January 2 | Proverbs 14:27-33

---

DAILY READING

Proverbs 14:27-33

---

REFLECTION

Revolution of the Heart

by Mary Kate Hipp

"The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning people away from the snares of death."

When I was a child, I was convinced that New Year's Resolutions were called New Year's "Revolutions." After all, it sounded more epic that way. I thought it made perfect sense, I was going to revolutionize my way of life in the New Year (what that meant for an eight-year-old who was just too stubborn to admit it was "resolution," not "revolution," I do not know). My stubbornness aside, maybe a revolution isn't so far off from what we need in this New Year.

Perhaps in this New Year, a revolution of our hearts must take place. We fear the way others perceive us, idolize social media, money, friends and family, athletics, our jobs; the list goes on, more than we fear the Lord. These idols could never save us; they are far from a fountain of life as Proverbs 14:27 says. These idols, when in the place of God, are the very snares of death that we face daily.

Take a moment and ask the Lord what it is that you fear more than the Lord. What snares of death (sins and temptations) are you facing?

Friends, we were never meant to carry the burden of sin and death. That is why God sent His Son to die in our place! In 2024, let us not fall into the snares of death. God wins the revolution in our hearts every time. May we fear the Lord above all else. May He, as the fountain of life, turn our face from sin and temptation. Let us make a resolution for a revolution of our hearts. For God will win and we will be turned away from the snares of death.

PRAYER

God, without You we cannot free ourselves from the snares of death. Lord, start a revolution in our hearts so that You alone are the one that we fear. You alone can save us from our sins. Revolutionize our hardened hearts to worship You and only You. We love You, Lord. Amen.

January 1 | Jeremiah 17:5-8

---

DAILY READING

Jeremiah 17:5-8

---

REFLECTION

Planted by Waters

by Pr. Dave Mann

The similarities between Jeremiah 17:5-8 and Psalm 1 are striking. I encourage you to look at both passages side by side. Jeremiah 17:7 and Psalm 1:1-2 describe how blessed are those who trust in the Lord.

Jeremiah 17:8 and Psalm 1:3 draw the comparison to a tree planted by a stream of water which allows it to flourish and bear fruit even in times of drought.

Jeremiah 17:5-6 and Psalm 1:4-6 look on the other side of the issue.  They describe the broken lives of those who trust in mere human strength.

In addition, we might also compare a few verses in the first and last books of the Bible, where we find the descriptions of the Tree of Life planted by rivers in the Garden of Eden and in the new heaven and earth.

Genesis 2:9-10

The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the Tree of Life and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  A river watering the garden flowed from Eden...

Rev. 22:1-2

Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations.

The strength of these trees is not in and of themselves, but their strength is established by their proximity to the stream of water. It is the river that gives life to them.

Jesus announces this truth in John 7:37-39.

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.  Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”  By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. 

The message is clear. As we conduct our lives close to the work of the Holy Spirit – the Bible, the sacraments, worship with other believers, sharing our lives in small groups, etc. – we will experience the blessings that God intends for us.

PRAYER

Heavenly Father, I pray that in this new year, you would allow me to be planted near the work of the Holy Spirit. Guide me to draw nourishment from your Word, your sacraments, and your people. Allow me to produce fruit that will bless others in turn. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

December 31| Psalm 65

---

DAILY READING

Psalm 65

---

REFLECTION

The Lord is Lord Over All

by Elaine Pierce

Psalm 65 describes God as our Creator, our Redeemer, and our Provider. Of course, he is all of those things, but at different times in our walk with him we are drawn to different aspects of his character. King David reminds us that God cannot be over-praised. I love how he thanks God for choosing his people:

Blessed are those you choose and bring near to live in your courts! (v. 4)

This psalm contains beautiful imagery of how God created the natural world (v. 5-8). He then turns to the harvest, and pay attention to the verbs that describe how God will bless us:

• care for the land

• enrich it abundantly

• drench the furrows

• soften it with showers

• bless its crops

• crown the year with bounty

Such love and care he bestows on his creation! Such good things he wants to give us! The last verse is worth meditating on all by itself:

The meadows are covered with flocks and the valleys are mantled with grain; they shout for joy and sing. (v. 13)

I have hiked in Ohio, in Utah, in Virginia, in Pennsylvania, and in Kentucky. This image of the 'valleys mantled with grain' is reflected in God's creation in those places and all over the world, I am sure.

More than natural grandeur, however, is how God will bless us and provide for us when we turn to him. As we say goodbye to 2023 and look forward to the New Year, where do you see God at work in your life? Are you drawing near to him 'in his courts?' He has forgiven your sins (v. 3) and he wants to fill you with good things (v. 4). Take time to reflect on the past year, thank him for his care, his kindness, his goodness, and be ready to follow him to a year of abundance.

PRAYER

Lord, you are our Creator, our Redeemer, our Provider. All we have comes from you. Forgive us when we stray, and as we ring out the old year and welcome the new, help us to look to you from whom all blessings flow. We want to serve you in spirit and in truth. Amen.