January 1 is a great time to consider what we truly value. It is so easy to get entangled with life, that we miss nuance opportunities. I love Luke 4:4 in the Amplified. Jesus countered the devil’s temptation. It says, “…It is written, Man shall not live and be sustained by (on) bread alone but by every word and expression of God.”

Picture for a moment the Grand Canyon. I have only seen it through the eyes of others, as I have not been there in person. It is a masterpiece of creation. I loved to hike. I remember one time I was on a trail in Oregon. All along the pathway were tiny flowers. I marveled at their intricate design by a creative Designer.

Romans 1:20 says, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead…” 

We are made in His image for relationship. Everyone is unique. Even twins have different thumbprints. Do you like yourself? Embrace the uniqueness of others with an open heart.

Today is the last devotional for 2025. As we each face the unknown of a new year, let’s exemplify the Lord’s character of gratitude. Matthew 11:25 says, “…I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes” ~ redeemed ones.

Jesus was at Lazarus’ tomb. John 11:41-42 says, “…Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.”

Jesus expressed thanks to His Father, so that the crowd of grieving folks might believe. Do those around you recognize your heart of thankfulness? 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says that we obey His will through thankfulness.

Stop for a minute, and thank the Lord that He always hears you ~ even your silent grumbling and complaining spirit. David wrote Psalms 17. Verse 6 says, “I have called upon You, for You will hear me, O God; incline Your ear to me, and hear my speech.”

I pondered these four words in 2 Corinthians 5:9, “…whether present or absent…” We know from Psalm 16:11 that in heaven we will be dwelling in His pleasures. It says, “You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”

Here is what I believe Paul was saying. Whether they were present or absent from others’ eyes, their aim was the same ~ they would please the Lord through every aspect of their lives. 

Paul had another aim. It gives us further practical applications for practicing the truth. Acts 24:16 says, “This being so, I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and man.”

Titus 3:2 says, “To speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men.” Another way to hone our aim as we put this also into daily practice.

Dwelling in His Presence creates the opportunity for Him to quietly reveal our innermost being to us. We come with an expectation for inner transformation. 2 Corinthians 3:18.

I have cousins and friends who hunt with bow and arrows. They honed their aim through much practice. 1 John 16-7 says that we hone our aim when we practice the truth. How does that work? 

Jesus said, “I am the truth…” in John 14:6. Therefore truth is a Person, not a fact. It is not print on a page, but rather a living relationship with our Creator. Genesis 1:26 says that He made us in His image. We have a capacity within us for fellowship ~ intimate communion with Him.

Meditated on 2 Corinthians 5:9. It says, “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him.” Let’s pick up the context. Paul wrote that while we are present in our body, we are absent from the Lord. However, when we are absent from our body, we will appear face to face before the Lord.

Verse 10 says, “…that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.” Our aim? Pleasing Him now in every aspect.

When I began to recover from falling into the ravine 1977, I would lean into the wind and relax against it. It was called the Washoe Zephyr and it was strong. John 3:8 says, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell from where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”

We are saved by faith not works. Ephesians 2:8-9. Our saving faith carries over into our living faith. We believed Him for salvation, and we believe Him to carry us through every adverse situation.

Faith is leaning on His promises, though there is no evidence of them yet. Our hope is based in One who cannot fail. Hebrews 6:19 says, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.”

1 Peter 1:8 says, “Whom having not seen you love. Though you do not see Him, yet believing…” I communed with the Lord this morning before it was time to get up. I love leaning into His Presence.

I was learning how to operate the linotype. As I typed each letter, it imprinted it in a lead slug. After the slugs were used to print, they were melted in a smelting pot. That caused the dross (ink) to come to the surface and be skimmed off. Then the lead could be used again.

Our trials place our faith into a crucible of fire. The Lord extracts the lies the enemy has planted in our hearts. He skims off the dross. Zechariah 13:9 was written about Israel, but we can apply it to our lives. It says that He, “…will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, This is My people; and each one will say, The Lord is my God.”

Isaiah 55:3 says, “Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live.” Incline means to listen favorably. Is your ear tuned to the Lord? We can’t hear Him when our complaining heart is louder than His still small voice.

Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding.” Our own understanding is developed through the perceptions we have made throughout our lives.

Here is the definition of perception from Noah Webster’s 1828 Dictionary. “Receiving impression by the senses; or that act or process of the mind which makes known an external object. We gain knowledge of the coldness and smoothness of marble by perception.”

Faith is not a perception, it is a substance according to Hebrews 11:1. It says, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” Job was in a hard trial. In Job 23:8 he said, “Look, I go forward, but He is not there, and backward, but I cannot perceive Him.”

I love verse 10. It says, “But He knows the way that I take; when He has tested me, I shall come forth as gold.” We know from Philippians 1:7 that our fiery trials are purifying our faith from any doubts, fears, or unbeliefs. Hard trials expose hidden dross.

God stepped in to rescue His people. He rolled back the waters of the Red Sea. The children of Israel passed over on dry ground. Pharaoh, with his army of chariots followed them. Exodus 14:24 says that He troubled them. Verse 25 says, “And He took off their chariot wheels…” 

Verse 27 says, “…the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the Lord overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea.” Verse 28 says, “…Not so much as one of them returned.”

I recently watched an expedition where millions of dollars were put up for divers to go down into that part of the Red Sea. They took pictures of the chariot wheels, and saw the path that was strewn with wreckage.

Psalm 78:40-41 says, “How often they provoked Him in the wilderness, and grieved Him in the desert! Yes, again and again they tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel.” Sobering words. I encourage you to ask the Lord how you may be limiting Him from miraculously intervening in your life? 

1 Corinthians 10:11 says, “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and that they were written for our admonition…” All means without exception. What things? Verses 1-10 were examples from the lives of the children of Israel.

Let me recap a few. They were severely oppressed Egyptian slaves. Exodus 2:23 says that they, “…groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.”

Through Moses and Aaron, the Lord plagued the Egyptians, until finally the Pharaoh told them to go out and worship their God. As they wandered through the wilderness, the Lord was a cloud by day to shade them, and a fire by night so they could see.

Throughout their journey they complained. Then when they were blocked in by the Red Sea, and Pharaoh’s army was descending upon them ~ they blamed Moses. In Exodus 14:12 they stated what was in their hearts. It says, “…It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians…” How like them we can be when we face impossible circumstances ~ blame others.

I often go back to 1 Chronicles 28:9. In the Amplified it says, “…For the Lord searches all hearts and minds and understands all the wanderings of the thoughts…” Hebrews 4:12 in the Amplified says of His word, It goes down, “…(of the deepest parts of our nature), exposing and sifting and analyzing and judging the very thoughts and purposes of the heart.”

Verse 13 continues, “…all things are open and exposed, naked and defenseless to the eyes of Him with Whom we have to do.” Revelation 1:14 says, “…His eyes like a flame of fire.”

Ask Him what is in your heart. Then humble yourself before Him. Let no pride block you from hearing His words. Knowing that He knows, gives us the emotional freedom to be transparent and self-revealing without fear.

1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment…” Fear is a spirit that torments our mind, will, and emotions.” Fear casts a tormenting shadow that blocks the knowledge of the fullness of His love for us.