DCLM Daily Manna 2025: DCLM Daily Manna 1 January 2025: A Year of New Things
KEY VERSE: “Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it: I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert” (Isaiah 43:19).
TEXT: Isaiah 43:14-28 (KJV)
14 Thus saith the Lord, your redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; For your sake I have sent to Babylon, and have brought down all their nobles, and the Chaldeans, whose cry is in the ships.
15 I am the Lord, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King.
16 Thus saith the Lord, which maketh a way in the sea, and a path in the mighty waters;
17 Which bringeth forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct, they are quenched as tow.
18 Remember ye not the former things, neither consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.
20 The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink to my people, my chosen.
21 This people have I formed for myself; they shall shew forth my praise.
22 But thou hast not called upon me, O Jacob; but thou hast been weary of me, O Israel.
23 Thou hast not brought me the small cattle of thy burnt offerings; neither hast thou honoured me with thy sacrifices. I have not caused thee to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with incense.
24 Thou hast bought me no sweet cane with money, neither hast thou filled me with the fat of thy sacrifices: but thou hast made me to serve with thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities.
25 I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.
26 Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified.
27 Thy first father hath sinned, and thy teachers have transgressed against me.
28 Therefore I have profaned the princes of the sanctuary, and have given Jacob to the curse, and Israel to reproaches.
Jonathan Edwards (1703-1755) made five resolutions in his youth.
- Live with all my might while I do live.
- Never lose one moment of time, but improve it in the most profitable way possible.
- Never do anything I should despise or think meanly in another.
- Never do anything out of revenge.
- Never do anything which I should be afraid to do if it were the last hour of my life – Roy B. Zuck.
Jonathan Edward’s resolutions provide a reflective template for the New Year. But resolutions must go along with divine revelation as captured in our text. God instructed the children of Israel to look away from the old negative experiences they have had over the years, especially the unpleasant and humiliating events of their captivity in Babylon. He wanted them to focus on the opportunities ahead rather than the oppressions of the past.
Generally, our brains are wired to retain and meditate on unpleasant memories that may provoke bitterness, regrets, and even revenge. By retaining and ruminating on those negatives, the devil keeps us from seeing and experiencing the brighter side of life that lies ahead. This New Year offers new opportunities to recalibrate all our dreams, desires, and decisions. It offers a new dawn of new opportunities to rewrite our stories for greater accomplishments and impacts in our professions, family life, career, and God-honouring social entrepreneurship endeavours. Of course, it offers new resources to rejuvenate our waning energies for service and exploits in the kingdom.
As someone says, “Our attitude will determine our altitude”. Our God is a God of New Beginnings. He remains in the great and unfailing job of turning our mistakes into miracles, lifting us from grass to grace, and ensuring that we rise from the ashes of zero to the beauty of heroes. Instead of being chained down by the past, ask the Lord to engineer better days for you to pursue and possess the glorious things heaven has for you. God is already at work in your life.
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
New things begin with a new mindset and a new passion.
THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
Genesis 1-3
Daily Manna 1 January 2025
