FOCUS OF THE MONTH (FOM)
Embracing God’s Grace and Mercy While Staying In His Presence
SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK (SOW)
One thing have I desired of the LORD, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in his temple. –
Psalm 27:4 KJV
One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to inquire in his temple. — Psalm 27:4 ESV
MINISTRY RESOURCES
Wednesday Corporate Fasting Scripture – Isaiah 58 (ESV); Isaiah 58 (KJV)
Friday End of Week Scripture – Ephesians 3:20-21 (KJV)
LET’S CELEBRATE YOUR NEW YEAR!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
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ESV Translation Philosophy
The ESV is an “essentially literal” translation that seeks as far as possible to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on “word-for-word” correspondence, at the same time taking full account of differences in grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and exact force of the original.
In contrast to the ESV, some Bible versions have followed a “thought-for-thought” rather than “word-for-word” translation philosophy, emphasizing “dynamic equivalence” rather than the “essentially literal” meaning of the original. A “thought-for-thought” translation is of necessity more inclined to reflect the interpretive views of the translator and the influences of contemporary culture.
Every translation is at many points a trade-off between literal precision and readability, between “formal equivalence” in expression and “functional equivalence” in communication, and the ESV is no exception. Within this framework, we have sought to be “as literal as possible” while maintaining clarity of expression and literary excellence. Therefore, to the extent that plain English permits and the meaning in each case allows, we have sought to use the same English word for important recurring words in the original; and, as far as grammar and syntax allow, we have rendered Old Testament passages cited in the New in ways that show their correspondence. Thus in each of these areas, as well as throughout the Bible as a whole, we have sought to capture all the echoes and overtones of meaning that are so abundantly present in the original texts.
As an essentially literal translation, taking into account grammar and syntax, the ESV thus seeks to carry over every possible nuance of meaning in the original words of Scripture into our own language. As such, the ESV is ideally suited for in-depth study of the Bible. Indeed, with its commitment to literary excellence, the ESV is equally well suited for public reading and preaching, for private reading and reflection, for both academic and devotional study, and for Scripture memorization.
PRAISE & WORSHIP
DAILY DEVOTIONALS
Sunday, January 11, 2026 – THANK GOD FOR HIS GIFTS – Numbers 11:1-2, 4-11
Our Daily Bread Focuses: God’s love & care; Thankfulness
Today’s Devotional
The elderly man was taking a long time looking at the children’s backpacks in the store. He told me, “It’s my granddaughter’s birthday. I hope she likes my gift.” At the checkout, he clutched a pink backpack with a cartoon character design. He looked excited.
Later in a restaurant, I saw him again with a little girl and her parents. When the child opened her gift, she said, “I don’t like this character! And I hate pink!” Her parents made her apologize, but she still complained. My heart broke for her grandpa.
I was reminded of how I sometimes respond to God’s gifts. I complain because I want something different, failing to see the miracle before me—that God Himself has lovingly given something for me. The Israelites behaved similarly. God had kept His promise to them: “I will rain down bread from heaven for you” (Exodus 16:4). God’s faithful provision in the wilderness was sure: “When the dew settled on the camp at night, the manna also came down” (Numbers 11:9).
But instead of being thankful, the Israelites complained about God’s expression of loving provision: “We never see anything but this manna!” (v. 6). Instead of humbly requesting other food from God, they wailed over His gift.
I still remember the hurt look in the grandfather’s eyes that day. It made me think of how our heavenly Father must feel when we complain. Let’s be grateful for the gifts He’s given us.
Reflect & Pray
What blessings have you complained about? How can you thank God for them?
Dear Father, please forgive me for the times I’ve complained.
Today’s Insights
God provided physical nourishment for the wilderness travelers in the form of manna, but their unthankful attitudes made their dining experience distasteful (Numbers 11:6).
John 6 describes the spiritual nourishment that Jesus provides: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty” (v. 35). The response to this amazing offer? “At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, ‘I am the bread that came down from heaven’ ” (v. 41). These examples illustrate the failure to be grateful for God’s provision of both our physical and spiritual needs. As we reflect on all that He’s provided, we can respond with a grateful heart.
Monday, January 12, 2026 – A KNOWING EYE – Psalm 32:1-5, 9-11
Daily Bread Focus: Fellowship with God
Scriptures: 1 John 1:9; James 4:8
Today’s Devotional
Jason and Pierre had worked together for a decade putting siding on houses. They were good friends, but neither was talkative. As they worked, they said hardly a word. Yet they knew each other so well that this was seldom a problem. The two could rely on the mere nod of a head or glance of the eyes to communicate. Small gestures spoke volumes.
Psalm 32 evokes this level of familiarity between God and the psalmist. One version renders verse 8 this way: “I will guide you with my eye” (nkjv). God isn’t looking from afar; He’s a loving Father working in partnership with His child. While the psalm begins with confession of sin (vv. 1-5), the focus is not on punishment but on loving redirection as God teaches His child the right path (vv. 6-7).
The other option is to be like the horse or the mule, which “must be controlled by bit and bridle or they will not come to you” (v. 9). The picture is of willful defiance and ignorance of God’s way. As believers in Jesus, we are to develop a deep intimacy with God so we’re in tune with His gentle gestures. One way we develop this intimacy is through reading the Scriptures. This helps us “keep in step with the Spirit” (Galatians 5:25) so we’ll love what God loves. Then we can “rejoice in the Lord and be glad” (Psalm 32:11).
Reflect & Pray
In what ways has your spiritual life perhaps become mere ritual? How do you develop intimacy with God as you read and reflect on the Scriptures?
Dear Father, thank You for not only knowing me intimately but also asking me to partner with You as You advance Your kingdom.
Today’s Insights
For about a year after David’s sin of adultery, he failed to repent until the prophet Nathan confronted him (2 Samuel 11-12). Most scholars believe that David wrote Psalm 32 after confessing his sin. In this penitential psalm, he speaks of the crushing burden of unrepentant guilt (vv. 3-4) and the subsequent joy of receiving God’s forgiveness (vv. 1-2, 5).
The psalmist also emphasized the priority of submitting to God’s instructions (vv. 8-9). The unnamed author of Psalm 119 dispensed the same wisdom for living a life that honors God: “How can a young person stay on the path of purity? By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you” (vv. 9-11). We too grow closer to God as we echo the resolve of the psalmist: “I delight in your decrees; I will not neglect your word” (v. 16).
Tuesday, January 13, 2026 – HOLD ON TO GOD – Genesis 32:22-28
Daily Bread Focuses: God’s character; Spiritual growth
Scriptures: Isaiah 41:13; Job 17:9
Today’s Devotional
At our school district’s championship wrestling match, children as young as eight grappled on gym mats, deploying clever holds to wrestle down their opponents and win. An ancient sport, wrestling demands a savvy combination of takedowns, escapes, pins, and other point-winning maneuvers to come out on top. One little third-grade girl—a crowd favorite—was simply faster than all her opponents, using swift moves that seemed to trick her rivals into defeat.
Jacob used tricky moves to get the best of his twin brother Esau, “wrestling” Esau out of his birthright to their father’s inheritance (Genesis 25:33) and life blessing (27:27-40). But stealing the blessing kept Jacob on the run, forcing him to flee his father’s household, depend on his cunning father-in-law, and live in fear of his brother’s wrath.
Later, he found himself alone, wrestling all night with a man who was God Himself. “Let me go,” the man told Jacob, “for it is daybreak” (32:26). But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me” (v. 26). Finally Jacob was seeking a blessing of his own, holding tight to God even until his name was changed to reflect his changed heart.
No tricky moves were needed to gain this rich blessing from God—only persistence. Jacob was learning to live in relationship with God. It’s a persistent and honest hold—a winning move God will reward.
Reflect & Pray
What does it mean for you to hold tight to God? How has spiritual persistence blessed you?
As I hold on to You, dear Father, please help me in my spiritual persistence.
See what Jesus had to say about persistence in prayer.
Today’s Insights
We might think the story of Jacob is about his deception. He twice cheated his brother Esau, which forced him to flee from his family (Genesis 27:41-45; 28:10). God stepped in, however, and Jacob is remembered as a pillar of faithful persistence. God met Jacob in a dream (28:12-17), a dramatic intervention that prompted him to declare, “The Lord will be my God” (v. 21). Two decades later, he still feared his brother, who’d sworn to kill him (27:41), but again God intervened (32:1).
Jacob understood the significance of his first encounter with God at Bethel (28:16-19), and he understood this meeting too. “This is the camp of God!” he said (32:2). Jacob’s sins were obvious, yet his persistent faith was in the one true God. His name was changed from Jacob, the supplanter (25:26; 27:36) to Israel—one who struggled with God and overcame (32:28). Today, God will also help us be persistent in our faith as we hold on to Him.
Wednesday, January 14, 2026 – COMFORT OF GOD – 2 Corinthians 1:3-11
Daily Bread Focus: God’s love and care
Scriptures: 1 John 4:9-10; Romans 5:8; Isaiah 53:5
Today’s Devotional
I couldn’t wait. My husband and I had just returned from the grocery store; and as we unloaded the groceries, I frantically searched—but couldn’t find the donut bag. Then I checked the receipt. No donuts. Frustrated, I cried out, “All I wanted from the store was a donut!” Fifteen minutes later, my husband handed me a bag of donuts. He’d braved the snow again and snuck out to buy them. After squeezing him tightly, I sheepishly said, “I’m glad you didn’t get into an accident just to appease my craving!”
I don’t usually get that worked up about a donut! But it had been an emotionally draining week, and so I sought solace in a donut—and I experienced a much deeper joy through the love and compassion of my husband.
The kind of comfort we may get from satisfying our cravings is always short-lived. As the apostle Paul shared with the Corinthians, true—and lasting—comfort comes from the “God of all comfort” (2 Corinthians 1:3).
Paul understood his readers’ deep struggles and needs. Like them he faced daily trials, including persecution for his faith. And because God had comforted him, he was able to comfort them (v. 4).
When we’re hurting, we can turn to Jesus, who abounds in compassion and comfort (v. 5). There we find solace. And when we’ve experienced His comfort, we can extend it to others.
Reflect & Pray
When and how have you been comforted by God? How might you comfort others experiencing a shared trial?
God of all comfort, thank You for giving me solace, and please help me to share it with others.
Today’s Insights
Second Corinthians 1:3-7 includes a cluster of “comfort” words. The word translated “comfort” (vv. 3, 4, 5, 6 [2x]) is paraklēsis, a compound word meaning “to call alongside to assist.” Before His departure, Jesus used the related word paraklētos, translated “advocate” to speak of the Holy Spirit: “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever” (John 14:16; see also 14:26; 15:26; 16:7). Other English versions render it “helper,” “comforter,” “counselor.” Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, believers in Christ experience God’s comfort and in turn can extend it to others.
Thursday, January 15, 2026 – KINDNESS UNSEEN – 2 Kings 6:9-10, 13-17
Daily Bread Focuses: Big story of the Bible; Spiritual warfare
Scriptures: Deuteronomy 28:7; 1 John 4:4
Today’s Devotional
The face was there all along, but no one knew. When Sir Joshua Reynolds painted The Death of Cardinal Beaufort in 1789, he put a demon’s face in the darkness behind the dying man. Reynolds was accurately depicting a scene from a Shakespearean play that mentions the presence of a “busy, meddling fiend,” but some didn’t like his literalism. After Reynolds’ death in 1792, the face was painted over and forgotten. Art conservation work recently revealed it under layers of paint and varnish.
The Bible tells of a spiritual reality around us that the eye can’t see, where God reigns supreme. When Elisha was surrounded by a “strong force” of enemy soldiers and chariots, his servant was frightened and asked, “What shall we do?” Elisha told him that “those who are with us are more than those who are with them,” and “prayed, ‘Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.’ ” Suddenly the servant “saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:14-17).
The horses and chariots of fire indicate angelic beings there for Elisha’s protection. This is one of many places where Scripture underscores the comforting truth that in a world where danger lurks and spiritual warfare rages, God still watches over us. No matter what we face, how good it is to know that nothing “will be able to separate us” from His love (Romans 8:39).
Reflect & Pray
In what ways does God take care of you? How will you thank Him?
Dear Father, nothing can separate me from Your love for me in Jesus, and I praise You for it!
Today’s Insights
In addition to the angels described in 2 Kings 6:9-17, other Scriptures speak of the protection and ministry of angels. Nebuchadnezzar saw a fourth man who looked “like a son of the gods” in the blazing furnace with Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:25). After successfully overcoming Satan’s temptations, angels came and “took care of” Jesus (Matthew 4:11 nlt).
As Christ agonized over His impending crucifixion, “an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him” (Luke 22:43). Jesus reminds us of God’s providential protection and care when He says that He could’ve called on “more than twelve legions of angels” to come to His rescue (Matthew 26:53). Angels are God’s “servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14 nlt). No matter what we encounter in life, we can be assured that God is watching over us. Nothing can separate us from His love.
Friday, January 16, 2026 – AN ENLARGED HEART – Psalm 119:30-41
Daily Bread Focuses: Forgiveness; Salvation
Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11-13; Matthew 5:6; Psalm 119:1-2
Today’s Devotional
In his Confessions, Augustine wrestled with how it was possible for God to be in relationship with him. How could the one who created the universe come into something as small and sinful as his heart? But he pleaded with God to make it possible, praying, “The house of my soul is narrow. Enlarge it, so that you may enter it. It’s in ruins! Repair it! It has things in it that would offend your eyes. I confess and know it. But who will cleanse it, or to whom will I cry, but to you?”
Today we know Augustine as Saint Augustine, a revered philosopher and theologian. But he saw himself simply as someone transformed by the wonder of a God who wanted to know him.
In Psalm 119, the psalmist is also in awe of God’s revelation of Himself, particularly through Scripture (v. 18). “You shall enlarge my heart” (v. 32 nkjv), the psalmist celebrated. It’s only because God is graciously willing to enlarge our hearts that we can joyfully walk the path He shows us (v. 45). He turns our hearts away from what is corrupt (vv. 36-37) to the “path of [His] commands,” where we find His infinite “delight” (v. 35).
We are small, and our hearts are fickle. But when we turn our longing hearts to God (vv. 34, 36), He guides us down the paths of joy and true freedom.
Reflect & Pray
How has God “enlarged” Your heart? Where might you need to ask Him to bring growth?
Dear God, thank You for opening my heart to Your greatness. Please enlarge my heart today and every day.
Today’s Insights
The image of “walking” is one of Scripture’s most common metaphors for describing someone’s lifestyle—whether in close fellowship with God (see Genesis 5:24; 6:9; Psalm 1:1; 15:1-2) or in opposition to Him (Proverbs 4:14; 1 John 1:6). Psalm 119 begins with this metaphor, emphasizing that “those . . . who walk according to the law of the Lord” are blessed (v. 1).
The psalm paints a vivid picture of what it looks like to walk closely with God through immersion in and obedience to Scripture. In verse 32, this imagery intensifies as the psalmist shifts from describing walking to running—suggesting not just steady obedience but an eager pursuit of God’s ways. Unlike those whose feet “rush into evil” (see Proverbs 1:16; 6:18), the psalmist in Psalm 119:32 runs in joyful freedom down the path of God’s commands, liberated by His grace and captivated by His beauty.
Saturday, January 17, 2026 – COURAGE TO STAND FOR JESUS – John 13:36-38; 21:18-19
Our Daily Bread Focuses: Living for Christ; Persecution
Today’s Devotional
In ad 155, the early church father Polycarp was threatened with death by fire for his faith in Christ. He replied, “For eighty and six years I have been his servant, and he has done me no wrong. And how can I now blaspheme my king who saved me?” Polycarp’s response can be an inspiration for us when we face extreme trial because of our faith in Jesus, our King.
Just hours before Christ’s death, Peter boldly pledged His allegiance to Him: “I will lay down my life for you” (John 13:37). Jesus, who knew Peter better than Peter knew himself, replied, “Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!” (v. 38). However, after Jesus’ resurrection, the same one who’d denied Him began to serve Him courageously and would eventually glorify Him through his own death (see 21:16-19).
Are you a Polycarp or a Peter? Most of us, if we’re honest, are more of a Peter with a “courage outage”—a failure to speak or act honorably as a believer in Jesus. Such occasions—whether in a classroom, boardroom, or breakroom—needn’t indelibly define us. When those failures occur, we must prayerfully dust ourselves off and turn to Jesus, the one who died for us and lives for us. He’ll help us be faithful to Him and courageously live for Him daily in difficult places.
Reflect & Pray
When do you need extra doses of courage to stand for Jesus? What do you find helpful in your witness for Him?
Heavenly Father, please give me Your strength to live boldly as a believer in Your Son.
Today’s Insights
In John 13:36-38, Jesus is focused on Simon Peter and his need for courage in the hours and days ahead. The gracious warning He gives to him (v. 38) should’ve gotten the fisherman’s attention, but rather than leaning into the strength of the Master, Peter sought to face those hours in his own strength. Even in the moment when he seemed to be desperately trying to keep his promise to “lay down [his life] for” Christ” (v. 37)—by cutting off the ear of Malchus, servant of the High Priest (John 18:10)—his attempt failed, and he ran away with the other disciples (Mark 14:50). Only in God’s strength can we stand firm and have courage in difficult times and places. Peter would exhibit that courage when confronted by the religious leaders for preaching in Jesus’ name. At that moment, even they had to acknowledge the influence of Christ on His once-fallen, now-restored disciple (Acts 4:13). His influence in our life can also help us face life’s challenges with courageous faith.
THIS WEEK’S INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT BY SISTER CLOVIA
GOD’S PERFECT PLAN FOR 2026
In 2026, there will be seasons when the road is heavy, the waiting is long, and your strength feels almost gone. You will grow tired. You will question. Yet then, God’s hands have not loosened His grip on you.
God’s ways are higher than what you can see and His timing is never late. What feels like silence is often preparation. While you wait in 2026, remember that your prayers are not wasted. Every whispered cry, every tear offered in faith, every moment you choose trust over fear is shaping what is coming this year. God has a perfect plan for you.
God is working even when you cannot see or feel it. Stay faithful. Continue praying. What He has promised will arrive right on time.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.” – Jeremiah 29:11
CHRISTIAN-BASED MOVIE FOR THE MONTH
***The Daily Devotionals are taken from Our Daily Bread Ministries and the Scriptures are from the BibleGateway.***
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