January 9 Daily Devotional

Monthly Theme:

The theme of the month is spiritual war. Jesus won the battle not by might but by obedience. He is the source of salvation for all who obey him. When we have stood the test, we will share Christ's glory.

Bible Reading:

Matthew 16:13–23

Bible Text:

Jesus turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan!" (Matt. 16:23).

Devotional:

Jesus trained his disciples to become his missionaries. The first part of this training led up to the disciples' confession that Jesus was the Messiah. When Jesus asked the twelve "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter, on behalf of all the disciples, said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."

After this great moment, Jesus began the second part of the disciples' training. "From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples ... that he must be killed."

The idea that the Christ, the Messiah, the long-expected Liberator of Israel, would suffer and die was repugnant. Peter wanted to hear nothing of it. No suffering, no violent death. "'Never, Lord!' he said. 'This shall never happen to you.'"

Simon Peter was unaware that the devil was using his tongue. But Jesus saw the old enemy. The devil had no greater fear than that Jesus would be obedient until death. "Get behind me, Satan!" said Jesus to his friend.

Our friends may misunderstand God's way for us. They may want us to have a good time and a good income—in short, to "feel good, look good, make good." But only one way is the right way: the road of obedience to Christ. Even nice friends and well-meaning parents may not keep us from that road.

Andrew Kuyvenhoven's Daylight, a modern devotional classic, was originally published in 1994. This edition is copyright by Faith Alive Christian Resources, from whom may be ordered Daylight, the predecessor of Twilight.

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 edition of Twilight are from the New International Version

Be sure to read the "Preface" and the "Acknowledgments" by the author.