Daily Devotion for January 25, 2026
Prayers
Scripture
Lord’s Prayer
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever.
Our “Virtual Sunday Church” this week is an unknown church or cathedral somewhere in the British Isles. A great classic hymn sung by the English boy choir, Libera, together with some alumni.
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
Christ, the royal Master, leads against the foe;
forward into battle see his banners go!
Refrain:
Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war,
with the cross of Jesus going on before.
At the sign of triumph Satan's host doth flee;
on then, Christian soldiers, on to victory!
Hell's foundations quiver at the shout of praise;
brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise.
Like a mighty army moves the church of God;
brothers, we are treading where the saints have trod.
We are not divided, all one body we,
one in hope and doctrine, one in charity.
Crowns and thrones may perish, kingdoms rise and wane,
but the church of Jesus constant will remain.
Gates of hell can never gainst that church prevail;
we have Christ's own promise, and that cannot fail.
Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng,
blend with ours your voices in the triumph song.
Glory, laud, and honor unto Christ the King,
this through countless ages men and angels sing.
Call to Sunday Worship
O Lord, I beseech you mercifully to hear my prayers, and the prayers of all your people who call upon you; and grant that we may both perceive and know what things we ought to do, and also may have grace and power faithfully to fulfill them; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.
Litany of Forgiveness
Lord Jesus, who is mercy and forgiveness,
Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.
- Toward those who have insulted me,
Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.
- Toward those who have forgotten me,
Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.
- Toward those who have despised me,
Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.
- Toward those whose blindness has injured me,
Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.
- Toward those whose decisions have wounded me,
Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.
- Toward those whose sins have impacted me,
Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.
- Toward those whose selfishness has deprived me,
Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.
- Toward those whose failings have made obstacles for me,
Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.
- Toward those who have betrayed me,
Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.
- Toward those who have misunderstood me,
Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.
- Toward those who have criticized me,
Grant me Lord, a heart like yours.
- For those I have injured by my pride,
Grant them Lord, to forgive me.
- For those I have hurt with my words and actions,
Grant them Lord, to forgive me.
- For those I neglected in my indifference,
Grant them Lord, to forgive me.
- For those I disdained in my arrogance,
Grant them Lord, to forgive me.
- For those I forgot in my self-centeredness,
Grant them Lord, to forgive me.
- For those I insulted in my callousness,
Grant them Lord, to forgive me.
- For those I did not seek to understand,
Grant them Lord, to forgive me.
- For those I scandalized by my sins,
Grant them Lord, to forgive me.
- For those who were counting on me and I failed them,
Grant them Lord, to forgive me.
- For those to whom I was afraid to be a witness of your love,
Grant them Lord, to forgive me.
- For those for whom I made no place in my heart,
Grant them Lord, to forgive me.
- Jesus meek and humble of heart,
Make my heart more like yours.
Lord Jesus Christ, you are mercy and forgiveness. You never cease to love me unconditionally and are always ready to forgive me. Strengthen my will and soften my heart so that, with a love ever more like yours, I may truly forgive all those who have hurt me in any way and always be ready to seek forgiveness from anyone I have harmed.
Benediction
Eternal God, heavenly Father, you have graciously accepted me as a living member of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ, and you have blessed me with the grace of forgiveness through the sacrifice He made for me and for all people. Send me now into the world in peace, and grant me strength and courage to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart; through Christ our Lord.
Think of the day ahead in terms of God with you, and visualize health, strength, guidance, purity, calm confidence, and victory as the gifts of His presence.
Our Wisdom
I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom, and that of all about me, seemed insufficient for the day.
~ Abraham Lincoln
1 Corinthians 15:20-28 (ESV)
The Resurrection of the Dead [2]
ut in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive.
But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For “God has put all things in subjection under his feet.”
But when it says, “all things are put in subjection,” it is plain that he is excepted who put all things in subjection under him. When all things are subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to him who put all things in subjection under him, that God may be all in all.
Notes on the Scripture
As we saw previously, Paul emphasized the importance of the resurrection, which is a concept that we all grasp. But . . . what then? Christians often tend to be unclear on exactly what the Bible says about what is going to happen in the future. The five-dollar word for this is “eschatology”, which sounds intimidating but could not be more simple: it's the theological study of what is going to happen next.
“The trumpet will sound
and the dead will be raised.”
1 Cor. 15:52
We will go to sleep for a time. It does not matter how long, because it will be instantaneous as far as we are concerned. Then, Christ is going to return to the earth to judge the souls of all who have lived. Some will be consigned to a fiery hell, and some will be assigned to an eternal life of joy and peace with God the Father.
Many modern churches tend to steer clear of the concept of hell. There are arguments that it does not exist or, at best, it is simply not mentioned. But Christ himself talks about it often, and the image of hell being “fiery” actually seems to originate with Jesus, the first being Matthew 5:22.
Of all concepts in Christianity, the Trinity seems to be the most misunderstood. We are simply not capable of “understanding” God, and the difficulty of understanding the inter-relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is an aspect of our limitations. Most likely, the “persons” of God are a construct given to us by God to help us know Him, the best we are able.
But, as Paul makes plain in this passage, Jesus and God the Father are somehow two different persons. It is hard to miss this point when you read through one of the Gospels, as Jesus repeatedly speaks of God the Father with reverence and submission. After his resurrection, Christ was made to rule over the earth. But in today’s Scripture, Paul tells us that Christ will be subject to the Father.
We must realize that Christ, unlike us, has no resentment about being subject to God the Father. The concepts of ego, ambition, rebelliousness and such, simply do not exist for him. He does not “accept” his submission; he is not resigned to it. The concept is simply absent from him, because he is perfect.
And just so, we must treat our relationship to Christ. He is our friend, our God and our Savior. He loves us enough to die for us. But he is also our Lord and our judge. Our hearts must be filled with humility and sincerity if we are to find him.
