we lift our voices in gratitude to God, Satan will turn his vile tail and slither away, for he cannot stand for a single second in the presence of worship to our holy King. Remember that “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 NASB).

Divine Holy Spirit, thank you for this assurance. Amen.

JANUARY 5

Faith to Move Mountains

I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

ISAIAH 6:8 ESV

Isaiah saw the Lord and heard the host of heaven cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts” (v. 3 ESV). He stammered and said, “Woe is me” (v. 5 ESV). Then an angel of fire flew to him and touched his lips with a burning coal from the altar, saying, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for” (v. 7 ESV). Then the Lord said, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And Isaiah responded, “Here I am! Send me” (v. 8 ESV).

For a moment, I retreat as I count the cost. Will you, Lord, ask me to leave my loved ones or sacrifice my safety by going to a foreign land? Will I move forward or faint under the weight of uncertainty? Will I fail to obey or to have the faith to move mountains? Grant me your power and unwavering belief in your purpose for my path. May I continually build my life on you, the Word, and allow you to use me as a living stone. May I honestly and earnestly trust as I continually say, “Lord, send me!”

Dear Lord, put feet and hands to my response, “Here am I. Use me. Send me.” Amen.

JANUARY 6

God’s Glorious Grace toward Us

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make his face shine on us—so that your ways may be known on earth, your salvation among all nations.

PSALM 67:1–2 NIV

God, in his kindness and love, gives us what we don’t deserve and saves us, through Christ, from what we do deserve. For us to think that this benevolence is our entitled benefit is a mistake of massive proportions. Due to his goodness alone, we are royal heirs with Jesus. Consider how he showers us with his affection. He counts the hairs on our head and raises his voice in song over us. May we never think for a moment that this is due to anything we have done, but purely a result of his glorious grace.

The purpose of this display of grace is to bring attention to who God is. He is love, he is trustworthy, he is our salvation, and without redemption in Christ, we would be damned to hell. Doesn’t he merit the fame, the acknowledgement from every knee that one day will bow? We are the recipients of the care and adoration of a righteous God who is worthy of our greatest praise.

Father, thank you for your gift of grace. I’m unworthy yet so grateful for the blood of Christ. I worship your name. Amen.

JANUARY 7

God’s Loving Provision and Plan

Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

1 PETER 5:6–7 NIV

I wondered why humility toward God and others and giving God all my cares and anxieties are connected in this verse. Is it because I have pride in thinking I can work it out, I have the answer, or I can remedy the situation without God’s help? How often I have made a total mess because I held tight to my own control rather than relinquishing my cares and concerns to God’s loving provision and plan? How haughty of me to think I can handle anything outside of his power and grace!

May God sweep away the pride and ego that keep me from submitting my battles, burdens, fears, and frustrations to him. May I strike from my consciousness the sinful thoughts that I am enough on my own and that I alone command the solution. I want to receive the confident peace of knowing that my God is orchestrating every divine moment for his perfect will. I want the strict boundaries that his eternal love creates to pen me in and only open the gate when he calls me out to follow him.

Lord, thank you for your forgiveness of my sins as I humbly surrender them to you. Amen and hallelujah.

JANUARY 8

Do Not Fear Delays

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we...