Daily Devotion 05 January 2026

Paul prays for the Thessalonians, “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.”

1 Thessalonians 3: 12

READING: John 3: 16-17 + John 13: 34-35 + Romans 8: 38-39

Love is of God, for God is love.  In the New Testament love is not express just as a sentiment, it requires self-sacrifice.  Love is not just an emotion, but an energy which does not evaporate with a fuzzy feeling.  In the prayer above Paul is asking God for His supreme gift of love to fill the lives of the Thessalonians and all of us, both in their/our inner being and in the outer expression of their/our lives, both as a knowledge of God’s life and an expression through their/our own individual lives.  This would be a new union of their/our hearts, through our Lord Jesus, with God Himself.  It would be the fulfillment of Jesus’ new commandment, as we read in John 13: 34-35.  The love that Christians show for their neighbour is based on that commandment and is proof of our love for God and for one another.  Our love should energize and permeate our whole lives, this Christ-like love.

Prayer

Father God, as we stand at the beginning of this new year, we confess our need of Your presence and Your guidance.  You alone know what the future holds for us, and only You can give us the strength and the wisdom we will need to meet its challenges.  We humbly put our hands into Your hand, trusting You and seeking Your will for our lives.  Amen

(Based on part of Billy Graham’s prayer for the New Year – Faith for Daily Living)