pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 8

Trusting

Trusting is not like throwing a football. It is not a physical act that can be witnessed live or on video. Trust is an action of the heart in league with the mind. It is a choice people and nations make.

When we Americans decided to put “In God We Trust” on our money, this was a bold statement. We said that even if we build a navy to guard the high seas, or an army to guard our interests, or an air force to patrol the skies of the world, our ultimate trust is not in those military machinations.

We said that we will do commerce from sea to shining sea but our trust is not in the free market, but in the faithfulness of a covenant keeping God.

We also said that we would freely investigate all truth, all natural phenomena, to discern the secrets of creation and carefully pass them on to our young, but our trust will be in the Word of God, the beginning of wisdom.

We made the choice.

Today we make it again.

We trust in God because of so many things and in spite of some things.

Sometimes the evidence of God’s trustworthiness shines against the darkness of other choices.

There are also times when His hand seems delayed, when His answer cannot be clearly heard and understood, when His immediate care and provision cannot be detected, when His presence seems to have fled. Like His manifestation at Mt. Sinai, He seems hidden by smoke and thunder and the ground beneath our feet seems to tremble.

But still, we choose to trust, to continue on with the disciplines of daily life in Jesus: prayer, Word, worship, obedience, repentance, and stillness of spirit. Desperate for the atmosphere of Heaven, we breathe deeply in worship here on earth. As we do, the winds of the Spirit stir from their heavenly storehouses and race to us at the speed of His light. Like His manifestation at Mt. Zion, our spirits behold His face clearly and in great detail and we are changed in the process. Our hearts are refreshed.

This is vital to the day ahead, for it is in the heart that we trust in God.

Scriptures:
Psalm 20:7
Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.
Psalm 37:3-7
Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him;
Proverbs 3:5-6
Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, You alone know what this day holds for me and for those I love. I choose to trust You with today and all it will bring. Your Word is sure, fixed in the heavens and powerful here on earth. I walk in Your truth, confident in your Covenant, content in Your will, trusting in Your Character. Teach me to delight in Your ways. Empower me to do good as You direct me so that I might be a blessing as I dwell in the land and enjoy safety. In Your Name, Amen.

Song:
‘Tis so Sweet to Trust in Jesus
Words: Louisa Stead; Music: William Kirkpatrick

1. ‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to take Him at His word,
Just to rest upon His promise, Just to know “Thus saith, the Lord.

Refrain:
Jesus, Jesus, how I trust Him! How I’ve proved Him o’er and o’er.
Jesus, Jesus, Precious Jesus! O for grace to trust Him more.

2. O how sweet to trust in Jesus, Just to trust His cleansing blood,
Just in simple faith to plunge me ‘Neath the healing, cleansing flood.
(Refrain)

3. Yes, ‘tis sweet to trust in Jesus, Just from sin and self to cease,
Just from Jesus simply taking Life and health and joy and peace.
(Refrain)

4. I’m so glad I learned to trust Him, Precious Jesus, Savior, Friend,
And I know that Thou art with me, Will be with me to the end.
(Refrain)

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

© 2017 Stephen R. Phifer All Rights Reserved

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 7

Courage

Knowing God’s will is one thing. Doing His will is something else again. Courage is required.

Accomplishing something in this life is a matter of timing, skill, opportunity, sensitivity and often, sacrifice. What it does not require is luck.

Luck
Luck is all about randomness, chance, and unpredictable circumstances. Luck has absolutely no role to play for someone who seeks to know and to do God’s will. We confess that our lives are in God’s hands, our very steps are ordered by the Lord each day. This amazing grace comes to us contained in our free will. We have the choice to follow the Lord’s leadership or to go off on our own. When we choose to follow Him, He begins to order our steps and those of others who may or may not be following Him.

The people we need to meet will be right where we need them, right on cue. The things we really need will be in our hands when we need them. The words we need to speak will be in our mouths just when they need to be spoken, and on and on this grace goes. Continue reading “January 7” →

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 6

Covered

Belgium, 1944:
“Cover me!” the sergeant yells to his pinned down squad as he breaks his cover to charge the machine gun nest. As he runs a zigzag pattern, the corporals and privates in his command lay down a withering fire from M1 Garand carbines and the Browning automatic rifle. The enemy machine gunners cease firing to find cover as the soldier with the stripes tosses a grenade into their emplacement, ending the war for them.

Today, on the job:
“Cover for me,” the guilty party pleads to his friend. Friendship overrules common sense and the boss never finds out.

When we are under attack, and even when we are guilty, there is One who covers us.

In Today’s Battle
Against unnumbered foes, the Lord Jesus covers us from a position of power with weapons of a spiritual warfare that are mighty indeed. We can charge boldly into the day with all its dangers knowing the enemy must cower before the Name of Jesus and retreat in the face of determined obedience to His Word. Continue reading “January 6” →

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 5

Justice

Justice: when we are in the wrong, we fear it; when we have been wronged, we seek it. Justice confronts the sinner and comforts the one who has been sinned against.

When we see the blue and red flashing lights of the State Trooper’s car in the rear view mirror, we react in one of two ways:

  • If we are speeding, or if our tags are expired, the pit of the stomach rotates 360º.
  • If we are stranded on the side of the road with a flat tire, we are relieved that our help has arrived.

Justice is the foundation of the Throne of God. Continue reading “January 5” →

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 4



Sabbath

The center-column strength of the Old Testament Tabernacle and Temple was the Sabbath.

On the Sabbath, all activities were forbidden except those associated with the worship of Jehovah and rest for the souls and bodies of people. The Sabbath principle held the Old Covenant together. The Law extended the Sabbath beyond the seventh day of worship and rest into annual festivals celebrating the agricultural seasons of the year—the production of food and wealth was halted for times of worship and rest. Every seven years the land was granted the blessings of rest and twice each century all the people were to be granted Sabbath rest and a new start in the Year of Jubilee.

When the Sabbath in all its phases was honored, God’s blessing rained on the Holy Nation; His covenantal power secured their borders and His holy presence dwelt at the center of their hearts, their homes, the politics, and their peace. Continue reading “January 4” →

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 3

Rhythm

God lives in a constant moment called eternity.
We live in a constant flow of moments called time. One of His greatest gifts to us is rhythm. Just as a piece of music is formed by small units of time called measures which are equal groups of pulses called beats, life consists of small units of time called hours, days, weeks and years.

A music teacher once said, “In the beginning was rhythm.” He was right. The rhythm of the creation story is obvious—day and night, day and night. The universe God made is filled with rhythm:

  • the daily rotation of the earth,
  • the orbit of the moon around the earth, and
  • the movement of the earth and her sister planets around the sun.
  • Perhaps the ever expanding universe is moving to a beat too large for the devices of man to detect.

Continue reading “January 3” →

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 2



Next

The Second Day, the Second Step
The first day is easy. The clock strikes the hour. The calendar turns the page. The New Year begins—a fresh start—a grace gift from God’s amazing mind.

You step out with new promises and renewed dreams of victory over old and stubborn foes. The first day is one of enthusiasm and optimism as old failures fade in the light of another chance.

Then, the clock continues to tick and the pages of the calendar turn again and it is the second day. The impulse that was so strong yesterday is not so powerful today. The second step on this journey is not as brisk and forceful as the first.

But you still make it, that second step on the second day. Continue reading “January 2” →

pathoflifedevotions Devotions, January

January 1

Tomorrow

What Lies Ahead?
We don’t know what lies ahead. Or perhaps, we do know.

  • We will be surprised by good news we never expected and by setbacks we did not foresee.
  • Friends will come through for us in ways that draw them closer to our hearts and others will fail us requiring a special, painful kind of love called forgiveness.
  • We will sense the will of God and form a plan of action that will succeed beyond our dreams.
  • Other plans we were sure were the will of God will fizzle and die or blow up in our faces.

Continue reading “January 1” →

pathoflifedevotions Information

Welcome!

Welcome to the Path of Life Daily Devotional–continuing for 2026–The Jesus Story!

The Pathsrp-experiment of Life daily devotions are designed to be an aid to daily prayer.  This year I am posting daily narratives from the Life of Christ, beginning with the Gospel of Mark.  Matthew’s Gospel was the source of devotions from March-May.  Dr. Luke’s account gives us June-August.  Next, we are wind up the Story with the Gospel of John from September-November.  December will feature the Christmas Story. As in all my devotions, I will use a single word title followed by a few selected verses on the subject, and concluding with  a prayer and a song.

Join me for a detailed walk through the Life of our Lord in this devotional form.  If you haven’t already “followed” these devotions, please select that button and register to receive email notification of each posting, including those at StevePhifer.com.  Let’s draw closer to the Savior in this year!

The Path of Life Daily Devotions work for morning or evening.
Start your day or end your day with an encouraging word.

Each devotion, in fact each article I write, ends with the same signature:
Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

Semper Reformanda!
Semper Reformanda! is my ministry motto. It means “Always Reforming.” The church must never stop progressing toward the Coming of the Lord. We must never cease to listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. We must never stop seeking God’s Face. We must never restrain from testing all things to see if they are from the Lord. This ongoing process requires a growing knowledge of what God has said and a listening ear to what God is saying. If we are not constantly vigilant in these things, our lives will be tossed about by the unrelenting winds of culture. If we are constantly available to the Spirit for instruction in righteousness, we will build our lives on the Rock! To me, Semper Reformanda! is each day’s work as we walk the Path of Life.

 You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. (Psalm 16:11 NKJV)

To begin reading the devotions for this year go to the end of this article.

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

Interested in Christian Worship and Spirituality?–That is my subject!  For an extensive of articles on Worship  and Worship Renewal Go To StevePhifer.com.

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