Tuesday, January 13, 2026

Opening Scripture

“I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble. You are my strength, I sing praise to you; you, God, are my fortress, my God on whom I can rely.”  Psalm 59:16-17

Opening Prayer

Gracious Heavenly Father, I praise you for your goodness and grace. By the power of your Spirit at work within me, help me to be fruitful and serve you well this day. Help me to embrace your will, obey your Word, and walk in your ways. In the name of Jesus Christ my Lord I pray. Amen.

Daily Bible Reading

Psalm 1

“Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers, but whose delight is in the law of the Lord, and who meditates on his law day and night. That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.”

Reflection  

This very familiar passage (which is engraved on the floorboard of our sanctuary) offers another graphic description of the two ways to live. The blessed person is identified by what they do as well as by what they do not do.

For starters, blessed people are careful about who and what influences them. They don’t follow the lifestyle of the wicked. They don’t hang out with those who are actively sinning. They don’t settle in where God is being mocked and ridiculed.

1 Corinthians 15:33-34 offers this warning: “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character. Come back to your senses as you ought and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.”

Instead, the blessed person delights in Almighty God. The blessed person reads God’s Word and reflects on His ways. They seek to please God in all they do. They live differently from those who don’t know and love God. They choose the path that leads to flourishing rather than the path that leads to destruction.

 Flourishing Habit

Character and Virtue

In his book, A Theology of Health, Tyler VanderWeele offers these insights.

Spiritual practices can contribute to temporal flourishing by developing community, facilitating mental health, shaping character, and giving a person a sense of understanding, meaning, purpose, and satisfaction.

“While physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” 1 Timothy 4:8

For someone to be fully flourishing, their character should be good as well. If flourishing is living in a state in which all aspects of one’s life are good, then this will entail good character and virtuous action as well.

These four aspects of character – practical wisdom, justice, fortitude, and temperance are sometimes referred to as the cardinal virtues, the virtues upon which other moral virtues depend.

How are you developing godly character? Really, that’s the essence of spiritual formation. Faithfully attending this daily devotional time is a great place to start. We must spend time with Jesus to become like Him. Keep it up!

“You must arrange your days so that you are experiencing deep contentment, joy, and confidence in your everyday life with God.” John Ortberg

Remember: Nothing changes until something changes!