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Young Christians Calendar

A daily meditation for young Christians

January 2025

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Friday, January 31, 2025

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“A man’s pride bringeth him low; but the humble in spirit shall obtain honor” (Proverbs 29:23 JND).
The first part of our verse today might seem rather strange, for normally a proud person expects to be honored and given a good place. Yet here in our verse it tells us that pride will bring a man low. Why is this? It is because a proud person usually thinks much more highly of himself than he should. Sooner or later he makes a big mistake, and then is brought low.
On the other hand, someone who is humble in spirit realizes that there is much that he does not know, and that he is willing to learn. That kind of a person often is honored, for he learns from others.
In the world of today, we might say that there is almost an epidemic of pride; people are prouder than ever before. God tells us this in 2 Timothy 3:2, where we read that in the last days, men shall be “boasters,” and “proud.” As a result, more big mistakes are being made, because people think they know more than they do. Let us be humble, and be ready to learn.

Thursday, January 30, 2025

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“Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompense of reward” (Hebrews 10:35).
The Jewish Christians, to whom the book of Hebrews was written, were suffering a lot of persecution for their faith in Christ. Sometimes it was easy to get discouraged, as they occasionally lost their property and other possessions. But God was pleased with their continuing confidence, for as it says in verse 34, they knew that they had in heaven “a better and an enduring substance.”
It is nice to lead a peaceful life in this world, but all down through the ages, Christians have been persecuted for their faith, and sometimes driven from their homes. Even today this is happening in some parts of the world. Then we need to remember that this world is not our home, and that everything down here is temporary. Our real home is in heaven, and we can be thankful for a place where nothing will ever wear out, and where nothing can ever be taken away from us. More than this, God will richly reward those who retain their confidence, and continue on faithfully for Him.

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

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“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another, and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25).
It is easy to come together for meetings when everything is going well, and many other people come out to hear the Word of God. But God has told us in the Bible that when we are in the last days, things will get worse and worse in this world. Also, even among believers things will gradually get weaker. Then it takes real spiritual energy to get together with other believers to pray and read the Word of God.
But here we are told that as we see the day of judgment approaching, we are to come together more and more, for we need one another for support and fellowship. Life is busy today, and there can be a lot of reasons why we think we should stay home. But it is important to come together, and enjoy the Lord collectively. We need the encouragement of the Word of God and prayer more than ever!

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

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“The lion’s whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it” (Job 28:8).
Today we have before us the verse after the one we had yesterday. Once again, the pathway of the believer is pictured to us. The lion’s whelps (young ones) would speak of super-strength, and again, they are a picture of man in his natural strength. But we cannot walk the Christian pathway in our own strength; we need the Lord’s strength, and dependence on Him. Our own strength will wear out, but we read that they that wait upon the Lord will “renew their strength” (Isa. 40:31).
The fierce lion speaks to us of Satan in His energy, as we get in 1 Peter 5:8—“a roaring lion…seeking whom he may devour.” But Satan cannot attack us in the pathway of faith, if we stick close to the Lord. He is a defeated enemy, and he knows it. If we resist him, the Scripture tells us that he will “flee from us.” (See if you can find this verse; it is in the book of James.) Whether Satan comes as a vulture or a lion, we can be sure of getting the victory if we walk with the Lord.

Monday, January 27, 2025

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“There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the vulture’s eye hath not seen” (Job 28:7).
This verse is really speaking about mining precious metals from deep in the earth, and how the birds have not seen what goes on down there. However, the passage also pictures to us the pathway of the believer.
Birds of prey, such as hawks, eagles, and owls, all have wonderful eyesight. They can see small animals like mice a long distance away. They are a picture of the natural man in his intelligence. The vultures feed on dead things, and they fly about, looking for dead animals which they can eat. Those dead things again speak of the natural man, but in a different way. We read in Ephesians 2:1 that naturally, before we are saved, we are “dead in trespasses and sins.” The vulture is like Satan, who looks for those who are dead in this world, and preys on them. Sadly, even a true believer can appear dead, if he is not walking with the Lord and enjoying His presence. In that condition, the devil can attack us, for we are acting like the dead people of this world.
Let us make sure that we find the path the Lord has for us. It cannot be found by natural intelligence, nor by those who are spiritually dead. But there is a path for us, marked out by the Lord. We can find it by walking with Him according to His Word.

Sunday, January 26, 2025

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“When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30).
In Matthew, Mark, and Luke, it is recorded that before the Lord Jesus dismissed His spirit, He cried out with a loud voice. Here in John’s gospel, we learn what He said. He gave that victorious cry, “It is finished,” for in the three hours of darkness, He had borne all the righteous judgment of God against sin. Now the work was done, and the Lord Jesus cried out with a Victor’s cry. Then He dismissed His spirit, and died.
The centurion who was there, and others who were looking on, were very impressed, for normally a man who died from crucifixion was so weak that he could scarcely talk at all. But here was One who cried with a loud voice, and then voluntarily dismissed His own spirit. Only the Lord Jesus could do that, as a divine Person. A natural man might commit suicide, but he cannot dismiss his own spirit and die. This was a fulfilment of what the Lord Jesus had said previously, “I lay down My life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from Me but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of My Father” (John 10:17-18). It proved even to the soldiers that this was no ordinary man; He was the Son of God.

Saturday, January 25, 2025

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“Reprove not a scorner, lest he hate thee: rebuke a wise man, and he will love thee” (Proverbs 9:8).
Today’s verse is not very popular in the world right now, even among Christians. A few months ago, I read on the internet that we should never try to tell people that they are wrong. The question was asked, When was the last time someone thanked you for telling them that they were wrong? Sadly, it is true that most of the time, if we try to tell others that they are wrong, they will defend themselves, even if they realize that they are wrong. Perhaps we act the same way, if someone tries to show us that what we are doing is wrong.
Here in our verse we read that only a scorner will hate you, if you try to help him understand where he is wrong. But a wise man will appreciate it if he is told when he is wrong, because that is the way to learn. Let us never react like a scorner when someone tries to help us when we are wrong. If we are wise, we will value someone like that.

Friday, January 24, 2025

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“There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12).
This verse is so important that God has put it into His Word twice. See if you can find the other reference to it!
As I write this in January, 2023, I remember that last month (December, 2022) on the same highway here in Ontario, Canada, but on different days, two cars tried to travel on the wrong side of the road. Highway 401 is a divided highway, so there was really no excuse for either driver to end up going the wrong way. Both cars ended up in a head-on collision with another vehicle, and in the accidents, people were both killed and injured. Those drivers probably thought that they were going the right way, but it literally was a way of death.
Both were awful accidents, but there are many people in this world who are doing the same thing spiritually. Instead of believing God’s Word and trusting in the Lord Jesus for their souls’ salvation, they are going their own way, thinking that everything will be all right. But those who trust their own thoughts will find that it is indeed a way of death, for eternal life can be found only in the Lord Jesus.

Thursday, January 23, 2025

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“Job hath spoken without knowledge, and his words were without wisdom…Then Job answered the Lord and said…I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth Thee. Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job 42:1,5-6).
Job did not realize that he was a proud man—proud of his own goodness! He thought that his goodness was all from himself, instead of its being the result of God’s grace working in him. As a result, he felt that God was unjust to allow such severe trouble in his life. But through it all Job came to know the Lord better than before. He realized that God was greater than he was, and that all his goodness was only because God had given him a new life. Then he gave God the glory, instead of being proud of his own goodness.
Then God gave him twice as much as he had before, and also gave him ten children again, to replace the ones who had died. Job profited from God’s dealings with him, and this is a good lesson for us too. Whatever God allows in our lives is for our blessing, and we can learn from it.

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

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“What? Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips” (Job 2:10).
Job is one of the oldest books in the Bible, for it seems that he lived about the same time as Abraham, or perhaps shortly afterward. He was a good man, but he did not yet know the Lord as well as he might have. Satan came along, and the Lord commended Job as a good man, but then Satan suggested that Job was a good man because God had blessed him, and given him wealth and prosperity.
Then the Lord allowed Satan to take away first of all Job’s possessions and his children, and finally his health. We see Job’s reaction in today’s verse. His words are like those of many people today, who say, “Sometimes things go well, and sometimes bad things happen. That’s life!” Have you heard people talk like that? Sometimes even believers can think like that.
But God never allows bad things in our life unless He wants to teach us something. Tomorrow we will see what He wanted to teach Job.

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

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“For he that is entered into His [God’s] rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His” (Hebrews 4:10).
When God finished His work of the six days of creation, He saw that everything was very good, and we read that “on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made” (Genesis 2:2). But now God has done a different work through His beloved Son on Calvary’s cross. God is not resting today in His earthly creation, for sin has made a mess of it. Rather, God is resting in His Son Jesus Christ, who has finished the work so that sin will eventually be removed from the entire universe.
Now God calls us to rest in His Son too. Sometimes we think we can work toward making things right in this world, but if we really appreciate God’s rest, we will stop trying to straighten out this world, and realize that we too can rest in what Christ has done.
There will definitely come a day when everything in this world will be straightened out, but in the meanwhile, we can have peace in the finished work of Christ.

Monday, January 20, 2025

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“For yet a little while, and He that shall come will come, and will not tarry” (Hebrews 10:37).
We do not use the word “tarry” in everyday speech today, as it is an old English word. It simply means to delay, or to stay in one place in expectation. The Lord Jesus tarries now, for He is waiting in expectation for the Father’s word to call us home. But He will not delay unnecessarily, or wait a moment longer than is needed for the Father’s house to be filled.
When the book of Hebrews was written, there were many Jewish believers who were somewhat disappointed when the earthly kingdom was not set up immediately. The Lord reminds them in our verse for today that it would be only a little while until the Lord would come. Then they would enjoy, not an earthly kingdom, but a heavenly one, which is much better.
Perhaps you and I get a little impatient at times, and wonder why the Lord does not hurry up and come, and take us home. But there are others out there that need to be saved, and the Lord wants more to fill the Father’s home. We can afford to be patient, while we continue to tell others about the Lord Jesus.

Sunday, January 19, 2025

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“Behold, He cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see Him, and they also which pierced Him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of Him” (Revelation 1:7).
Yesterday we saw that it will be only by judgment that this world will be straightened out, and that only by God’s judgment will men learn to act properly. Here in today’s verse we read how this will happen.
By the time this verse is carried out, all true Christians will have been taken home at the Lord’s coming. Those who are left behind will face God’s awful judgment, and when He appears, they will know what is coming. He will not come secretly, in “the twinkling of an eye,” as He will when He comes for us; no, He will come publicly, and everyone will see Him. They will know very well that He is coming in judgment.
Nearly 2000 years ago He was nailed to a cross; in that day of judgment this world will remember what they did to the Son of God. They will realize that God has not forgotten, and that He is going to judge those who have rejected His Son, and have not repented of it.

Saturday, January 18, 2025

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“When Thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness” (Isaiah 26:9).
Perhaps you have heard people make the statement, “I want to make a difference: I want to make the world a better place.” It sounds very good, and as Christians, we should all strive to honor our Lord Jesus Christ by doing what is morally right in this world.
However, we must remember that the world is not going to be straightened out by our efforts. Nor will the world be made righteous even by the preaching of the gospel. Rather, God has told us that the condition of this world will gradually become worse and worse, and we are seeing that today.
It is only by God’s judgment that things will be straightened out in this world, and all who have not accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior will fall under that judgment. Then the Lord Jesus will bring in His glorious millennial kingdom, and the world will indeed be a better place.
However, we are not looking for an earthly kingdom; we are looking for a heavenly kingdom, and for the Lord to come and take us home.

Friday, January 17, 2025

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“The hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul” (Hebrews 6:19).
Many years ago, back in the 19th century, a woman named Priscilla Owens wrote the hymn,
“Will your anchor hold in the storms of life,
When the clouds unfold their wings of strife,” etc.
Then the chorus goes,
“We have an anchor that keeps the soul,
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll.”
It has been an encouragement and a comfort to many.
The world of today is very troubled and uncertain, and people are afraid of what the future might hold. They might well be afraid, for God’s judgment is coming on the world. The moral condition of this world is getting worse and worse, and while men recognize it, they do not want to take God’s remedy. But you and I, as Christians, have an anchor that keeps us. It can never come loose, and can never fail. It is sure and steadfast, because God is behind it. Whether it is our eternal salvation or the storms of life, that anchor always holds, and keeps us steady.

Thursday, January 16, 2025

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“Wherefore God…confirmed it by an oath: that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation [encouragement], who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us” (Hebrews 6:17-18).
We might be a little confused by these verses, as the Lord Jesus, when He was on earth, told the people, “Swear not at all” (Matthew 5:34), and that they were simply to say “yes” or “no” when speaking to others. Why then does God swear an oath?
The answer is that God wanted to prove conclusively to man that He would do what He said He would do. Thus He gave man two immutable things (things that cannot be changed) —His Word, and His oath. God could not lie, but because men use oaths in a courtroom, in order to emphasize the importance of telling the truth, God swore an oath, just so that man would realize that God would keep His Word.
God had promised to bless Abraham, and He even used an oath, to back up His Word. How gracious our God is!

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

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“He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful” (Matthew 13:22).
In our verse for today, we find two of the reasons why even saved people can be “dull of hearing.” They may have new life in Christ, but the cares of this world, and also the deceitfulness of riches, take up all their time, and there is little or no interest in eternal things.
It is true that life is complicated today, and there are many more things that occupy our time and perhaps cause us to worry. Also, at least here in North America, we generally have more money than people did when our grandparents were growing up, and there are a lot of interesting things to do. With both of these things, it is easy to let Satan use up all of our time. What is the answer?
We need to set aside time for the Lord’s things, for they are important. They are the only things that will last for all eternity, and the only things that will make us truly happy. If we put the Lord first, we will find that He will help us to fit all the necessary things around them.

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

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“We have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing” (Hebrews 5:11).
The inspired author of the book of Hebrews (probably the Apostle Paul) had many things that he would have liked to have told those Jewish Christians, for God had committed to Him the precious truth of the assembly. This included things that had not been revealed to anyone else; God gave them specially to Paul, so that he could pass them on to others. Sadly, he had to say to some of those saved Jews that they were not really interested in what he had to tell them. They had not progressed in the things of the Lord, and were like small children who did not know much.
It can be the same with us today. Perhaps there are older ones in our local assembly who know a great deal in spiritual things, and would love to tell them to us. But if we are not interested—if we are “dull of hearing,” like those Jews, then it is hard for them to tell us those things. If we have a new life in Christ, then we have a nature that wants to learn more of Christ. But sometimes our desires for the things of this world stand in the way.

Monday, January 13, 2025

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“Though He were a Son, yet learned He obedience by the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8).
When the Lord Jesus came into this world, He became a man, and thus took the position of a creature. He became the perfect dependent Man, and was fully obedient to God His Father. This had never happened before, so we could say, very reverently, that it was a totally new experience for Him.
But then, when He became a Man, He learned the cost of obedience. Sometimes we are ready to obey someone in authority over us, as long as what they ask does not go too far, in our estimation. But the Lord Jesus learned what it was to obey, and He became “obedient unto death, even the death of the cross” (Philippians 2:8). Obedience to His Father’s will took Him all the way to Calvary’s cross, to go into death for us.

Sunday, January 12, 2025

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“I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
Today is the Lord’s day, and it is fitting that we have the Lord Jesus as the good Shepherd—the One who gave His life for the sheep. In eastern countries, shepherds often encountered wild animals while they were looking after their sheep, and in order to protect the sheep, the shepherd often had to risk his life. Wild animals would see a flock of sheep, and think they could make an easy meal out of one of them. You will remember David, who looked after his father’s sheep, and how he had to kill both a lion and a bear at different times, in order to protect the sheep.
But the Lord Jesus not only risked His life to save us; He had to give His life for the sheep. He went to the cross, and there He gave His life for us, so that He could have His sheep. He loved us enough to die for us, so that He could save us from the power of Satan.

Saturday, January 11, 2025

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“I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever” (John 6:51).
When the Lord Jesus was here on earth, He fed the hungry people several times by multiplying the small number of loaves of bread that were available. As you may imagine, the people readily followed Him, hoping for another free meal. However, the Lord Jesus had to remind them that natural food would satisfy them only for a short time; then they would want another meal. But if they believed on the Lord Jesus, He would give them that living bread, which was Himself. What does this mean?
It means that the Lord Jesus would go to the cross and suffer for sin, so that all who came to Him and ate of Him, spiritually speaking, would have eternal life. When we eat something, it is taken into our stomachs and digested; then it becomes part of us. In the same way, if we believe on the Lord Jesus, we accept Him as our Savior, and we make Him our own. We do not simply believe in who He is, but we accept Him in our hearts. Then we have eternal life, as our verse today says.

Friday, January 10, 2025

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“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world” (John 8:12).
Here is another situation where the Lord Jesus uses the words “I am” to describe who He is, and what He was doing in this world. Here He is telling the people that He is the light of the world, and that those who follow Him will have light.
The Lord Jesus is not speaking here of natural light, for we know that the sun rises every day, and gives light to all who are in the world. No, the Lord is here speaking about moral light—the kind of light that tells us God’s thoughts about everything, including our own thoughts, and our behavior too.
It is true that in the Old Testament, the Jews had that part of the Bible, and it told them what God required of them. In that way they had light from God. But when the Lord Jesus came, He not only told them what God required of them, but also revealed God as a God of love and grace. Sadly, men did not want that light, and eventually crucified the Lord Jesus. But as long as He was in the world, the Lord Jesus was the light of the world.

Thursday, January 9, 2025

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“Then said the Jews unto Him [the Lord Jesus], Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast Thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:57-58).
About 1500 years after the Lord spoke to Moses and sent him to deliver the children of Israel, the Lord Jesus came into this world. He was the Son of God, and was the same One who had said to Moses, Tell them that I AM has sent you. When the Jews challenged the Lord Jesus as to who He was, He gave them the same answer that Moses gave to the children of Israel—“Before Abraham was, I am.”
The Jews immediately recognized that He was claiming to be God, and they took up stones to throw at Him, thinking that He was speaking blasphemy. But notice how the Lord Jesus worded His answer. He did not say, Before Abraham was, I was. That would have been true, but it was also true of Abraham’s father, grandfather, etc. However, when the Lord Jesus said, “Before Abraham was, I am,” He clearly identified Himself as the One who had existed from all eternity, before time existed. Sadly, the Jews did not want to believe on Him, in spite of all the miracles He performed. Tomorrow, and for the next few days, we will consider a few other examples where the Lord Jesus uses the words “I am.”

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

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“And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel…and they shall say to me, What is His name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and He said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you” (Exodus 3:13-14).
The children of Israel had been in Egypt for many years, and now the Lord was going to deliver them from the slavery under Pharaoh, and bring them into the promised land. Moses was told to go and tell them that God was ready to deliver them, but then he asked God what name he should tell them, if they asked about God’s name.
The name “I AM” might seem like a strange name to us, but it shows us that God is the ever-existing one—the One who was from all eternity, and will live for all eternity. When Moses told all this to the people, and showed them some miraculous signs from God, they believed, and understood that the Lord was really going to deliver them.
We too need to understand that God existed from all eternity; He had no beginning. As human beings and as creatures we cannot really understand this, but we can believe it, because God has told us in His Word. I know that we had these verses last year, but I am using them again, as we want to speak about some other connections with them in the next few days.

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

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“Today if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts” (Hebrews 3:7-8).
Many years ago, I remember memorizing this verse in Sunday school, and I remember how my Sunday school teacher impressed on us the importance of believing and paying attention to God’s Word. We need to listen to the Word of God if we are not saved, and of course we need to accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior. But it is possible to harden our hearts against God’s Word even as Christians. When we read something that touches our conscience, we can submit to it and accept God’s Word, or we can harden our hearts. If we harden our hearts, then we no longer enjoy the Lord’s presence with us in our Christian life, and we become unhappy. A happy Christian is one who is obedient to God’s Word!

Monday, January 6, 2025

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“For in that He Himself hath suffered being tempted, He is able to succor [help] them that are tempted” (Hebrews 2:18).
We do not use the word “succor” much in everyday speech anymore, but it simply means to help or support others, especially when they are in trouble. During His time in this world, the Lord Jesus went through every kind of suffering that a sinless man could go through, so that He could understand and sympathize with us in our difficulties.
Perhaps you have been in trouble, and had a well-meaning friend say to you, “I know how you feel.” Yet, unless he or she has been through the same kind of trouble as you are experiencing, they cannot really know how you feel. But the Lord Jesus always knows how we feel, for He has suffered from the effects of sin in this world, and knows the difficulties we face. We can always go to Him in our troubles, knowing that He will understand.

Sunday, January 5, 2025

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“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that He by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Hebrews 2:9).
Men in the world today may say that they have not seen God, nor have they seen God interfere in straightening out the mess in this world. Sin still exists, violence and crime still exist, and suffering still exists.
But there is one thing that man can see, and that is Jesus, because He came into this world and suffered for sin. He tasted death for everything, in order to take away the sin of the world. As our verse today tells us, now we as believers can see Him by faith, “crowned with glory and honor.” He is honored there in heaven, and will one day come back in power and glory, to be honored in this world. But today we can see Him as our Savior—the One who went into the suffering of death for us.

Saturday, January 4, 2025

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“The mystery [secret] of His will…that in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him: in whom we also have obtained an inheritance” (Ephesians 1:9-11).
Here we find a further step in God’s purposes, for now He has made known to us the secret of His will. Not only did He decide in a past eternity to make His beloved Son head over all things in heaven and on earth, but He has included us in it all! God said, I am going to make My Son head over all things, but I am not going to do it, and leave Him all alone in that place. No, God chose us in Christ long before this world was made, in order to bless us in Christ, and to give us an inheritance in Him. Do we realize what a privilege this is?
God knew that sin would come into this world, and that in order to have us as part of His plan, His Son would have to suffer on Calvary’s cross in order to put sin away. And yet God made those plans away back before this world was made. He was thinking of you and me, and wanting to have us with Him.

Friday, January 3, 2025

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“God…hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son, whom He hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also He made the worlds” (Hebrews 1:1-2).
After God had spoken to man through the Old Testament prophets, He finally sent His beloved Son into the world, to show us clearly what God the Father was like. After that, man had no excuse for saying, “I do not know God, because I have never seen Him.” No, God had come down in the form of a man, so that people could hear Him, see Him, touch Him, and in every way come to know who God was.
But there is something else very interesting in this verse. It tells us God has appointed His Son “heir of all things,” and then tells us that it was by the Son that God made the worlds. At some point in the past, God created this world, but it was long before this world was created that God appointed His Son “heir of all things.” It was back in a past eternity that God determined to make His Son head over all things. Isn’t that wonderful! And then God created this world in order to work out His purposes concerning His beloved Son.

Thursday, January 2, 2025

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“Make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned out of the way” (Hebrews 12:13).
In our verse for today, we have some more talk about feet—our own feet. Have you ever walked behind other people and tried to walk in their footsteps? I remember doing that when I was a boy, and we were walking through deep snow. My father would walk ahead of me, and I would simply have to place my feet in his bigger footsteps. It made it much easier for me to walk, but there was a change in the way I walked. I had to keep my eyes on his footsteps, instead of watching where I was going.
How then did I know where I was going? I had to trust my father, and as long as I kept in his footsteps, I ended up at the right place. He knew the way, and he made a straight path for his feet.
We are called to do that as Christians. Whether we realize it or not, others are looking at us, and perhaps trusting us to make straight paths for our feet, so that they can follow. It is a big responsibility, and only the Lord can help us do it.

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

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“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in His [the Lord’s] way” (Psalm 37:23).
As I write this in December, 2022, we have quite a bit of snow on the ground where I live. Most of it fell during the past two or three days, and it is very beautiful before anyone disturbs it. But soon tracks begin to appear—tracks of animals, tracks of human beings, and tracks of cars, trucks, etc. Certain animals like squirrels, birds, mice, and other winter animals have very characteristic tracks, as do some human beings.
At the beginning of a new year, we have the ability to make a fresh start. What kind of tracks are you going to make? Are you going to allow the Lord to order your steps, or are you going to take your own way? If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, He wants to order your way. It is the happy path, and if we want to follow Him, we will find that we delight in His way. We do not know how much longer we will be in this world, but the Lord wants to lead and guide us until He calls us home.
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