Yesterday, Today & Forever

YESTERDAY, TODAY &

FOREVER Reflections From

YESTERDAY, TODAY& FOREVER g each day with the one Livin who holds them all

Reflections from

COVER IMAGE: Mike Pellinni @ shutterstock.com ACKNOWLEDGMENTS: Unless otherwise indicated, all

Scriptures taken from Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. ® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide. © 2021 Our Daily Bread Ministries® • All rights reserved. Printed in Europe.

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0 CONTENTS

Introduction � ��������������������������������������������������������������������� 4 Featured Article 1: Yesterday ���������������������������������� 6 Our Daily Bread Readings (1-10) � ��������������������������� 8 Featured Article 2: Today ���������������������������������������� 18 Our Daily Bread Readings (11-20) ���������������������� 20 6 Ways to Develop (and Keep!)

Your Own Bible Reading Habit ������������������������������ 24 Featured Article 3: Forever ������������������������������������ 36 Our Daily Bread Readings (21-30) ���������������������� 38 Ready for Tomorrow (31 January) ���������������������� 48 12 Ways Daily Bible Reading Will Improve Your Life � ����������������������������������������������� 50

0 INTRODUCTION

YESTERDAY, TODAY & FOREVER Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. [ HEBREWS 13:8 ]

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y boss liked his tea milky with one sugar. He was very specific about how to brew it, what proportion of milk to water constituted “milky enough” and how much sugar was a spoonful.

Over the years, I became consistent at presenting him with a morning cup of tea he could rely upon. That was, until one day.

The taste buds in the tip of the tongue register sweet tastes, such as sugar and milk. But on this particular day, it wasn’t those taste buds that fired information into my boss’ brain. Suddenly it was the back of the tongue—reserved for sour, bitter and salty tastes—which informed him of the very urgent choice he needed to make: dash to the kitchen sink, or spit out his tea where he stood. He moved so fast I think he may have left scorch marks on the carpet . . .

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Unfortunately for me, the workplace kitchen cupboard had a pot of sugar and a pot of salt. I’m not quite sure how I managed to mix them up for that one disastrous cup of tea. But I was never asked to make another . . .

We all know how we like things—whether it’s how we take our tea or more significant things like how we organise our weeks, what dreams we’re pursuing, or what we want in our relationships. But we live in an unpredictable world; even the most consistent, reliable things and people change over time. All it takes is a mix up between sugar and salt for a little bit of trust to be broken.

Things in our world, our lives and even our own hearts can vary from day to day and season to season, but “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” That’s why the Bible calls Him our Rock; He The Bible calls Jesus is always reliable, always strong and always the solid foundation on which our Rock; He is always we can stand. It makes Him the One reliable, always we need to do life with—because even strong and always the if the rest of our world breaks or lets solid foundation on us down, He never will.

Our prayer is that this special edi- which we can stand. tion of Our Daily Bread will help you seek Christ and rest in Him and the wisdom of His Word each day of January. No matter how life looks or what may change, He is always the same: perfect in knowledge, wisdom and love.

Get your new year off to the best possible start: come and meet Him each day with us and discover the joy and strength of developing your own daily Bible reading habit. It will transform your view of yesterday, how you live today and what you put your hope in for tomorrow.

Chris Wale, Our Daily Bread contributor

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0 FEATURE ARTICLE

YESTERDAY

I

n C. S. Lewis’ book Prince Caspian, the Pevensie children are once again summoned from our world back to Narnia. At first, Lucy is the only one in all of Narnia who can see and hear Aslan—the great lion; creator and king of Narnia. Initially she only catches brief flashes, but soon young Lucy is convinced that she is seeing him.

When Aslan finally reveals himself to Lucy, he seems to be bigger than she remembered. He explains to her that his size hasn’t changed, but her understanding of him has.

The Bible says, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever” (HEBREWS 13:8). How far back does “yesterday” go? As far back as Jesus does. He’s the same Jesus who “was with God in the beginning” and “made the universe” (JOHN 1:2–3; HEBREWS 1:2). He’s the same Jesus who was born a human being. He’s the same Jesus who cared for the outcasts and misfits. He’s the same Jesus who calmed stormy seas and healed the sick.

He’s still the same Jesus who spent time with shady characters and hung on a cross, dying for our sins. He’s the same Jesus who stunned the world when He rose from the dead. He’s the same Jesus who is the Lord of heaven and earth and promises to be with us until He reappears one day to restore all creation to its original goodness.

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His unchanging nature is showcased for us in His relationship with Peter, one of His disciples. Peter had failed Jesus by denying Him three times, even calling down curses upon himself in the process. After Jesus’ resurrection, Peter went right back to what he had been doing before Every good and he met Jesus—fishing. Was he afraid perfect gift is from of how Jesus would react to him? Was above, coming down he in denial? Hiding in shame? Going back to something familiar after he from the Father of the had lost his way? heavenly lights, who Despite Peter’s fears, Jesus didn’t does not change like abandon him. In fact, He came to shifting shadows. where Peter was hiding to show him the same grace and forgiveness that JAMES 1:17 had marked every day of His ministry.

Perhaps, having been so wonderfully restored after such dismal failure, Jesus’ love seemed bigger than ever to Peter as they had breakfast together on the seashore. Jesus’ love was as big and gracious as it always had been; what had grown was Peter’s understanding of it for himself (read the full story in John 21).

In James 1:17 we read that God doesn’t change like “shifting shadows”.

Yesterday’s failures—as dark as they might be—aren’t bad enough for God to deny us or give up on us. He stands by the shore, calling us to repentance and a renewed relationship. His ways are unchanging!

This will be our focus over the next ten days. We will reflect on what we learn of Jesus from history—the Jesus of “yesterday”—so that we might have confidence that He loves and cares for us in exactly the same way today.

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0 ISAIAH 43:1–7

1 JANUARY

UNCHARTED WATERS When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. [ ISAIAH 43:2 ]

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he crowd in London counts down to Big Ben chiming. The ball drops in New York’s Times Square. Sydney Harbour erupts in fireworks. There’s something exciting about welcoming in a new year and the fresh start it brings. On New Year’s Day we push out into new waters. What friendships and opportunities might we find?

For all its excitement, though, a new year can be unsettling. None of us knows the future or what storms it may hold. Many New Year’s traditions reflect this: fireworks were invented in China to supposedly ward off evil spirits and make a new season prosperous. And New Year’s resolutions date back to the Babylonians who made vows to appease their gods. Such acts were an attempt to make an unknown future secure.

When they weren’t making vows, the Babylonians were busy conquering people—including Israel. In time, God sent the enslaved Jews this message: “Do not fear . . . . When you pass through the waters, I will be with you” (ISAIAH 43:1–2). Later, Jesus said something similar when He and the disciples were caught sailing in a violent storm. “Why are you so afraid?” He told them before commanding the waters to be still (MATTHEW 8:23–27).

Today we push out from the shore into new, uncharted waters. Whatever we face, He’s with us—just as He was with His first disciples—and He still has the power to calm the waves.

SHERIDAN VOYSEY What possibilities excite you as you look forward to a new year?

What worries can you place in God’s hands?

God, thank You that whatever this new year brings, You will be with me in it.

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0 COLOSSIANS 3:1–10

2 JANUARY

FRESH START EFFECT [Put] on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. [ COLOSSIANS 3:10 ]

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hen Bryony turned thirty, she was sad to still be in a sales job she’d never liked. She decided it was time to stop procrastinating and find a new career. For David, New Year’s Eve had him looking in the mirror vowing this would be the year he lost weight. And for James, it was watching another month pass without a decrease in his angry outbursts. Next month, he promised himself, he would try harder.

If you’ve ever vowed to change at the start of a new month, new year or a major birthday, you’re not alone. Researchers even have a name for it: the fresh start effect. They suggest that at calendar points like these we’re more prone to assess our lives and try putting our failures behind us to start over. Wanting to be better people, we long for a fresh start.

Faith in Jesus speaks powerfully to this longing, offering a vision of what our best selves can be (COLOSSIANS 3:12–14), and calling us to leave our past selves behind (VV. 5–9). It offers this change not by decisions and vows alone, but by divine power. When we believe in Jesus, we become new people, and God’s Spirit works in us to make us whole (V. 10; TITUS 3:5).

Receiving salvation in Jesus is the ultimate fresh start. And it doesn’t need to wait for a special calendar date. Your new life can SHERIDAN VOYSEY start right now.

How have you seen the fresh start effect at work in your life?

What’s stopping you from receiving God’s gift of a new life now?

Jesus, I give up my own plans to follow Yours. Please give me a fresh start!

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0 2 CORINTHIANS 12:1–10

3 JANUARY

GOLDEN SCARS If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. [ 2 CORINTHIANS 11:30 ]

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n the Netherlands, a group of fashion designers offer a “Golden Joinery” workshop. Inspired by the Japanese technique Kintsugi, where broken porcelain is visibly repaired with gold, participants collaborate in mending clothes in ways that highlight the mending work rather than trying to mask it. Those who are invited bring “a dear but broken garment and mend it with gold.” As they remake their clothes, the repair becomes ornamental, a “golden scar”.

Articles of clothing are transformed in ways that highlight the places where they were torn or frayed. Perhaps this is something like what Paul meant when he said that he would “boast” in the things that showed his weakness. Although he’d experienced “surpassingly great revelations,” he doesn’t brag about them (2 CORINTHIANS 12:6). He is kept from getting proud and overconfident, he says, by a “thorn” in his flesh (V. 7). No one knows exactly what he was referring to—perhaps depression, a form of malaria, persecution from enemies or something else. Whatever it was, he begged God to take it away. But God said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness” (V. 9).

Just as the rips and tears in old clothes can become sights of beauty as they’re remade by designers, the broken and weak places in our lives can become places where God’s power and glory may shine. He holds us together, transforms us and makes our weaknesses beautiful.

AMY PETERSON What are some weaknesses you try to keep hidden from the world? How has God revealed His power through your weakness?

Lord God, may all my scars become golden as You heal and repair me in ways that bring glory to Your name.

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0 JOHN 10:22–30

4 JANUARY

HE WON’T LET US GO I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. [ JOHN 10:28 ]

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ulio was biking across a busy bridge—when he encountered a life-or-death situation. A man was standing on a ledge over the river preparing to jump. Knowing that the police wouldn’t arrive in time, Julio acted quickly. He recalls getting off his bike and spreading out his arms, saying something like: “Don’t do it. We love you.” Then, like a shepherd with a crook, he grabbed the distraught man, and with the help of another passer-by, brought him to safety. According to reports, Julio wouldn’t let go of the man, even after he was safe.

Two millennia earlier, in a life-or-death situation, Jesus, the Good Shepherd, said He would lay down His life to save and never let go of those who believed in Him. He summarised how He would bless His sheep: they would know Him personally, have the gift of eternal life, would never perish and would be secure in His care. This security didn’t depend on the ability of the frail and feeble sheep, but on the sufficiency of the Shepherd who’ll never let one be snatched “out of [His] hand” (JOHN 10:28–29).

When we were distraught and feeling hopeless, Jesus rescued us; now we can feel safe and secure in our relationship with Him. He loves us, pursues us, finds us, saves us and promises to never let us go.

MARVIN WILLIAMS

What makes you feel insecure in your relationship with Jesus?

How do you feel knowing that your security in Him depends on His sufficiency and not your weakness?

Jesus, when I let go of You because of my sin, You never let go of me because of Your grace.

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0 TITUS 3:3–7

5 JANUARY

WASHED You were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. [ 1 CORINTHIANS 6:11 ]

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y friend Bill described Gerard, an acquaintance of his, as being “very far from God for a very long time.” But one day, after Bill met with Gerard and explained to him how God’s love has provided the way for us to be saved, Gerard became a believer in Jesus. Through tears, he repented of his sin and gave his life to Christ. Afterward, Bill asked Gerard how he felt. Wiping away tears, he answered simply, “Washed.”

What an amazing response! That’s precisely the essence of salvation made possible through faith in Jesus’ sacrifice for us on the cross. In 1 Corinthians 6, after Paul gives examples of how disobedience against God leads to separation from Him, he says, “That is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ” (V. 11). “Washed,” “sanctified, “justified”— words that point to believers being forgiven and made right with Him. Titus 3:4–5 tells us more about this miraculous thing called salvation.

“God our Saviour . . . saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth.” Our sin keeps us from God, but through faith in Jesus, sin’s penalty is washed away. We become new creations (2 CORINTHIANS 5:17), gain access to our heavenly Father (EPHESIANS 2:18) and are made clean (1 JOHN 1:7). He alone provides what we need to be washed.

DAVE BRANON Why is it vital for you to be washed and sanctified by Jesus? What has it meant or what will it mean for you to put your faith in Him? Dear Jesus, I know I’ve sinned against You. And I realise that the penalty for my sin is separation from You. Thank You for the salvation You’ve made possible and for drawing me close to You forever.

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0 PSALM 103:7–13

6 JANUARY

ETCH A SKETCH FORGIVENESS As far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us. [ PSALM 103:12 ]

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he little red rectangular box was fantastic. As a kid, I could play with it for hours. When I turned one knob on the box, I could create a horizontal line on its screen. Turn the other knob and voila—a vertical line. When I turned the knobs together, I could make diagonal lines, circles and creative designs. But the real fun came when I turned my Etch A Sketch toy upside down, shook it a little and then turned it the right way up again. A blank screen appeared, offering me the opportunity to start again and create a new design.

God’s forgiveness works much like that Etch A Sketch. He wipes away our sins, creating a clean canvas for us. Even if we remember wrongs we committed, God chooses to forgive and forget. He’s wiped them out and doesn’t hold our sins against us. He doesn’t treat us according to our sinful actions (PSALM 103:10) but extends grace through forgiveness. We have a clean slate—a new life awaiting us when we seek God’s forgiveness. We can be rid of guilt and shame because of His amazing gift to us.

The psalmist reminds us that our sins have been separated from us as far as the east is separated from the west (V. 12). That’s as far away as you can get! In God’s eyes, our sins no longer cling to us like a scarlet letter or a bad drawing. That’s reason to rejoice and to thank KATARA PATTON God for His amazing grace and mercy.

Why do you think God chooses to not treat you as your actions might deserve? How can you thank Him for separating your sins from you?

Loving God, thank You for forgiveness. Remind me that You no longer remember my sins.

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0 NEHEMIAH 9:17, 27–31

7 JANUARY

NEVER TOO SINFUL You are a forgiving God . . . abounding in love. [ NEHEMIAH 9:17 ]

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f I touched a Bible, it would catch fire in my hands,” said my university English professor. My heart sank. The novel we’d been reading that morning referenced a Bible verse, and when I pulled out my Bible to look it up, she noticed and commented. My professor seemed to think she was too sinful to be forgiven. Yet I wasn’t bold enough to tell her about God’s love—and that the Bible tells us we can always seek God’s forgiveness.

There’s an example of repentance and forgiveness in Nehemiah.

The Israelites had been exiled because of their sin, but now they were allowed to return to Jerusalem. When they’d ‘settled in’, Ezra the scribe read the law to them (NEHEMIAH 7:73–8:3). They confessed their sins, remembering that despite their sin God “did not desert” or “abandon them” (9:17, 19). He “heard them” when they cried out; and in compassion and mercy, He was patient with them (VV. 27–31).

In a similar way, God is patient with us. He won’t abandon us if we choose to confess our sin and turn to Him. I wish I could go back and tell my professor that, no matter her past, Jesus loves her and wants her to be part of His family. He feels the same way about you and me. We can approach Him seeking forgiveness—and He will give it!

JULIE SCHWAB

Do you know someone who feels they’re too sinful for Jesus to forgive them? How does the truth that Jesus has come not for “the righteous, but sinners” (MARK 2:17) speak to this way of thinking?

Dear Father, thank You for forgiving my sins and for Your assurance that no one is too sinful to be forgiven.

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0 1 TIMOTHY 1:12–17

8 JANUARY

WHAT’S WRONG WITH THE WORLD? Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners— of whom I am the worst. [ 1 TIMOTHY 1:15 ]

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here is an often heard story that The London Times posed a question to readers at the turn of the twentieth century. What’s wrong with the world?

That’s quite the question, isn’t it? Someone might quickly respond, “Well, how much time do you have for me to tell you?” And that would be fair, as there seems to be so much that’s wrong with our world. As the story goes, The Times received a number of responses, but one in particular has endured in its brief brilliance. The English writer, poet and philosopher G. K. Chesterton is thought to have written this fourword response, a refreshing surprise to the usual passing-of-the-buck: “Dear Sirs, I am.”

Whether the story is factual or not is up for debate. But that response?

It’s nothing but true. Long before Chesterton came along, there was an apostle named Paul. Far from a lifelong model citizen, Paul confessed his past shortcomings: “I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man” (1 TIMOTHY 1:13). After naming who Jesus came to save (“sinners”), he goes on to make a very Chesterton-like qualification: “of whom I am the worst” (V. 15). Paul knew exactly what was and is wrong with the world. And he further knew the only hope of making things right—“the grace of our Lord” (V. 14). What an amazing reality! This enduring truth lifts our eyes to the light of Christ’s saving love. J OHN BLASE What is wrong with the world? Can you own the answer Paul and Chesterton gave? What is one way you can accept that without sliding into self-hatred?

God, thank You for Your immense patience with me, a sinner.

To You be honour and glory forever and ever.

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0 2 CORINTHIANS 5:14–21

9 JANUARY

BREAKING THE CYCLE If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! [ 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17 ]

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avid’s first beating came at the hands of his father on his seventh birthday, after he accidentally broke a window. “He kicked me and punched me,” David said. “Afterward, he apologised. He was an abusive alcoholic, and it’s a cycle I’m doing my best to end now.”

But it took a long time for David to get to this point. Most of his teen years and twenties were spent in jail or on probation, and in and out of addiction treatment centres. When it felt like his dreams were entirely dashed, he found hope in a Christ-centred treatment centre through a relationship with Jesus.

“I used to be filled with nothing but despair,” David says. “Now I’m pushing myself in the other direction. When I get up in the morning, the first thing I tell God is that I’m surrendering my will over to Him.” When we come to God with lives shattered, whether by others’ wrongdoing or by our own, God takes our broken hearts and makes us new: “If anyone is in Christ, . . . the old has gone, the new is here!”

(2 CORINTHIANS 5:17). Christ’s love and life breaks into the cycles of our past, giving us a new future (VV. 14–15). And it doesn’t end there!

Throughout our lives, we can find hope and strength in what God has done and continues to do in us—each and every moment.

ALYSON KIEDA

Where were you headed when you received Jesus as your Saviour? How does it help to know that God continues to shape your life to increasingly resemble His? Dear God, thank You for interrupting the downward trajectory of my life and making me a new creation!

Make me ever more like You.

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0 COLOSSIANS 1:15–23

10 JANUARY

SPITTING IMAGE The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. [ COLOSSIANS 1:15 ]

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uring an outing, we met a woman who had known my husband’s family since he was a child. She looked from Alan to our son, Xavier. “He’s the spitting image of his daddy,” she said. “Those eyes. That smile. Yep. Looks just like him.” As the woman delighted in acknowledging such a strong resemblance between father and son, she even noted similarities in their personalities. Still, though they are alike in many ways, my son doesn’t reflect his father perfectly.

There’s only one Son—Jesus—who reflects His Father completely.

Christ is the “image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation” (COLOSSIANS 1:15). In Him and through Him and for Him all things were created (V. 16). “He is before all things, and in him all things hold together” (V. 17).

We can spend time in prayer and Bible study, discovering the Father’s character by looking at Jesus—God in the flesh. He invites us to witness His love in action by examining how He interacts with others in Scripture and in our day-to-day living. After surrendering our lives to Christ and receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, we can grow in knowing and trusting our loving Father. He transforms us to reflect His character, so we can live for Him. What a joy it would be if others could say we look just like Jesus!

XOCHITL DIXON

What character trait of Jesus have you seen cultivated in your life over the last year? What trait would you like to cultivate in the coming year?

Lord Jesus, please help me know You more as You make me more like You! 17

0 FEATURE ARTICLE

TODAY

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very day the father craned his neck to look towards the distant road, waiting for his son’s return. And every night he went to bed disappointed. But one day, a speck appeared. A lonesome silhouette stood against the crimson sky. Could that be my son? Despite the torn clothes and bare feet, he glimpsed enough that was familiar.

Yes, that has to be my son!

And so while the son was “still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms round him and kissed him” (LUKE 15:20). It is remarkable that the family patriarch did something that was considered undignified in Middle Eastern culture—he ran to meet his son. The father was full of unbridled joy at his son’s return.

The son didn’t deserve such a reception. When he had asked his father for his share of the inheritance and left home, it was as if he had wished his father dead. But despite all that the son had done to his father, he was still his son (V. 24).

This is perhaps the most famous story Jesus ever told. But is it primarily about the wayward younger son? The stubborn and proud older son? Or maybe it’s firstly about the unmerited and unchanging love of their father . . .

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Even as the younger son was trying to apologise, we’re told: “the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate” (VV. 22–24).

The son, who had lost everything, was fully restored. Firstly, he was given “the best robe.” Whose robe could this have been but the Father’s? He was the master to whom all “the best” clothes would have belonged!

Secondly, a ring was put on his finger. No longer a nomad without friend or family, For this son of mine the son received the mark of his Father’s was dead and is household as his own again.

Finally, sandals were put on his feet. alive again; he was Through his foolish living, the boy had lost and is found. made himself a slave. Slaves often went LUKE 15:24 without any shoes for their feet. But now the Father restored him to being a son once more.

This parable reminds us that today we’re accepted by God and fully restored as His precious children because of His grace, not because of our merits. The younger son changed dramatically through the story: from life to death to life again. What remained the same was His Father’s love; it is the same love that’s always ready to race to us and restore us, no matter how far we may fall or what battle may rise before us.

This will be our focus over the next ten days. We will reflect on the resilience, hope and joy we have for “today” with Jesus—the embodiment of our Father’s love—by our side.

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0 MAT THEW 7:24–27

11 JANUARY

RESILIENT FAITH Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. [ MATTHEW 7:26 ]

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owering dunes along the north shore of the lake put nearby homes at risk of sinking into shifting sands. Though residents tried moving mounds of sand in efforts to protect their homes, they watched helplessly as well-built houses were buried right before their eyes. As a local police officer oversaw the clean-up of a recently destroyed cottage, he affirmed the process couldn’t be prevented.

No matter how hard homeowners tried to avoid the dangers of these unsteady embankments, the dunes simply couldn’t provide a strong foundational support.

Jesus knew the futility of building a house on sand. After warning the disciples to be wary of false prophets, He assured them that loving obedience demonstrates wisdom (MATTHEW 7:15–23). He said that everyone who hears His words and “puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock” (V. 24). The one who hears God’s words and chooses not to put them into practice, however, is “like a foolish man who built his house on sand” (V. 26).

When circumstances feel like shifting sands burying us under the weight of affliction or worries, we can place our hope in Christ, our Rock. He will help us develop resilient faith built on the unshakable XOCHITL DIXON foundation of His unchanging character.

How does obedience demonstrate our trust in God? In what areas of your life are you standing on the shifting sands of disobedience to Him? Jesus, please help me develop resilient faith. Empower me to demonstrate my trust through loving obedience to You.

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0 PSALM 23

12 JANUARY

THE RIGHT PATHS He guides me along the right paths. [ PSALM 23:3 ]

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ix ducks waddled up the hill into the woods behind our home in the Lake District. Moments later, a ruckus of squawking and quacking brought five ducks scrambling back down the hill. They’d met a hungry fox. To my amazement, just a few hours later I saw the five ducks waddling back up that hill. Dashing outside, I rounded them up and led them to safety.

Psalm 23 shows that we have a similar relationship with God; He is our Shepherd and we are His sheep. Sheep, like ducks, are not famous for their wisdom or clear sense of direction. As with them, left to ourselves, we are prone to wander to places that seem good to us, but may actually hold hungry foxes.

The psalmist writes that the Good Shepherd always “guides me along the right paths” (PSALM 23:3). As we listen to His voice and follow where He leads, He provides our souls with good, nourishing refreshment (V. 3). Even when He takes us “through the darkest valley”, His presence is the comfort and reassurance we need (V. 4).

Ducks, sheep, people—they all can find it hard to stick to the right paths. Just as I had to steer those ducks, Jesus takes the responsibility to guide us. We don’t have to figure everything out for ourselves; we DEBBI FRALICK need only to stay close to our Good Shepherd.

What decisions do you face at the moment? How can you keep putting your trust in your Good Shepherd to lead you, rather than trying to figure things out for yourself?

Lord, thank you for being the Good Shepherd to lead me in goodness and love all the days of my life. Please help me to trust You to take me along the right paths and to stay close to me.

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0 MARK 4:35–41

13 JANUARY

INTO OUR STORMS He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ [ MARK 4:39 ]

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ind howled, lightning flashed, waves crashed. I thought I was going to die. My grandparents and I were fishing on a lake, but we’d stayed out too long. As the sun set, a fast-moving squall swept over our small boat. My grandfather instructed me to sit in front to keep it from capsizing. Terror flooded my heart. But then, somehow, I began to pray. I was fourteen.

I asked God for His reassurance and protection. The storm didn’t weaken, but we made it to shore. To this day, I don’t know if I’ve experienced a deeper certainty of God’s presence than that night in the storm.

Jesus is no stranger to storms. In Mark 4:35–41, He told His disciples to head across a lake that would soon turn windy and wild. The storm that night tested and bested these rugged fishermen. They too thought they were going to die. But Jesus calmed the water and then led His disciples to deeper faith.

Likewise, Jesus invites us to trust Him in our storms. Sometimes He miraculously stills the winds and the waves. Sometimes He does something equally miraculous: He steadies our hearts and helps us to trust Him. He asks us to rest in the belief that He has the power to ADAM HOLZ say to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!”

How do you respond to life’s spiritual storms?

As you look to Jesus and His promises, how does He encourage you?

Jesus, You calm every spiritual storm.

When tempests rage, speak peace to my soul as I put my hope in You.

22

0 MAT THEW 26:36–46

14 JANUARY

STAY AWAKE! Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.

The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. [ MATTHEW 26:41 ]

A

German bank employee was in the middle of transferring 62.40 euros from a customer’s bank account when he accidentally took a power nap at his desk. He dozed off while his finger was on the “2” key, resulting in a 222 million euro transfer into the customer’s account. The fallout from the mistake included the firing of the employee’s colleague who verified the transfer. Although the mistake was caught and corrected, because he wasn’t watchful, the sleepy employee’s lapse almost became a nightmare for the bank.

Jesus warned His disciples that if they didn’t remain alert, they, too, would make a costly mistake. He took them to a place called Gethsemane to spend some time in prayer. As He prayed, Jesus experienced a grief and sadness such as He’d never known in His earthly life. He asked Peter, James and John to stay awake to pray and “keep watch” with Him (MATTHEW 26:38), but they fell asleep (VV. 40–41). Their failure to watch and pray would leave them defenceless when the real temptation of denying Him came. In the hour of Christ’s greatest need, the disciples lacked spiritual vigilance.

May we heed Jesus’ words to remain spiritually awake by being more devoted to spending time with Him in prayer. As we do, He’ll strengthen us to resist all kinds of temptations and avoid the costly MARVIN WILLIAMS mistake of denying Jesus.

What part of your prayer life needs to be more devoted and disciplined? How can you intentionally spend more time alone with God this week?

Jesus, because I’ve been spiritually sleeping, I haven’t been praying. And because I haven’t been praying, I haven’t depended on You. I’m sorry. Please help me to spend more time with You. 23

0 ROMANS 8:9–17

15 JANUARY

ALWAYS A CHILD OF GOD For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. [ ROMANS 8:14 ]

D

uring a church service I attended with my parents, according to the usual practice we held hands while saying the Lord’s Prayer together. As I stood with one hand clasped to my mother’s and the other to my father’s, I was struck by the thought that I will always be their daughter. Although I’m firmly in my middle age, I can still be called “the child of Leo and Phyllis”. I reflected that not only am I their daughter, but I will also always be a child of God. The apostle Paul wanted the people in the church at Rome to understand that their identity was based on being adopted members of God’s family (ROMANS 8:15). Because they had been born of the Spirit (V. 14), no longer did they need to be enslaved to things that didn’t really matter. Rather, through the gift of the Spirit, they were “heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (V. 17).

To those who follow Christ, what difference does this make? Quite simply, everything! Our identity as children of God provides our foundation and shapes how we see ourselves and the world. For instance, knowing that we are part of God’s family helps us to step out of our comfort zone as we follow Him. We can also be free from seeking the approval of others.

Today, why not ponder what it means to be God’s child?

AMY BOUCHER PYE What defines your identity? What difference would it make to see yourself firstly as God’s child?

Lord God, help me to live out my central identity as Your child. Release me to live by Your Spirit, that I might share Your love and hope.

24

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the day are non-negotiable—eating, sleeping, dressing, going to work . . . Let’s add reading the Bible to that list. God’s Word is for our souls what a good meal is for our stomachs. Jesus said, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God” (MATTHEW 4:4). Just as we get wearied and feel

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way to get into Bible reading is to do it with someone else. See if you can find a friend—or group of friends—who will join you in developing your new habit. Perhaps you can read the same book of the Bible and ask each other about it.

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Jesus taught, “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen” (MATTHEW 5:6).

Our time with God is just that: quality time when we can be alone with Him. Where might your special, secret place with God be? In your bedroom? Your commute to work? Your office?

It doesn’t matter where it is; all that matters is that you have a place without distractions where you can be focused on God and ask Him to reveal more of Himself as you read His Word.

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unwell if we don’t eat, we will struggle spiritually if we’re not feeding ourselves on God’s Word.

to form. We don’t need to beat ourselves up when we fall behind on a reading plan. Our relationship with God isn’t dependent on getting everything right; He knows we won’t. When we realise we’re slipping out of our habit, we can evaluate what is pulling us away and choose to rearrange our priorities. It’s a good idea to ask Jesus to give us a love for His Word to help us value it as He does. Getting to know God through His Word is incredibly exciting and rewarding. We’ll never regret the hard work involved in making it a bigger part of our lives!

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Word isn’t always easy. Sometimes it doesn’t make sense straight away. That’s why getting to know the Bible is more than just reading; it’s about learning to take what you read with you through your day so you can meditate on it (or ‘chew it over’ in your mind). This is where God often reveals the truth of what we have read.

“Blessed is the one . . . who mediates on his law day and night” (PSALM 1:1–2).

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0 JOHN 5:31–40

16 JANUARY

THE AUTHOR OF EVERYTHING These are the very Scriptures that testify about me. [ JOHN 5:39 ]

L

istening to BBC Radio 4, I was struck by something comedian Lee Mack said: “It's quite odd that people like myself, in their forties, [are] happy to dismiss the Bible, but I've never read it. I always think that if an alien came down and you were the only person they met, and they said, 'What's life about? What's earth about? Tell us everything,' and you said, 'Well, there's a book here that purports to tell you everything.’ . . . And you go, ‘. . . I've never read it.' It would be an odd thing wouldn't it?”

Indeed, the Bible tells the story of our world, from the very beginning (GENESIS 1:1) right through to the dramatic and triumphant end to come (REVELATION 21). Yet God’s Word actually does much more than just retell everything; it introduces the Author of everything.

That’s what Jesus wanted the Jewish leaders to realise. They thought they were righteous simply because they knew the Scriptures. But Jesus observed: “These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (JOHN 5:39–40).

To know the Bible’s story is to know the One it is about. As we seek to embrace the love of Jesus Christ and to understand His character, we’ll increasingly make sense of every passage, event and promise in the Bible. And we’ll find our place with Him within His story.

CHRIS WALE

How have you glimpsed Jesus throughout the Bible’s story?

How might your studies and reflections deepen by asking of each passage: “What does this show me about Jesus?”

Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word and for speaking faithfully to me through it by Your Spirit. When the world doesn’t make sense, help me see more clearly through reflecting on Jesus.

31

0 ROMANS 12:1–3

17 JANUARY

THINKING DIFFERENTLY Do not conform to the pattern of this world. [ ROMANS 12:2 ]

D

uring university, I spent a good chunk of a summer in Venezuela.

The food was astounding, the people delightful, the weather and hospitality beautiful. Within the first day or two, however, I recognised that my views on time management weren’t shared by my new friends. If we planned to have lunch at noon, this meant anywhere between 12:00 and 1:00 p.m. The same for meetings or travel: timeframes were approximations without rigid punctuality. I learned that my idea of ‘being on time’ was far more culturally formed than I’d realised.

All of us are shaped by the cultural values that surround us, usually without us ever noticing. Paul calls this cultural force the “world” (ROMANS 12:2). Here, “world” doesn’t mean the physical universe, but rather refers to the ways of thinking pervading our existence. It refers to the unquestioned assumptions and guiding ideals handed to us simply because we live in a particular place and time.

Paul warns us to be vigilant to “not conform to the pattern of this world.” Instead, we must be “transformed by the renewing of [our] mind” (V. 2). Rather than passively taking on the ways of thinking and believing that engulf us, we’re called to actively pursue God’s way of thinking and to learn how to understand His “good, pleasing and perfect will” (V. 2). May we learn to follow God rather than every other voice.

WINN COLLIER

How would you describe the values and assumptions in the world around you? In what ways do they conflict with God’s ways?

God, I don’t even recognise my assumptions and values most of the time. Help me to live out Your truth and Your mind in it all.

32

0 GALATIANS 2:14–21

18 JANUARY

NO LONGER YOURSELF I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. [ GALATIANS 2:20 ]

I

n the summer of 1859, Monsieur Charles Blondin became the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope—something he would go on to do hundreds of times. Once he did it with his manager Harry Colcord on his back. Blondin gave Colcord these instructions: “Look up, Harry . . . you are no longer Colcord, you are Blondin. . . . If I sway, sway with me. Do not attempt to do any balancing yourself. If you do, we will both go to our death.”

Paul, in essence, said to the Galatian believers: You can’t walk the line of living a life that is pleasing to God apart from faith in Christ. But here’s the good news—you don’t have to! No amount of attempting to earn our way to God will ever cut it. So are we passive in our salvation?

No! Our invitation is to cling to Christ. Clinging to Jesus means putting to death an old, independent way of living; it’s as if we ourselves have died. Yet, we go on living. But “the life [we] now live in the body, [we] live by faith in the Son of God, who loved [us] and gave himself for [us]” (GALATIANS 2:20).

Where are we trying to walk the tightrope today? God hasn’t called us to walk out on the rope to Him; He’s called us to cling to Him and GLENN PACKIAM walk this life with Him. How can you stop trying to please God on your own?

In what area do you need to cling to Jesus today, trusting His righteousness?

Dear Jesus, thank You for doing for me what I could never do for myself. I turn away from trying to please You on my own.

I’m so glad I don’t need to earn Your love.

33

0 LAMENTATIONS 3:19–26

19 JANUARY

NEW EVERY MORNING [God’s] compassions never fail. They are new every morning. [ LAMENTATIONS 3:22–23 ]

M

y brother Paul grew up battling severe epilepsy, and when he entered his teenage years it became even worse. Nighttime became excruciating for him and my parents, as he’d experience continuous seizures for often more than six hours at a time.

Doctors couldn’t find a treatment that would alleviate the symptoms while also keeping him conscious for at least part of the day. My parents cried out in prayer: “God, oh God, help us!”

Although their emotions were battered and their bodies exhausted, Paul and my parents received enough strength from God for each new day. In addition, my parents found comfort in the words of the Bible, including the book of Lamentations. Here Jeremiah voiced his grief over the destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians, remembering “the bitterness and the gall” (3:19). Yet Jeremiah didn’t lose hope. He called to mind the mercies of God, that His compassions “are new every morning” (V. 23). So too did my parents.

Whatever you’re facing, know that God is faithful every morning. He renews our strength day by day and gives us hope. And sometimes, as with my family, He brings relief. After several years, a new medication became available that stopped Paul’s continuous night-time seizures, giving my family restorative sleep and hope for the future.

When our souls are downcast within us (V. 20), may we call to mind the promises of God that His mercies are new every morning.

AMY BOUCHER PYE

How has God sustained you through the trials you’ve faced? How could you support someone who’s enduring a challenging time?

God, Your love will never leave me. When I feel spent and without hope, remind me of Your mercies and compassion.

34

0 JEREMIAH 15:15–18

20 JANUARY

A RIPENING PROCESS When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight. [ JEREMIAH 15:16 ]

E

arly in his fifty-year ministry in Cambridge, England, Charles Simeon (1759–1836) met a neighbouring pastor, Henry Venn, and his daughters. After the visit, the daughters remarked how harsh and self-assertive the young man seemed. In response, Venn asked his daughters to pick a peach from the trees. When they wondered why their father would want the unripe fruit, he responded, “Well, my dears, it is green now, and we must wait; but a little more sun, and a few more showers, and the peach will be ripe and sweet.

So it is with Mr. Simeon.”

Over the years Simeon did soften through God’s transforming grace.

One reason was his commitment to read the Bible and pray every day. A friend who stayed with him for a few months witnessed this practice and remarked, “Here was the secret of his great grace and spiritual strength.”

Simeon in his daily time with God followed the practice of the prophet Jeremiah, who faithfully listened for God’s words. Jeremiah depended on them so much that he said, “When your words came, I ate them.” He mulled and chewed over God’s words, which were his “joy” and “heart’s delight” (JEREMIAH 15:16).

If we too resemble a sour green fruit, we can trust that God will help to soften us through His Spirit as we get to know Him through AMY BOUCHER PYE reading and obeying the Scriptures.

How has reading the Bible changed you?

What keeps you from reading it?

God, the Scriptures feed me and protect me from sin.

Help me to read them every day.

35

0 FEATURE ARTICLE

FOREVER

M

ajor W. Ian Thomas, founder of Capernwray Bible School, described his new Christian faith as keeping him “very busy”—he thought he had to live for Jesus in his own strength. Soon his energy turned to exhaustion. “Out of sheer frustration, I finally came to the point of quitting. That was the turning point which transformed my Christian life. I learned to say, ‘Lord Jesus, I can’t, You never said I could; but You can, and always said You would. That is all I need to know.’

In Exodus 3–4, we find Moses learning the same thing. Having fled from Egypt years before, he had lived in self-imposed exile while the enslaved Israelites continued to suffer under Pharaoh. So when God spoke to him from the burning bush, telling him to go and rescue the Israelites from Pharaoh, Moses didn’t feel like he was a good fit for such a rescue mission.

“Who am I that I should go?” “What if they do not believe me?”

“I have never been eloquent.” In every excuse Moses said, “I can’t.”

Yet God had plenty of reassurance to give Moses about the daunting mission tomorrow held. He responded, “I will be with you,” revealed His powerful, all-encompassing name “I am” and promised, “I will help you speak” (SEE EXODUS 3:11–4:12). With every reassurance, God replied, “But I can!”

36

Jesus also used the all-power, ever-present name “I am” to reveal Himself, saying: “Before Abraham was born, I am!” (JOHN 8:58). It’s hard to pin down a precise definition for such an awesome and all-encompassing name. Perhaps it is enough to know that yesterday, Jesus was I am; today Jesus is I am; and tomorrow Jesus will be I am. He is, and always will be, our ever-present helper, comforter and provider.

Nothing that tomorrow holds will have the slightest effect on who He is. He always will be I am, and so everything else must give way to Him. That was the lesson for Pharaoh when Moses finally told him to let Every time we say, God’s people go. Ten plagues later, “I can’t” because of and it was clear “that the earth is the Lord’s” (EXODUS 9:29). The most pow- the fearful challenges erful man in the world had to submit that lie ahead, let’s to the one, true I am. Your tomorrow also be ready to hear will have to submit to Him as well. the great I am say, Every time we say, “I can’t” because of the fearful challenges that lie ahead, “But I can.” let’s also be ready to hear the great I am say, “But I can.” “From that moment,” Thomas reflected, “life [becomes] the adventure that God always intended it to be.”

This will be our focus over the next ten days. We will reflect on the unshakable hope we have for “tomorrow”, knowing that Jesus is already there and already standing in victory.

37

0 PHILIPPIANS 3:10–21

21 JANUARY

THE BEST IS YET TO COME But one thing I do: forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal. [ PHILIPPIANS 3:13–14 ]

“D

o you remember life before kids?” My wife posed the question after a particularly demanding week with our two young boys.

Of course we’re so thankful to have them, but we’ve never known exhaustion like this. The continual decision-making, thinking on our feet, relentless routine, dispensing discipline and gnawing doubts. . .

Sometimes we longingly look back at the gentler pace of life we once knew.

The urge to look back is a common experience, and even more poignant is the yearning for days that have passed us by. But although our past will contain important lessons, experiences and people, the apostle Paul introduces a key instruction for living the Christian life when he wrote to the church at Philippi: “One thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining towards what is ahead, I press on towards the goal” (PHILIPPIANS 3:13–14).

Paul doesn’t deny the importance of what has gone before—or of living well today—but he urges us to keep our eyes on what lies ahead. We know that no matter how good the days behind us may have been, as Christians our best days are always ahead of us. When we attain “to the resurrection from the dead” (V. 11) we will finally be in our true home (V. 20), have bodies that won’t wear out (V. 21) and enjoy an eternity in Jesus’ wonderful presence. That is a prize worth CHRIS WALE straining ahead for.

What things from your past might be holding you back? How can straining for what lies ahead help you also make the most of today?

Thank You, Jesus, that my best days lie ahead of me, when I will finally see You face to face and know the complete fulfilment of all Your promises to me.

Help me keep pressing on for that most wonderful prize You have won for me.

38

0 COLOSSIANS 3:1–4

22 JANUARY

LOOKING UP Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. [ COLOSSIANS 3:2 ]

T

he cockeyed squid lives in the ocean’s ‘twilight zone’ where sunlight barely filters through the deep waters. The squid’s nickname is a reference to its two extremely different eyes: the left eye develops over time to become considerably larger than the right—almost twice as big. Scientists studying the mollusc have deduced that the squid uses its right eye, the smaller one, to look down into the darker depths. The larger, left eye, gazes upward, towards the sunlight.

The squid is an unlikely depiction of what it means to live in our present world and also in the future certainty we await as people who “have been raised with Christ” (COLOSSIANS 3:1). In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he insists we ought to “set [our] minds on things above” because our lives are “hidden with Christ in God” (VV. 2–3).

As earth-dwellers awaiting our lives in heaven, we keep an eye trained on what’s happening around us in our present reality. But just as the squid’s left eye develops over time into one that’s larger and more sensitive to what’s happening overhead, we, too, can grow in our awareness of the ways God works in the spiritual realm. We may not have yet fully grasped what it means to be alive in Jesus, but as we look ‘up’, our eyes will begin to see it more and more.

KIRSTEN HOLMBERG

How can you develop your ‘upward’ vision?

How can you set your mind on heavenly things?

Loving God, help me to set my mind and heart on those things that are of You!

39

0 LUKE 2:25–35

23 JANUARY

WAITING IN HOPE Simeon . . . was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was on him. [ LUKE 2:25 ]

I

n the movie Hachi: A Dog's Tale, a university professor befriended a stray Akita puppy named Hachi. The dog expressed his loyalty by waiting at the train station each day for the professor to return from work. One day, the professor suffered a fatal stroke. Hachi waited hours at the train station, and for the next ten years he returned each day—awaiting His loving master.

Luke tells the story of a man named Simeon who patiently waited for the coming of his Master (LUKE 2:25). The Holy Spirit revealed to Simeon that he would not see death until he saw the Messiah (V. 26).

As a result, Simeon kept waiting for the One who would provide “salvation” for God’s people (V. 30). When Mary and Joseph entered the temple with Jesus, the Holy Spirit whispered to Simeon that He was the One! The wait was finally over! Simeon held Christ in his arms—the hope, salvation and comfort for all people (VV. 28–32).

If we find ourselves in a season of waiting, may we hear the words of the prophet Isaiah with fresh ears: “Those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint” (ISAIAH 40:31).

As we await Jesus’ return, He provides the hope and strength we need for each new day.

MARVIN WILLIAMS When have you become weary as you waited for God? What encouraged you to endure during that challenging season?

Jesus, I will wait for You. Through pain, tears and uncertainty, help me to not become weary but to rest in Your provision.

40

0 MAT THEW 6:19–21

24 JANUARY

TREASURE IN HEAVEN For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. [ MATTHEW 6:21 ]

W

hen I was growing up, my two sisters and I liked to sit sideby-side on top of my mother’s large cedar-lined chest. My mum kept our wool sweaters in it and handiwork that was embroidered or crocheted by my grandmother. She valued the contents of the chest and relied on the pungent odour of the cedar wood to discourage moths from destroying what was inside.

Most earthly possessions can easily be destroyed by insects or rust, or can even be stolen. Matthew 6 encourages us to place a special focus—not on things that have a limited lifespan but on those that have eternal value. When my mum died at fifty-seven, she had not accumulated a lot of earthly possessions, but I like to think about the treasure she stored up in heaven (VV. 19–20).

I recall how much she loved God and served Him in quiet ways: caring faithfully for her family, teaching children in Sunday school, befriending a woman abandoned by her husband, comforting a young mother who had lost her baby. And she prayed. . . . Even after she lost her sight and became confined to a wheelchair, she continued to love and pray for others.

Our real treasure isn’t measured in what we accumulate— but in what or whom we invest our time and our passions. What “treasures” are we storing up in heaven by serving and following Jesus?

CINDY HESS KASPER How can you make sure you are investing in the eternal, and not just the temporary? How might this require you to trust God in ways that appear foolish?

God, show me where to go, where to spend my life and what to invest in for Your glory.

41

0 JOHN 14:1–7

25 JANUARY

ALL ROADS? Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life.” [ JOHN 14:6 ]

“D

on’t get on the motorway!” That text came from my daughter one day as I was leaving work. The route home had become a virtual car park. I began trying alternate routes, but after experiencing gridlock on other roads, I gave up. The trip home would have to wait till later in the day, so I drove in the opposite direction to an athletic event my granddaughter was involved in.

Discovering that no roads would lead me home made me think about people who say that all roads lead to an eternal relationship with God. Some believe the road of kindness and good behaviour will get you there. Others choose the road of doing religious things.

Relying on those roads, however, leads to a dead end. There’s only one road to take to God’s eternal presence. Jesus clarified this when He said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (JOHN 14:6). He was revealing that He was going to die to open the way for us to enter His Father’s house—to His presence and the real life He provides for today and eternity.

Skip the blocked roads that don’t lead to God’s presence. Instead, trust Jesus as Saviour, for “whoever believes in the Son has eternal life” (3:36). And for those who already believe in Him, rest in the way DAVE BRANON He’s provided.

Why is it vital to know that only Jesus can save us?

Why are we prone to try to add to what it takes to be welcomed into His family?

Dear God, I want to trust You for eternity. Thank You for the salvation found in Jesus alone.

42

0 REVELATION 4:4–11

26 JANUARY

BEHIND THE CURTAIN There before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. [ REVELATION 4:2 ]

I

n The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Dorothy, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion return to Oz with the broomstick that empowered the Wicked Witch of the West. The Wizard had promised, in return for the broomstick, that he would give the four their deepest desires: a ride home for Dorothy, a brain for the Scarecrow, a heart for the Tin Man and courage for the Cowardly Lion. But the Wizard stalls and tells them to come back the next day.

While they plead with the Wizard, Dorothy’s dog Toto pulls back the curtain, behind which the Wizard spoke, to reveal that the Wizard isn’t a wizard at all; he’s just a fearful, fidgety man.

It’s said that the author, L. Frank Baum, had a serious problem with God, so he wanted to send the message that only we have the power to solve our problems.

In contrast, the apostle John pulls back the veil to reveal the truly Wonderful One behind the ‘curtain’. Words fail John (note the repeated use of the preposition like in the passage), but the point is well made: God is seated on His throne, surrounded by a sea of glass (REVELATION 4:2, 6). Despite the troubles that plague us here on earth (CHS. 2–3), God isn’t pacing the floor and biting His nails. He’s actively at work for our good, so we can experience His peace.

DAVID H. ROPER

What do you fear today? How does it help you to know that God controls the troubles that surround you? How can you better trust and surrender to Him? I’m grateful, God, that I can count on You to walk with me through everything. Thank You for Your peace.

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0 MAT THEW 28:1–10

27 JANUARY

RUNNING TO TELL So the women . . . ran to tell his disciples. [ MATTHEW 28:8 ]

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he modern-day marathon is based on the story of a Greek messenger, Pheidippides. According to legend, in 490 bc he ran approximately twenty-six miles (forty kilometres) from Marathon to Athens to announce the Greeks’ victory against their formidable foe, the invading Persians. Today, people run marathons for the personal satisfaction of an athletic achievement, but Pheidippides had a greater purpose behind his effort: each of his steps was run for the sheer joy of delivering good news to his kinsmen!

Some five hundred years later, two women also ran to deliver good news—the most pivotal news in all of history. When Mary and Mary Magdalene arrived at the tomb where Jesus had been placed after His crucifixion, they found it empty. An angel told them that Jesus had “risen from the dead” and to “go quickly and tell his disciples” (MATTHEW 28:7). The women, “afraid yet filled with joy,” ran to tell the disciples what they’d discovered (V. 8).

May we have the same joyful exuberance at the resurrection of Jesus, and may it invigorate us to share the good news with others. We may not even need to ‘run’ further than next door to find someone who needs to know about our Saviour. He won the battle against death so we might live victoriously with Him forever! KIRSTEN HOLMBERG Who shared the good news of Christ’s resurrection with you?

How will you share it with others today?

God, I rejoice because of Your victory over death. Thank You for allowing me the privilege of sharing this good news with those You’ve put in my life.

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0 1 JOHN 3:1–3

28 JANUARY

OUR TRUE SELVES We know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him. [ 1 JOHN 3:2 ]

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nside my parents’ old photo album is a picture of a young boy. He has a round face, freckles and straight, light-blond hair. He loves cartoons, hates avocados and owns just one record, by Abba. Also inside that album are pictures of a teenager. His face is long, not round; his hair is wavy, not straight. He has no freckles, likes avocados, watches movies rather than cartoons, and would never admit to owning an Abba record! The boy and the teenager are little alike. According to science they have different skin, teeth, blood and bones. And yet they are both me. This paradox has baffled philosophers. Since we change throughout our lives, who is the real us?

The Scriptures provide the answer. From the moment God began knitting us together in the womb (PSALM 139:13–14), we’ve been growing into our unique design. While we can’t yet imagine what we’ll finally become, we know that if we’re children of God we’ll ultimately be like Jesus (1 JOHN 3:2)—our body with His nature, our personality but His character, all our gifts glistening, all our sins gone.

Until the day Jesus returns, we’re being drawn towards this future self. By His work, step by step, we can reflect His image ever more clearly (2 CORINTHIANS 3:18). We aren’t yet who we’re meant to be, but as we become like Him, we become our true selves.

SHERIDAN VOYSEY

When songs and films encourage us to find our ‘true selves’, what do you think they miss? In what area can you step towards Christ-likeness today?

Jesus, make me more like You today and every day.

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0 ISAIAH 65:17–25

29 JANUARY

IMAGINE THIS! I will create new heavens and a new earth. [ ISAIAH 65:17 ]

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uring the course of a popular home renovation television programme, viewers often hear the host say, “Imagine this!” Then she unveils what could be when old things are restored and drab walls and floors are painted or stained. In one episode, after the renovation the homeowner was so overjoyed that, along with other expressions of elation, the words “That’s beautiful!” gushed from her lips three times.

One of the stunning “Imagine this!” passages in the Bible is Isaiah 65:17–25. What a dazzling re-creation scene! The future renovation of heaven and earth is in view (V. 17), and it’s not merely cosmetic.

It’s deep and real, life-altering and life-preserving. “They will build houses and dwell in them; they will plant vineyards and eat their fruit” (V. 21). Violence will be a thing of the past: “They will neither harm nor destroy on all my holy mountain” (V. 25).

While the reversals envisioned in Isaiah 65 will be realised in the future, the God who will orchestrate universal restoration is in the business of life-change now. The apostle Paul assures us, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!” (2 CORINTHIANS 5:17). In need of restoration? Has your life been broken by doubt, disobedience and pain? Life-change through Jesus is real and beautiful and available to those who ask and believe.

ARTHUR JACKSON What changes can you imagine the God of restoration making in your life? What’s keeping you from believing in Jesus for life-change today?

God of restoration and renovation, You know what changes are needed in my life for me to look more like You. Please work in my heart and life today.

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0 REVELATION 21:1–5

30 JANUARY

GOODBYES AND HELLOS God himself will be with them and be their God. “He will wipe every tear from their eyes.” [ REVELATION 21:3–4 ]

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hen my brother David suddenly died of cardiac failure, my perspectives on life changed dramatically. Dave was the fourth of seven children, but he was the first of us to pass—and the unexpected nature of that passing gave me much to ponder. It became apparent that as age began to catch up with us our family’s future was going to be marked more by loss than by gain. It was going to be characterised as much by goodbyes as hellos.

None of this was a surprise intellectually—that is just how life works.

But this realisation was an emotional lightning bolt to the brain. It gave a fresh, new significance to every moment life gives us and every opportunity time allows. And it placed a huge new value on the reality of a future reunion, where no goodbyes will ever be needed.

This ultimate reality is at the heart of what we find in Revelation 21:3–4: “God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He 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.”

Though today we may find ourselves experiencing seasons of long goodbyes, our trust in Christ’s death and resurrection promises an eternity of hellos.

BILL CROWDER How do you cope with grief and the loss of loved ones? What comfort does it bring to know that you will one day see them again?

Father, I thank You that You’re the living God who gives everlasting life. I pray that You would use our eternal hope to comfort us in our seasons of loss and grief.

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0 HEBREWS 13:1-8

31 JANUARY

READY FOR TOMORROW Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. [ HEBREWS 13:8 ]

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hen the clock strikes for me, I shall go, not one minute early, and not one minute late,” the preacher said, the congregation hanging on his every word. “Until then, there is nothing to fear. I know that the promises of God are true, for they have been fulfilled in my life time and time again. Jesus still teaches, guides, protects, heals and comforts, and still wins our complete trust and love.”

It was a powerful message on the faithfulness of Jesus to calm our hearts in life’s uncertainty. But do we share that same conviction? Can we say to our Lord, “My times are in your hand”? (PSALM 31:15). Can we boldly claim, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” (HEBREWS 13:6).

We may have concerns about the days ahead. As Scripture reminds us, we “do not even know what will happen tomorrow” (JAMES 4:14).

But we do know that whatever happens, God will always be with us (HEBREWS 13:5). That knowledge can lighten any burden of worry about the future.

These January Our Daily Bread articles have been all about seeking our Lord each day in His Word. The booklet may have come to an end, but our journey with Him doesn’t need to. Join us at odb.org/subscription/uk and find out all the ways you can enjoy Our Daily Bread freely each day. The One who holds each day, each moment and each worry in His hands is ready to step into tomorrow with you.

YOUR FRIENDS AT OUR DAILY BREAD MINISTRIES

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12 Ways

Daily Bible Reading Will Improve Your Life (FROM PSALM 119)

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1: It will give you strength (V. 28): My soul is weary with sorrow; strengthen me according to your word.

2: It will give you answers (V. 42): I can answer anyone who taunts me, for I trust in your word.

3: It will give you freedom (V. 45): I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

4: It will give you comfort (V. 52): I remember, Lord, your ancient laws, and I find comfort in them.

5: It will give you sustenance (V. 93): I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.

6: It will give you wisdom (V. 98): Your commands are always with me and make me wiser than my enemies.

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12 Ways Daily Bible Reading

Will Improve Your Life (FROM PSALM 119)

7: It will give you insight (V. 99): I have more insight than all my teachers, for I meditate on your statutes.

8: It will give you understanding (V. 100): I have more understanding than the elders, for I obey your precepts.

9: It will give you guidance (V. 105): Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.

10: It will give you joy (V. 111):

Your statutes are my heritage for ever; they are the joy of my heart.

11: It will give you delight (V. 143): Trouble and distress have come upon me, but your commands give me delight.

12: It will give you peace (V. 165): Great peace have those who love your law, and nothing can make them stumble.

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YESTERDAY, TODAY & FOREVER

Living each day with the One who holds them all Get your new year off to the best possible start: discover the joy and strength of developing your own daily Bible reading habit. This special edition of Our Daily Bread will help you seek Jesus Christ and rest in the wisdom of His Word during each day of January. No matter how life looks or what may change, with Him as your daily Rock, you'll be able to step forward into each new dawn with your hope firmly set in the One who walks with you.

Things in our world, our lives and even our own hearts can vary from day to day and season to season, but “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” Use this booklet to spend daily time in His Word; it will transform your view of yesterday, how you live today and what you put your hope in for tomorrow.

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