Daily Devotion (January 1, 2025)
A new day. A new year. A new devotion. I have been waking up for years with the Word of God in my thoughts. I love having God speak to me first thing in the morning. My hope is bound in God and who He is. He is my Rock, my Salvation, my life. I think how often I fail Him and how faithful He is to continue to love me. There are those who would wish harm to me, but I know God loves me. Jesus said in John 15:18-19: “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.”
God reminds me He is in control. Little messages pop up on my phone periodically. Yesterday one popped up saying, “Don’t worry, God is in control.”
I have discovered and continue to learn Satan will attack and will continue to attack God’s people. Each time Satan attacks God is present in our lives to strengthen us. The psalmist wrote “God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1. Many profess Jesus with their mouth but in their hearts, they serve the devil.
I asked the congregation this past Sunday, “How do you know you are saved.” Those who are saved live their lives for Jesus. They hear the voice of God and follow Him. Jesus said in John 10:27-28 “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand.”
Christianity is not about self…it is all about God.
Matthew 22:37-39: “Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”