January 3 Daily Devotional

Bible Verse

"For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell" (Colossians 1:19).

Devotional

All wisdom to guide dwells in Christ. All power to uphold dwells in Christ. All love to soothe dwells in Christ. All grace to support dwells in Christ. All tenderness to sympathize dwells in Christ. Prepare yourself then, freshly to take hold of Christ.

Determine to walk through this year not by sight, but by faith—and that faith must deal simply and directly, with Jesus. "Apart from me you can do nothing" (Jn. 15:5). But with his strength made perfect in our weakness, we can do all things.

Oh, let this be your course and your posture—"coming up from the wilderness leaning on her Beloved" (Song 8:5). Living in a world of imperfection and change, expect nothing perfect, nothing stable, in what you are, in what you do, or in what you enjoy. But in the midst of the dissolving views of the world that is "passing away" (1 Jn. 2:17), take firm hold on the unchangeableness of God. The wheels may revolve, but the axle on which they turn is fixed. Such is your covenant God. Events may vary. Providences may change. Friends may die. Feelings may fluctuate. But God in Christ will know "no variation or shadow due to change" (James 1:17).

"Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" (Jn. 13:1).

O Jesus, I have promised
to serve thee to the end;
be thou for ever near me,
my Master and my Friend:
I shall not fear the battle
if thou art by my side,
nor wander from the pathway
if thou wilt be my Guide.

O let me feel thee near me,
the world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
the tempting sounds I hear:
my foes are ever near me,
around me and within;
but, Jesus, draw thou nearer,
and shield my soul from sin.

O Jesus, thou hast promised
to all who follow thee
that where thou art in glory
there shall thy servant be;
and, Jesus, I have promised
to serve thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow,
my Master and my Friend.

(John E. Bode, 1868)

Be sure to read the Preface by Octavius Winslow and A Note from the Editor by Larry E. Wilson.

Larry Wilson is an ordained minister in the Orthodox Presbyterian Church. In addition to having served as the General Secretary of the Committee on Christian Education of the OPC (2000–2004) and having written a number of articles and booklets (such as God's Words for Worship and Why Does the OPC Baptize Infants) for New Horizons and elsewhere, he has pastored OPC churches in Minnesota, Indiana, and Ohio. We are grateful to him for his editing of Morning Thoughts, the OPC Daily Devotional for 2025.