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January 3
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“If someone claims, ‘I know God,’ but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.”  (1 John 2:4, NLT)

Here is the essence of knowing God: Obedience to His commandments.

It is not doing great things in God’s name that shows we know Him.  It is not acquiring volumes of knowledge about God that shows we know Him.  It is not the depth of our sacrifice that shows we know God.  To know God is to obey His commandments.

God’s commandments are to love God with all our being; and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves.  (Please see Mark 12:30-31.)

To be sure, to do great things in God’s name; learning all we can about Him; and sacrificing ourselves for His name’s sake are honorable ambitions.  However, unless these and other works begin at God’s initiative, our labor and our accomplishments are in vain.

Let complete obedience to our Creator and our God be our daily goal.  It is only through obedience that we become like Him.  – Luther

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January 2
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“As you know, everyone from the province of Asia has deserted me — even Phygelus and Hermogenes.  May the Lord show special kindness to Onesiphorus and all his family because he often visited and encouraged me.  He was never ashamed of me because I was in chains.  When he came to Rome, he searched everywhere until he found me.  May the Lord show him special kindness on the day of Christ’s return.  And you know very well how helpful he was in Ephesus.”  (2 Timothy 1:15-18, NIV)

As we can see from today’s scripture reading, even the best of people have bad experiences with friends and associates.  Clearly, Paul was grieved by the desertions of “everyone from the province of Asia” in general; and the desertion of Phygelus and Hermogenes, in particular.

However, he is cheered by the kindnesses of Onesiphorus.

It is telling that Paul uses more than twice the number of words recalling the faithfulness of Onesiphorus than he does for the failures of Phygelus, Hermogenes, and all of the other folks in the Asia province.  Although Paul never denied the reality of the negative, he chose to spend a lot more time — and words — dwelling on the positive.  We should, too.  – Luther

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January 1
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New Year’s Day

“To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy — to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore!  Amen.”  (Jude 1:24-25, NIV)

Jude’s benediction — his letter’s final words — are a fitting beginning to the new year.

There are things we’ve done in year’s past that we wish we hadn’t done; there are opportunities we’ve left unexplored, but we need not despair: It is Jesus alone Who is able to present us to the ultimate Judge “without fault and with great joy.”

None of us knows what this new year holds, but we need not despair: Through it all, and at the end of all; He is able to keep us from stumbling, both now and forevermore!  – Luther

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