January 22 | Trials=Joy

James 1:2-3, “2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.” James wrote that our trials equal God’s pure joy. How can this be true? How are we supposed to consider facing various trials and hardships in life as…

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January 21 | Dead to the Flesh, Alive in the Spirit

Colossians 3:3, “For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.” The moment you accepted Jesus into your life two things instantly occurred. First, there was a funeral. Then, there was a rebirth. The funeral was for the death of your old life, because of the sinful nature that resided in your…

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January 20 | More Than Conquerors

Romans 8:37, “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” When we believe in Jesus’ work on the cross, we become “more than conquerors,” because Jesus defeated death, hell, and the grave, on our behalf, for the Father’s glory. Jesus became our substitutionary sacrifice and made atonement for all…

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January 19 | His Masterpiece

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT), “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Do you own anything that is valuable? If so, how do you treat it? Maybe you own an expensive piece of jewelry and keep it in a…

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January 18 | By Grace Alone

Ephesians 2:8-9, “8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith–and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God– 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” Now that you are saved, you may be tempted to think that because of all the good things you do for…

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January 17 | One Way

John 14:6, “Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Have you ever driven the wrong way on a “one way” street? If so, you might have heard someone yell, “Stop! You’re going the wrong way!” If you listened and turned back around,…

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January 16 | Living by Faith

Genesis 12:2, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.” When God gave the above promise to Abraham, he didn’t have a child, his wife was barren and in her sixties; and, he was seventy-five years old. As a…

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January 15 | Loving God, Loving People

Matthew 22:37-39, “37 Jesus replied: Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself.” Did you know that Jesus was a genius at making complicated things…

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January 14 | Wholly Holy

1 Peter 1:15-16, ”15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; 16 for it is written: Be holy, because I am holy.”  Imagine you’ve been playing volleyball in your friend’s backyard all afternoon, on a hot sunny summer day, with temperatures in the 90’s. After the last…

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January 13 | Jesus is My Sensei

Luke 6:46, “Why do you call me, Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?” “Wax on, wax off!” Do you remember Mr. Miyagi from the movie Karate Kid? Mr. Miyagi was the karate sensei (expert teacher) to young Daniel LaRusso in the movie. “Daniel-San,” as Mr. Miyagi liked to call him, came to him…

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