Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Scripture Readings
- Primary Reading: Romans 16, 1 Corinthians 1
- Secondary Reading: Psalms 12
Devotional Thought
Paul’s list of names at the end of Romans is a remarkable roll call of ordinary people: Phoebe, a servant of the church at Cenchreae; Priscilla and Aquila, tentmakers who risked their necks for him; Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who was a mother to Paul also. These were not celebrities but faithful laborers. In the same letter, Paul warns against those who cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine, serving their own belly with good words and fair speeches. The contrast is sharp: the church is built by quiet, steadfast saints, while division is sown by flatterers. Then 1 Corinthians opens with Paul’s call to be sanctified in Christ Jesus, “called to be saints,” and his appeal that they all speak the same thing, with no divisions among them. He names Chloe’s household, who reported the contentions, and he names Christ crucified as the only foundation. In a winter season, when the year is still new and resolutions may already be fraying, these chapters ask us to be the kind of people whose names are written in the book of life—not the kind whose smooth tongues win a following.
Psalm 12 gives voice to the same tension. David cries, “Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth,” for the faithful fail from among the children of men. He describes a society of flattering lips and double hearts, where the wicked say, “With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?” That is the boast of every age, including ours: that words are weapons and truth is whatever we say it is. Yet the LORD answers, “For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise.” And then the anchor: “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.” God’s promises are not flattery; they are refined, tested, and trustworthy. He preserves His people from this generation forever.
In late January, the days are still short and the world’s noise is loud. We may be tempted to answer flattery with flattery, to secure our place by smooth speech. But Romans 16 and Psalm 12 call us to something better: to honor faithful laborers, to mark and avoid those who divide, and to trust the pure words of the LORD rather than the prevailing tongues of the proud. The God who arises for the needy is the same God who keeps His saints.
Reflection
- In Romans 16, Paul greets many faithful laborers by name and warns against those who serve their own belly with fair speeches. In your own circle, whose quiet faithfulness should you honor this week, and whose flattery should you gently refuse?
- Psalm 12 contrasts the proud tongue that says “our lips are our own” with the pure words of the LORD, purified seven times. Where in your life are you tempted to rely on your own words to prevail rather than on God’s tested promises?
Prayer
O LORD, our Help, we cry to You with the psalmist, for the faithful seem to fail and flattering lips abound. Arise for the poor and the sighing needy, and set us in safety from those who puff at us. We thank You that Your words are pure, like silver tried in a furnace and purified seven times. Keep them, and preserve us from this generation forever. Make us like Phoebe and Priscilla, faithful in quiet service, and guard us from divisions and double hearts. Sanctify us in Christ Jesus, that we may speak the same thing in love, and live to Your glory. Amen.
Psalm Verse
Psalms 12:1 — “Help, LORD; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.”