FOCUS OF THE MONTH (FOM)
Embracing God’s Grace and Mercy While Staying In His Presence
SCRIPTURE OF THE WEEK (SOW)
Behold now, thy servant hath found grace in thy sight, and thou hast magnified thy mercy, which thou hast shewed unto me in saving my life; and I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die. – Genesis 19:19 KJV
Behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have shown me great kindness in saving my life. But I cannot escape to the hills, lest the disaster overtake me and I die. — Genesis 19:19 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 4, 2026 – GOD’S BEAUTIFUL CREATION – Nehemiah 3:6-12
Our Daily Bread Focuses: Community Service
Today’s Devotional
For a parent, the death of a child is devastating. But to lose two of your children? Unimaginable! Yet that’s the experience of Australian musician, writer, and actor Nick Cave. In 2015, his fifteen-year-old son fell from a cliff and died. A few years later, Cave’s oldest child also died. In the grip of such overwhelming grief, how did Cave and his wife keep going? How would you?
Cave attempted to find comfort in the world around him. “It’s the audacity of the world to continue to be beautiful . . . in times of deep suffering. That’s how I saw the world,” he said. “It was just carrying on, being systemically gorgeous.”
Jesus spoke of such beauty, and He saw it for what it truly is: the creation of God. His oft-quoted words in Luke 12—“consider the lilies” (v. 27 esv)—don’t dismiss the reality of suffering in our lives. In fact, they honor our great tragedies by offering an antidote to such harsh realities. Stop and consider the lilies or the ravens (v. 24) or the sunrise. Christ taught us, “If that is how God clothes the grass of the field . . . how much more will he clothe you” (v. 28).
In the face of grief and loss, the world’s perspective falls short. Jesus encourages us to consider our creator God, who holds His audacious creation together and cares for us deeply.
Reflect & Pray
When was the last time you stopped and considered the world around you? What did you notice?
God of all comfort, in seasons of suffering please give me the presence of mind to consider Your beautiful world.
Learn how lament can help you praise God in the storms of life.
Today’s Insights
Jesus assured His disciples not to worry about food, clothing, and shelter but to trust in God’s providential care (Luke 12:22-31). Just as He feeds the ravens (who were deemed unworthy because they were considered unclean) and adorns wildflowers with beauty (even though they last only a short time), He’ll most certainly take care of those who belong to Him.
His children are much more valuable than all His creations (Matthew 6:26; Luke 12:7, 24). In a world of worries and sorrows, Christ tells those who believe in Him not to be afraid. When we see how He cares for His creation, we can be assured that He’ll care for those who belong to Him.
Monday, January 5, 2026 – CARE PRAYER – 1 Samuel 12:19-24
Daily Bread Focuses: Encouragement; Prayer
Scriptures: James 5:16; 1 Timothy 2:1-3
Today’s Devotional
A woman was unusually nervous as she sat in the dentist’s chair. Family burdens troubled her greatly, and it was noticeable. Her dentist sensed her anxiety and asked her about it. Her story led him to ask, “Can I pray for you?” When the dental hygienist came into the room, she also prayed for the woman. Two prayers and one completed dentist’s visit later, the woman left the office knowing that she’d truly been cared for.
Praying for others is one of the best ways for us to show that we care because it calls on the greatest resource we know—our heavenly Father—to be actively involved in the lives of others. In 1 Samuel 12, the prophet Samuel was faced with the concerns of a very nervous group of people (v. 19). The Israelites had erroneously asked for a king, and they were afraid of how it was going to go for themselves. The prophet told them to “not be afraid” (v. 20) and assured them of God’s goodness as seen in these words: “Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you” (v. 23).
We also have the privilege and calling to pray for others. Silently sometimes and out loud at other times, we honor God when we petition Him for assistance on behalf of others in need.
Reflect & Pray
How can you provide caring prayer right now? What will it mean for people to know you’re praying for them?
Thank you, dear God, for telling us that “the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). Please help me to be that kind of person.
For further study, read Man of God and Man of the People.
Today’s Insights
Despite Samuel’s excellent character as a judge and prophet, his sons “accepted bribes and perverted justice” (1 Samuel 8:3). This prompted “the elders of Israel” to request a king (v. 4). Samuel disapproved and consulted God in prayer. He told Samuel, “It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king” (v. 7).
Five hundred years before the time of Samuel, God had told Israel, “[When] you say, ‘Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,’ be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses” (Deuteronomy 17:14-15). But this didn’t mean that God approved of them choosing a king.
Samuel outlined the problems a human king would create for them (1 Samuel 8:9-18), but they “refused to listen” (v. 19). Still, he continued to serve God by shepherding Israel and praying for them (12:19). We too honor God when we pray for the needs of others.
Tuesday, January 6, 2026 – SEEKING THE CHRIST CHILD – Matthew 2:1-2, 7-12
Daily Bread Focuses: Christ, birth; Worship
Scriptures: Deuteronomy 4:29; Jeremiah 29:13
Today’s Devotional
When writing teacher Peter Turchi sees a map, he looks for the adventure it holds. “To ask for a map,” he says, “is to say, ‘Tell me a story.’ ” I seized on that idea when preparing to teach a Sunday school class during Christmas on the “Faith of the Wise Men.” As I studied maps, I learned the Magi traveled some nine hundred miles—perhaps over several months—to find the Christ child, finally finding not a babe in a manger but a toddler living with His parents in a house. Their reaction after such a long trip? “They bowed down and worshiped him” (Matthew 2:11).
Their journey invited my students and me to plan with intention to seek Christ more fully. As Scripture tells us, when the Magi finally arrived in Jerusalem, their urgent question was: “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him” (v. 2).
Distance didn’t deter their worship. Nor did danger or delays. Herod’s deadly demand was ironic: “Go and search carefully for the child” (v. 8). Nobody had searched more diligently for Jesus than the Magi.
We can heed the example of the wise men by seeking Christ diligently too. Then, as we worship Him, we can expect our heavenly Father to speak to our hearts, leading us from old ways to new paths to journey with Him.
Reflect & Pray
How can you seek Christ this new year? How can you worship Him?
Dear Father, please help me to seek Your Son Jesus with all my heart and worship Him with all I have.
To learn more about seeking Jesus, watch In Pursuit of Jesus.
Today’s Insights
Matthew alone shares the account of star-gazing Magi who traveled in search of the newborn king of the Jews. Though this was a one-time phenomenon, the diligence of these men as they searched for Jesus deserves our attention and emulation. As we search and study the Scriptures, we’ll find Him too. Stressing the fact that the Old Testament Scriptures spoke of Christ, He said to the fault-finding religious leaders of His day: “You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (John 5:39-40). The Bible (Old and New Testaments) testifies about Jesus (see also Luke 24:27, 44-45). As we seek Him and worship Him, we’ll grow in our faith, and God will lead us from our old ways to new paths.
Wednesday, January 7, 2026 – THE BONE WARS – Philippians 4:1-3
Daily Bread Focuses: Conflict; Unity of believers
Scriptures: Psalm 133:1; Ephesians 4:1-3
Today’s Devotional
In the American West in the late 1800s, the search for dinosaur bones created the Bone Wars, in which two paleontologists battled one another in their pursuit of making the most historic find. One writer noted how the two “used underhanded methods to try to outdo the other in the field, resorting to bribery, theft, and the destruction of bones.” He noted how, in trying to ruin each other’s work, both destroyed their own reputations as well.
Conflict and competition are inevitable in our broken world. How we choose to engage those conflicts reveals what’s in our hearts. Paul learned of conflict between two women in the church at Philippi and wrote, “I plead with Euodia and I plead with Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.” He asked a fellow believer to “help these women since they have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel” (Philippians 4:2-3).
When we find ourselves at odds with fellow believers in Jesus, we need the Spirit’s help. As we submit to His work in our hearts, He’ll help us demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). We’ll experience healing and peace—if not for our own reputations, for the reputation of Christ and the gospel.
Reflect & Pray
What conflicts do you face today? How could the peace of the Spirit make a difference in resolving them?
Loving Father, it must break Your heart when I war with my brothers and sisters in Christ. Please give me Your wisdom and the aid of the Spirit to bring healing and unity.
Follow these ten rules for positive communication when resolving conflicts in relationships.
Today’s Insights
In his letter to the Philippians, Paul calls on the believers in Jesus to rejoice no matter what circumstances they face (Philippians 4:4). He urges them to let go of personal pride and selfish ambition and continue to live in unity (see 2:3-4, 14; 4:2). They’re to have the same attitude that Christ had in order to live like Him (2:5-11).
The apostle singled out two women—Euodia and Syntyche—whose personal rivalry was disrupting the church’s harmony. He urged them “to be of the same mind in the Lord” (4:2), echoing his earlier encouragement to be “like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (2:2). He also called on an unnamed member in the church to help repair this fractured fellowship (4:3).
When we face conflict with other believers, the Spirit will help us be peacemakers and to “make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3).
Thursday, January 8, 2026 – SMALL AND MIGHTY – John 6:5-15
Daily Bread Focuses: Big story of the Bible; Union with Christ
Scriptures: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15; John 3:16; Philippians 3:4
Today’s Devotional
On December 9, 1987, a squirrel chewed through a power line in Connecticut, and the Nasdaq’s vast financial machinery blinked, sighed, and went dark. Some of the world’s largest corporations stood limp and listless. Global economies watched, sweating bullets for nearly an hour and a half. All because of one tenacious, furry rodent.
Scripture tells many stories of something or someone small making a big impact. But God can turn meagerness into something mighty. John recounts how Jesus fed a hungry crowd (five thousand men, probably fifteen thousand with women and children included) when “a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish” handed over his small lunch (John 6:9). In the Old Testament we remember that a young shepherd boy named David trusted God and slayed a giant (1 Samuel 17). And Christ repeatedly insisted that the kingdom of God is something like a mustard seed, “the smallest of all seeds” (Matthew 13:32).
When we ponder the many complex global crises in addition to the bewildering concerns in our own neighborhoods and families, we’re tempted to believe that our seemingly small efforts lack power. But Scripture tells us to act in obedience and trust as God helps us—assured that with Him, small things can become mighty (John 6:10-12).
Reflect & Pray
Where do you feel small or powerless? How do you sense God inviting you to surrender your smallness to Him?
Dear God, I often feel small, with nothing to offer. Please help me remember that with You, small things become mighty.
For further study, read The Strength of Weakness.
Today’s Insights
After the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:5-13), a crowd again found Jesus (v. 25). He knew they were there to see another miracle, so He said, “Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life” (v. 27). He explained, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent” (v. 29). Just as a boy’s small gift of food had a momentous impact, so too the decision to trust Christ in the midst of a crisis has tremendous ramifications—for us and for the lives God will touch through us.
Friday, January 9, 2026 – THE FUTURE GOD’S PREPARING – Isaiah 43:16-21
Daily Bread Focuses: Hope; Salvation
Scriptures: Jeremiah 29:11; Psalm 34:18; Isaiah 41:10
Today’s Devotional
We live in a world where the internet forgets nothing—every photo, post, and blog entry is seemingly stored forever. One major search engine, however, introduced a privacy feature allowing users to request the removal of personal data like phone numbers, home addresses, and more. While this doesn’t erase the data from the internet entirely, it significantly reduces its visibility, giving people a sense of control over their digital footprints.
This idea of “scrubbing” the past echoes the prophet’s words in Isaiah 43:18-19. God said, “Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing.” These verses were spoken to Israel during their exile in Babylon—a period of deep despair and longing for restoration. God commanded His people to not fixate on their past failures or the pain of captivity but to look forward to the new work He was about to do—a new and more significant exodus—their deliverance from Babylon and return to their homeland. He wasn’t just erasing the past but “making a way” (v. 19) to a future filled with hope and purpose.
Instead of dwelling on failures or regrets, let’s trust that God has “scrubbed” our past sins, regrets, and shame and—through Jesus’ sacrifice (Hebrews 10:10)—“remembers [our] sins no more” (Isaiah 43:25). God propels us toward the future He’s preparing.
Reflect & Pray
Why is it so difficult to let go of the past? How might you deepen your trust in God for new beginnings?
Dear God, please help me say goodbye to my past and look forward to the future.
Learn more about Dealing with the Past.
Today’s Insights
God exiled Judah to Babylon because of her sins (Isaiah 39:6-7). Hundreds of years earlier, He’d mightily rescued them from the Egyptians (43:16-17), but they weren’t to “dwell on the past” (v. 18) because their miraculous journey in the first exodus would pale in comparison with the “new thing” God would do for them (v. 19). He’d bring them back from exile (vv. 5-7) and give them a glorious future (vv. 20-21). More importantly, He’d blot out their sins (v. 25). This forgiveness wasn’t because they were deserving—for they’d failed to honor Him as their God (vv. 22-24)—but because of who God is (v. 25).
God forgives our sins because He’s “a forgiving God, gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Nehemiah 9:17). We can look forward to the future rather than dwell on our past sins because of the “new thing” God did through Jesus.
Saturday, January 10, 2026 – TODAY IS PRECIOUS – James 4:13-17
Our Daily Bread Focuses: Living for Christ; Trust in God
Today’s Devotional
Vietnamese collector Pham has salvaged twenty church clocks from around Europe, many of which had been replaced with electronic versions. One clock, made in Italy, dates back to 1750 and, remarkably, still keeps time accurately. Pham enjoys restoring and preserving the timepieces, saying they remind him of how precious time is and to savor each moment.
In James 4, the writer encouraged his readers to recognize the preciousness of time by reminding them that their lives are like “a mist that appears for a little while” before vanishing (James 4:14). James warned against making plans to “go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money” (v. 13) without consulting God. Instead of presuming on God for the timing and success of their ventures, he reminded them that they “do not even know what will happen tomorrow” (v. 14). Designing our own successes is actually boastful and arrogant if it leaves God out of the picture.
When we recognize the brevity of our lives, we’re able to hold our plans for the future more loosely and better embrace the present moment. We live and work according to God’s design and purpose, which means we can humbly entrust our future to Him and savor each day as the gift from Him it truly is—no matter what it may hold.
Reflect & Pray
When have you left God out of your plans? How can you embrace today for the gift it is?
Thank You, God, for the gift of today. I trust my future to You.
Discover more by reading Making Decisions God’s Way.
Today’s Insights
James has a strong warning. “Now listen,” he says (James 4:13), before cautioning us against trusting in the reliability of our plans. It’s not wrong to make plans; in fact, it’s foolish not to do so. But it’s arrogant to make those plans without consulting the wisdom of the Bible and looking to our heavenly Father to instruct us by His Spirit.
No one “plans” to have trials, nor do we want them, but some of God’s greatest gifts are surprises that grow out of immense difficulties. In the opening lines of this letter, James says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (1:2-3). As we entrust our lives and future to God, we can hold our plans loosely. And even in the midst of trials, we can treasure each day as a gift.
THIS WEEK’S INSPIRATIONAL THOUGHT BY SISTER CLOVIA
GLORIFYING AND PRAISING JESUS
So, what do we do now that Christmas is over? The answer to this is best found in Luke 2:20: “And the shepherds returned.” Just like the shepherds, it’s time for us to return to our routine—daily responsibilities and obligations. But that’s not where the verse ends. How did the shepherds return? “…glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told to them.” May we do the same—glorifying and praising God for the greatest gift of Jesus.
The greatest gift wasn’t placed under a tree but hung upon one.
It’s not about lights. – It is about the Light of the world.
It’s not about a tree. – It is about the Cross
It’s not about tradition. – It is about salvation.
It’s not about Santa Claus. – It is about Jesus Christ
As we go about our routines in 2026, let’s reflect His Light to others and live honorably, seeing God glorified and praised daily.
Let’s go like the shepherds.
Tell it on the mountain.
Over the hills and everywhere.
Go, tell it on the mountain.
That Jesus Christ is born.
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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