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Young Christians Calendar

A daily meditation for young Christians

January 2026

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Saturday, January 31, 2026

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“And as they spake unto the people, the priests, and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved that they taught the people, and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the dead” (Acts 4:1-2).
“And he [Abraham] said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31).
If you read the account of the rich man and Lazarus in Luke 16, you will see that Lazarus was a believer, and the rich man was not. Later on, the Spirit of God records a conversation between the rich man in hell, and Abraham, who, with Lazarus, was with the Lord. The rich man pleaded with Abraham to send Lazarus back to earth, to speak to his five brothers, and to warn them about going into a lost eternity. Abraham tells him that if they would not pay attention to the Scriptures, they would not believe, even though someone rose from the dead.
Our first verse (from Acts 4) today proves this. The Jewish leaders rejected the Lord Jesus before He died, but even when the proofs of His resurrection were so clear, they still would not believe. Even an outstanding miracle of healing (Acts 3) did not convince them. Only a work of the Spirit of God can bring lost souls to repentance.

Friday, January 30, 2026

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“Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).
Almost forty years ago I was visiting India with a Christian friend of mine, and in a restaurant we met a man from Switzerland who was interested in some false religious teaching that is contrary to the Bible. When I quoted today’s verse to him, he replied that this was arrogant and proud of me, to say that there was only one way to be saved. I reminded him that it was not I who was saying it, but that it was God’s Word. He promptly said that he did not believe it, and that in his opinion there were many ways to be saved.
However, God’s Word stands, whether men believe it or not. God honors His beloved Son, and it is only through Him that you and I can be saved. Every false religion is based on works—what we should do in order to please God. But God tells us that as lost sinners, we cannot do anything to please Him. We must first of all come to Christ, repent of our sins, and then receive forgiveness and a new life in Christ. Only then can we do those things that please God.

Thursday, January 29, 2026

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“It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus” (Luke 1:3).
“The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all things that Jesus began both to do and teach” (Acts 1:1).
We do not know who Theophilus was, but his name means “lover of God,” or “loved by God.” He was evidently really interested in knowing all about the Lord Jesus, and Luke undertook to write, first of all, the gospel of Luke, and then later the book of Acts. They were written for this man Theophilus, but God saw fit to include both books in His Word. The word treatise simply means an article or paper written about a particular subject.
Luke was a Gentile, and also a medical doctor, and it is interesting that he was the only Gentile whom the Lord used to help write the Bible. The book of Luke tells about the Lord Jesus during His time on this earth, while the Acts tells us what He did after He had risen and ascended back to heaven, and had sent down the Holy Spirit. The book of Acts does not teach us doctrine, but it tells us a great deal of how the Lord worked, first of all to form the church, and then how things were done in the early days of the church.

Wednesday, January 28, 2026

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“HE satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness” (Psalm 107:9).
There are many verses that we could quote to show us what will really satisfy our hearts, but today’s verse will do. It tells us that only the Lord can satisfy the longing soul, and fill the hungry soul with goodness. The key words here are “satisfy,” and “fill.” Our hearts are so big that only the Lord Himself can fill them, and He wants to do this for us. But in order for this to happen, we must be willing to come to Him as lost sinners, and accept the Lord Jesus as our Savior. Many are not willing to do that, but rather insist on trying to fill their hearts with the things of this world.
I remember pointing this out to two students with whom I went to university. One of them replied, “You may be right about the things of this world not being able to satisfy us, but I would sure like to try!” I lost track of him, and do not know where he is now. But he probably did what he said he would do—tried to find something in this world to fill his heart. How much better it is to believe God’s Word, and recognize that only Christ can fill our hearts.

Tuesday, January 27, 2026

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“The eyes of man are never satisfied” (Proverbs 27:20).
When we are young, it is natural for us to think, ‘If I only had this or that, I would be perfectly happy!’ Yet perhaps you have already found out that this is not true. Perhaps you have had your heart set on getting something, and you finally managed to get it. But then, after a while, you got bored with it, and wanted something else. Or perhaps you saw someone else with the same thing as you have, but perhaps a better one or a newer model. Then you were not satisfied with the one you had.
All this only shows us what Solomon found out long ago—that our hearts are made so that nothing in this world satisfies us.
Animals are not like that: they are satisfied if they have the basic necessities of life. But man was made for eternity, and nothing down here can satisfy his heart. Tomorrow we will see what will really satisfy our hearts.

Monday, January 26, 2026

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“He [Peter] saith unto Him [the Lord Jesus], Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love Thee. He saith unto him, Feed My lambs…Feed My sheep” (John 21:15-16).
Rather than going fishing in order to earn his living, the Lord Jesus told Peter to feed His lambs, and to feed His sheep. Peter would spend the rest of his life doing this, and it was far better than going fishing. Yes, it is good for us to work and to support ourselves in this world, and the Apostle Paul told the Thessalonians that “if any would not work, neither should he eat” (2 Thessalonians 3:10). We are not to be lazy Christians. However, to do the Lord’s work (if He has called us to it) is very important, and if we do the Lord’s work in His way, He will see to that we are looked after financially. He is a good Master to work for!
As far as we know, Peter never went back to fishing again, but rather used his time and energy to see souls saved, and to encourage believers. He had learned that when the Lord calls us to serve Him, we are not to turn back.

Sunday, January 25, 2026

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“It cannot be that a prophet perish out of Jerusalem” (Luke 13:33).
The Pharisees, who did not like the Lord Jesus, had warned Him that if He stayed around in Jerusalem, Herod would kill Him. The Lord Jesus did not die at Herod’s hands, but He told those Pharisees that a prophet could not perish out of Jerusalem. What did He mean?
The answer is rather solemn. All the prophets who had perished, all through the Old Testament, had generally been killed in or around Jerusalem—the very place where God’s temple was, and where people were supposed to be able to learn about the true God. The place had become so corrupted that the prophets God sent to warn His people were killed there. Finally, the Lord Jesus Himself would be taken outside that same city of Jerusalem, and crucified. This was the end of man’s testing; he had failed every test God could give him. But then God began to act in grace towards this world, and we can be saved now, not through our own efforts, but through believing on the Lord Jesus Christ.

Saturday, January 24, 2026

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“There were together Simon Peter, and Thomas called Didymus, and Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two other of His disciples. Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee” (John 21:2-3).
When the incident related in these two verses took place, the Lord Jesus had already risen from the dead, and been seen by His eleven disciples. We have already noticed that Peter was a natural leader, and when he decided to go fishing, the six others who were with him wanted to go too. If you read on in the chapter, you will see that they did not catch anything until the Lord told them what to do.
You will remember that the Lord Jesus had called Peter to give up fishing, in order to do something more important—to catch men. See if you can find the verse where the Lord Jesus says this to Peter.
Peter should not have gone back to fishing, but because he was a leader, others followed him. This is a good lesson for us to remember. We all influence one another, and especially those who are natural leaders. Let us be careful not to lead others in a wrong way. On Monday we will see what the Lord said to Peter the next day about what he should be doing.

Friday, January 23, 2026

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“My son, give Me thine heart” (Proverbs 23:26).
Here we have another verse that is closely connected with what we had yesterday concerning Mary Magdalene. Her heart was right, and that was what counted with the Lord. Once we are saved, the Lord wants our hearts. Note that this verse is not written to unbelievers, for the Lord does not want our wicked sinful hearts. But after we are saved and have new hearts, He wants our affections.
We may follow the Lord for different reasons, such as wanting to please other believers, or feeling that we ought to follow the Lord, but the only proper reason for doing so is when we have given Him our hearts.
When we really love someone, we are ready to do anything for them. As we saw yesterday, Mary Magdalene loved the Lord, and was ready to do anything for Him. The Lord valued this love very much. If you are truly saved, have you given your heart to Him?

Thursday, January 22, 2026

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“The first day of the week cometh Mary Magdalene early, when it was yet dark, unto the sepulchre…but Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping” (John 20:1,11).
In these verses we find yet another woman who was closely associated with the Lord Jesus while He was on earth. She was apparently a simple woman, naturally, but she certainly made up for it with her devotedness to the Lord. She would not leave the grave of the Lord Jesus, and wanted His dead body, thinking somehow she could carry it away. She had been delivered from seven demons by the Lord Jesus, and she loved Him dearly. For this reason it was to her that the Lord first revealed Himself after He rose from the dead, and it was to her that He gave a special message for the disciples.
It is good to be intelligent in both natural and divine things, but the Lord Jesus values our devotedness to Him more than our intelligence. Mary was given a special place because of her devotedness and love to the Lord.
This too is a good lesson for us. It is good to be spiritually intelligent, but even more important to love Him, and be devoted to Him.

Wednesday, January 21, 2026

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“Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed Him” (Matthew 10:4).
This is a very sad verse, for it tells us about Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples. He went about with the Lord Jesus just as the others did, preached, probably performed miracles, and in every way acted like the others. Yet he was not a believer, and in the end betrayed the Lord Jesus for money. He was the one who handled the shared money of the Lord and His disciples, and evidently also stole some of that money.
Surely the Lord Jesus knew right from the beginning how Judas would turn out, for He is God. We might wonder why He picked such a man to be a disciple, knowing very well what he would eventually do. I would suggest that there is at least one reason why the Lord did this, and it is a solemn warning to us.
The history of Judas Iscariot shows us how far someone can go in pretending to be a real believer, while really being an unbeliever. He acted so well that none of the other disciples ever suspected that he was not real. Sadly, there are people today who are doing this, for if they have grown up in Christian homes, they know how to say the right things, and act the right way. Yet they are not truly saved. It is a very serious thing to pretend. We may be able to fool others, but the Lord knows our hearts.

Tuesday, January 20, 2026

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“Now the names of the twelve apostles are these…Bartholomew…James the son of Alphaeus, and…Thaddeus; Simon the Canaanite” (Matthew 10:2-4).
In this list of the twelve disciples, we find the four names I have noted today—names about which we do not hear much. We do not know much about their personalities, nor what they might have done for the Lord. We do know, of course, that they were with the Lord throughout His earthly ministry, and were all present on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came down and the church was formed, but we do not hear anything more about them. Likewise, only Judas the brother of James is mentioned as saying anything at all during the time our Lord was on earth. (Note that Lebbaeus, Thaddeus, and Judas the brother of James were all the same person.)
This does not mean, however, that the Lord did not use them. Sometimes those who are quieter are much used of the Lord, and accomplish His work just as effectively as those who are more outgoing. The Lord knew whom He was choosing, and used a variety of men to follow Him.
Again, it is the same today. The Lord uses outgoing people who are leaders, but He also uses quieter people who work “behind the scenes,” yet still do His work for Him. He wants to use each one of us!

Monday, January 19, 2026

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“Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with Him” (John 11:16).
Another of our Lord’s disciples was Thomas. Most of the time he is remembered as “doubting Thomas,” for he was the one who refused to believe that the Lord Jesus was risen from the dead, unless he could put his finger into the nail prints in His hands, and his hand into His pierced side. But Thomas had a real love for the Lord, and we see it in today’s verse. The Lord Jesus was going from Galilee back to Judea to raise Lazarus from the dead, and the disciples knew that the Jews in Judea wanted to kill Him. Thomas was ready to go with his Lord and Master, even if it meant dying with Him.
While you and I may not be called upon to do anything this serious, we should be ready to go wherever the Lord leads us, even if it is a hard thing to do. Do we love the Lord Jesus enough that we want to follow Him wherever He wishes us to go?

Sunday, January 18, 2026

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“Then spake the chief butler unto Pharaoh, saying, I do remember my faults this day” (Genesis 41:9).
What faults did the chief butler remember? Was it the fault of not remembering to mention Joseph to Pharaoh, as he had asked him to do, or was it his earlier fault in offending Pharaoh, and landing in prison because of it? I believe that it was his faults in offending Pharaoh. This is the real reason why he had also forgotten Joseph. He probably did not think he had done anything all that bad, and when he got out of prison, he forgot all about the one who was so kind to him.
It is often the same with us. We do not realize how much our sins have offended God, and how much suffering the Lord Jesus had to go through to put those sins away. Then we do not think it is important to remember the Lord Jesus, as He has asked us to do. But perhaps later on, the Lord helps us to realize how much we have been forgiven, and then our hearts are filled with gratitude.

Saturday, January 17, 2026

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“And as Jesus passed forth from thence, He saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and He saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed Him” (Matthew 9:9).
Today we are introducing another of the Lord’s twelve disciples. He was a tax collector, and in the Roman Empire, those men were usually rich. Matthew had a good job, but when the Lord Jesus called him to follow Him, Matthew immediately got up and followed the Lord Jesus. We do not hear much about Matthew during the Lord’s time in this world, but afterward, the Lord used Matthew to write the book that bears his name.
Matthew also gives us a good example to follow. He was ready to give up a good job and follow the Lord Jesus. Are we ready to give up the advantages we have in this world, if the Lord calls us to do so? It is not wrong to have a good job, but we should never let something like this interfere with what the Lord wants us to do. Remember that when Matthew followed the Lord Jesus, the Lord used him to write a book of the Bible that we are still enjoying today. That was much better than having a good job as a tax collector!

Friday, January 16, 2026

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“And she [Martha] had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard His word” (Luke 10:39).
Here we have another woman who was associated with the Lord Jesus during His time in this world, and who often entertained Him in her home, along with her sister Martha and her brother Lazarus. There was something special about Mary, for she enjoyed sitting at Jesus’ feet, and hearing His Word. This does not mean that she was lazy; I am sure that she was a hard worker. But she recognized the need to hear the Word of the Lord Jesus, and took time to listen to Him.
This is a good lesson for all of us. Because she knew the Lord Jesus well, Mary did not go to the cross, nor did she go to the grave of the Lord Jesus. She was spiritually intelligent and could see beyond it all. She knew that the Lord Jesus had to go to the cross, and that this was the only way sin could be put away. Spiritual intelligence and real devotedness come from spending time listening to the Lord Jesus. Of course, we cannot literally sit at His feet now, but in reading His Word and walking with Him, we learn more of Him.

Thursday, January 15, 2026

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“Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved saith unto Peter, It is the Lord” (John 21:7).
John was another of the disciples of the Lord Jesus, and he was the brother of James. They were both evidently men of strong characters, for the Lord Jesus called them “the sons of thunder” (see Mark 3:17). But John came to know the Lord Jesus very intimately, and three times over refers to himself as “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” On another occasion, at the last supper, it is recorded that John was leaning on Jesus’ bosom. It seems that John appreciated the Lord’s love for him a great deal.
Does this mean that the Lord loved John more than the other disciples? No, He loved them all equally, but John knew and felt the Lord’s love more than some of the others. It is John who tells us in his epistle that “God is love,” and who records a number of times the Lord’s commandment to us to “love one another.”
This is something we should all remember. The more we know and appreciate the Lord’s love for us, the more our love will respond to His. It is a wonderful thing to live and walk in the Lord’s love for us!

Wednesday, January 14, 2026

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“The Father of our Lord Jesus Christ…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man” (Ephesians 3:14,16).
A few days ago we were driving down a street in Perth, Australia, when we saw a building with large letters on the side of it, saying, “Building the inner man.” This could mean a gym, or it could mean a mental health center. It could also mean a place where people could go and learn certain things.
However, as we got closer, we saw that it was a Christian high school, and the saying on the building was obviously taken from our verse today. Many people in this world are very concerned about their bodies, but Paul tells us that “bodily exercise profiteth little” (this means for a little time), but that “godliness is profitable unto all things.” Yes, it is good to get exercise and keep our bodies in good shape, but it is even more important to keep the “inner man” in good shape! In that high school in Perth, they were trying not only to give the students a good education, but also to build them up spiritually.

Tuesday, January 13, 2026

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“And Peter answered Him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto Thee on the water” (Matthew 14:28).
Today we will consider another of the Lord’s disciples—Peter. He was a bold man, sometimes outspoken, but one who was much used of the Lord. As we can see by today’s verse, he was the kind of man who, when he saw the Lord Jesus walking on the water, wanted to do it too! If you read the rest of the story, you will see that Peter did indeed walk on the water, but he had to learn a lesson too.
Peter was a brave man, and it was he who drew his sword to defend the Lord Jesus when the soldiers came to arrest Him. And it was Peter who preached on the day of Pentecost, when 3,000 souls were saved. He also wrote the two epistles in the New Testament that bear his name.
Peter made some mistakes, but we can admire his boldness for the Lord, and his willingness to speak out for the Lord, even when it meant persecution. We should be willing to do the same.

Monday, January 12, 2026

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“And there shall be no night there…and they shall reign for ever and ever” (Revelation 22:5).
“And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever” (Revelation 14:11).
Today, as I write this in January, 2024, we are sitting in a hotel lobby in Sydney, Australia. A man passed us wearing a T-shirt bearing the logo, “Extinction is forever.” We knew what it meant. He was concerned about various animals that are becoming extinct, for when this happens, there is no human means of bringing them back.
However, there are other things that will last forever—things that many people do not think about. According to our first verse today, those who reign with Christ will reign with Him forever. What a wonderful thought! But those who reject Him will be tormented in hell forever too. This is a most awful thought, and ought to concern us more than the extinction of some animals in this world. Yes, man has not done a very good job of looking after this world, but God is able to restore those extinct animals. He may well do so during the millennium, although I am not aware that Scripture says so clearly. But those who go into a lost eternity will never be released. I cannot think of anything more serious.

Sunday, January 11, 2026

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“And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint Him. And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun” (Mark 16:1-2).
Here we find two women who were very devoted to the Lord Jesus. They had spent time with Him while He was alive, and now that He was in a grave, they wanted to put their sweet spices on His dead body, in order to honor Him. They never needed those spices, for by the time those women came to the grave, the Lord Jesus had risen again. However, because they came to the grave early in the morning, they were some of the first ones to learn about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, for the angel at the tomb of the Lord Jesus told them clearly that He was risen.
But the Lord Jesus greatly appreciated their devotedness in buying and bringing those spices. Devotedness is important in our lives too. We may not know as much about the Bible as others know, but the Lord greatly values our love to Him, and our devotedness. When we come together on Lord’s day to remember the Lord Jesus, as He has asked us to do, it is like bringing sweet spices to Him.

Saturday, January 10, 2026

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“And there were certain Greeks among them that came up to worship at the feast: the same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again, Andrew and Philip tell Jesus” (John 12:20-22).
Here we find Philip again, but this time he is connected with Andrew, who was another disciple of the Lord Jesus. It seems that both Philip and Andrew were people who were easy to approach, and easy to talk to. When some Greeks wanted to see the Lord Jesus, they came first of all to Philip, and then Philip told Andrew. Together they go and tell the Lord Jesus.
We do not hear much about Andrew and Philip otherwise. They were apparently not prominent in preaching publicly, and they were not gifted leaders. We do not hear anything about them in the book of Acts, for the Philip mentioned in Acts was a different man. But they did well in personal work, and this is very valuable in the eyes of the Lord. All of us should work on being easy to approach, and being able to relate to people one-on-one.

Friday, January 9, 2026

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“When Jesus then lifted up His eyes, and saw a great company come unto Him, He saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat?… Philip answered Him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little” (John 6:5,7).
It is interesting that of all the disciples, it was Philip to whom the Lord Jesus asked the question about where they were to get enough bread to feed a big crowd of people. Why would He pick Philip? We know from other references to Philip that he was a “one-on-one” type of person. He related well to people on a personal basis, and cared how people were doing. Earlier in John (chapter 1), we find that it was Philip who first brought Nathanael to the Lord Jesus. We will see tomorrow that Philip and Andrew were evidently good friends.
It is good to be the kind of person who notices how other people are doing, and cares for them. The Lord Jesus knew that Philip cared for others, and would be interested in how they were going to be fed. I am sure that Philip cared how the people were fed spiritually as well, but he also cared how they were doing naturally. It is a good characteristic for all of us to copy.

Thursday, January 8, 2026

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“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile”! (John 1:47).
For the next few days, we are going to have some verses before us about those who were connected with the Lord Jesus during His ministry in this world. Each of them had a good, distinctive characteristic which we should think about.
Here in our verse for today, we read that Nathanael was a man in whom was no guile. What does this mean?
Guile is different from telling a lie, but it often amounts to the same thing. Guile is doing something or saying something to deceive people, often in a clever way. Afterward, the person can usually say quite honestly that he or she did not tell a lie, but others know that he or she deliberately did or said something to give a wrong impression.
Nathanael was not like that. He was an honest man, and when it was clear to him who the Lord Jesus was, he believed on Him.

Wednesday, January 7, 2026

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“In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct Thy paths” (Proverbs 3:6).
What an encouraging verse this is! Many Christians today are certain that they know the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, and they know they will spend eternity with Him, but many are not sure what the Lord wants them to do with their life in this world. Often I hear the question, How can I know the Lord’s mind for my life? We get the answer in today’s verse.
If we bring the Lord into every aspect of our life, we will find that He will show us what to do. He will “direct our paths,” and show us each step of the way. We may not know what we are supposed to do a year from now, but He will always show us the next step. Then, when we have taken that step, He will show us what to do next. It is a wonderful thing to have the Lord guide us in this way, but we must bring Him into every part of our life. We must be willing to do His will, and not insist on doing our own will.

Tuesday, January 6, 2026

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“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me” (John 15:4).
Have you ever cut a branch off a tree in summer, when it had leaves on it? How long did it take for the leaves to start withering and curling up? It does not take very long, and after a few hours you will see those leaves drooping, curling, and then, a day or two later, they will begin drying out. Then the wood in the branch itself begins to dry out, as the sap in it dries up.
It is the same for believers who do not walk with the Lord. We cannot lose our salvation, but without the Lord, we cannot do anything. Just as a branch cannot bear any fruit by itself, so you and I cannot do anything for the Lord without His help. We may try to do something with human energy, but it will not be pleasing to the Lord. To bear fruit for the Lord, we need His strength.

Monday, January 5, 2026

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“By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).
The Lord Jesus did not only encourage His disciples to love one another, He commanded them to do it. The kind of love that the Lord Jesus is talking about here is not natural love, but rather divine love. What is the difference? Natural love among human beings exists among those who have common interests, and who get along well together. But divine love does not require the other person to return the love; it keeps on loving anyway. That is how we should love other believers.
Of course, all believers ought to behave in a loving way, so that we get along well together. Sadly, this does not always happen. But we are to continue to love others anyway, and as the Lord Jesus said, this will show those who are not believers that we belong to the Lord Jesus.

Sunday, January 4, 2026

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“He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
There are many people today who believe in a general way that the Lord Jesus died to put away sins, and that He suffered for the sins of this world. However, it is important to realize, in an individual way, that He suffered for OUR sins, and that it was for our sins that He bore the punishment of God. We must realize that we are not only sinners, but lost sinners, and that we can do nothing to help ourselves. Then we realize that it was for US that He suffered and died, and that He wants to be our Savior.
Our verse for today is very personal and direct, and shows us that we need a Savior. We cannot simply believe that the Lord Jesus suffered and died in a general way, but rather that He died for you and me personally.

Saturday, January 3, 2026

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“Nevertheless among the chief rulers also many believed on Him: but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue: for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God” (John 12:42-43).
Here in our verses today we see something else that is very sad. Many of the leaders of the Jews actually did believe, but would not confess it openly because the Pharisees had said that anyone who admitted that Jesus was truly the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. These rulers who believed loved the praise of men more than the praise of God.
It is important for you and me not only to believe on Christ, but to confess Him openly to others. We should not be ashamed of Him, for He loved us enough to die for us. Yes, others may make fun of us, but surely God’s approval is much more important than the approval of men.

Friday, January 2, 2026

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“But though He had done so many miracles before them, yet they believed not on Him” (John 12:37).
Throughout the time of the earthly ministry of the Lord Jesus, the Jews kept asking for signs and miracles from Him. But here we see that it is not signs and miracles that cause us to believe. If our hearts are hardened, no number of miracles will convince us. There must be a work of God in our souls in order for us to accept the Lord Jesus.
However, that does not mean that the miracles were of no value. Because of those miracles, the Jews should have been convinced that Jesus was indeed the Messiah—the One whom they had been expecting. They were responsible for not recognizing Him as their Messiah, and they were responsible for rejecting Him. Have you recognized who the Lord Jesus is, and accepted Him as your Savior?

Thursday, January 1, 2026

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“And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Genesis 1:14).
Here we are at the beginning of another year, and it seems quite normal to us to go from one year into the next. But have you ever realized that before God arranged what we have in our verse today, there was no time, and there were no years? God lives and moves in eternity, but He created time in order to form this earth for man, and to enable man to live in a world governed by time. It was God who created time, and at a point in the future there will cease to be time. Eternity will take over again.
This is hard for us to understand, for we are made to live our lives on this earth in time. However, we are created for eternity, and each of us will exist forever. Where will you spend eternity? Will it be with the Lord Jesus Christ, or will it be under the judgment of God? Today God is still offering salvation to those who will come to Him.
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