daily devotional

January 5 | Will of God

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January 5
“I delight to do thy will, O my God” (Psa. 40:8).
When first we came to know the Lord, we did not know how to find the will of God, how to
hear His voice, how to recognise where and how He was working. But, as we begin to walk
with Him, and to live with Him more and more closely, we discover that ‘we are workers
together with God’ (2 Cor. 6:1). When we hear the Word of God preached and see the Name
of the Lord Jesus Christ being uplifted and received, and His work being done, then our hearts
leap with joy.
When the Lord is our delight, His Name, His goodness and His glory are our exceeding joy,
and we begin to long to know and to do His will. When we can say with joy: ‘Lord, keep me
here, or send me anywhere else’; when we can truly say with all our heart: ‘Thy will be done’,
then that joy will be our strength to do His will.
Do you want the joy of the Lord to be your strength? Then learn to take delight in doing God’s
will. Find time, make time, give time to discover His will, and then make it your delight to do
it. To do this, you may have to suffer hardships, and travel a long road, but the fact remains
that you will be doing His will, and it will bring you fullest joy and pleasure.

January 5 | My Lord is coming back!

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January 5
“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power…” (Rev. 4:11).
In Matt. 2:11 we see wise men at worship. They fell down and worshipped the young child. Then they
presented their costly gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. By coming from such a long distance they
acknowledged His worthiness. When they brought such precious gifts, they acknowledged in a symbolic
way that, the One Whom they had come to worship is God Who became man (Gold), the One Whom they
had come to worship had come to suffer for them (Myrrh), the One Whom they had come to worship was
going to save them (Frankincense).
In Luke 7:37, 38 we read about a woman in the city, a sinner. The Lord’s presence made her conscious of
sinful condition. She wept in brokenness over her sin, and washed His feet with her tears. Her love was
spontaneous, and her worship true. She had an inward revelation of her sins being forgiven and she
worshipped Him, by pouring the ointment on His feet.
In John 12:1-3 we find Mary worshipping the Lord. She had known the Lord before, but now she had a
new and a living relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and power of resurrection and she poured out her
worship to Him by anointing His feet with a very special ointment with sweet fragrance which filled the
house. When we see Him working in us, we also worship Him in a new way.
In Matt. 26:2,6,7 we see a similar scene of worship, and yet different in its significance. Here it was only 2
days before the Passover, and we see her anointing His head, because she realized that He was about to
die for the sins of the whole world.
Finally, we see a more glorious sight which is described in Rev. 5:11-12. It is the glorified Church of the
Lord Jesus Christ, with angelic hosts – all in oneness worshipping Him.”… Worthy is the Lamb that was
slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing”.
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After worshipping the Lord we take part in the Lord’s Table, saying, “My Lord is coming back! When He
comes back, the work which He began will be perfected”. We declare by faith that we are waiting for that
Day. We believe it will be a wonderful Day when we shall be like Him, and reign with Him. In His broken
Body and shed Blood, we see every provision made to make us like Himself. In me, I see nothing but
infirmity, failures and shortcomings, nothing but iniquity; but in Him, I see perfection.
In Eph. 3:18 we notice the importance of being together. His love and purpose can never be
comprehended by us. We need the help of all the saints. There is a great mystery here. We find love
coming in a greater and fuller measure, when we are brought together as one family. In this family, there
is no Jew nor Gentile: male or female. All are ONE. People from different families, countries, nationalities,
all partake of the same Lord.

Fullness of joy

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January 3
“In thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore” (Psalm
16: 11).
Joy multiplies as we live in the presence of God, and it is only there that full joy is found.
Many can testify that their names are written in the Book of Life, but they cannot say that
they are living constantly in the presence of the Lord.

It is possible to live with the Lord’s
children, and to worship and work with them, and yet to be out of touch with the Lord. We
can even be in a prayer meeting and not feel the Lord’s presence – not be in conscious touch
with Him.

But if you do not feel His presence, then you do not have full joy. This may be due to various
things, but it may be your own fault. As a child of God your heart is pure and your conscience
right before Him, you can feel and know His presence.

Our prayer is that you may learn this secret of dwelling in the presence of the living and loving
God, for this is His intention and purpose for His people.

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January 3 |Manasseh means “to forget”

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“… but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind,…I press toward the mark…”
(Philippians 3:13, 14).
Manasseh means “to forget”. “For God”, said Joseph, “hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father’s
house” (Gen. 41:51). As Joseph forgot the past so must we : rather we must look to the future for
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something better (Phil.3:13). We enjoy talking about our past sufferings to get human sympathy. However
to grow spiritually we must forget completely every past suffering of any kind.
Sometimes we look at the past and remember with joy what the Lord did for us so many years ago. We
keep on telling others what happened ten, twelve or fifteen years ago. Sometimes with tears we talk of
those wonderful days, and long to get back to the good old days, at least for a while. Married people look
back to the first few months or years of married life and long to go back to those days not realising how
much greater blessing the Lord has for them in the future. Perhaps God has been extremely good to you,
and you have seen Him working mightily in the past. Do not forget that He has something far greater in
store for you in future. So look forward with eager expectancy for these greater things. Paul says, “I press
forward”. It is only when you press forward for these better things the Lord has to give you, that your faith
is kept alive. Such expectation and faith will keep you near to the heart of God. He will not be satisfied
until He has filled us with His fulness and brought us into perfection. He wants to give us His whole
kingdom which is our full spiritual inheritance. That is why He asks us to press forward. Thinking of the
good old days and maintaining the same attitude that we had seven or eight years ago will hinder our
spiritual progress and fruitfulness.

We all need the experience of “Manasseh.” Whatever happens we must remember that the Lord has
better things for us in the future. He wants us to enjoy fully all that He has planned for us from eternity,
because He says, “all things are yours” (1 Cor. 3:21). However, merely repeating these words is not
sufficient; we have to claim His promise. God says, “Surely blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying I will
multiply thee” (Heb. 6:14). That is God’s promise and according to it, He will go on multiplying His blessings
to us in abundance for eternity. For this reason we must forget the past, however good it may have been
and expect greater things to happen. We must go on claiming the full share of our heavenly inheritance
in His Kingdom and His Throne.

FAQ

AMP Holy Bible

What verses are left out of the Amplified Bible?
The Amplified Bible includes all verses, but like many modern versions, it addresses the traditional verses (such as Mark 16:9-20 and John 7:53–8:11) that are not present in the oldest available manuscripts by setting them off in brackets or placing them in footnotes rather than removing them entirely.
What is the difference between an Amplified Bible and a regular Bible?
The Amplified Bible expands the meaning of key Hebrew and Greek words by inserting synonyms and explanatory phrases within brackets, parentheses, or italics, whereas regular translations provide a single, straightforward rendering of the text.
What are some criticisms of the Amplified Bible?
Critics argue that its expanded wording can feel distracting or wordy, and that adding multiple potential meanings can sometimes make the translation lean more toward commentary rather than a pure, objective translation.
Is the Amplified Bible a good translation of the Bible?
It is considered a highly valuable study tool for understanding the nuances of the original Hebrew and Greek words. However, because of its interpretive nature, it is not often recommended as a primary, foundational translation.
Should Christians read the Amplified Bible?
Yes, it is often recommended for in-depth study and devotional reading because it provides a richer sense of the source language’s meaning. It is best used alongside a clear, single-worded translation (like the NIV or ESV).
Are there two versions of the Amplified Bible?
Yes. There is the original Amplified Bible (AMP, 1965/1987), known for its extensive use of parentheses, and the updated Amplified Bible (AMP, 2015), which refined the language and reduced the number of amplifications for better readability.

Still have more questions?

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January 2 | The grace of God

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“That your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children… as the days of heaven upon the
earth” (Deut. 11:21).
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If we obey the Lord and keep away from every kind of strange god, He will give us everything in plenty
from the beginning of the year even unto the end of the year (Deut. 11:12). In sickness or in poverty, He
will give you all that you need: perhaps not too early, but never too late; perhaps not too much, but never
too little. The Lord promised to give enough not only for the children of Israel, but also for their cattle
(Deut. 11:15). This means that we need not be anxious about anything, for the Lord will supply not only
our obvious needs, but also our smaller unknown needs.
Then the Lord gave a warning to them that they should not be deceived. I have seen many cases where
people have prospered and their income has increased, and then they have drifted away from the Lord.
At one time they were full of zeal, but now they have become cold. When they were in need they used
to come regularly for the meetings and again and again they would ask for prayer. But now that their
requests have been granted in answer to prayer, we do not see much of them, not even on Sundays! They
have evidently been deceived by prosperity. So I would warn those of you who are prosperous, never cut
short your time of prayer, and never keep away from the House of God.
Some people have been in the practice of giving their tithes regularly to the Lord. But now that their
income has increased they wonder, “How can I give so much as tithe? It is such a large amount!” When
we fail to give God’s portion to Him, we are actually robbing God! (Malachi 3:8-10). Do not robe God of
His time either. Perhaps before you got married you used to spend hours in prayer but now that you are
married you have no time for Him at all! This kind of robbing will bring you into spiritual barrenness. If
you take God’s warning and see that you are not deceived by the attractions of the world, He will bless
you richly.
We can take many valuable lessons from the instructions given to the children of Israel in Deut. 11:18.
They were asked to lay up His words in their heart and in their soul: we also should let the Word of God
dwell richly in our hearts (Col. 3:16). They were to bind them for a sign upon their hands, we too should
carry our Bibles with us wherever we go. They were to keep the words of God as frontlets before their
eyes: we too should keep God’s promises before us always, and claim them daily for all our needs. They
were to teach the Word of God diligently to their children. “And thou shalt teach them …unto thy children,
and shalt talk of them when thou sittest… and when thou walkest… when thou liest down, and when thou
risest up” (Deut. 6:7). We also have to do the same.
If we obey God in all these matters the Lord promises to multiply our days and give us days of heaven
upon earth (Deut. 11:21). All these promises can be our experience the whole year round, not only on
Sundays but every day of the week. The grace of God will come flowing down upon us from heaven.