A Free 2026 New Year Devotional for Renewal in God’s Presence
Do you want to start 2026 by renewing your commitment to spend time with God? God is pursuing you, and you can respond to his pursuit using this free 2026 New Year devotional: Mornings With Jesus will help you connect with Jesus for renewal every morning for the next 31 days.
One of the best ways to renew our commitment to God is to begin our days in his presence.
Mornings With Jesus shares a daily Scripture reading, reflection, and an invitation to quiet yourself and encounter the Living God.
Be sure to read to the end of today’s post for a full library of free devotionals to help you connect with God.
A Free 2026 New Year Devotional
Most of us know how it feels to read our Bibles and practice morning devotional routines without regularly encountering God in the process. Our devotional time feels more like an obligation than a replenishing encounter with a loved one.
Meanwhile, God wants to meet with us, speak to us, and align our hearts with his heart as we meet with him.
Mornings With Jesus will help you encounter God in ways that shape you, challenge you, replenish you, and transform your life.
Mornings With Jesus will help you encounter God in ways that shape you, replenish you, and transform your life. #morningdevotions #dailydevotions #EncounteringGod Share on X
Additionally, research shows that we can create new habits by repeatedly engaging in behaviors for about two months.
This devotional will help you establish a new routine that can carry on for the rest of your life.
Not Your Average Devotional
At the end of each devotion, you’ll find an “Invitation to Encounter God and Begin Well.” These exercises are designed to help you actually encounter the Living God as you spend time with him.
These devotions are more than just words; they will change the way you relate with God by helping you directly engage with him, wrestle through hard things with him, and talk to him about your struggles.
God is waiting to shape your heart and help you become more like Jesus. This is spiritual formation.
Jesus wants to connect with you all day—every day. By starting your day with him, you attune yourself to his presence. You also prepare your mind to stay in tune with him throughout your days.
An Excerpt From Our Free 2026 New Year Devotional
Here’s an excerpt from this free 2026 New Year devotional to give you a taste of what you’ll find within these pages.
Where Is God on the Full Plate of Your Life?
“Love the Lord your God and keep his requirements, his decrees, his laws and his commands always” (Deuteronomy 11:1).
Morning opens her mouth with a foggy breath, and the earth cups the grey mist in its lowest places. I sit by the window and get lost in the glory of it all. I begin most days in this spot, and as I lean into the mist this morning, my mind is full.
I’m thinking about writing projects, the weekly dinner menu, the grocery list, my son’s spelling test, and when I’m going to find time to help my daughter write the paper she’s been asking about. My plate feels full today.
You have your own version of a full plate. Take a moment to consider your “plate.” Your plate is filled with everything you do throughout the average week: family commitments, your job, meeting with friends, volunteer work, church commitments, and more. Jesus is probably somewhere on your plate as well. He might be squeezed onto the corner where you keep church, your weekly Bible study group, and maybe even this book.
Let me begin by saying that I’m so glad Jesus is on your plate. This is a great start. However, it’s not the final destination.
You might expect me to challenge you to view Jesus as the main course on the plate of your life.
The Plate of Your Life
Instead, I have a radical suggestion: Don’t view Jesus as the main course on the plate of your life; instead, ask Him to undergird every part of your life, and remind yourself Jesus is the plate holding your world together. Jesus wants to be your foundation. He wants to be the uniting force upholding everything you undertake.
Scripture tells us that the most important command is to love God with all our strength. Have you ever wondered how to give God every ounce of your love while also loving your friends, family, and the many people in your life?
The image of a full plate can help us understand what it looks like to love God with our whole hearts while also loving the people He places in front of us. When a loving relationship with God is the foundation for our lives, we become His vessels. The love we pour onto others is no longer our own human love; instead, it is the overflow of the love God first offered us.
Here’s the most beautiful aspect of this imagery: The more you love God, the greater your capacity for loving others will become. God wants to be the source of the love you carry to others. Make Him the foundation of your life, and He will equip you to be His vessel of love to the world around you.
Reflect:
Take a few minutes and envision a plate representing your life. What activities and commitments fill your plate? How does your perspective change when you imagine Jesus as the foundation for everything you do—the plate holding your world together?
Your Invitation to Encounter God and Begin Well:
Before you begin your day today, silence yourself in the Lord’s presence. Spend a moment letting your mind settle and quiet. Thank Him for being with you, and rest in the awareness that He loves this time with you.
After a few minutes of resting with the Lord, imagine walking through the predictable events of your day. Imagine what it will look like to stay plugged into God’s love as He pours His love through you onto others.
Consider the way you will interact with the most difficult people in your life as you stand on the foundation of God’s love. Envision the warmth of His love flowing through you onto these people. Now, ask Him to fill you to overflowing as you step into your day and live out this vision. Remember, He goes with you always.
Each of the 31 devotions in this free eBook follow the format above.
Start the year right with this free online 2026 New Year Devotional! You can find it at the bottom of today’s post. First, I also invite you to explore our devotionals for parents and grandparents to read with their children and grandchildren.
Three 2026 New Year Devotionals for Parents and Grandparents
Do you want to help your children or grandchildren grow closer to God this year? As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 6, 11, and 15, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents to read with their sons or daughters. 
Calling All Boy Moms (and Dads)!
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
Two Devotional Books for Mothers and Daughters to Read Together
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Find all three books right here. They are also free on the Kindle Unlimited plan, which you can enjoy with a free three-month trial! These books make great gifts, and you don’t need to be the parent of young children to read them. Share them with your grandchildren, nieces, nephews, or the young ones you love.
A Book About Learning to Stop Striving and Let God Deliver You
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. Lean Into Grace: Let God’s Grace Heal Your Heart, Refresh Your Soul, and Set You Free shares practical ways to experience God’s freedom, healing, power, and presence in your life. Find this life-changing book as a free eBook on Kindle Unlimited or for 12.99 in print right here. (If you do not have Kindle Unlimited, you can try it out with a free three-month trial!) This book will transform your life and revitalize your relationship with the Lord!
Get Your Free 2026 New Year Devotional Mornings With Jesus Right Here:
Mornings With Jesus will help you establish a daily routine of spending time with God for just a few minutes. Inside our free 2026 New Year devotional, you’ll find 31 devotions and several questions to help you reflect. I pray this online devotional book blesses you richly.
I’m offering this devotional for FREE. My purpose is simple: I want to lead you straight to the arms of the Father and help you connect with him in new ways. Get your free devotional with promo code JESUS right here.
A Full Library of Online Devotional Books for Every Need:
Not what you’re looking for? Check out my full library of free online devotional books right here. You’ll find devotionals for the weary, devotionals to help you overcome hard seasons, resources to help you connect with God, prayer guides, a stress-detox plan, and much more!
