Daily Christian Devotional

4 December, 2025

Isaiah 26.1-6, Psalm 118.18-27a, Matthew 7.21, 24-27

Isaiah sings of a strong city, its walls not made of stone but of salvation. The gates stand open, not to the proud or the self-sufficient, but to the righteous nation that keeps faith. True security is found not in human defences, but in trustful obedience to God, whose justice levels the high and lifts the low.

Psalm 118 echoes this testimony. The Lord may discipline, yet does not abandon. The gates of righteousness open for thanksgiving, and the stone once rejected becomes the cornerstone. What God establishes endures, even when human judgement fails. To walk through these gates is to step into praise shaped by trust.

Jesus, in Matthew’s Gospel, sharpens the call. It is not enough to speak holy words or claim allegiance. “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven.” The wise builder hears Christ’s words and puts them into practice. When rain falls and floods rise, only one house stands.

As Christians, we are formed by word and sacrament, prayer and practice. Faith is not merely confessed but lived. In a shifting world, Christ is our foundation. May we build daily on his teaching, shaping our lives in obedience and love, so that when the storms come—as they surely will—we stand firm, held within the strong city of God.