January 23 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Colossians 3:1-17:

¹If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.
²Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.
³For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God.
⁴When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory.
⁵Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:
⁶For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience:
⁷In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them.
⁸But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth.
⁹Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds;
¹⁰And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
¹¹Where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free: but Christ is all, and in all.
¹²Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering;
¹³Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.
¹⁴And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness.
¹⁵And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
¹⁶Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
¹⁷And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.

Devotional

Surely a Christian has every reason to praise God, and to be thankful. But just how thankful are we? The psalmist exclaims, "Harken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: for unto thee will I pray."

"My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up." "I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy: and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy temple." The prophet Jeremiah says, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." They are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. The believing Israelites brought their sacrifices day by day, one lamb in the morning, the other in the evening. The psalmist says, "As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice." Is not prayer the chief part of our thankfulness? Heidelberg Catechism Q. 116. How often are we silent, when we ought to sing aloud of God's mercy in the morning! Surely it behooves us to pray: "O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show forth thy praise." God has formed his people, that they should show forth his praises. "Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of. him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."

Prayer

O God our Father, may we, Thy people and sheep of Thy pasture, give Thee thanks for ever. May we show forth Thy praise to all generations. Cause the Gospel of salvation to be preached unto the ends of the earth. May many repent of their sins, and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their Saviour, and with us and with all Thy saints, praise Thy name for so great a salvation; now and for ever. Amen.

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Scripture in Devotional: Ps. 5:2f.; 5:7; Lam. 3:22f.; Num. 28:3f.; Ps. 55:16f.; 59:16; 51:13; Isa. 43:21; 1 Pet 2:9.

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