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By Allen Boatman

Even along with disappointment, victory can come. Act in faith AND obedience.

Even in great betrayal can forgiveness be found. And possibly a purpose.

I’m sure the disciples thought The Messiah was dead forever, which was why they had returned to their previous occupations. But Jesus appeared to them and reminded them to follow Him. And so they left their occupations once again and obeyed.

Nietzsche once said, “I will say it again: what seems to be essential ‘in heaven and on earth’ is that there be obedience in one direction for a long time. In the long term, this always brings and has brought about something that makes life on earth worth living.” I’m not a huge fan of Nietzsche, but I do find myself coming back to this quote time and again. The long obedience of the apostles in one direction accomplished much.

Psalm 145

Beginning and ending with praise and gratitude. David’s heart in Psalm 145 is that of praise and gratitude.

A while back I tried an experiment. Before doing anything else, when I sat up in the morning, I lifted a word of praise and thankfulness to the Father. The really cool thing is that it rolled throughout the day. It didn’t stop with the first prayer of thanksgiving, but kept coming back and just “rolled “throughout the day and really affected my attitude. I’m going to try ending my day with thanks and praise as well. Follow up with me in February and ask me how it went.

2 Samuel 7:18 struck me as needing to be included with the Psalm 145 reference.

“Then King David went in and sat before the Lord and said, “Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far?”

Let your day begin and end with a word of praise and thanksgiving!

Father, I am grateful for the lessons, failures, and successes of 2025. I’m learning to be joyful in the trials. In my pursuit of the goals of 2026, may you be the center, the motivation, the heart of my efforts. May your agenda in 2026 be accomplished through me. May my actions and lifestyle bring glory to your name. Help me to be aware that you are constantly with me.

Amen

By Laura Aylward

The Tomb is empty! John Chapter 20 is where we find the joy, peace, and hope that we could not possibly recreate ourselves. After the resurrection, we encounter many emotions within each person. A loyal but devastated Mary wakes up early to tend and care for Jesus once more. The anxiety and overwhelming sadness that she may have been battling on the way to the tomb would quickly turn to fear, confusion, panic and possibly even anger when she arrives at the empty tomb. She then runs to John and Peter to tell them that Jesus is not there.

John runs quickly – he stops to look in the tomb and see the linen cloths but does not enter. What causes him to stop and not enter the tomb? Could it have been fear, brokenness, or shock? Next comes Peter, he does exactly what we would expect him to do when he arrives – he runs in. He sees Jesus is not in the tomb. John then enters the tomb and also sees Jesus is not there – they believe. In the tomb, they see that the face cloth (that once covered the face of Jesus) is not next to the rest of the burial cloths, instead it is set apart. Peter and John go home.

Mary stays by the tomb and cries. She encounters Jesus but she is overcome by her emotions and does not recognize Him – she does not immediately see Him for who He is. Then, Jesus calls her by name – she knows His voice. Pain, fear, and loss all turn to hope, joy, and triumph instantly. She sees clearly that He is alive and goes back to tell the disciples what she saw.

Mary needed to hear Jesus to know it was Him. She saw Him but did not recognize Him until she heard His voice. Mary spent time with Jesus – she knew Him and knew His voice. Do you see clearly when God is at work? Do you recognize Him? Do you know His voice? Do you spend time with Him?

Later, in Verse 20, Jesus comes to the disciples – except for Thomas. Jesus shows them His scars and they see and believe. Thomas is not there and he does not see, he wants to believe but he needs to see and feel the scars. Eight days later, Jesus does go to Thomas and allows him to see and feel His wounds. Thomas believes and Jesus says “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

Like in the tomb, when the cloth is removed from our eyes – we can see Jesus and we are set apart. Knowing His voice, and seeing Him working in our lives, the lives of those around us and everywhere. We are no longer part of the cloth for the dead. We can see Him for who He is and what He has done for us.

How often do we feel that we need proof like Thomas? Maybe it isn’t because we don’t believe or have doubts, but because we want the relationship others have. We want to have had a personal encounter with Jesus – we want to see Him and feel Him too. Maybe you have felt that you needed proof to know what His plans are for you or where He is leading you.

God’s Word does not just tell us to know Him, it also tells us that God knows us. Psalm 139 tells us that God knew us before we were created. He knows our thoughts, our fears, our desires, our dreams, He knows everything. He is always with us. Psalm 139:7 says “I can never escape from your spirit” He is with us in the good, the bad, the scary, the joy and the heartbreak. Psalm 139:23 says “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” John 20 tells us that it was written so that we may see & believe and have everlasting life.

We are not alone, He is with us, He knows us, He loves us, and goes before and behind us (Psalm 139). When Jesus spoke to the disciples and they saw Him– He left them with the Holy Spirit (Verse 21). That same spirit resides in us. His resurrection gives us hope and life.

There are many people around us searching for God. They want to see Him, they want to feel Him, and they want to know He is real. When we bring others to Christ and show them who He is, how He loves them, and where to find Him, they can take the face cloth off and be set apart. We are then no longer clothed in a cloth that is of death but can see and see that Jesus defeated death and despair giving us a new life with Him and eternal life in Heaven.

During your quiet time with God today, make time to listen to His voice. Ask God to send you someone you can help see and feel Jesus. Help them know that God loves them. Let them see that you have joy, hope, peace, and a purpose because He defeated the grave and now we walk with Him in new life with eyes to see.

Heavenly Father, I pray that I feel your presence with me. I know your word says you are with me. Sometimes I am like John, ready to answer the call but then paralyzed with fear, worry, pain, or uncertainty. Other times I am like Mary, still in disbelief, overcome by my own thoughts and fears and need to hear your voice call my name. I need you to remind me I am yours and you are with me. Other times, my heart is moving faster than I can even think and I run to answer your call, ready to share or defend what you have shown me. I pray that I see you in all things and people. That I remember your words of being known are not just for me but for all your children. I pray that I remember I am on mission to make you known and to tell others how you know them and love them. That you call me to help others see you, feel you, and learn to know your voice. Lord, I pray you use me and open their eyes to see you and that they believe and have everlasting life with you. Amen.

His ever presence by David & Sandy Goede

“I lift up my eyes to the hills—

from where does my help come?” — Psalm 121:1

There are moments when faith feels like a question rather than a declaration. The psalmist gives voice to that moment: From where does my help come? It is the cry of a pilgrim looking ahead, uncertain of the road, aware of danger, longing for assurance. Psalm 121 answers not with escape, but with presence: My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

John 19 brings us to a place where that promise is tested.

At the cross, help does not look like rescue. Jesus is mocked, wounded, and lifted up between heaven and earth. The crowd sees failure; the disciples see loss; even creation responds with darkness. Yet John insists—quietly, insistently—that nothing here is accidental. Scripture is being fulfilled. Love is being poured out. When Jesus cries, “It is finished,” He is not surrendering to defeat but declaring completion.

Psalm 121 promises that God does not slumber or sleep. John 19 shows us what that vigilance looks like. The Father is not absent at the cross; He is at work in the deepest way imaginable. God’s keeping does not always prevent suffering—but it never abandons His purpose, and it never lets suffering have the final word.

In late 2023, my father fell and fractured his hip. He had multiple chronic medical conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and kidney failure, which required dialysis. His recovery from his surgery was prolonged and he had complications which required a stay at a rehab facility. Between work, family, caring for my mother, and making sure we were there for dad, both Sandy and I found solace in scripture and our faith. One day, Dad experienced a medical crisis at rehab, Sandy and I urgently arrived at his bedside with my mother. We made the decision to move Dad to comfort care rather than sending him to the hospital where his life would only have been prolonged. With that decision, I had so many waves of emotions and doubts. Through our prayers and our friend’s prayers we were comforted and knew we had made the right decision. During his final hours, I wanted to calm him, so I read scripture to him. I read Psalm 23 multiple times and this was the last scripture he heard before crossing over to God’s glorious Kingdom.

Lord,

We place ourselves in Your care.

We ask that you watch over us each day and

give us peace, strength for today,

and comfort in Your presence.

Lord, we thank you for always being near.

These things we pray in your name.

Amen.

The Power of His Name | Pastor Steve Williams

Wow, the immense power of a name. Philippians 2:9 tells us that God gave Jesus “the name above all names.” That is a powerful name indeed.

In John 18, a contingent of Roman soldiers and Temple guards come looking for Jesus. When they come upon the gathering of Jesus and His disciples in an olive grove, Jesus asks who they are looking for and identifies Himself using the phrase “egō eimi”, which is translated “I am He” or “The I am is here”. He was using the same name He used in Exodus 3:14 when Moses was with the burning bush and asked God for His name. This is Jesus super clearly identifying Himself as God.

The power of this name is immediately clear because the soldiers’ response is to fall to the ground. THAT’S powerful.

Jesus is saying “I am God. I am the same God from the Old Testament. I am the same God that David wrote about in Psalm 103. I am the same God that deserves all of the praise that David talks about. I am the same God that deserves the praise from the angels and all of creation. I am He.”

Go read Psalm 108. David talks about the majesty of who God is, what He’s done, and what He deserves. Everything David talks about in that Psalm is the answer to “who is Jesus?” Whoa. It’s pretty intense. It’s overwhelming. One can see why it would knock someone to the ground.

Now, think about that name. Jesus. What does that name mean to you? If someone asks you “who is Jesus?” What comes up in your heart? What kind of power do you associate with it?

If I’m honest, I can allow the name of Jesus to become rote in my life. I can allow it to become so commonplace that it loses its power and impact. I can allow it to simply be the same as any other name. Sure, I love Jesus and I love to worship Him, but when I say His name, it doesn’t lead to the kind of response God’s name deserves. It certainly hasn’t knocked me down lately.

Reading this Psalm, and seeing what kind of impact Jesus’ name is supposed to have, I’ve come to the conclusion that I need to adjust my heart. I need to fine tune my approach to the God of the Universe, my creator, and the Savior who gave Himself over to those guards despite His very name being capable of knocking them over. He was that powerful and He still went to the cross for me. Wow. That’s who He is. That’s His character. That’s His love. THAT should stir my soul when I hear the name above all names. That is Jesus.

Prayer: Father, I confess that I’ve allowed Your son’s name to become weak in my heart. In my head, I know all of these things you’ve done, yet my soul no longer responds to Your name in the way it should. You are majesty and power and might. You are love and compassion and grace. You are Truth and justice and right. You are amazing and Your name should amaze my heart. Help me to fall in love with You again, that I should stir at the mere mention of Your name. You deserve it.

By Brian Griggs

As we read Jesus’ prayer in Chapter 17 of the Gospel of John, there are many things that have stood out to me. Jesus prays this prayer right before He will be betrayed, which makes what He prayed for so significant. I find so much peace and calm within His words, even though He knows the suffering He will soon enter into. I believe as we look more deeply into Jesus’ prayer, we will see a pattern that we can incorporate into our prayers when we approach our heavenly Father.

Here are three things that stood out to me:

First, everything that Jesus prays for is consumed with the glory of His Father. Jesus starts out His prayer in v1b “Glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you.” Jesus knew that any renown He received was only given to Him from the Father in order to bring glory to the Father. He knew that by obeying and speaking the very words God has given Him that He would be bringing His Father the ultimate fame. Everything that was given to Jesus was given to Him by the Father and belonged to the Father.

Second, Jesus’ prayer starts inward, moves to His inner circle, and then to all people. Jesus focused His heart and intentions on His personal mission of fulfilling the purposes of His incarnation. He then prays for His disciples and their mission, and then He begins to pray for all who will come to faith because of the Good News. He starts in and then moves out. Yet, all the while bringing everything back to the glory of the Father.

Lastly, Jesus constantly returns to praying for unity. Unity with Himself and the Father. Unity amongst His disciples, and unity for all believers. Jesus knew that the greatest showcase of the Gospel would be the love and unity of His followers to their God and to each other. He desired that those who would believe would be one just as Jesus and the Father were one. Did you notice in the passage how many times Jesus talked to the Father about being one? About unity?

I would encourage you to read through the passage of John 17 one more time and keep a lookout for these three things. Also, as you pray, put these three things into practice in your quiet time with the LORD. Start praying that everything you do would be to bring glory, honor, and praise to our heavenly Father. Remembering to not only pray for ourselves, but let our prayers branch out to those closest to us, and then to those further outside of our inner circle. And finally, pray for unity. Pray that you would be united to the will and purposes of God for your life, your family’s life, and our church’s mission. Pray also that you will live in unity and peace with all people, but especially with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Father, may my life be lived in such a way that you are glorified in everything I do. May your renown be written all over the pages of my life. I pray that my family would live in your glory. I pray that my co-workers, neighbors, friends, and those I meet in my day-to-day life would be aware of You through me. Give me opportunities to invite them in to know You more. And may my life and love for You be made apparent in my unity with my fellow believers. May I put aside the differences and disagreements, and uphold others’ dignity for the honor of my Savior. Teach me how to praise You more, love You more, and love others better for the glory of the One who saved my life. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me for the glory of the Father. Amen.