Daily Devotional
By Pastor Jerry Teboe
A Closer Walk with Christ in 2026
Mountain Top Series – Part 1
God’s Grace
Genesis 8:4
And the ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of Ararat.
Today, we begin a new series of “Mountain Top Scenes from the Scriptures.” The first scene is the first mountain mentioned in the Bible, and it is in connection to the flood in the days of Noah.
God had told Noah to build an ark to save a remnant of believers because of the sinfulness of man. The flood came about 1650 years after creation because wickedness caused by the fall had overspread the earth. We see in Genesis 6:5, And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
This verse shows the depravity of the heart in people who did not know or want to know the Lord. Noah was the exception; he was a man who “walked with God.”
God looks on the hearts of men. He sees those who will choose to follow Him, and He takes note of them and prepares for them a way of salvation.
When we read Genesis chapters 6 – 8, we find the full story of Noah and his family on the ark. They were there for 371 days. You can imagine their thoughts as the water rose for 150 days. The ark floated above all that had been the earth as they had known it. They had to live with all of the animals on the ark and provide for them through that long year. Maybe their faith was beginning to wane, wondering what was going to happen to them. But, as we look at the ark settling on the mountains of Ararat, we see the grace of God in bringing to safety those who had decided to follow God’s Word and were willing to live for Him.
Today, God is still watching out for those of us who put our faith in Him. We may have trials and problems, as Noah had to live through in that evil society for 120 years while he built the ark; he had to endure the ridicule of those who did not understand his desire to live for and serve a God they could not see. But God took care of Noah and his family and brought them to safety. He will do the same for us. God’s grace is sufficient for each and everything we have to go through, and He is always there to rescue us and provide for us in our times of need!
Bible Reading for the Year
January 12th, Genesis 29-30: Matthew 10:1-23
Prayer Needs
Praise the Lord for the great service yesterday.
God blessed, and many more came to commit to live for God daily!
Pray also for John Head who has surgery on the 14th.
Please continue to pray for Jennifer Teboe Buchamer. She completed all of the 28 radiation treatments. Please pray for the tumor to shrink. She will see the doctor at Duke on the 14th to discuss possible follow-up treatment.
Please pray for Melva Jordan, Dr. Jordan’s wife. She sees a cardiologist on the 14th, the valve specialist on the 15th, and the electrophysiologist on the 16th.
Please pray for Deb Skinner who has surgery on Wednesday, the 20th.
Please pray for Marvin Silverthorne. He will see his eye doctor on January 20th.
Please pray for Griselda Ramirez and her family. All have been sick with the virus. Carlos and Jayden are better, but her mom, Luisa, and her older son are still struggling. Her mom especially is very sick.
Please pray for Linda Bowers. She is recovering from her bout with covid.
Please continue to pray for Beth Buchta. She had a hip replacement, on November 25th. She saw her orthopedic doctor yesterday and received a good report. She can begin to do a little more each day.
Please pray for Ricky Hill, a coworker of Jeremy Hewitt, who has a tumor on his kidneys which is cancerous.
Please continue to pray for Phil Corey. Pray for his continual dialysis treatments.
Praise the Lord for Anderson and Meredith Womble, friends of Donna Dixion. THE BABY WAS BORN. Mother and baby are doing well! Please continue to pray as there may have to be heart surgery on the little one.
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Pray for our Missionaries!
Sue Singleton and the mission in Cambodia
Dr. Joe Jordan and the CBM (Cross and Bible Ministries)
Travis and Caroline Fennessy – IBM missionaries to Southeast Asia