Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Opening Scripture

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. May the favor of the Lord our God rest upon us; establish the work of our hands for us – yes, establish the world of our hands.” Psalm 91:12,14,17

Opening Prayer

Blessed are you, O Lord our God, the King of the universe, who gives rest to your children and the promise of a new day.

Daily Bible Reading

Colossians 3:1-17

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips.

Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Reflection  

Followers of Jesus are actively engaged in a radical wardrobe change! We must constantly “take off” the dirty clothes of our old earthly nature: pride, lust, greed, impurity, and slander. We must constantly “put on” the clean clothes of our new heavenly nature: humility, goodness, compassion, and patience.

“Living in the kingdom of God is a matter of living with God’s action in our lives. When we seek the kingdom of God, we are seeking more and more to allow God to be present in everything that we are and everything that we do, and we allow him to act and overrule and guide and help us become what he intended us to be. It’s where we begin to enter interactively into the kind of change that allows us to live constantly in the action of God in our lives.”  Dallas Willard, Living in Christ’s Presence

Flourishing Habit

Character and Virtue

“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.” John Wooden

Your true character is revealed by what you do when no one is looking. Do something good today that only you and God know about. Then look for an opportunity to forgive or encourage someone as an act of love.

Remember: nothing changes until something changes!