January 7 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

Here, in Isaiah 11, is another picture of the land of hope and glory. First we read about the excellent King who rules over this country. This "branch," who grew out of the fallen tree of the house of David, is Jesus Christ. Under his rule, says the prophet, the country has justice, peace, and rest. The King has removed wickedness, he has been fair to the poor and the meek, and now the peace of the country extends to man and beast. All is harmony. All is shalom.

What makes this world so good is the rule of the Messiah. You might also say this country is the promised land because "the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord." These two things always go together. When God's name is hallowed, the kingdom has come, and when the kingdom has come, the earth is full of the knowledge of the Lord.

A taxi driver was trying to park in a crowded street when he scraped the fender of another car. The angry owner got out of his house of chrome and tin and loudly profaned the name of Jesus Christ. Then the taxi driver said: "Sir, why don't you use the name of somebody you know?"

Swearing is not only a vulgar habit, it is also a sure sign of ignorance. As soon as someone knows Jesus, she will stop swearing and start praying. Therefore we aren't sure what hurts us more—the careless swear word or the ignorance that it reveals.

You could say that Christ came into the world to establish the kingdom, but you could also say that he came to teach all of us about God. That's the same thing. And Christ sent the Holy Spirit to make us obey Christ as our King—or to teach us about God as our Father.

When the kingdom has come, the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord.

Reflections

In what ways did you attempt to "hallow God's name" today?

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published by Paideia Press in 1977. This updated edition is copyright 2009 by Faith Alive Christian Resources. You can order a copy of this revised version of the book directly from the publisher.

A man of many accomplishments, Andrew Kuyvenhoven is probably best known for his contributions to Today (formerly The Family Altar), a widely-used monthly devotional booklet associated with the Back to God Hour. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations for this updated edition of Daylight are from the Holy Bible: Today's New International Version copyright 2001, 2005 by the International Bible Society.