My Comfort Is Jesus: 365 Daily Devotions for Morning and Evening

By Ray Comfort

Commit your days to the Light of the World. Jesus is more than a role model or powerful historical figure. He is our hope and our joy. Our rock and our crown.

My Comfort Is Jesus contains 365 morning and evening devotions, prayers, and suggested Scripture readings to help you journey through the entire Bible in a year.


Start your morning with comfort and encouragement in Christ and end your day filled with the peace of his presence.


 

• Language: English
• Publisher: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Release date: Nov 25, 2020
• ISBN: 9781424561384

Ray Comfort

RAY COMFORT is the Founder and CEO of Living Waters and the best-selling author of more than 80 books, including, Hell’s Best Kept Secret, Scientific Facts in the Bible, and The Evidence Bible. He co-hosts (with actor Kirk Cameron) the award-winning television program The Way of the Master, seen in 200 countries. He is also the Executive Producer on the movies Audacity, 180, Evolution vs. God, and others, which have been seen by millions. He and his wife, Sue, live in Southern California, where they have three grown children. 

Book preview

JANUARY 1

World’s Best-Selling Book

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep.

GENESIS 1:1–2

Morning Reading: Genesis 1; Genesis 2:1–17

If someone you know believes in evolution, ask them this question: Do you know which publication is the best-selling book of all time? It’s the Bible. It gives us our history. In a dark world where ignorance as to our origin prevails, it gives us light. Brilliant and clear light. The Bible doesn’t say In the beginning…perhaps…maybe…possibly, as evolution theorists are forced to say. It states facts.

This is the Word of our Creator, and his Word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. In a lost world, it gives us direction. When generations have been told that their lives have neither rhyme nor reason to exist—that they are nothing more than the mindless products of a thoughtless explosion of nothing in space—the Bible provides meaning for their existence. It tells them that God was in the beginning, and it was he who said, Let there be light.

Father, please let me be light for someone in darkness today. Let my words help a lost soul to find a new beginning in Christ.

Breaking the Rules

The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.

MATTHEW 1:1–2

Evening Reading: Matthew 1:1–25; Psalm 1:1–6

When actor Arnold Schwarzenegger arrived in Hollywood in the late 1970s, he broke all the rules. In those days, actors needed a name that was easy to remember, a great speaking voice, and the ability to act. People could hardly pronounce his name, let alone remember it. His thick accent was hard to understand, and in those days, he arguably couldn’t act. He didn’t need any of those things actors supposedly needed—probably because he had a body like Mr. Universe, which was a title Schwarzenegger held at the young age of twenty. He had the goods.

The New Testament breaks all the rules when it comes to writing books. A good book should begin with a strong opening that grabs the reader’s attention, but the New Testament doesn’t do that. Instead, the book of Matthew begins with genealogies—names that are hard to pronounce and remember. But it can break the rules because it has the goods. It tells us how we can find everlasting life, and those who realize they will die one day don’t need a compelling hook. Death is enough incentive to search the Scriptures.

Father, thank you for another day of life.

JANUARY 2

God’s Creative Genius

The Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.

GENESIS 2:18

Morning Reading: Genesis 2:18–25; Genesis 3; Genesis 4:1–16

It was God who said that it wasn’t good for man to be alone, so he made a woman to keep him company. Neither of them was a hairy primate, nor were they swinging through the trees and grunting. They weren’t beasts without moral understanding. The first woman was no doubt a breathtaking thing of beauty. God made Adam first, and then he made someone to help him. God knew that no man can do well in life without the help of a good woman.

Evolution is the epitome of thoughtlessness, and those who embrace it as a credible explanation of our origin aren’t thinking deeply. It leaves more than one or two open-ended questions, such as how the first man found the first woman if his eyes weren’t fully evolved. Eyes don’t function unless they are complete. Neither does a heart or lungs or a brain. How did this lone, blind, breathless, thoughtless, heartless first primate find a mate to keep the species going? The answer to this question is that there isn’t one. That’s why, when asked how a myriad of impossibilities happened, believers of evolution admit that they don’t know.

Father, open my eyes today to the genius of your creative hand.

The Wise Seek Him

When they heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, till it came and stood over where the young Child was.

MATTHEW 2:9

Evening Reading: Matthew 2:1–18; Psalm 2:1–12

A wise man once said that wise men still seek God. In the blackness they see the brightness of his star. Jesus stood out from the moment of his conception. The wise seek him because no other name is given among men whereby they may be saved from death. His wonderful words were without precedent, and those who are wise build their house upon the rock of his Word. The foolish ignore him—too busy with the cares of this life to be concerned with the next. Heaven is the last thing on their minds.

God offers eternal life, and his offer is universal. Whosoever will may come. That includes Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, agnostics, and atheists. Yet a considerable portion of humanity chooses to remain in the dark. Tears should fill our eyes at such a reality because we know that they run from the pleasures of heaven and instead walk toward the pains of hell. We empathize with them because we, too, once walked in their shoes.

Father, wash me of anything that tried to cling to my soul this day.

JANUARY 3

The Days of Noah

The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

GENESIS 6:5

Morning Reading: Genesis 4:17–26; Genesis 5; Genesis 6

Matthew 24:37–39 is quite specific when it speaks of the end of the age: But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.

Too many souls in the world are busy living life without the slightest concern of their need for the Savior. They unknowingly hold a hand grenade with the pinned pulled out. In Noah’s day, God saw that the wickedness of man was great and that every thought and imagination of the human heart was evil. Do you recognize a similar condition in the modern world? All around us today, we see the ways in which evil has exploded across the earth. Few look toward the heavens and ask, What does God require of me?

Father, help me to uphold Jesus—as the door of the ark.

Angelic News

When Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.

MATTHEW 2:19–20

Evening Reading: Matthew 2:19–23; Matthew 3, Psalm 3:1–8

Herod died. No doubt his death finally answered the prayers of many of God’s people. What sort of monster would slaughter a mass of innocent children in an attempt to kill one tiny baby? But Herod did just that. The king wanted Jesus dead at any cost. Now he was dead, and Joseph heard the breaking news directly from an angel of the Lord during a vivid dream, in which the angel said, Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead (Matthew 2:20).

He wasn’t the first Joseph to have a divine dream. Many years earlier his namesake dreamed of the sun, the moon, the stars, and bundles of wheat. He also interpreted others’ dreams about grapes, wine, baskets of bread, fat cows, and thin cows (see Genesis 37 and 40). The instructions for both Josephs came in dreams; our instructions come straight from Jesus: Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15).

Father, may any dreams I have this night glorify you.

JANUARY 4

Come into the Ark

The Lord said to Noah, Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation.

GENESIS 7:1

Morning Reading: Genesis 7; Genesis 8; Genesis 9:1–17

God told Noah that judgment would come after seven days (see Genesis 7:4–5). To the Lord, a single day is the equivalent of one thousand years (see 2 Peter 3:8). For a long seven thousand years, God has been warning humanity that judgment is coming. From Adam, whose conscience gave him a consciousness of sin, to contemporary humanity—every human being knows that a higher moral law exists. And we know this because God has given us light in the form of the work of the law written upon our hearts (see Romans 2:15).

In other words, we are without excuse and should seek God for his mercy. And those who seek him will find him if they search with all their heart (see Jeremiah 29:13). Noah feared God and did all that God commanded him to do. If we love and fear God, then we must do the same. That includes reaching out to those who will perish without the mercy of Christ.

Father, help me to remember this day that you will bring every work to judgment, including every secret thing.

Point to Jesus

Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterward He was hungry.

MATTHEW 4:1–2

Evening Reading: Matthew 4:1–22; Proverbs 1:1–7

Jesus prepared himself for ministry with a forty day fast. And because of his life, death, and resurrection, all we need is the new birth and a prepared attitude. We don’t need years of formal training. The moment a soul comes to know Jesus of Nazareth, like the woman at the well, they can point a dying world to the living Christ.

Jesus said to the woman, Go, call your husband, and come here. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said to her, You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’ for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly (John 4:16–18). He used the moral law to help the woman understand her sin (see Romans 3:19–20, 7:7). The Bible says that once she acknowledged that he was the promised Messiah, The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men, ‘Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?’ Then they went out of the city and came to Him (John 4:28–30).

Father, I trust today that I pointed someone to Jesus.

JANUARY 5

Trail of Destruction

Noah began to be a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. Then he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent.

GENESIS 9:20–21

Morning Reading: Genesis 9:18–29; Genesis 10; Genesis 11:1–9

Alcohol impaired Noah’s good judgment, and he embarrassed himself. But worse than that, his exploit was recorded in the world’s best-selling book for humanity to read for centuries to come. Alcohol wrecks good reputations. It not only caused grief in Noah’s family, but it has also been responsible for untold misery and death throughout history.

As Proverbs 20:1 reads, Wine is a mocker, strong drink is a brawler, and whosoever is led astray by it is not wise (Proverbs 20:1). The wise consider alcohol’s trail of destruction before putting its poison to their lips. When we succumb to the temptation of substances that produce fleeting feelings of joy or numbness from worldly pain, we often experience lifelong repercussions. Instead, when we want to increase happiness or need relief from sadness or pain, we should turn to the Lord.

Father, help me to stay away from anything that would bring disrepute to the gospel.

Can You Imagine?

Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people.

MATTHEW 4:23

Evening Reading: Matthew 4:23–25; Matthew 5:1–20; Psalm 4:1–8

Do you ever imagine what it would have been like during the time Jesus walked in Galilee? Imagine hearing his gracious words as he taught in their synagogues, as he preached the gospel of the kingdom, and as he healed all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease among the people. What a joy it must have been to see sick people and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics receive complete healing. What would it have been like to see a dead person, surrounded by mourners, suddenly raised from the dead? Tears of joy must have flowed like a river.

Even though we can only imagine what it must have been like to be there, we have the next best thing: the precious set of writings called the New Testament, which tells us what Jesus both did and taught. We are privy, like a fly on the wall, to intimate conversations and behind-the-scenes happenings with Jesus and his disciples—in meticulous detail.

Father, thank you for your wonderful Word. Never let me doubt so much as one syllable.

JANUARY 6

The Lying Issue

Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.

GENESIS 12:13

Morning Reading: Genesis 11:10–32; Genesis 12; Genesis 13

Perhaps some are right when they try to justify Abraham in his deceitfulness. They believe he had good reason to lie since he feared for his life. This becomes a dilemma for many of us. Would we lie to save our lives? As Christians, are we bound to always speak the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, so help us God?

If we were in Nazi Germany and the Nazis asked if we were hiding Jews, would we say, Yes, we’ve got three upstairs in a secret closet? Do we then become responsible for the death of those three Jews, who would have lived had we lied? Fortunately, we do have a precedent in Scripture where the midwives lied to the Pharaoh because they didn’t want to kill the male children. And the Scripture says that what they did pleased God (see Exodus 1:15–21). Meanwhile, each of us needs to listen to our conscience, know the Scriptures, and pray for wisdom in the face of difficult moral dilemmas that come our way.

Father, this day I need your wisdom so that I always do what is right in your eyes.

Truth in the Heart

I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

MATTHEW 5:28

Evening Reading: Matthew 5:21–42; Psalm 5:1–12

The Sermon on the Mount is without question the greatest sermon ever preached by the greatest preacher who ever lived. It was a prophetic fulfillment of the promised Messiah, magnifying God’s law and making it honorable (see Isaiah 42:21). The religious leaders had dishonored it and made it vain so that it had lost its power to bring the knowledge of sin to those who heard it. Jesus changed that by showing that the moral law not only requires us to account for our actions but also for the words we have spoken, the intent in our hearts, and the deeds done in darkness.

Most of the world thinks the Sermon on the Mount is a heartwarming sermon when it’s truly the opposite. It convicts us. It shows us how far we have fallen short of the glory of God. Those who try to be justified by it are trying to leap across the Grand Canyon with their legs tied. It’s impossible for imperfect souls to keep a perfect law. But used rightly, the Sermon on the Mount acts as a mirror to show us our true sinful state, and it sends us to the cleansing blood of the cross.

Father, I praise you for the wonderful Sermon on the Mount.

JANUARY 7

A Book of Violence

When Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.

GENESIS 14:14

Morning Reading: Genesis 14; Genesis 15; Genesis 16

The Bible is filled with violence. The Old Testament in particular recounts war after war throughout the history of Israel and its neighboring countries. The Scriptures don’t hide the wickedness of humanity; they expose it and warn us that God has set aside a day in which he will judge every person who has committed evil deeds.

Some people maintain that religion is the greatest cause of wars in history, but this isn’t true. According to the Encyclopedia of Wars, only about 8 percent of wars throughout history have been religious. That means that 92 percent of wars in history were secular by nature, such as the First World War, the Second World War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War. Hundreds of millions of people have lost their precious lives simply because evil men wanted power—to conquer and reign. And as long as sin reigns, war, too, will continue to be an inevitable and tragic stain on human history.

Father, don’t let me war with anyone this day but the enemy of my soul.

The Teachings of Jesus

You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies.

MATTHEW 5:43–44

Evening Reading: Matthew 5:43–48; Matthew 6:1–24; Psalm 6

Unnatural is the appropriate word to describe what Jesus taught. It’s unnatural for someone to love those who hate him. The world teaches us to render evil for evil. It’s your right; however, love gives up that right. It means that you do good to the nastiest people you know. Over the years when I’ve tried to live by this rule, I’ve seen amazing results (see Crazy Bible on YouTube), and other times I’ve seen no visible results. Still, we shouldn’t show love and kindness solely for the purpose of being kind to people but because Jesus said to do it. It was for good reason.

Look at why he said we should do this: Bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust (Matthew 5:44–45). We will act like our Father if we have been born of his Spirit.

Father, I am so grateful that I can call you my Father. Let me always unnaturally imitate you.

JANUARY 8

Those Who Trust God

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.

GENESIS 17:1–2

Morning Reading: Genesis 17; Genesis 18; Matthew 6:25–34

Abraham’s claim to fame was that he trusted God, and he who trusts God walks in peace. In Matthew 6, Jesus spoke about having that sort of trust. Without faith we default to worry and its bad bedfellow, fear. In this passage, Jesus cites food and clothing as chief concerns, and then he directs our attention to the birds as an example of God’s providence.

Have we taken the time to consider how rare it is to see an underweight bird or one that lacks feathers? More often, we see healthy birds that are fed and clothed, and Jesus said that God is the One who provides for them: Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? (Matthew 6:26). Every time we see birds or hear them singing, it should remind us of our Father’s love and provision for us. And that should give us instant peace in our hearts.

Father, remind me today to listen to the sound of birds, to trust you, and to walk in peace.

Speak Up

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.

MATTHEW 7:1–2

Evening Reading: Matthew 7:1–23; Proverbs 1:8–19

Whenever we make a moral judgment, this verse is often thrown back at us, as though Jesus is saying that we must remain silent because we have no right to judge. Context, however, puts the words in their rightful place. It’s always wise to observe to whom Jesus is directing his words: First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye (Matthew 7:5).

Jesus isn’t saying that Christians shouldn’t acknowledge that it is wrong to lie, steal, commit adultery, or engage in any other sin. These things are clearly wrong, and that’s a moral judgment based on the teachings of Scripture. In the end, it will not be us but God who will have the final judgment on the people who practice such acts without repenting and turning to Christ. Here, the context of what Jesus is saying is that we are not to judge our brothers and sisters in Christ. We have the liberty and the obligation to correct a Christian brother if he is sinning but not if we are doing the same thing.

Father, show me if I compromised with sin in any way today.

JANUARY 9

Who Will Inherit Heaven?

They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.

GENESIS 19:11

Morning Reading: Genesis 19; Genesis 20:1–18

The Bible is very clear about those given to any sexual sin: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. (1 Corinthians 6:9).

Among the sexual sins is a strange bedfellow: idolatry. Idolaters are those who create and worship their own image of God. They often say things like, My god is one of love and mercy. He doesn’t condemn people to hell. In their minds, such a belief gives them license to remove their clothes and dance around their golden calf, as did Israel when they invented their own image of God (see Exodus 32). Idols don’t have a list of commandments telling us right from wrong. And those who give themselves to sexual sin almost always do so because they misunderstand God’s holy nature.

Father, help me to be free from any form of idolatry today.

The Storms of Life

Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock.

MATTHEW 7:24

Evening Reading: Matthew 7:24–29; Matthew 8:1–22; Psalm 7:1–9

Life is filled with sudden, frightening storms that appear out of nowhere. We call them problems. Some are big, and some are small. Some days our problems are a distant rolling thunder, and we are able to handle them. Other days, we feel as if lightning has suddenly struck us, or we feel so overcome by some seemingly insurmountable problem that we believe we are drowning in a flash flood.

These problems can appear in the form of a nagging pain with which we learn to live or the sudden death of a loved one. It is, therefore, essential that you and I build our houses on the solid rock of Jesus’ teachings. This is more than an intellectual acceptance of his words. It is an implicit trust in Jesus and his immutable promises that Scripture says are both sure and steadfast. If we trust in the living Savior and obey his Word, we have his personal assurance that we will not fall. He will uphold us, and there’s no higher authority. We may shake and rattle, but we will not fall.

Father, as I lay down to sleep this night, I rest in your promises and enjoy great peace because of them.

JANUARY 10

God Resists the Proud

It came to pass after these things that God tested Abraham, and said to him, Abraham! And he said, Here I am.

GENESIS 22:1

Morning Reading: Genesis 21; Genesis 22; Genesis 23

It’s easy to see how proud skeptics can read the Bible and find nothing of value. If they do not seek truth, they will find what they believe are errors. But those who read accounts, such as this one of Abraham and Isaac, and do so with an attitude of humility are sure to discover wonderful truths.

Abraham willingly gave Isaac back to God because his Creator owned his son. The great truth that we own nothing sets us free from inordinate affection (loving anything more than we love God). He owns my wife, my life, my children, and my dog. There is nothing that I have that I didn’t receive. He made all these things and entrusted me with them. With this knowledge, it’s not hard to present myself as a living sacrifice because it’s my reasonable service: I beseech you… that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (Romans 12:1).

Father, today I present myself to you again as a living sacrifice. Use me this day.

Following Heroes

When He got into a boat, his disciples followed Him. And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with the waves.

MATTHEW 8:23–24

Evening Reading: Matthew 8:23–34; Matthew 9:1–13; Psalm 7:10–17

When Jesus climbed into a boat, his disciples followed him. They followed him because they not only loved him and believed in him, but they also knew that he alone had the words of eternal life. And we follow this same Jesus for the same reasons—both in his Word and through the Spirit. We follow him as we read his amazing words recorded in Scripture. No human in history ever did the things he did or said the things he said. We follow him to the tomb of Lazarus, and he raises the dead. And we follow him as he rebukes the tempestuous wind and the raging sea, and nature obeys him.

The world follows its heroes who, in time, die and become inanimate bronze statues or have their names and deeds recorded in history books. But we serve a risen Christ, One to whom death itself bowed the knee. Nothing and no one could ever compare to this wonderful Jesus of Nazareth, who gives us light in our life and calms our storms.

Father, I praise you this night that I serve a risen Savior.

JANUARY 11

Hidden in Moses

He said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.

GENESIS 24:12

Morning Reading: Genesis 24:1–67

Abraham sent his servant to look for a bride for his only son, Isaac. The faithful servant took ten of his master’s camels and journeyed to a foreign land. Then the servant prayed that God would give him a sign: Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master (Genesis 24:14).

God sent his Holy Spirit to search out a virgin bride for his Son. Those who come do so to satisfy the Ten Commandments as they thirst for eternal justice. They don’t come to the Savior because they have a marriage problem they need fixed. They don’t come to the cross to rid themselves of a drug or drinking problem. Nor do they respond to the gospel because they have a God-shaped vacuum in their hearts that can’t be filled with vices. They come because they realize they have sinned against God. They have violated the Ten Commandments, and they seek God’s oceans of mercy for the forgiveness of their sins.

Father, guide me today as you did Abraham’s servant.

Taming the Monster

The disciples of John came to Him, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but Your disciples do not fast? And Jesus said to them, Can the friends of the bridegroom mourn as long as the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast.

MATTHEW 9:14–15

Evening Reading: Matthew 9:14–38; Psalm 8:1–9

Fasting isn’t the most exciting of practices because we enjoy eating. Consuming food that pleases our taste buds gives us great joy. It makes the daily grind of life almost worth the effort. But when that three-times-a-day joy is removed, we can easily become depressed and have to deliberately lift ourselves up from the valley. However, the alternative to having self-control is to yield to the monster of appetite, and that can be very dangerous. It does us good to say to the wants of the body, Enough. No further.

The practice of fasting can help us pull in the reigns and halt the runaway horse that our desires sometimes become. Fasting a meal here and there also humbles us. The psalmist said, I humbled my soul with fasting. Going without our beloved food shows us our weakness and reminds us of the power of sin.

Father, thank you for being my true source of strength.

JANUARY 12

Secure the Birthright

Esau said, Look, I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?

GENESIS 25:32

Morning Reading: Genesis 25; Genesis 26

Jesus said that unless we are born again, we will not enter the kingdom of God (see John 3:1–3). This is more than attending your local church, being baptized, reading your Bible, doing good works, or having an intellectual belief in Jesus. We are born again when we repent and entirely trust in Jesus for our eternal salvation. When that experience happens, we are made new creatures in Christ, old things pass away, and everything becomes new (see 2 Corinthians 5:17).

Esau sold his precious birthright. He thought lightly of it and even despised it. Don’t do that with your second birthright. Religious people sometimes despise the new birth and believe it’s beneath them. In reality, it’s their own sin that holds them back. Don’t let an appetite for sin keep you from salvation. Jesus has made a way for you to live forever with him, and that will only happen through the new birth. Esau wanted instant gratification. He didn’t think ahead. He never thought of what God wanted for him. Don’t fall into that same trap. Think ahead. Think into the eternal. Repent and trust alone in him, and he will make everything new.

Father, I trust alone in Jesus for my eternal salvation. Today let me live as a new creation in Christ.

Free from Sin

Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul.

MATTHEW 10:28,

Evening Reading: Matthew 10:1–31; Proverbs 1:20–33

Fear and love are not opposed to each other. The words of Jesus are designed to put the fear of God in our hearts, and they certainly do if we believe them. Even if we don’t, they still hold true. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. If we don’t fear our Creator, we haven’t begun to be wise. And the way to fear God is to understand his holiness. He’s without sin, which means he is just. And since he is just, he will bring every work to judgment including every secret thing, whether it is good or evil.

Those of us who hold these statements as truths keep our hearts free from sin. And the way to keep our hearts free from sin is to obey Scripture when it tells us to guard our hearts with diligence, for out of it are the issues of life (see Proverbs 4:23). Then immediately after these verses that make us tremble, Jesus spoke of the Father’s great love for his children. And he proved this great love for us beyond doubt at the cross (see Romans 5:8). We can walk in his fear and at the same time bask in his love.

Father, may I tremble this night at the thought of you and at the same time reflect on your love for me.

JANUARY 13

The Good Mother

Therefore, my son, obey my voice according to what I command you. Go now to the flock and bring me from there two choice kids of the goats, and I will make savory food from them for your father, such as he loves.

GENESIS 27:8–9

Morning Reading: Genesis 27; Genesis 28:1–22

Rebekah favored Jacob and, like a good mother, wanted the best for him. In truth, she did him a great disservice. She wanted him to have God’s blessing, but to get it, she abandoned the path of righteousness. We can’t expect the God of perfect righteousness to bless that which is evil. Rebekah lied to her husband and persuaded her son to deceive his father and dishonor him. In doing so, she created grief for her precious family.

May we never forsake the right way because we want our own way. This was the way of Adam, Eve, Cain, David, Solomon, and so many others who reaped pain because of what their actions sowed. Let their error be signposts of where not to go. The key to walking in righteousness is to have our own Gethsemane experience where we cry out to God in genuine repentance, saying, Not my will but yours be done. In doing so we spare ourselves and those around us of grief by always looking to God for his direction.

Father, today let my ways have your smile.

Loving God above All

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

MATTHEW 10:37

Evening Reading: Matthew 10:32–42; Matthew 11:1–15; Psalm 9:1–6

Jesus used hyperbole, which is extreme exaggeration, to describe our walk with God, and this same literary device is often used in Scripture. Every affection we have in this life should seem like hatred compared to the love that we have for our Creator. Our love for our precious mother, father, brothers, sisters, and our own lives should pale in comparison to the love we have for the One who gave the wonderful gifts of our loved ones to us. To love anything more than we love our God is to set our affections on the gift rather than the Giver.

Prioritizing God first in our affections guards us from loving the pleasures of sin. All those who fall into sin do so because they fail to love him above all things. Everything we are and have comes from his kindness. How could we not love him as we should? Loving the One who gave us life is easy once we see the love he demonstrated for us at the cross.

Father, help me this night to realize that everything I am and own comes from your gracious hand.

JANUARY 14

The Great Stone

He looked, and saw a well in the field; and behold, there were three flocks of sheep lying by it; for out of that well they watered the flocks. A large stone was on the well’s mouth.

GENESIS 29:2

Morning Reading: Genesis 29; Genesis 30

Jacob came upon a well that was blocked by a great stone. The shepherds living in the area would roll the stone away and water the flocks of sheep from the well. Many years later, a great stone blocked a tomb, and when that stone was rolled away, the great Shepherd then gave living water to his sheep. When life came to Jesus in the tomb, it meant that God had opened the wells of salvation to souls dying in sin. Now we have the hope of eternal life. Now we can face each day without fear.

Don’t let the fear of man rob you of the opportunity to share the gospel with an unsaved person. Roll the stone away for someone who is living in the dark. Work with the Holy Spirit and with angels that have been sent for those who are the heirs of salvation (see Hebrews 1:14). Ask those around you what they think happens after death, let them share their thoughts, and then present the gospel. You can do this. All you need is love.

Father, give me two prepared hearts today: my own and one who will listen to the gospel.

Children in the Market

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, Look, a glutton and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!

But wisdom is justified by her children.

MATTHEW 11:19

Evening Reading: Matthew 11:16–30; Psalm 9:7–12

The unsaved are like children in the marketplace. Their concern is for things that don’t actually matter. Our duty is to remind them that eternal matters do, in fact, matter. We are to warn them that on the day of God’s choosing, they, too, will pass away. They will have to face a God who will hold them accountable for every idle word spoken, for every deed done, and even the dark thoughts of the imagination. What a fearful time that will be for those who die in their sins, but what a joyful time for those who seek God’s mercy.

Our sobering message is only for the humble because God has hidden it from the wise and prudent and will only reveal it to babes (see Matthew 11:25). So do what Jesus did. Take the moral law, apply it to the conscience, and you will more than often see something wonderful happen. By the grace of God, the boasting mouth will stop, the proud heart will become humble, and the lost soul will hear the gospel.

Father, thank you for the glorious cross and for saving me from Vanity Fair.

JANUARY 15

Sword of Contention

Jacob saw the countenance of Laban, and indeed it was not favorable toward him as before.

GENESIS 31:2

Morning Reading: Genesis 31:1–55

Time and circumstances can change great friendships so that they are not what they used to be. Most of us have memories of friendships that mysteriously turned sour because of clumsy misunderstandings, silly differences of opinion, or meaningless arguments. Even the gospel can make friends into enemies. A sword of contention can sit where only love and laughter once sat. In such circumstances, all we can do is pray that God gives us grace and keeps our hearts free from bitterness because that is a dead-end street.

As Christians, we are to strive to be peacemakers. That means we set aside our own rights and try to heal relationships for the sake of the gospel. If people have wronged you, buy them a gift, give them a smile, or extend a hand of reconciliation. That’s what God did for us. We were once enemies of God, with a multitude of sins on our souls, and he reached out with the gospel and reconciled us to himself. Do that with others, and in doing so, you will bring a smile to your Creator and protect yourself from bitterness.

Father, please help me today to forget past grievances and let love have its way today.

Keeping the Sabbath

When the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

MATTHEW 12:2 KJV

Evening Reading: Matthew 12:1–21; Psalm 9:13–20

The Pharisees hounded Jesus and the disciples for violating the Sabbath. The law-keepers wanted to put them under the yoke of the law, yet they themselves did not adhere to it. Christians are often told that we must keep the Sabbath because Jesus and the disciples went into the synagogues on the Sabbath. But if we study Scripture, we see that the reason they went there was to worship and share God’s Word.

We are not bound to the Jewish Sabbath. Nowhere in the New Testament are Christians encouraged to keep it. Otherwise, we gladly would keep it and encourage others to do the same. Instead, we fellowship on the first day of the week, and the decision to do so was not an arbitrary one. We worship on Sundays because the disciples did (see Acts 20:7).

Father, thank you for the liberty that we have in Christ through the gospel of grace.

JANUARY 16

Wrestling with God

Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day.

GENESIS 32:24 KJV

Morning Reading: Genesis 32; Genesis 33

Jacob wrestled with God in prayer, and the angel blessed him because he exercised importunity. He wouldn’t let the angel go until he received the blessing (see Genesis 32:26). How wonderful that this passage, given for our instruction, allows us to wrestle with God for his blessing. Some may see this as license to buy a better car or a bigger home or to accumulate more money in the bank, but it’s not. Greed has no place in the heart of the godly. We should instead have the priorities that Jesus had, and that means primarily wrestling with God for the salvation of lost souls.

Jesus told a parable of a man who woke a neighbor at midnight to ask a favor. Jesus said that the neighbor will not rise and give the man what he needs just because he is his friend, but because of the man’s persistence, the neighbor will rise and tend to the man’s needs. Then Jesus said to be persistent with God in prayer, and he will answer (see Luke 11:9–13). We should, therefore, put our own wants aside and pray that God would reach the billions who are still lost and unaware of the eternal price they will have to pay.

Father, let my heartfelt prayers be filled with concern for others this day. Especially for their eternal salvation.

Political Correctness

Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.

MATTHEW 12:34

Evening Reading: Matthew 12:22–45; Proverbs 2:1–11

Jesus wasn’t politically correct. How comforting to know that God hates hypocrisy. That which turns the stomach of the unsaved also sickens the Creator. It is good to let those who point the wagging finger at the hypocrite know that God will judge hypocrisy. But look at Paul’s rebuke to those who judge others and yet play the hypocrite while doing so: And do you think this, O man, you who judge those practicing such things, and doing the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? (Romans 2:3).

It is a mystery how we can sometimes take consolation in our own sins because we see others committing the same sins. It’s senseless because life doesn’t work like that. If an officer of the law pulls me over for speeding, the fact that other drivers are also speeding has nothing to do with my transgression. He holds me personally responsible for my lawbreaking. We, therefore, need to remind ourselves and others that every person will give an account of themselves and not of someone else to God.

Father, this night I think of the mercy of the cross and ask you to shed light on any hypocrisy in me.

JANUARY 17

Rage and Blindness

They killed Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went out.

GENESIS 34:26

Morning Reading: Genesis 34, Genesis 35

Jacob’s impetuous brothers caused him great grief. They thought that they had a legitimate grievance, but what they did was far worse. It was evil. We tend to want to pay back evil for evil and think that it’s good. How much better it is instead to submit grievances to God and ask him to fight our battles for us. Seeking vengeance may satisfy an angry soul, but that’s not the way of a Christian.

When someone commits a serious offense in which the law is violated, it is important to let the proper authorities handle the matter. Then you can give the issue to the Lord and forget about it. Taking the law into our own hands or simply paying back evil for evil may seem like a bright idea. It may even feel like justice when our rage blinds us. But revenge is far more likely to erupt into a situation we cannot control. The Bible says that Jesus committed himself to him who judges righteously. Follow in his steps. Surrender your personal offense to the Lord and forget about it. Save yourself a lot of pain and trouble by taking the high road.

Father, help me to have mercy in my heart today so that I am ready and willing to forgive anyone.

We Belong to Him

Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.

MATTHEW 12:50

Evening Reading: Matthew 12:46–50; Matthew 13:1–17; Psalm 10:1–11

Whoever is a wonderful word for souls seeking salvation. It’s open-ended. It’s unconditional. It doesn’t restrict us from being part of God’s family by saying, Only the rich, or only the gifted. Neither does it say Only the tall, good-looking, and strong. It says, Whoever. That includes me! It includes you, regardless of your race, ethnicity, gender, or status. Jesus said that if we do his will, we belong to him.

We don’t have his favor because we do his will. Rather, if we belong to him, we will prove it by doing that which is pleasing to him. That’s one of the main reasons we read God’s Word. It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path, giving us principles regarding marriage, forgiveness, love, and many other issues in life, and in doing so, it shows us his will. It is because of the cross that he can stretch out his hand to us also and say, Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother (Matthew 12:49-50).

Father, tonight I take great comfort in the fact that I’m included in whoever.

JANUARY 18

Joseph’s Bad Report

The lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father’s wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.

GENESIS 37:2

Morning Reading: Genesis 36; Genesis 37

This bad report was the first little seed that grew into a tall tree of hatred. We don’t know the content of this report, but we can be sure that the actions of Joseph’s godless brothers were bad. But it seems that Joseph had no choice but to tell his father what his brothers were doing. Sometimes life hands us moral dilemmas, and doing the right thing can have negative repercussions.

Jesus brought a bad report about his brethren. He told the religious leaders that they were hypocrites and that their worship was in vain. The hypocritical religious leaders hated him from his first sermon. But he was obligated to speak the truth in love, and he did it because he loved even his enemies. We are obligated to do the same. Those who are lost in their sins have a bad report with God. If we love them, we will speak the truth in love. That may cause them to hate us. Jesus said that the world hated him because he testified of their deeds, that they were evil (see John 7:7). But that didn’t stop him from testifying, and it mustn’t stop us.

Father, help me to be concerned about what you want because that’s always right.

When We See Clearly

When the grain had sprouted and produced a crop, then the tares also appeared.

MATTHEW 13:26

Evening Reading: Matthew 13:18–35; Psalm 10:12–18

Hypocrisy can be a huge stumbling block to the world. We see the hypocrite, and somehow we think that their behavior justifies the fact that we are not right with God ourselves. Hypocrisy tends to blind us to reality. We can’t see clearly when there’s a log in our own eye. And so lost souls may point to the sins of others as an excuse to continue their own sinful ways. They need to be confronted with the moral law so that their own sinfulness becomes personal.

The Ten Commandments send the sick soul to the cure of the gospel. Once others can understand that they, too, have sinned against God, that knowledge humbles them, and they recognize that they have no right to judge others. If I’m arrested for theft, it’s irrelevant that other people also steal. I can argue to the court that other thieves are just as guilty as I am, but that fact remains inconsequential. The judge will hold me personally responsible for my violation of the law. And so will it be with God on judgment day. Every person will have to give an account for him or herself, not for others. God will deal with them without our help.

Father, please help me to keep my eyes free of logs.

JANUARY 19

Losing Patience

Judah took a wife for Er his firstborn, and her name was Tamar. But Er, Judah’s firstborn, was wicked in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord killed him.… And the thing which he did displeased the Lord; therefore He killed him also.

GENESIS 38:6–7, 10

Morning Reading: Genesis 38; Genesis 39

Some portions of Scripture are shocking, and this is one of them. Still, that doesn’t mean we should dismiss it as an isolated incident and exclude it from our theology. This wasn’t a good day for the family of Judah, but its lesson is important. It shows us that God sometimes loses patience with people, so those who think his patience is everlasting need to think again.

Instead of feeling upset by these verses, we can remind ourselves that God has given every one of us the death sentence (see Romans 6:23). In this passage, God carried it out immediately, but he holds back on ours because he doesn’t take pleasure in the death of the wicked, and he isn’t willing that any perish (see 2 Peter 3:8). He’s waiting for us to repent