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The LORD is near Daily Devotional for 2024

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Tuesday, July 30, 2024 What Is “The Good” of Those Who Love God? (2) All things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:28–29 NKJV What Is “The Good” of Those Who Love God? (2) What is that “good,” then, for which absolutely all things positive and negative work together? The answer is found in what follows: “who are called according to His purpose.” This is the point we all miss: “His purpose.” And what is it? To be “conformed to the image of...More Monday, July 29, 2024 What Is “The Good” of Those Who Love God? (1) We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28 NKJV What Is “The Good” of Those Who Love God? (1) When difficult circumstances happen, we often think of this passage, either for ourselves to find consolation in it, or to share with someone else, who may not see it as a consolation when it hurts. But this is a very limited use of this otherwise profound passage, and such a use can give a false perception of this verse. What does it mean, then, that all things work together for good? Let us notice...More Sunday, July 28, 2024 Messiah the Suffering Servant (12)—The Spoils of Victory Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12 NKJV Messiah the Suffering Servant (12)—The Spoils of Victory In the concluding verse of this marvelous prophecy, we see that, though the work was His alone, the Victor will share the spoils of His victory with the “great” and with the “strong.” This is referring to those who have believed in Him down through the...More Saturday, July 27, 2024 “One Thing” (4)—Service Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13–14 NKJV “One Thing” (4)—Service Communion comes before service, as seen in the story of Martha (Lk. 10:41–42), but that does not mean service is not important. There is work to be done for the Lord! “Be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1...More Friday, July 26, 2024 Prologue to the Book of Revelation (2)—The Beloved Son Revealed The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John. Revelation 1:1 NKJV Prologue to the Book of Revelation (2)—The Beloved Son Revealed As we begin to read this first chapter of Revelation, we learn from the opening sentence the purpose and theme of the book: it is the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The Gospels presented the Lord Jesus as the Son of God coming into this world in humility, but the Book of Revelation presents His second coming, and from the very beginning of the...More Thursday, July 25, 2024 Esther (6)—Responding to an Unjust Law When Mordecai learned all that had happened, he tore his clothes and put on sackcloth and ashes, and went out into the midst of the city. He cried out with a loud and bitter cry … In every province where the king’s command and decree arrived, there was great mourning among the Jews, with fasting, weeping, and wailing; and many lay in sackcloth and ashes … the queen was deeply distressed. Esther 4:1, 3–4 NKJV Esther (6)—Responding to an Unjust Law The decree to annihilate all Jews in the empire had been sent to every province to be published as law. The king and Haman sat down to drink...More Wednesday, July 24, 2024 The Testimony of the Holy Spirit on Earth But when the Helper comes, whom I shall send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify of Me. John 15:26 NKJV The Testimony of the Holy Spirit on Earth In a persecuting world that hates the disciples of Christ with a blind hatred, how will any testimony for Christ be maintained on the earth, when Christ Himself has gone? The Christian circle is small, and those who compose it are weak. The Lord Himself likens it to a little flock in the midst of wolves. By what power then will the disciples stand against a Christ-hating world and bear witness for...More Tuesday, July 23, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (21)—1 Peter Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1 Peter 1:3 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (21)—1 Peter Peter means “a stone.” Like James, 1 Peter is addressed to Jewish believers who were dispersed in Asia Minor, but not as connected with Judaism. Rather, they were separated from Judaism. They were suffering, and strangers and pilgrims in more than one sense. In a far higher sense than had ever been true of the nation of Israel, they were a people not...More Monday, July 22, 2024 The Only Thing We Should Worry About I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; nor about the body, what you will put on. Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:4 NKJV; Luke 12:22 NKJV; Luke 12:32 NKJV The Only Thing We Should Worry About There are those who are afraid of man. This fear keeps them from coming to Christ. They are afraid for their life, or their well-being, or of being abased in the eyes of men. But our...More Sunday, July 21, 2024 Messiah the Suffering Servant (11)—My Righteous Servant He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities. Isaiah 53:11 NKJV Messiah the Suffering Servant (11)—My Righteous Servant In the preceding verse, it is written that in resurrection Messiah would “see His seed” (v. 10). The theme of seeing is now continued in today’s text. There have been various translations of this verse in attempts to plumb its meaning. What is Messiah actually seeing as a result of the “labor of His soul”? Previously, it was that He would see “His seed,” those who...More Saturday, July 20, 2024 “The Lord Has Need of It” It came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples, saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here. And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’” Luke 19:29–31 NKJV “The Lord Has Need of It” We tend to be much occupied with our needs. We love to think of the Lord Jesus who met the needs of crowds and individuals, young and old, and of those...More Friday, July 19, 2024 No Need for Water Before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. Revelation 4:6 NKJV No Need for Water “Come up here, and I will show you things which must take place after this” (Rev. 4:1). What the apostle John is now being shown, we too will soon see, when we will have been caught up to heaven with all believers. A throne stands there in heaven, and on the throne sits One. It is God, who claims and asserts His rights over creation because He is the Creator. The ground before His throne looks like a sea, yet not of water, but of glass, like crystal—transparent, but hard. Here are two...More Thursday, July 18, 2024 David’s Mighty Men (14) Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite, [was] one of the three mighty men with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel had retreated. He arose and attacked the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand stuck to the sword. The Lord brought about a great victory that day. 2 Samuel 23:9–10 NKJV David’s Mighty Men (14) David had several groups of three among the “mighty men” who were with him facing the enemy. From this, we can glean two important lessons: (1) make sure you are working together with the “two or three” who...More Wednesday, July 17, 2024 “One Thing” (3)—Communion Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.“ Luke 10:41–42 NKJV “One Thing” (3)—Communion The next instance of our phrase “one thing,” is found in a well-known story about Martha. To her credit, Martha welcomed Jesus into her home (cf. Rev. 3:20), but during His visit she got distracted with all her preparations. She was irritated that her sister Mary was not helping, but was sitting at Jesus’ feet listening to His word....More Tuesday, July 16, 2024 In Deed and in Truth By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. 1 John 3:16–18 NKJV In Deed and in Truth On a visit to Latin America, we met a couple who, along with their son, were serving the Lord in the hospitals in the capital. They distributed gospel literature throughout many parts of the hospital, even the very...More Monday, July 15, 2024 Esther (5)—The True Cause of Antisemitism When Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage, Haman was filled with wrath. But he disdained to lay hands on Mordecai alone … Instead, Haman sought to destroy all the Jews who were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus—the people of Mordecai. The dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her Child as soon as it was born. Esther 3:5–6 NKJV; Revelation 12:4 NKJV Esther (5)—The True Cause of Antisemitism Faithful to the Lord who had sworn to have war with Amalek from generation to generation (Ex. 17:16), Mordecai daily refused to bow to...More Sunday, July 14, 2024 Messiah the Suffering Servant (10)—He Shall Prolong His Days Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in His hand. Isaiah 53:10 NKJV Messiah the Suffering Servant (10)—He Shall Prolong His Days The opening words of today’s text are deeply moving; to think that Jehovah had to bruise His Son. The word “bruise” here means, “crush.” Though Christ’s sacrifice was a pleasant aroma to God, that is not the meaning of the verse here; rather, that it was God’s purpose, or the good pleasure of...More Saturday, July 13, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (20)—James But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. James 3:17 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (20)—James James, whose name is Jacob in Hebrew, does not address the Church but “the twelve tribes scattered abroad.” Early Christianity from the point of view of Jewish believers is therefore its evident theme. There had been as yet no separation from the Jewish synagogues (2:2), such as the epistle to the Hebrews later insists upon. For this reason James has been called the...More Friday, July 12, 2024 Overcoming Addictions Those who linger long at the wine … will be like one who lies down in the midst of the sea … saying: “They have struck me, but I was not hurt; they have beaten me, but I did not feel it. When shall I awake, that I may seek another drink?” Proverbs 23:30, 34–35 NKJV Overcoming Addictions Addictions always lie. Proverbs 23 paints the picture of someone waking after a drunken night. Although he physically feels terrible, he intends to “seek another drink.” True, there is a short-lived pleasure in sin (Heb. 11:25); but like the seductive woman in Proverbs 7, addictions never reveal the...More Thursday, July 11, 2024 “One Thing” (2)—Assurance He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” John 9:25 NKJV “One Thing” (2)—Assurance The second instance of the expression “one thing” occurs in the story of the man born blind who received his sight. Although it was clear that the Lord Jesus had miraculously healed him, the Pharisees did not want to believe the truth. Their repeated questioning expressed the unbelief in their hearts. After two interviews with the man himself, sandwiched around a third with his parents, they end up excommunicating him from...More Wednesday, July 10, 2024 Prologue to the Book of Revelation (1)—Revealing Christ The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John. Revelation 1:1 NKJV Prologue to the Book of Revelation (1)—Revealing Christ Many look at the book of Revelation as a mystery, something that is complex and hard to understand, but the key is found in the very first two words of our verse, the Revelation. The Greek word for “revelation” means “to unveil”; it appears eighteen times in the New Testament, and every time it is used of a person it has the thought of...More Tuesday, July 9, 2024 Days of Heaven You shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children … that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied … like the days of the heavens above the earth. Deuteronomy 11:18–19, 21 NKJV Days of Heaven The Israelite’s heart, soul, and might (spirit, soul, and body) are involved as he passes the baton of the truth to his children, having his personal life and his home a reflection of what the Word says, as in chapter 6. The result of this...More Monday, July 8, 2024 A Man in the Glory But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV A Man in the Glory There can be no real or right sanctification till a man is clear about sin. Until I know my perfect acceptance, and am perfectly assured of salvation, through all sin being gone, I am mingling up my state with my standing. The holy nature is there, but there can be no proper sanctification till I see that Christ has not only borne my sins up to such a day, but that all my sins are gone and, besides that, I have a...More Sunday, July 7, 2024 Messiah the Suffering Servant (9)—With the Rich in Death Men appointed His grave with the wicked, but He was with the rich in His death, because He had done no violence, neither was there guile in His mouth. Isaiah 53:9 JND Messiah the Suffering Servant (9)—With the Rich in Death In this prophecy, Isaiah describes the type of burial Messiah would have following His death. If Roman crucifixion was brutal and horrific, the burial of its victims matched that death in its indignities. Normally, the crucified criminals were left on the cross after death, along with the nature of their crime on the headboard. This was done as a graphic reminder to passersby...More Saturday, July 6, 2024 Esther (4)—Mordecai, a Faithful Jew In Shushan the citadel there was a certain Jew whose name was Mordecai … [who] had brought up Hadassah, that is, Esther, his uncle’s daughter, for she had neither father nor mother … While Mordecai sat within the king’s gate, two of the king’s eunuchs … sought to lay hands on King Ahasuerus. So the matter became known to Mordecai, who told Queen Esther. Haman saw that Mordecai did not bow or pay him homage. Esther 2:5, 7; 2:21–22 NKJV; Esther 3:5 NKJV Esther (4)—Mordecai, a Faithful Jew While our book bears the name of its heroine, Esther, its hero is her faithful cousin...More Friday, July 5, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (19)—Hebrews How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? Hebrews 9:14 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (19)—Hebrews Hebrews, meaning “passengers,” mentions no writer, though the writer was probably Paul. It begins with God and shows the New Testament revelation to be consistent with, and yet in great contrast to, that of the Old Testament. Indeed, prophecies, types and typical persons are seen to have their marvelous fulfillment in God now speaking from heaven in the person of...More Thursday, July 4, 2024 “One Thing” (1)—Salvation Then Jesus, looking at him, loved him, and said to him, “One thing you lack: Go your way, sell whatever you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, take up the cross, and follow Me.” Mark 10:21 NKJV “One Thing” (1)—Salvation If your parent or teacher says, “There’s only one thing I want you to do,” or, “Just remember this one thing,” you know it is really important! If you don’t pay attention to the one thing you are told, you will probably end up in trouble! Some notable mentions of the expression “one thing” in the Bible...More Wednesday, July 3, 2024 David’s Mighty Men (13) Those who honor Me I will honor, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed. Josheb-Basshebeth the Tachmonite, chief among the captains … killed eight hundred men at one time. 1 Samuel 2:30 NKJV; 2 Samuel 23:8 NKJV David’s Mighty Men (13) An unnamed man of God spoke the solemn words of 1 Samuel 2:30 to the high-priest Eli. The reason was that his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, had greatly dishonored God in their priestly responsibilities. Eli had known about their public sins but never stopped them. As a result, the people started to despise God’s rights, and later asked for a...More Tuesday, July 2, 2024 Walls and Gates The Jews that had escaped, who were left of the captivity … said to [Nehemiah] … the wall of Jerusalem is in ruins, and its gates are burned with fire. Nehemiah 1:2–3 JND Walls and Gates Taking a general view of this particular movement of the Spirit of God in these last days, can we not see the revivals are analogous to those in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah? In the revival of the early part of the 19th century, God used men of great spiritual and intellectual endowments, men of great force of character, who in any sphere of life would have been leaders of men. Through these men, great...More Monday, July 1, 2024 Fervent Love But the end of all things is at hand; therefore be serious and watchful in your prayers. And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” 1 Peter 4:7–8 NKJV Fervent Love Now we Christians have to remember that we have come to the end of all things. Obviously, Peter did not mean that when he wrote, somewhere about 60 ad, the end of this dispensation was reached, but rather that the end dispensation was reached—it is “the last time.” The judge is quite ready (v. 5); He stands “at the door” (Jas. 5:9), ready to enter the court and take...More Sunday, June 30, 2024 Messiah the Suffering Servant (8)—Cut Off He was taken from prison and from judgment, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. Isaiah 53:8 NKJV Messiah the Suffering Servant (8)—Cut Off Today’s verse moves the reader away from the scenes of Messiah’s trial before men to His death on the cross. In reading the words of the above text, we almost must remind ourselves that it is prophecy; the predictive power of its descriptions and declarations are so accurate, it is as though we are reading these scenes directly from the Gospels...More Saturday, June 29, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (18) You have made my days as handbreadths, and my age is as nothing before You; certainly every man at his best state is but vapor … And now, Lord, what do I wait for? My hope is in You. Psalm 39:5, 7 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (18) As David ponders the very existence of mankind, he concludes that our life is but a vapor. James picks up on this very thought and reminds us that, even though we think our days are in our control, they are not: “Come now, you who say, ‘Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit’; whereas you do not...More Friday, June 28, 2024 Let Us Also Read When this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea. Colossians 4:16 NKJV Let Us Also Read “See that it is read”! This is Paul’s aim here. Two kinds of literature were to be read by the believers in Colosse and Laodicea: a letter and another letter. The first letter was the one that the Colossians just held in their hands and that Paul had addressed directly to them. This text was inspired by the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit later made sure that it was recognized as part of the whole...More Thursday, June 27, 2024 Esther (3)—Sad Results of Bad Examples Queen Vashti has not only wronged the king, but also all the princes, and all the people who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. For the queen’s behavior will become known to all women, so that they will despise their husbands in their eyes, when they report, “King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought in before him, but she did not come” … Thus there will be excessive contempt and wrath. Esther 1:16–18 NKJV Esther (3)—Sad Results of Bad Examples On the seventh day of the feast, when the king’s heart “was merry with wine”—a dangerous time to make decisions—he...More Wednesday, June 26, 2024 Feet Washing (2) He came to Simon Peter … Peter said to Him, “You shall never wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” John 13:6, 8 NKJV Feet Washing (2) The incident when the Lord Jesus washed His disciples’ feet is full of important lessons which the Lord wanted His disciples and us to learn. One lesson is emphasized by the Lord’s words to Peter: “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” This means you cannot have fellowship with the Lord if you insist on having dirty feet. The feet refer to our daily walk in this defiled and defiling world....More Tuesday, June 25, 2024 Feet Washing (1) Now before the Feast of Passover … [Jesus] rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. John 13:1, 4–5 NKJV Feet Washing (1) Beginning with chapter 13 and until Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, He spoke only to His disciples to prepare them for His departure. As they were sad and troubled, He assured them that He would go to prepare a place for them and then would come and take them to be with Him in the...More Monday, June 24, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (18)—Philemon For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. Philemon 1:7 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (18)—Philemon Philemon, meaning “one who kisses,” is not, strictly speaking, an epistle to an individual, for others also are addressed: a sister, who may likely be the wife of Philemon; a brother, Archippus, spoken of as “our fellow soldier,” a man particularly gifted with ministry from the Lord (Col. 4:17); and also the assembly that met in the house of Philemon. Though written in a personal strain, yet it was made a...More Sunday, June 23, 2024 Messiah the Suffering Servant (7)—The Lamb of God He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth. Isaiah 53:7 NKJV Messiah the Suffering Servant (7)—The Lamb of God In the preceding verses of chapter 53 the voice which speaks is the remnant of Israel; it is their confession of Christ in a future day. Now the prophecy continues, but it is the prophet himself who is speaking—it is not a confession but a description. In verses 7 and 8, Isaiah describes the trial of Christ before the court of man and His character...More Saturday, June 22, 2024 When You Can’t Do Everything If there is first a willing mind, it is accepted according to what one has, and not according to what he does not have. 2 Corinthians 8:12 NKJV When You Can’t Do Everything The Corinthians had a genuine desire to share their financial resources with needy saints among the Lord’s people. In fact, their zeal had stirred up many others to give as well (2 Cor. 9:2). However, the Corinthians had not yet followed through by actually sending their gift. Chapters 8 and 9 in this epistle are written to encourage them to do so, and thus the passage provides excellent principles for us,...More Friday, June 21, 2024 The Marvelous Light (2) Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul. 1 Peter 2:11 NKJV The Marvelous Light (2) In 1 Peter 2:11, the apostle Peter turns the “marvelous light” of God (vv. 9–10) upon the daily lives of the holy and royal priests to whom he writes, addressing them as “sojourners and pilgrims.” They were, of course, sojourners in the lands of their dispersion, as the first verse of the Epistle told us, but this is not what is alluded to here. Every Christian is a sojourner and pilgrim, and we need not be surprised at this, since by the very...More Thursday, June 20, 2024 The Marvelous Light (1) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9 NKJV The Marvelous Light (1) All was darkness for us, whether we were called out of Judaism or heathenism, or a nominal and corrupted Christianity; and now we are in a light which is marvelous. We are the people of God, having obtained mercy. Marvelous light! Is this how we feel about it? The world plunges on, deeper and ever deeper into its darkness and unbelief. Its learned scientists...More Wednesday, June 19, 2024 Esther (2)—Drinks in Abundance The king made a feast lasting seven days … They served drinks … in abundance, according to the generosity of the king … The drinking was not compulsory … they should do according to each man’s pleasure … On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded … It is not for kings to drink wine, nor for princes intoxicating drink; lest they drink and forget the law, and pervert the justice of all the afflicted. Esther 1:5–10 NKJV; Proverbs 31:4–5 NKJV Esther (2)—Drinks in Abundance Just as among celebrities and high-ranking people in present...More Tuesday, June 18, 2024 No Room to Boast When He had come to His own country, He taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished and said, “Where did this Man get this wisdom and these mighty works? Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us?” Matthew 13:54–56 NKJV No Room to Boast We read about four brothers of the Lord Jesus—sons of Joseph and Mary—but we only recognize two of the names. Many consider that James and Judas, who were the instruments God used to write the epistles which bear their names,...More Monday, June 17, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (17) For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. Psalm 62:5–6 ESV Living a Life of Hope (17) David’s life is a picture of hope! He was the last of eight sons and, it would seem, often neglected in some ways. But while he was still fairly young, the prophet Samuel came to anoint this young shepherd boy as the future king (1 Sam. 16:13). While all those around David saw only a young shepherd boy, God saw a king! But we are reminded in 1 Samuel 16:7, “For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the...More Sunday, June 16, 2024 Messiah the Suffering Servant (6)—The Two “Alls” All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. Isaiah 53:6 NKJV Messiah the Suffering Servant (6)—The Two “Alls” Today’s text is the story of the Bible in one verse. The message of the Bible is twofold: it is the record of the history of man’s sinfulness, and it is also the unfolding plan of redemption through God’s grace and counsels in Christ. These two features are exactly what is revealed in Isaiah 53:6. The godly Jewish remnant in the time of the Great Tribulation will gradually come to...More Saturday, June 15, 2024 What Is Fruit Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. John 15:4 NKJV What Is Fruit? What then is the spiritual significance of fruit? May we not say that fruit is the expression of Christ in the believer? We read in Galatians 5:22–23, that “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” What is this, however, but a beautiful description of Christ as He passed through this world in humiliation? Hence, if such fruit is seen in...More Friday, June 14, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (17)—Titus This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men. Titus 3:8 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (17)—Titus Titus, meaning “nurse,” is again individual. Its subject is not exactly that of godliness in maintaining the truth in the Church of God, as in Timothy, but rather the truth producing godliness and order in the Church. If there is truth, it “accords with godliness” (1:1). Titus had remained in Crete for the purpose of appointing...More Thursday, June 13, 2024 David’s Mighty Men (12) All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came to Hebron with a loyal heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of one mind to make David king. 1 Chronicles 12:38 NKJV David’s Mighty Men (12) Hebron is located in southern Israel, an important city for Abraham and his descendants. While Saul was still reigning, some people from his tribe of Benjamin left him. They publicly identified with David, who was happy to receive them with honor (1 Chr. 12:18). From other parts of the country, faithful Israelite soldiers also arrived to help David. Once Saul had died, God...More Wednesday, June 12, 2024 Transformation—The Renewal of Our Mind But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV Transformation—The Renewal of Our Mind Our mind, or rather our thinking, is shaped by what we deal with every day—for better or for worse. Those things we hear, see, or think about influence our inner attitude, even if we may not always be aware of it. This is true of worldly music and films, among other things, as well as many internet sites and forms of social media, which often—without us...More Tuesday, June 11, 2024 Esther (1)—Introduction Israel is not forsaken, nor Judah, by his God, the Lord of hosts, though their land was filled with sin against the Holy One of Israel. The king’s heart is in the hand of the Lord, like the rivers of water, He turns it wherever He wishes. Jeremiah 51:5 NKJV; Proverbs 21:1 NKJV Esther (1)—Introduction The books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and of the prophets Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi, trace the history of the remnant of God’s earthly people who returned from captivity in Babylon to rebuild the temple and later the city wall. The book of Esther shows God’s faithful care for His people...More Monday, June 10, 2024 Living in an Unbelieving World After three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship whose figurehead was the Twin Brothers, which had wintered at the island. Acts 28:11 NKJV Living in an Unbelieving World Acts 27 recounts the shipwreck that cast Paul and 275 others onto the island of Malta. There they spent three months, awaiting suitable sailing weather; and here in Acts 28, the voyage to Rome was to continue on another ship. As was common, this vessel had a figurehead, a carved image on the prow and likely also the stern of the ship. It served as both an ornament and an expression of religious devotion. The “Twin...More Sunday, June 9, 2024 Messiah the Suffering Servant (5)—Wounded for Me But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5 NKJV Messiah the Suffering Servant (5)—Wounded for Me Notice how this verse puts an emphasis on the word “our” by mentioning it three times: “our transgressions,” “our iniquities,” and “our peace.” The Jewish nation will confess this and make it personal, but we should never lose sight of the fact that the “our” recorded in this prophecy belongs to us as well. We who were “sinners of the Gentiles” and who...More Saturday, June 8, 2024 Forever Settled Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Psalm 119:89 NKJV Forever Settled What a mercy, in the face of the unrest and uncertainty of the present moment, to be able to say, “I have gotten something settled forever and in heaven!” What effect, we may ask, can the bold and insolent reasoning of unbelief have upon the soul that can say, “My heart is linked to the throne of God by means of that Word which is settled forever in heaven”? None whatever. Unbelief and superstition, the two great agents of hell in this day in which we live, can only affect those who really have nothing...More Friday, June 7, 2024 The Old-Fashioned Gospel For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Romans 1:16 NKJV The Old-Fashioned Gospel Dr. Berry, a preacher famed throughout the English-speaking world, was a liberal theologian when the following incident took place: “One night there came to me,” he says, “a Lancashire girl with her shawl over her head and clogs on her feet. ‘I want you to come and get my mother in,’ she said. ‘She is dying, and I want you to get her into salvation.’ I did all I could to get out...More Thursday, June 6, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (16)—2 Timothy Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God. 2 Timothy 1:8 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (16)—2 Timothy Like 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy also deals with individual responsibility in connection with the Church or Assembly, two English words used to translate the same Greek word. Paul wrote this epistle from prison. It is his last epistle, written knowing that he was about to be put to death for his witness to the Lord. Here he no longer speaks of “the house of God,” but of “a...More Wednesday, June 5, 2024 Aligning Our Life by the Word of God Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book. Deuteronomy 17:18 NKJV Aligning Our Life by the Word of God Has there ever been a perfect political system? In practice, no. In concept, yes. God had specified, down to many details, how His people Israel should be governed. He had foreseen a time when they would desire a king. Already here, in Moses’ farewell speech, provision was made for that time. What was true for the Israelite king according to God’s will is, in principle, true for every leader. Moreover,...More Tuesday, June 4, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (16) Since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 2 Corinthians 3:12 ESV Living a Life of Hope (16) We have heard stories of Christians who live in countries where the gospel is not allowed to be freely proclaimed. Christians in these countries live with the constant threat of imprisonment, and even death! Yet these believers display such great courage for the gospel of Christ when they meet together for worship or even seek to share their faith. There have been many stories of those who have stood for their faith in spite of the consequences. This leads us to ask what enables them to have...More Monday, June 3, 2024 The Sufficiency of the Grace of Christ And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you.” 2 Corinthians 12:7–9 NKJV The Sufficiency of the Grace of Christ God encouraged the despondent apostle Paul with the thought, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (v. 9). We do not know what this thorn in the flesh might have...More Sunday, June 2, 2024 Messiah the Suffering Servant (4)—Smitten by God Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. Isaiah 53:4 NKJV Messiah the Suffering Servant (4)—Smitten by God One of the interesting features of this great prophecy is that it is written in the past tense though it would not be fulfilled until 700 years after the time of its writing. Bible scholars call this the prophetic perfect tense. Indeed, it looks to a time beyond our own era, to a future time, when a godly Jewish remnant will make Isaiah 53 their confession. What a wonderful testament to the truth and power of...More Saturday, June 1, 2024 David’s Mighty Men (11) Of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear … armed for war; of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor fit for war … of the sons of Benjamin, relatives of Saul … (until then the greatest part of them had remained loyal to the house of Saul). 1 Chronicles 12:24, 25, 29 NKJV David’s Mighty Men (11) Chronicles describes the history of God’s people as He views it. This view of the past helps us appreciate God’s thoughts for today, as well as His plans for the future of this nation. The above verses describe the sons of Judah being well equipped for battle. This had an impact on those...More

Wednesday, May 29, 2024 Come to Me (1) Come to Me, all ye who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest to your souls. Matthew 11:28–29 JND Come to Me (1) In the Old Testament, we find several people who said, “Come to me” as an invitation. Joseph said to his brethren “Take your father and your households, and come to me; and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land” (Gen. 45:18). Joseph, who had been rejected by his brethren, now invites them to come to him to enjoy the best of...More Tuesday, May 28, 2024 Exercised by Discipline My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when reproved by Him … No chastening at the time seems to be matter of joy, but of grief; but afterwards yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those exercised by it. Hebrews 12:5, 11 JND Exercised by Discipline These verses teach the importance of God’s chastening His children. The word chastening refers to child training and education. God’s chastening is not an angry revenge; it is an evidence of His fatherly love and care. From these verses we learn that there are three possible responses to chastening: 1. A...More Monday, May 27, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (15)—1 Timothy And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory. 1 Timothy 3:16 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (15)—1 Timothy First Timothy, whose name means “honoring God,” was written to an individual, a young man for whom Paul had deep affection. Being of a timid, retiring nature, and yet gifted by God, he needed to be stirred up to a sense of responsibility as to proper behavior “in the house of God, which is the Church of the living God”...More Sunday, May 26, 2024 Messiah the Suffering Servant (3)—A Man of Sorrows He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Isaiah 53:3 NKJV Messiah the Suffering Servant (3)—A Man of Sorrows Are we surprised that God’s beloved Son was despised? We only have to read the Gospel accounts to see the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prediction. It is written, “They hated Me without a cause” (Jn. 15:25; Ps. 69:4). The word translated “without a cause” means “gratuitously” or “freely.” He loved freely and was hated just as freely. Anyone involved...More Saturday, May 25, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (15) By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. Hebrews 11:7 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (15) Noah is a beautiful example of one who lived a life of hope. He lived in a culture where men and women had forgotten God. The Lord Jesus describes the culture of Noah’s day, saying, “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and...More Friday, May 24, 2024 Love the One You Married [Isaac] took Rebecca and she became his wife, and he loved her. Genesis 24:67 NKJV Love the One You Married The Holy Scriptures present Isaac as a type of Christ. God said to Abraham, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love … and offer him there as a burnt offering” (22:2). Abraham took him to the appointed mountain, built an altar and piled the wood, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar. In all this we have a foreshadowing of what took place about two thousand years later when God offered His only begotten Son, the Son of His love, at Mount Calvary. The Son of...More Thursday, May 23, 2024 Titus (6)—Bondservants (Employees) Exhort bondservants to be obedient to their own masters, to be well pleasing in all things, not answering back, not pilfering, but showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. Titus 2:9–10 NKJV Titus (6)—Bondservants (Employees) What! Is it possible that the Bible addresses slaves, and gives them the directions we have above? Yes, though God did not institute slavery. Sinful man did this, but God recognizes what is, what man has done to his fellow man. He never tells Christians that they must attempt to reform or improve the wicked world system....More Wednesday, May 22, 2024 It Is Good to Follow And when [Jesus] had spoken this, He said to [Peter], “Follow Me.” John 21:19 NKJV It Is Good to Follow This final chapter of John’s Gospel describes the occasion at the Sea of Galilee when “Jesus showed Himself again to the disciples” (21:1). Their presence in that region was not surprising. On the day of Christ’s resurrection, they were told to go to Galilee, for there He would see them (Mt. 28:7, 10; Mk. 16:7). Of course they had rejoiced to see Him in that upper room in Jerusalem! But now they were in Galilee, waiting to see Him again. What thoughts might occupy our...More Tuesday, May 21, 2024 Called to Be Witnesses You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. Acts 1:8 NKJV Called to Be Witnesses That Christians should be witnesses to the Lord Jesus Christ is a fact that is made very clear in the Word of God. That many Christians have failed to be witnesses for our Lord is also a fact, and a very lamentable one. To be satisfied with the fact that one is saved and feels no responsibility beyond that is a sad situation, and may cast doubt about the reality of one’s faith. This should...More Monday, May 20, 2024 The Necessity of Faith Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1 NKJV The Necessity of Faith Have you faith in God? Do you know Him? Is there a link between your soul and Him? Can you trust Him for everything? Are you at this moment consciously leaning upon Him, upon His Word, upon His arm? Remember, if there is any darkness or hesitation as to this, devotedness is and must be out of the question. All steady devotedness rests upon the solid ground of personal faith in the living God. We cannot too strongly insist upon this in a day of profession as widespread as it is...More Sunday, May 19, 2024 Messiah the Suffering Servant (2)—His Humble Origins He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no beauty that we should desire Him. Isaiah 53:2 NKJV Messiah the Suffering Servant (2)—His Humble Origins Messiah’s humble origins are predicted by Isaiah. Of course, when we say His origins, we mean His coming into the world in Manhood; He is the eternal Son. The apostle John wrote, “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of...More Saturday, May 18, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (14)—2 Thessalonians Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work. 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (14)—2 Thessalonians Second Thessalonians, like 1 Thessalonians, is pastoral in character, but deals with those subtle influences that so soon threatened to rob this young assembly of its fresh, ardent affection for the Lord, as well as its vigorous faith and endurance of persecution. Faithfully, the apostle warns of the future coming...More Friday, May 17, 2024 David’s Mighty Men (10) These were the numbers of the divisions that were equipped for war, and came to David at Hebron to turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the Lord. 1 Chronicles 12:23 NKJV David’s Mighty Men (10) The Lord had given a final test to Saul after he had disobeyed a few times. Sadly, Saul completely failed (1 Sam. 15). Yet God allowed him to continue reigning, during which time He called Samuel to anoint David in private, as the king after God’s heart (1 Sam. 16). Marked by obedience and love of God, young David took on the giant Goliath (1 Sam. 17), an unbelievable victory!...More Thursday, May 16, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (14) For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11–13 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (14) In today’s text, Paul describes Christ’s coming as a “blessed hope” for every follower of Jesus Christ. This hope is a direct result of the grace of God in our lives. The glorious appearing is when Christ returns to the earth with His own after the seven years...More Wednesday, May 15, 2024 Has God Said? Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said … ? Genesis 3:1 KJV Has God Said? Satan made Eve doubt God’s word and thus God Himself, and this was her downfall. Doubting God’s word made her doubt God and His goodness towards them. Satan tried the same strategy with the Lord in that he used God’s very Word, endeavoring to have the Lord deviate from the path of obedience and dependence (Mt. 4:1–10). Satan does the same to us today, trying to entice with instant gratification, with arguments...More Tuesday, May 14, 2024 The World After the Flood—Who Holds the Reins? I do not seek My own glory; there is One who seeks and judges. You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. John 8:50 NKJV; John 19:11 NKJV The World After the Flood—Who Holds the Reins? After God had judged the world through the flood, He made a new start with Noah and his family. But again, the people failed. Instead of obeying their Creator, trusting that He only wanted the best for them, they tried to reach heaven by their own efforts at the Tower of Babel. Their pride even led them so far that they wanted to make a name for themselves and...More Monday, May 13, 2024 Titus (5)—Younger Men’s Lives Likewise, exhort the younger men to be sober-minded, in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. Titus 2:6–8 NKJV Titus (5)—Younger Men’s Lives After instructing Titus to exhort older men and women, often a delicate task for a younger man, Paul gives Titus instruction about exhorting younger men, men like himself. His own life was to be the practical example to illustrate his teaching. This is an...More Sunday, May 12, 2024 Messiah the Suffering Servant (1)—Two Questions Who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? Isaiah 53:1 NKJV Messiah the Suffering Servant (1)—Two Questions Isaiah 53 is one of the great prophecies of Christ found in the Old Testament, through one of its greatest prophets. It reveals Him as the Suffering Servant who would bear the iniquities of His people under the wrath of God. It also reveals He would be raised from among the dead and share the spoils of His victory with His redeemed people! It was written some 700 years before the birth of Christ, and when the specific details of the prophecy are...More Saturday, May 11, 2024 Faithfulness and Character Are Greater Than Gift O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. 1 Timothy 6:20 ESV Faithfulness and Character Are Greater Than Gift I think Timothy is a most encouraging example for young believers today. He was young, not strong in body, and probably knew what it was to be despised. He seems to have been timid by nature, and at times in much need of encouragement. He knew what tears meant. He knew the temptation to be a coward (2 Tim. 1). But I know of no fellow-servant whom Paul so delights to honor. Listen to what he says of him: “Timothy, my beloved child” (2 Tim. 1:2); “Timothy, my beloved and faithful...More Friday, May 10, 2024 Abraham and Calling on the Name of God [Abraham] built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. Genesis 12:8 NKJV Abraham and Calling on the Name of God After the Lord appeared to Abraham, we immediately read, “he built an altar.” This surely speaks of worship. In the Epistle to the Hebrews, those who go forth to Christ outside the camp, not only take up their pilgrim character, as having no continuing city, but they become worshipers who “continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God” (13:13–15). Abraham not only realized something of the glory of the land in the far future, but he caught a...More Thursday, May 9, 2024 Keeping Ourselves Abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Keep yourself pure. Keep [yourself] unspotted from the world. Acts 15:29 NKJV; 1 Timothy 5:22 NKJV; James 1:27 NKJV Keeping Ourselves The wonderful prayer in 1 Thessalonians 5:23 gives confidence that God is faithfully working in our lives: “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” If God can...More Wednesday, May 8, 2024 Have You Wandered? As for me, it is good for me to draw near to God. Psalm 73:28 JND Have You Wandered? There is no living comfortably, and there is no living with the peace and joy of the Holy Spirit in the heart, if we wander from the simplicity of our confidence in Christ. There are many believers who wander out of their place. What now is a believer’s place? A believer’s place is in the bosom of his Lord, or at the right hand of his Master, or sitting at His feet like Mary. Ah! Some of you never woke in the morning without thinking of Him, and all day long a sense of His presence was in your heart. How you...More Tuesday, May 7, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (13) Making mention of you in my prayers … that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints. Ephesians 1:16, 18 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (13) When asked, “How much money does it take to make a man happy?” John D. Rockefeller answered, “Just one more dollar.” Money cannot buy you hope or happiness. If money is the goal, the more a person has, the more they want! I once spoke to a man who became a millionaire before He was fifty years old, but his son was very ill. He told me, “All my money can’t buy my son’s health! I...More Monday, May 6, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (13)—1 Thessalonians For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (13)—1 Thessalonians Thessalonica means “victory over that which is false.” First Thessalonians chronologically is the first of Paul’s epistles. It is full of freshness, energy, and warmth. Pastoral in its character, it is addressed “to the church of the Thessalonians,” thus exemplifying...More Sunday, May 5, 2024 Obedient Unto Death For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes. 1 Corinthians 11:26 NKJV Obedient Unto Death It is well to recall to our minds what the meaning of this Supper is, and what we do when we partake of it. We have now again broken the bread and drunk of the cup; and what has that meant? We have shown the Lord’s death, and this will go on until He comes. Death is an awful thing, and man does not like to think of it. It is the king of terrors to man; it is the wages of sin, the ending of all the pride of life, the end of flesh as fallen. Who among...More Saturday, May 4, 2024 Abraham Walking by Faith as a Pilgrim By faith [Abraham] dwelt in the land of promise. Hebrews 11:9 NKJV Abraham Walking by Faith as a Pilgrim The great principle on which Abraham acted was the principle of faith. Obviously, if he has left one world and has not reached the other, he has nothing for natural sight. It is not that he did not see, but, what he saw was by faith. Thus we read, “By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance” (Heb. 11:8). Answering to the call of God on the principle of faith, Abraham, and those with him, became “strangers and...More Friday, May 3, 2024 Titus (4)—Older Men and Women Speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discrete, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Titus 2:1–5 NKJV Titus (4)—Older Men and Women The writer of this epistle now addresses Titus directly, telling him to teach what...More Thursday, May 2, 2024 David’s Mighty Men (9) Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear. 1 Chronicles 12:8 NKJV David’s Mighty Men (9) Courageous men joined David during the perilous days when King Saul was trying to kill him. These details have been written for our instruction to help us identify with our rejected Lord. We are also “in a wilderness” in the sense that this world does not provide any support to believers who serve the Lord Jesus. We must rely on Him for all our physical or spiritual needs and for the necessary direction....More Wednesday, May 1, 2024 Full of Grace and Truth The Word became flesh, and dwelt among us (and we have contemplated His glory, a glory as of an only-begotten with a father), full of grace and truth. John 1:14 JND Full of Grace and Truth Here it is not what the Word was, but what He became. He was God; He became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. It was no transient vision, however momentous—it was a contemplation of His glory granted to His witnesses, not that of an earthly conqueror, nor messianic even, but glory as of an only-begotten from beside a father. No sword girds His thigh, no riding to victory, no...More Tuesday, April 30, 2024 An Interesting “I” Condition For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do. According to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. Romans 7:15 NKJV; Philippians 1:20 NKJV An Interesting “I” Condition Romans 7 records Paul’s distressing experience, one which probably all believers have gone through—namely, the realization that we want to honor the Lord, yet we cannot seem to break free from the power of...More Monday, April 29, 2024 Abraham and the Enemy in the Land Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Genesis 12:6 NKJV Abraham and the Enemy in the Land Arriving in Canaan, they find “the Canaanites were then in the land.” This is deeply significant. Of Abraham, God had said, “I will bless you.” Of Canaan, God had said, “Cursed be Canaan” (9:25). If God brings Abraham, the man of blessing, into the land of promise, he at once discovers that the Devil has already brought into that very land the man of the curse. In this way, the Devil seeks to thwart...More Sunday, April 28, 2024 Dwell on This Astonishing Truth Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.” John 8:58 NKJV Dwell on This Astonishing Truth I know of nothing that has so astonished my mind as this revelation of “I am,” or the real thought that Jesus could say, “I am.” How manifest it is that nothing but the gift of faith could, even in a single atom, understand or know the truth in the Person of Jesus! While yet, by the perfection of its manifestation in the flesh, every soul was put under the responsibility to receive it as the true word of God. The broad penetrating fact, “I am,” the...More Saturday, April 27, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (12) Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Romans 5:1–5 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (12) I am sure everyone reading this has been through difficult...More Friday, April 26, 2024 Give the Glory to God In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it. And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, and a part of the vessels of the house of God; and he carried them into the land of Shinar, to the house of his god. Daniel 1:1–2 JND Give the Glory to God Nebuchadnezzar’s action in relation to the vessels of the house of God was meant to honor his false gods, and to elevate them above the true and living God, the Lord of Hosts. Approximately 450 years before, the Philistines captured the ark of the covenant and...More Thursday, April 25, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (12)—Colossians Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. Colossians 1:12–13 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (12)—Colossians Colossians, meaning “monstrosities,” has much in common with Ephesians. However, it does not present the saints as seated in heavenly places, but rather considers them as still walking through a wilderness world. Yet provision for the journey is heavenly, and the blessed fullness of this provision in the person...More Wednesday, April 24, 2024 Death Is Yours Whether … the world or life or death, or things present or things to come—all are yours. 1 Corinthians 3:22 NKJV Death Is Yours In the old creation, man belongs to death. Hence it has been truly said that the very moment man begins to live he begins to die. Solemn fact! Man cannot escape death. There is not so much as a single thing which man possesses in the old creation that will not be wrenched from his grasp by the ruthless hand of death. Death takes everything from him, reduces his body to dust, and sends his soul to judgment. Houses, lands, wealth, and distinction, fame and influence,...More Tuesday, April 23, 2024 Titus (3)—Problems Then and Now There are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. One of them, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. Therefore rebuke them sharply, that they may be sound in the faith. Titus 1:10–13 NKJV Titus (3)—Problems Then and Now Crete, where Titus was working, was a difficult place. A Cretan prophet, a heathen writer, had said of his own people,...More Monday, April 22, 2024 Abraham and Separation From the World I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great. Genesis 12:2 NKJV Abraham and Separation From the World As separated from this present evil world, God says to Abraham, “I will make you a great nation” and “I will bless you and make your name great.” The men of this world seek to make a great name for themselves; they say, “Let us make a name for ourselves” (Gen. 11:4). But God says to the separated man, “I will bless you and make your name great.” The tendency of our natural hearts is always to seek to make a name for ourselves, and the flesh...More Sunday, April 21, 2024 Nicodemus Comes to the Light (6)—His Courage Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. John 19:39 NKJV Nicodemus Comes to the Light (6)—His Courage This is the third and final time that Nicodemus the Pharisee appears in the Gospel of John. The first time, he had visited the Lord in the evening and was awakened to his spiritual need (3:2). The next time we hear of him, he confessed Christ before his pharisaical peers (7:50). In today’s text, we find Nicodemus at the cross of Christ. It is moving to think that while many of the disciples had fled...More Saturday, April 20, 2024 Victory Through Defeat Jacob was left alone; and a Man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. Genesis 32:24 NKJV Victory Through Defeat In Hosea 12:3, we are told that Jacob struggled with God Himself. His mystery opponent was the Angel of the Lord. In a sense, Jacob had been wrestling with God from the moment the sun set on his flight to Padan Aram (28:11). He had outmaneuvered his brother, deceived his father, and in the intervening twenty years had found a worthy opponent to his cunning schemes in his father-in-law, Laban. Now he was frantically trying to appease Esau with droves of gifts. Jacob wrestled all...More Friday, April 19, 2024 The Consumer in These Frenetic Times Piety with contentment is great gain. 1 Timothy 6:6 JND The Consumer in These Frenetic Times Abel is murdered and Seth is born. He names his son Enosh, which means “weak” or “mortal” man. The awareness of their own weakness and dependence drives believers to prayer: “Then people began to call on the name of Jehovah” (Gen. 4:26). The story of the descendants of Cain, on the other hand, is quite different—pride and self-confidence dominate the world. They build cities for themselves and increase their possessions without seeking the will of God (vv. 17–22). We are all in...More Thursday, April 18, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (11) As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. 1 Timothy 6:17 ESV Living a Life of Hope (11) What brings you satisfaction in life? Paul reminds us all here in our verse, that true satisfaction is not found in our wealth, but in the God who not only provides everything we need, but also wants us to enjoy what He provides. This is the secret to true contentment: to enjoy the Blesser more than we enjoy the blessings! Moses is an example for us in this. We...More Wednesday, April 17, 2024 Abraham—Called Out of the World Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.” Genesis 12:1 ESV Abraham—Called Out of the World The word to Abraham is, “Get out of your country, and from your family, and from your father’s house.” Abraham is not told to remain in the city of Ur and deal with man’s wickedness, or attempt to improve its social condition, or reform its domestic ways, or attempt to make it a better and a brighter world. He is called to come out of it in every form. He is to leave the political world: “your country”;...More Tuesday, April 16, 2024 Nicodemus Comes to the Light (5)—His Conviction Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee. John 7:52 NKJV Nicodemus Comes to the Light (5)—His Conviction Nicodemus had stood up for the Christ, telling his unbelieving colleagues that they should at least go to Him and hear what He had to say. This was fully in keeping with the Law of Moses (7:51). The other Pharisees quickly turned on Nicodemus: “Are you also from Galilee? Search and look, for no prophet has arisen out of Galilee.” But they were wrong. Jonah the prophet’s hometown was Gath Hepher, which was situated in the lower Galilee region...More Monday, April 15, 2024 David’s Mighty Men (8) Of the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king; of the sons of Issachar who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do. 1 Chronicles 12:31–32 NKJV David’s Mighty Men (8) The faithful among Israel who identified with David as God’s chosen king were steadily increasing in numbers. The term “David’s mighty men” refers to those faithful ones. We may apply that term to all true believers who identify with the Lord Jesus Christ, past or present. They do so despite the world’s rejection of Him, honoring Him as...More Sunday, April 14, 2024 The Fairest Among Ten Thousand This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17 NKJV The Fairest Among Ten Thousand How marvelous it is for us to contemplate the perfections of our Lord Jesus. God the Father Himself twice exclaimed, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” He is the one who is able to have a true appreciation of His Son, and yet we are encouraged to be engaged with Him, meditating on His lovely, glorious Person and work. In Matthew 9, when the Lord saw the multitudes, His heart went out to them. He had compassion on them, preaching the gospel to them, healing every...More Saturday, April 13, 2024 Titus (2)—Qualifications of an Elder If a man is blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination. For a bishop must be blameless, as a steward of God, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able, by sound doctrine, both to exhort and convict those who contradict. Titus 1:6–9 NKJV Titus (2)—Qualifications of an Elder The apostle Paul had left Titus in Crete with the...More Friday, April 12, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (11)—Philippians Indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ. Philippians 3:8 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (11)—Philippians Philippians, meaning “lovers of horses, or of the race,” is a pastoral epistle, encouraging and refreshing. It was written to an assembly afflicted by poverty, which had yet maintained a devoted affection for Paul since being converted through his labors eleven years before. The epistle presents true Christian experience as a...More Thursday, April 11, 2024 Solomon and the Slippery Path of Sin The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty-six talents of gold. Solomon had horses imported from Egypt. King Solomon loved many foreign women. 1 Kings 10:14 NKJV; 1 Kings 10:28 NKJV; 1 Kings 11:1 NKJV Solomon and the Slippery Path of Sin In the event, foreseen by God, of Israel’s having a king, he was forbidden to multiply his wives or his riches, and to go down into Egypt to multiply horses (Dt. 17:16–17). Now, with whatever blessings we may be surrounded, we can never forsake the law of God with impunity. God had bestowed abundance of...More Wednesday, April 10, 2024 Nicodemus Comes to the Light (4)—His Confession Nicodemus (he who came to Jesus by night, being one of them) said to them, “Does our law judge a man before it hears him and knows what he is doing?” John 7:50–51 NKJV Nicodemus Comes to the Light (4)—His Confession Nicodemus now appears for a second time in John’s Gospel, but on this occasion it was with a group of his peers, the Pharisees, and the chief priests (7:45). His religious colleagues had sent out officers of the temple guard to arrest Jesus, but they had returned empty handed: “No man ever spoke like this Man!” (v. 46). Evidently, Christ’s words had been so...More Tuesday, April 9, 2024 Practical Christianity You died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3 NKJV Practical Christianity It is a very blessed thought, a very solemn truth, that there is nothing of any value in God’s account except the outflow of the life of Christ from His members here. All that is not the direct fruit of that life is utterly valueless in God’s thoughts. The activities of the old nature are not merely worthless but sinful. There are certain natural relationships in which we stand, which are sanctioned by God and in which Christ is our model. For example, “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ...More Monday, April 8, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (10) Are there any among the false gods of the nations that can bring rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Are you not He, O Lord our God? We set our hope on You, for You do all these things. Jeremiah 14:22 ESV Living a Life of Hope (10) Jeremiah ministered the Word during difficult times. The people of God had turned their backs on their God, and He allowed them to pass through deep waters, both spiritually and physically. In chapter 14, they had experienced a physical drought which should have reminded them of their spiritual condition. Jeremiah sought to bring them back to a place where they would...More Sunday, April 7, 2024 The One Perfect Sacrifice But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. Hebrews 10:12 NKJV The One Perfect Sacrifice Oh, the wonders connected with that which is expressed in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ in heaven, the one sacrifice never to be repeated! It not only puts the conscience in peace with God, but it forms the conscience. If God is satisfied with the blood, I will be too. In every way it has lessons. It teaches the character of the whole system of iniquity out of which I have come, teaches the enormity of sin, as none but God can. It shows...More Saturday, April 6, 2024 Abraham and the Call of God The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Haran, and said to him, “Get out of your country and from your relatives, and come to a land that I will show you.” Acts 7:2–3 NKJV Abraham and the Call of God For over four hundred years God bore with this world, and then the God of glory appears to a man on earth and commences to act on an entirely new principle: that of the sovereign call of God. It does not set aside the government of the world; it makes no suggestion as to improving or reforming the world, or correcting its evil. It leaves the...More Friday, April 5, 2024 Titus (1)—Introduction Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His Word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior; to Titus, a true son in our common faith: grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Titus 1:1–4 NKJV Titus (1)—Introduction This brief but very important epistle begins with the...More Thursday, April 4, 2024 Nicodemus Comes to the Light (3)—His Conscience And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God. John 3:19–21 NKJV Nicodemus Comes to the Light (3)—His Conscience The story of Nicodemus occurs three times in John’s Gospel, and on each occasion it is stated that he was the one who came to Jesus “by night” (3:2; 7:50;...More Wednesday, April 3, 2024 The Troubles of the Double-Minded He who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind … he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 1:6, 8 NKJV; James 4:8 NKJV The Troubles of the Double-Minded The term “double-minded” appears only twice in the New Testament, both times in the Epistle of James. It is a picturesque expression. Other English translations give the sense as being “a man of two minds” or “a soul-split man.” When we think of those in the Scriptures who tried to follow the Lord while...More Tuesday, April 2, 2024 David’s Mighty Men (7) Some from Manasseh … helped David against the bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army. 1 Chronicles 12:19, 21 NKJV David’s Mighty Men (7) People from Manasseh came to help David when he was staying at Ziklag. In many respects, those were very trying times for David because Saul was seeking to kill him. As one of the Philistine leaders, King Achish, protected David, he even wanted to join the Philistines in their fight against Saul. The Lord prevented this plan because the other Philistine leaders refused to let David join them. When he...More Monday, April 1, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (10)—Ephesians Blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Ephesians 1:3 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (10)—Ephesians Ephesians, meaning “one desire,” is an epistle with no reproofs. It declares in fullest terms the grand counsels of God concerning the saints of God in this present dispensation of grace. It gives their present spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ and their position “in Christ.” The believers “sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (2:6). Christ, in...More Sunday, March 31, 2024 The Lord Is Risen He preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. Acts 17:18 NKJV The Lord Is Risen Let the reader note this: Jesus and the resurrection. Why was it not Jesus and the incarnation or Jesus and the crucifixion? Was it because these profound and priceless mysteries held no place in apostolic preaching and teaching? Read 1 Timothy 3:16 and Galatians 4:4–5 for the answer. These passages settle the question as to the foundation doctrines of incarnation and crucifixion. But Paul preached and taught and jealousy insisted upon resurrection. He himself was converted to a risen and glorified...More

Friday, March 29, 2024 What Is the Cross? (1) For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18 NKJV What Is the Cross? (1) In the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ I see God’s plan to make good His ends, and to give effect to His counsels and purpose, in contrast with man’s schemes. As to man: it was two pieces of wood nailed together, and a few nails, with a hole in the ground. This was an ingenious but malicious mode of death for a hated object. This was man’s scheme, though Satan took care to put in his power through the world, as...More Thursday, March 28, 2024 Silver Trumpets Make thee two trumpets of silver; of a whole piece shalt thou make them: that thou mayest use them for the calling of the assembly, and for the journeying of the camps. Numbers 10:2 KJV Silver Trumpets The first use to which these trumpets were put was “for the calling of the assembly.” The tabernacle was the God-appointed center for His redeemed people in those ancient days, and from that center His words went forth, and to it He summoned them when He would. That was the shadow, the picture; Christ is the substance, the reality; and if we are obedient to the word of God, Christ will be our...More Wednesday, March 27, 2024 Nicodemus Comes to the Light (2)—His Crisis For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16 NKJV Nicodemus Comes to the Light (2)—His Crisis Nicodemus, a Pharisee, a leader, and teacher of Israel, had come to the Lord Jesus by night. He believed that the “signs” connected with the Rabbi from Nazareth indicated that God was with Him (3:2); perhaps He was a prophet. Nicodemus was curious; he needed to know more. He would not lightly dismiss Him or condemn Him, as many of his Pharisee colleagues had done. Did not Moses say that a prophet...More Tuesday, March 26, 2024 In God’s Light The sun shall be no more thy light by day, neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee; but Jehovah shall be thine everlasting light. Isaiah 60:19 JND In God’s Light This descriptive prophecy will be fulfilled for Israel during the Millennium and for all saints in eternity. God’s thoughts have been from everlasting and they are to everlasting. In eternity there will be a nobler light—a peerless Sun—to supersede the need of all luminaries. There also, in John’s vision was “no need of the sun nor of the moon, that they should shine … for the glory of God has enlightened...More Monday, March 25, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (9) In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:13–14 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (9) The Christian hope finds security in the facts of Scripture and not in the feelings or emotions of the human heart. The Word of God helps us realize that our salvation is not based on anything we have done to be saved or anything we must do in order to stay saved....More Sunday, March 24, 2024 Our Substitute Who Himself bore our sins in His body on the tree, in order that, being dead to sins, we may live to righteousness: by whose stripes ye have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24 JND Our Substitute Christ was an example for us, for we are called to His path, and to follow His steps. The consideration of Christ in all the glory of His perfection cannot fail to have its effect on us, conforming our thoughts and ways to His. Yet even so, we are not as He was, for we have sins and He had none. We needed, therefore, the atoning sacrifice of which verse 24 speaks. He who did no sin “bore our sins in His body on...More Saturday, March 23, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (9)—Galatians But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. Galatians 6:14 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (9)—Galatians Galatians, written to the assemblies in the region of Galatia (possibly meaning “milky”), is an earnest remonstrance against the evil doctrine that works of law form the standard for a believer’s walk and conduct. Though saved by grace through faith, yet they had added law as the principle of maintaining their salvation. This mixture is abominable to God, the God of all...More Friday, March 22, 2024 Enoch (2)—Prophesying Judgment on the Ungodly Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” Jude 14–15 NKJV Enoch (2)—Prophesying Judgment on the Ungodly Enoch walked with God and pleased God. He did not die, for he had faith God would take him to Himself before the judgment that would come before the death of his son Methuselah....More Thursday, March 21, 2024 Enoch (1)—Walking With God Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he pleased God. Genesis 5:21–24 NKJV; Hebrews 11:5 NKJV Enoch (1)—Walking With God The patriarchs before the flood in Genesis 5 were descended from...More Wednesday, March 20, 2024 For the Glory of God Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31 NKJV For the Glory of God As a boy I worked for a Scottish shoemaker named Dan Mackay, a forthright Christian. It was my responsibility to pound leather for shoe soles. A piece of cowhide would be cut to suit, then soaked in water. I had a piece of iron over my knees and, with a flat-headed hammer, I pounded these soles until they were hard and dry. It seemed an endless operation, and I wearied of it many times. What made my task worse was the fact that, a block away, there was another shop, and in it sat a jolly, godless...More Tuesday, March 19, 2024 Nicodemus Comes to the Light (1)—His Confusion There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.” John 3:1–2 NKJV Nicodemus Comes to the Light (1)—His Confusion Historians tell us that there were only 6,000 Pharisees living in Judea during the time of Christ, a very small sect with an influence greater than their numbers would suggest. When reading the Gospels, they seem to be everywhere, but this is because they were interested in derailing the...More Monday, March 18, 2024 Truly God Is Good Truly God is good to Israel, to such as are pure in heart … It is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all Your works. Psalm 73:1, 28 NKJV Truly God Is Good Psalm 73 is a very honest psalm. The author, Asaph, tells us about the time he almost stopped following the Lord. He saw the arrogance of the wicked, envied their success, and wondered why they were permitted to prosper. Had he cleansed his heart in vain? He had troubles every day while the wicked seemed to be carefree (vv. 5, 13). But by the time he composed the psalm, Asaph had...More Sunday, March 17, 2024 Every Believer Is a Priest You also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:5 NKJV Every Believer Is a Priest Had we approached one of the sons of Aaron and asked him how he became a priest, he would doubtless have told us that it was, firstly, by his birth; and that, secondly, being born of the priestly family, he was put into the priest’s office by the washing of water, the sprinkling with blood, and the anointing with oil, as ordered in Exodus 29. We, too, are priests by birth. Being born of God, we...More Saturday, March 16, 2024 The Blessedness of Fearing God Joseph said to them … “I fear God.” Genesis 42:18 NKJV The Blessedness of Fearing God Joseph’s declaration was not just empty words; it was a reality in his life. It was not that he was afraid of God; it was that he respected God—no, it was more than that: he reverenced God. And this reverence was displayed throughout his life. It molded him and defined his life. Joseph knew that God was holy, and thus when tempted to sin, he resisted, saying, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?” (39:9). When placed in prison in very undesirable circumstances,...More Friday, March 15, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (8) For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. Therefore, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s. Romans 14:8 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (8) The hope that we possess as followers of Jesus Christ should have an impact on every area of our lives, including the way we view death. The apostle Paul could say, “For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). He could say this because he knew his hope was anchored to a Man in the glory who had secured his place in heaven, laying down His life for Paul and every single person who would put their faith in...More Thursday, March 14, 2024 David’s Mighty Men (6) Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains. 1 Chronicles 12:8 NKJV David’s Mighty Men (6) It took great courage to identify with someone who was fiercely pursued by King Saul. David had retreated to a stronghold in the wilderness, not a pleasant or attractive place. However, the men who joined David there were drawn to him because of love, as God moved their hearts. King...More Wednesday, March 13, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (8)—2 Corinthians For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (8)—2 Corinthians Second Corinthians deals, not with the order of the assembly, but with ministry in connection with the assembly—the manifestation in practical life and service of the Spirit’s presence in the assembly. Paul is himself the example of this self-denying labor, spending and being spent for the sake of the saints of God. His sufferings because of his...More Tuesday, March 12, 2024 Manasseh: The Old Testament Prodigal Son (5)—His Responsibility The living, the living man, he shall praise You, as I do this day; the father shall make known Your truth to the children. Isaiah 38:19 NKJV Manasseh: The Old Testament Prodigal Son (5)—His Responsibility The life history of Manasseh is a fascinating study; the lessons drawn from it reveal much about the character of both man and God. Man’s tendency toward sin and wickedness, and God’s abounding grace are on full display. We are thankful that Manasseh repented of his sin and was restored. If this had not been recorded for us, it would have left us with a dark picture indeed, and a dark...More Monday, March 11, 2024 Passing Time or Redeeming the Time? The world is passing, and its lust, but he that does the will of God abides for eternity. 1 John 2:17 JND Passing Time or Redeeming the Time? After the fall, the descendants of Cain tried to make their lives as pleasant as possible through possessions, music, and inventions of all kinds in order to be happy without God (Gen. 4). This very attitude is what still characterizes the world today. How many things people have invented in the last 6,000 years that distract them from focusing on what is linked with eternity! Just think of the explosive development of technology and means of...More Sunday, March 10, 2024 Christ’s Love for His Own Jesus, knowing that His hour had come that He should depart out of this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, loved them to the end. John 13:1 JND Christ’s Love for His Own The opening verse of chapter 13 is introductory to the last discourses of our Lord. The occasion was that at last, “His hour had come.” In the course of our Lord’s earthly path we have heard of other “hours.” At Cana of Galilee, He could say to His mother, “Mine hour has not yet come”—the hour of His manifestation in glory to the world. In John 5, we read, “An hour is coming, and...More Saturday, March 9, 2024 A Heart Full of Praise To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, pipe, lute … and all kinds of music, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up. Daniel 3:4–5 JND A Heart Full of Praise The special place given to the orchestra in Daniel 3 is very noticeable, as much so as in large worldly religious gatherings at the present time. It excites the emotions, and, thus working upon the feelings, gives people a sense of devotion, which after all may be very unreal. In the Old Testament, musical instruments were used...More Friday, March 8, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (7)—1 Corinthians But we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:23–24 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (7)—1 Corinthians Corinth means “satiated or satisfied.” The first letter to the Corinthians was written by Paul to correct the disorders allowed at Corinth in the early Church. This epistle lays down solid, practical principles of local assembly government and order, most necessary for the Church of God worldwide. This authoritative universal...More Thursday, March 7, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (7) He does not delight in the strength of the horse; He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man. The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him, in those who hope in His mercy. Psalm 147:10–11 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (7) Psalm 147 is a psalm of praise to our God for His infallible and unchanging Word, as well as His providence in the lives of His own. It is a psalm that reminds us that He is a God who “counts the number of the stars; He calls them all by name. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite. The Lord lifts up the humble; He casts the wicked down to the...More Wednesday, March 6, 2024 Speculations and Suppositions Then this saying went out among the brethren that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not say to him that he would not die, but, “If I will that he remain till I come, what is that to you?” This is the disciple who testifies of these things, and wrote these things; and we know that his testimony is true. And there are also many other things that Jesus did, which if they were written one by one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that would be written. Amen. John 21:23–25 NKJV Speculations and Suppositions The Lord Jesus had told Peter, “Follow Me.”...More Tuesday, March 5, 2024 Manasseh: The Old Testament Prodigal Son (4)—His Restoration Now the rest of the acts of Manasseh, his prayer to his God, and the words of the seers who spoke to him in the name of the Lord God of Israel, indeed they are written in the book of the kings of Israel. 2 Chronicles 33:18 NKJV Manasseh: The Old Testament Prodigal Son (4)—His Restoration After Manasseh repented, God brought him back to Jerusalem and restored him to his kingdom. It was then that the reality of God’s power and grace hit home to his heart: “Then Manasseh knew that the Lord was God” (v. 13). Repentance is an inward change in our soul’s view of our sin in light of...More Monday, March 4, 2024 All the Frankincense (2) He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. Leviticus 2:2 NKJV All the Frankincense (2) When we reach the end of the life of Christ and see the climax when one disciple sold Him for thirty pieces of silver, another cursed and swore he knew Him not, all forsook Him and fled, and the world nailed Him to a cross between two thieves, God showed to the universe how much He differed from all the thoughts of men by placing the crucified One on the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. The primary...More Sunday, March 3, 2024 All the Frankincense (1) He shall bring it to Aaron’s sons, the priests, one of whom shall take from it his handful of fine flour and oil with all the frankincense. Leviticus 2:2 NKJV All the Frankincense (1) Let the reader note particularly that “all the frankincense” was consumed on the altar. Why was this? Because frankincense typified the fragrance of Christ’s manhood as enjoyed exclusively by God Himself. There was that in Christ as a man down here, which only God could duly appreciate. Every thought, every look, every word, every movement, every act of “the Man Christ Jesus” emitted a fragrance which...More Saturday, March 2, 2024 The Fragments That Remain Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather up the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” John 6:11–12 NKJV The Fragments That Remain This chapter contains many beautiful threads which display the Lord’s sovereignty as well as His tenderness. When Jesus saw the crowd, He told Philip to provide food for them, knowing it was impossible; but “He Himself knew what He would do” (v. 6)....More Friday, March 1, 2024 David’s Mighty Men (5) These were the men who came to David at Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war. 1 Chronicles 12:1 NKJV David’s Mighty Men (5) It is amazing that the very first group of men who joined David came from King Saul’s own tribe of Benjamin. They risked their very lives because Saul was fiercely persecuting David. Obviously, David welcomed these men. He trained them to become his “mighty men” and “helpers in the war” as they realized that Saul not only persecuted David but was fighting against God. The choice...More Thursday, February 29, 2024 The Last Enemy For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 1 Corinthians 15:25-26 NKJV The Last Enemy Are you at times afraid of the last enemy, death? Do you see for yourself a dark shadow ahead over the terminating portals? When you first see the darkening portals, the promptings of nature may produce fear, but He says, "Do not be afraid" (Rev. 1:17). He knows that by His resurrection He has divested the grave of all its terrors. He has keys of death, and He will bear you through the portals of death into His presence....More Wednesday, February 28, 2024 The Valley of Baca Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. Psalm 84:6 KJV The Valley of Baca The valley of Baca, meaning "weeping," is a place of sorrow and humiliation, but one of blessing also. To Paul it was the thorn in the flesh, something that made him despicable in his ministry to the Galatians. It was truly humbling, and called forth from him a thrice-repeated prayer. But when he heard the Lord say, "My grace is sufficient for thee," he no longer pleaded for its removal. No, he rather gloried in his infirmity, that the power of Christ might be known....More Tuesday, February 27, 2024 Loving Obedience Rewarded Then a voice came from heaven, "You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him. A cloud came and overshadowed them; and a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!" Mark 1:11 NKJV; John 8:29 NKJV; Mark 9:7 NKJV Loving Obedience Rewarded The life of our Lord Jesus Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many (Mk. 10:45), was a life of willing obedience and suffering in its outward...More Monday, February 26, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (6) - Romans Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 3:24 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (6) - Romans Romans, meaning "strong ones," gives truth that stands at the foundation of Christianity. Here God is the Sovereign Judge, absolute in righteousness, discovering and exposing the sin of all mankind. He allows no excuse, spares no evil of whatever degree. All are shown to be "guilty before God" (3:19). Yet in pure righteousness also He offers complete justification from guilt, for this is based on "the redemption that is in Christ Jesus" (v. 24), who...More Sunday, February 25, 2024 The Memorial Which Christ Left to Us As often as ye shall eat this bread, and drink the cup, ye announce the death of the Lord, until He come. 1 Corinthians 11:26 JND The Memorial Which Christ Left to Us The institution of the Lord's Supper must be regarded, by every spiritual man, as a peculiarly touching proof of the Lord's gracious care and considerate love for His Church. From the time of its appointment until the present hour, it has been a steady, though silent, witness to a truth which the enemy has sought to corrupt and set aside: that redemption is an accomplished fact to be enjoyed by the weakest believer in...More Saturday, February 24, 2024 An Example of Worship Mary therefore, having taken a pound of ointment of pure nard of great price, anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair, and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. John 12:3 JND An Example of Worship Bethany may mean "house of affliction" or "house of response," but both were true of the house that was a home to the Lord Jesus there. Death had afflicted it, but now, following His gracious and powerful intervention in raising Lazarus, there was response: freehearted service from Martha, fellowship out of death with Lazarus, and...More Thursday, February 23, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (6) Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. John 14:1-3 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (6) The hope of a home in heaven awaits every true follower of Christ. Just before He went to the cross, the Lord Jesus promised His followers that He was going to go to prepare them a place. Then He went to the cross, and His finished work on that...More Wednesday, February 22, 2024 Manasseh: The Old Testament Prodigal Son (3)—His Repentance Now when he was in affliction, he implored the Lord his God, and humbled himself greatly before the God of his fathers. 2 Chronicles 33:12 NKJV Manasseh: The Old Testament Prodigal Son (3)—His Repentance The Lord had spoken to Manasseh and his followers, "but they would not listen" (v. 10). Manasseh was an influential character; he was not passive but active and energetic in evil, and many of his countrymen followed him. How little we realize the influence we may have upon others for good or for evil. God brought the king of Assyria to Israel who carried Manasseh off to a foreign...More Tuesday, February 21, 2024 Beware of Envy Laying aside envy. 1 Peter 2:1 NKJV Beware of Envy Envy is an insidious attitude that can creep into our hearts, so we must be aware of this possibility and be vigilant against it. If allowed to develop unjudged it can lead to murder. One wonders if envy was part of the motive behind Cain's killing of his brother. Abel's sacrifice was accepted by God while his was not. We do know that envy was the reason that the Lord was delivered up to Pilate, that He be crucified: "For [Pilate] knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy" (Mk. 15:10). Paul also suffered envy by the Jews who...More Monday, February 20, 2024 David Strengthened Himself in the Lord in His Distress David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 NKJV David Strengthened Himself in the Lord in His Distress The distress was very real for David. Lack of faith at a critical time had brought David and his men into an unholy alliance with the Philistines, and they were about to join battle with them against Israel, the people of God. This was something that God would not allow. In God's plan, He was using the Philistines as...More Sunday, February 19, 2024 Why the Gospel of John Was Written And truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:30-31 NKJV Why the Gospel of John Was Written These verses tell us why John's Gospel was written. Were three Gospels not enough? What could a fourth one add to what Matthew, Mark, and Luke had already covered? These inspired writers had written the Gospels we call by their names, and had doubtless been long with the Lord by the time John wrote his...More Saturday, February 18, 2024 Psalm 45 (3)—Christ's Love Myrrh and aloes, cassia, are all thy garments; out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad. Psalm 45:8 JND Psalm 45 (3)—Christ's Love The aloes, the central spice of the three, speaks of the love that lay behind all the suffering. It was more fragrant and prized than all other spices; nothing to be compared with it ever came out of the mysterious East. I found in an old dictionary the following account of it: "It was the inner wood, or heart, of a tree that grew in India, exceedingly fragrant, worth more than its weight in gold, and said to be a sovereign cordial for all...More Friday, February 17, 2024 Psalm 45 (2)—Christ's Glory Myrrh and aloes, cassia, are all thy garments; out of ivory palaces stringed instruments have made thee glad. Psalm 45:8 JND Psalm 45 (2)—Christ's Glory Christ is glorious as well as gracious (v. 2). His arrows are sharp in the heart of the King's enemies. He stands out in His glory above every name that is named. He will be triumphant over all that hate Him, even as He is tender to all who hear His voice and love Him. This also must be declared of Him, that we may know that His grace to us is not weakness. In His majesty, He will ride prosperously because of truth and meekness and...More Thursday, February 16, 2024 Psalm 45 (1)—Christ's Grace Thou art fairer than the sons of men; grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Psalm 45:2 JND Psalm 45 (1)—Christ's Grace Christ's claim to our love has a triple basis: He claims us because He can meet all our needs by His grace; He claims us because of what He is in His own glorious person; and He claims us because of the love that He has for us, love that led Him into the deep suffering of death on our behalf. Psalm 45 declares these three great things, and though this psalm may have the earthly bride in view in the coming glorious Millennium, yet we...More Wednesday, February 15, 2024 David's Mighty Men (4) Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who had done many deeds. He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 1 Chronicles 11:22 NKJV David's Mighty Men (4) The name Benaiah means "Yah has built up," and his father Jehoiada, "Yahweh knows." He was from Kabzeel ("God gathers"), a town in southern Judah and close to Edom. Our text says that he "had done many deeds" or was "a doer of great deeds" (esv). He had struck down two heroes of Moab and a lion in a pit on a snowy day. Benaiah was an...More Tuesday, February 14, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (5)—Acts With great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (5)—Acts The Acts of the Apostles or, as sometimes called, the Acts of the Holy Spirit, is a history of the way in which divine wisdom ordered events to gradually lead people out from God's previously established dispensation of law into the full liberty of the dispensation of the grace of God. The power and working of the Holy Spirit is beautifully seen here, as the apostles are used by God to establish Christianity. The...More Monday, February 13, 2024 Manasseh: The Old Testament Prodigal Son (2)—His Rebellion The Lord spoke to Manasseh and his people, but they would not listen. 2 Chronicles 33:10 NKJV Manasseh: The Old Testament Prodigal Son (2)—His Rebellion Manasseh came to the throne at the tender age of twelve years after the death of his father, Hezekiah. Whatever godly influence his father may have had upon him was quickly forgotten. Perhaps the guardians overseeing Manasseh led him into the paths of wickedness—we are not told. He worshiped the host of heaven, caused his sons "to pass through the fire" (the worship of Molech), practiced witchcraft and sorcery, and "filled Jerusalem...More Sunday, February 12, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (5) Behold! My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My soul is well pleased! I will put My Spirit upon Him, and He will declare justice to the Gentiles. He will not quarrel nor cry out, nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and smoking flax He will not quench, till He sends forth justice to victory; and in His name Gentiles will trust. Matthew 12:18-21 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (5) These verses quoted from the prophet Isaiah remind us clearly that true hope is found in no one else but the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus came that mankind might...More Saturday, February 11, 2024 Enjoying Even While Not Fully Comprehending You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9 NKJV Enjoying Even While Not Fully Comprehending We know this grace, yet we must confess we know only a little of its depth. A little child hears his parents tell him that Jesus died for him on the cross. He hears what his parents say, he knows he has done wrong things, has been bad, and in simplicity he asks Jesus to forgive his sins and save him. He has never come into personal contact with death. He has never known...More Friday, February 10, 2024 Trust or Mistrust? A Lesson From Paradise You are good, and do good. Psalm 119:68 NKJV Trust or Mistrust? A Lesson From Paradise About 6,000 years ago, God placed Adam and Eve in a wonderful environment in paradise where they lacked nothing. But although they had the loving care of their Creator before their eyes every day, they doubted His love for them and consciously decided to act against His will. They wanted to be on the same level as God—to be like Him—and to make their decisions independently of Him. Does this sound familiar to you? Is it not often the case that we fear that God wants to withhold from us what we...More Thursday, February 9, 2024 The God of Second Chances The word of Jehovah came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go to Nineveh, the great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I shall bid thee. Jonah 3:1-2 JND The God of Second Chances Initially, Jonah refused to do what he knew to be the will of God. Has that not been true of all of us? But God brought Jonah to his senses and delivered him! If people would only accept the work of the Lord Jesus Christ for their salvation, how soon they would experience deliverance from bitter lives. Jonah finally remembered the Lord and "prayed unto Jehovah his God out of the fish's belly ...More Wednesday, February 8, 2024 Luke's Service (2) [Paul] decided to return through Macedonia But we sailed away from Philippi and in five days joined them at Troas, where we stayed seven days And when we had come to Jerusalem, the brethren received us gladly It was decided that we should sail to Italy And so we went toward Rome. Acts 20:3, 6; 21:17; 27:1; 28:14 NKJV Luke's Service (2) Based on Acts 16:8-40, we believe Luke left Troas, likely his home town, to visit Philippi with Paul. He evidently stayed to help the believers there when Paul traveled onward. Now, in Acts 20:3-6, it seems Luke rejoined Paul when he later passed through...More Tuesday, February 7, 2024 Luke's Service (1) So passing by Mysia, they came down to Troas. And a vision appeared to Paul in the night Now after he had seen the vision, immediately we sought to go to Macedonia, concluding that the Lord had called us to preach the gospel to them. Acts 16:8-10 NKJV Luke's Service (1) During Paul's second missionary journey, he, Silas, and Timothy stopped in Troas. When Paul had a vision of a Macedonian man seeking help, it was received as the Lord's direction for their travels. But here now is an interesting moment in the book of Acts. Whereas verse 8 says "they" came to Troas, verse 10 says "we" decided to...More Monday, February 6, 2024 The Glory of God And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me the great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God. Her light was like a most precious stone, like a jasper stone, clear as crystal. Revelation 21:10-11 NKJV The Glory of God First, we are to enter into the glory of God; for us it is the Father's house, and we are made meet for it by the Father's grace and the blood of Jesus. And then we are to come out of it all radiant with the light that fills it, to shed that light upon the earth during the millennial reign of Christ....More Sunday, February 5, 2024 Manasseh: The Old Testament Prodigal Son (1)—His Roots Manasseh was twelve years old when he became king, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. But he did evil in the sight of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 33:1-2 NKJV Manasseh: The Old Testament Prodigal Son (1)—His Roots Manasseh was only twelve years old when he became King of Judah. His father, King Hezekiah, was one of the godliest kings to have ever reigned over Judah, instituting many reforms to the nation, and purging it from idolatry. After these things, Hezekiah became sick. The sickness was unto death, and God told him, "Set your house in order" (2 Ki. 20:1). Hezekiah prayed that the...More Saturday, February 4, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (4)—John And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (4)—John John, meaning "Jehovah is gracious giver," is a Gospel unique in its majestic glory. Here the Lord Jesus is manifested as the Creator Himself, the eternal, only-begotten, unique Son of God, sent from the Father to fully reveal His glory. This is much more than authority, service, or grace, but the light and love of the eternal God. He, a divine Person, is here the object of our adoring...More Friday, February 3, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (4) Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (4) Hope is emphasized throughout the book of Hebrews. Our hope is anchored in heaven in Christ who, as the forerunner, has sat down at the right hand of God (6:18-20). We are presently looking for Him to return, and we are looking for a city that is yet to come (9:28; 13:14). Our eyes are to be fixed on Christ who is our Hope (12:1-2). In our text today, we are told to hold fast the confession of our hope, without wavering. The idea of holding fast is...More Thursday, February 2, 2024 David's Mighty Men (3) Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of another three. He had lifted up his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three. 1 Chronicles 11:20 NKJV David's Mighty Men (3) Abishai means "my father is Jesse" or "my father is a gift," and his mother was one of David's sisters (1 Chr. 2:13-16). Jesse was David's father and Abishai was one of Jesse's grandsons. Abishai was the most renowned of David's thirty mighty men, but he was not one of the first three (11:21). Abishai's younger brother, the fast runner Asahel, was killed by Saul's general (2 Sam....More Wednesday, February 1, 2024 Citizens of Heaven Our commonwealth has its existence in the heavens, from which also we await the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 3:20 JND Citizens of Heaven Everybody says that a Christian citizen should be interested in the government of the country to which he belongs, and ought to vote, so as to help to put good men in power. God says differently; in many places and ways He tells me that, as His child, I am not a citizen of any country, or a member of any society; my citizenship is in heaven, and I have henceforth to do with heavenly things; the cross of Christ has crucified me to the world, and the world to me;...More Tuesday, January 31, 2024 Misjudged and Falsely Accused When His own people heard about this, they went out to lay hold of Him, for they said, "He is out of His mind." And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, "He has Beelzebub," and, "By the ruler of the demons He casts out demons." "Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?" So they were offended at Him. Even His brothers did not believe in Him. Mark 3:21-22 NKJV; Mark 6:3 NKJV; John 7:5 NKJV Misjudged and Falsely Accused Think of what it must have been for the Boy Jesus to grow...More Monday, January 30, 2024 The Lord Jesus and the Outcast Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water." John 4:10 NKJV The Lord Jesus and the Outcast What blessing is thus in preparation for this poor outcast! None other than an outcast could know it. But such must also know that the source of this blessing is not in themselves. And this the Samaritan learns. She is made to know herself, to look well around on all things that she ever did (v. 39). Her conscience is dismayed: "The one whom you now have is not your...More

Saturday, January 28, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (3)—Luke He said to them, "Why are you troubled? And why do doubts arise in your hearts? Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." Luke 24:38-39 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (3)—Luke Luke, meaning "a light," is the only known Gentile inspired to write Scripture. Here Christ is presented beautifully as "the Son of Man." Every part of the book combines to set forth the reality and perfection of His manhood. Here we have His birth announced and described, His increasing in wisdom and stature, His accessibility...More Friday, January 27, 2024 Holy and Without Blame Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love. Ephesians 1:4 NKJV Holy and Without Blame The character of God Himself is depicted in that which is ascribed to the saints. God could find His moral delight only in Himself and in that which morally resembles Him. Indeed this is a universal principle. An honest man can find no satisfaction in a man who does not resemble him in this respect. With still greater reason, God could not endure that which is in opposition to His holiness since, in the activity of His nature, He must...More Thursday, January 26, 2024 The Shepherd Psalm You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Psalm 23:5 NKJV The Shepherd Psalm David, the sweet psalmist of Israel, who wrote this beautiful psalm, had many wonderful experiences while tending his father's sheep. The Spirit of God uses these incidents to illustrate spiritual lessons. The reason David gleaned such rich, practical lessons from his experiences was because he went through these experiences with the Lord. He was aware of the Lord's presence with him during all that time that he was alone in the fields of Judah, keeping his...More Wednesday, January 25, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (3) Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began. Titus 1:1-2 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (3) What does your hope rest on? According to our verse, the believer's hope rests on the eternal life promised us as it is found in the Lord Jesus Christ. But let us examine this hope a bit more closely. It is based on several things. First, it is based on God Himself, on His Person. You and I have a hope given to us through the promises of a God who is, who was, and who always will...More Tuesday, January 24, 2024 When There Is Discouragement Ahab told Jezebel all that Elijah had done, and in detail how he had slain all the prophets with the sword And [Elijah] went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a certain broom-bush, and requested for himself that he might die; and said, It is enough: now, Jehovah, take my life; for I am not better than my fathers. 1 Kings 19:1, 4 JND When There Is Discouragement After Elijah had a mighty victory for the Lord at Carmel, Queen Jezebel threatened him with execution and he, discouraged and disheartened, ran away to a desolate place. He sat under the broom-bush and asked...More Monday, January 23, 2024 The Fulfillment of Our Faith And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." And he was called the friend of God. James 2:23 NKJV The Fulfillment of Our Faith Abraham is a frequent model of faith in the Scriptures. Besides the verse above from James, the epistles of Romans, Galatians, and Hebrews all highlight the fact that Abraham believed God. The Old Testament reference quoted here comes from Genesis 15, when God promised Abraham that his descendants would one day be as numerous as the stars of heaven. Even though Abraham did not have even one child at the...More Sunday, January 22, 2024 Confidence in God He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Matthew 13:58 NKJV Confidence in God We have little idea of how much we lose by our lack of simple confidence in God. Unbelief ever hinders the display of divine power and goodness. This holds good in our individual history every day. God will not show Himself if our unbelief fills the field of vision with other objects. It must be God alone from first to last. "My soul, wait silently for God alone Trust in Him at all times"(Ps. 62:5, 8). Such is the language of faith: "God alone" and "at all times." This is the ground, the solid...More Saturday, January 21, 2024 God's Food: Sweet Aroma Offerings Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, "Command the children of Israel ‘My offering, My food for My offerings made by fire as a sweet aroma to Me, you shall be careful to offer to Me at their appointed time the one lamb you shall offer in the morning, the other lamb you shall offer in the evening, and one-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a grain offering mixed with one-fourth of a hin of pressed oil its drink offering shall be one-fourth of a hin for each lamb.'" Numbers 28:1-7 NKJV God's Food: Sweet Aroma Offerings We customarily eat our meals at certain times of the day. What a...More Friday, January 20, 2024 Pilgrims in the World (2) Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation. Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's sake. 1 Peter 2:11-13 NKJV Pilgrims in the World (2) Peter was writing to the pilgrims of the dispersion, Jewish believers spread abroad through distant lands. They truly, physically, were pilgrims, and yet he admonishes them to have this attitude...More Thursday, January 19, 2024 Pilgrims in the World (1) By faith Abraham, being called, obeyed to go out and went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he sojourned as a stranger in the land of promise as a foreign country, having dwelt in tents. Hebrews 11:8-9 JND Pilgrims in the World (1) A friend was called by the Lord to leave Scotland to serve in Newfoundland Canada, where they did so for several years. Over the next 30 years, he and his family were moved by the Lord to a number of different places in Canada for His service. They never bought a house as they did not want to be restricted but rather free to move wherever and whenever the...More Wednesday, January 18, 2024 The Value of Christ's Name For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20 NKJV The Value of Christ's Name In Matthew 18, verses 19 and 20, the Lord brings things down to the smallest possible plurality, showing that the potency of prayer and of church action does not depend upon numbers but upon His Name. In the case of the little child and the kingdom, the important point was "in My name" (v. 5). In the case of the brother and the church, again, "in [or, unto] My name" is the decisive thing. The whole weight of authority lies there. Verse 20 is sometimes...More Tuesday, January 17, 2024 David's Mighty Men (2) Three of the thirty chief men went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. 1 Chronicles 11:15-16 NKJV David's Mighty Men (2) How depressing it was that the Philistines had occupied Bethlehem, David's birthplace, and even made it their garrison. In this context "David said longingly, ‘Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!' Then the three mighty men broke through the...More Monday, January 16, 2024 The Dependent Life I am come that they might have life, and might have it abundantly. John 10:10 JND The Dependent Life The Lord Jesus once said to His disciples, "Without Me ye can do nothing" (Jn. 15:5). With this statement He makes it clear that there is only one way we can bear fruit for God: if we remain in Him, the true Vine. But what does this actually mean in practice? How can this be implemented in daily life? How would you answer this question? Dependence means to be dependent on someone. The word often has a negative connotation for us, because we like to be independent and do not want to be restricted in...More Sunday, January 15, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (2) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you. 1 Peter 1:3-4 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (2) Peter opens his first epistle by informing us that new birth provides every believer with a living hope through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. What does this living hope bring us into? Romans 8:17 reminds us that we are "heirs of God" and this truth is...More Saturday, January 14, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (2)—Mark For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many. Mark 10:45 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (2)—Mark Mark, meaning "a defense," gives a brief, energetic account of the service of the Lord Jesus Christ, for he portrays Him as the perfect Servant of God. His language is direct and simple, and his description of events is in chronological order, the order in which they actually happened. None of the other Gospel writers follows this order, but each uses an order that is appropriate to his particular theme. The lowliness and unwearying...More Friday, January 13, 2024 Laboring and Witnessing for Christ in the World This is the service of the sons of Kohath in the tabernacle of meeting, relating to the most holy things: When the camp prepares to journey, Aaron and his sons shall come, and they shall take down the covering veil and cover the ark of the Testimony with it. Then they shall put on it a covering of badger skins, and spread over that a cloth entirely of blue; and they shall insert its poles. Numbers 4:4-6 NKJV Laboring and Witnessing for Christ in the World Read Numbers 4:1-15. Although different from one another, the functions of the Kohathites, the Gershonites, and the Merarites were all in...More Thursday, January 12, 2024 Human Love Pales in Comparison to God's Love Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. Matthew 19:29 NKJV Human Love Pales in Comparison to God's Love Our Lord Jesus assembles into this one verse a group of the tenderest of earthly relationships. But, human affection falls far short of the depth and intensity of His love. Are you solitary and desolate? Has bereavement severed earthly ties and sundered your closest links of earthly affection? Our Lord Jesus is One whose presence and fellowship can compensate...More Wednesday, January 11, 2024 The Moral Power of Christ's Appearing Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13 NKJV The Moral Power of Christ's Appearing Reader, permit me to ask you if, when the subject of Christ's appearing is introduced, you ever feel a sort of difficulty or reserve in your mind? Would you be afraid to see Jesus? Would you rather put off the moment of His coming? Do you feel yourself not quite ready? If so, it may be you are not yet able to "read your title clear" or you are not cultivating a spiritual capacity, or your moral condition is not such as would naturally introduce you to...More Tuesday, January 10, 2024 Gleaning From God's Word in the Morning In the morning you shall be filled with bread there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance And Moses said to them, "This is the bread which the Lord has given you to eat." Exodus 16:12, 14-15 NKJV Gleaning From God's Word in the Morning It has pleased the Lord to teach me the truth that the first great and ordinary business to which I ought to attend every day is to have my soul happy in the Lord. If I am not happy in the Lord and not being nourished and strengthened in my inner man day by day, the things I do to serve the Lord might not be done in the right spirit. I...More Monday, January 9, 2024 Two Women—Two Wonderful Gifts! Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood. But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why do you trouble her? She has done a good work for Me She has done what she could. She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Mark 12:43-44 NKJV; Mark 14:6, 8 NKJV Two Women—Two Wonderful Gifts! The poor widow the Lord Jesus is commending in the first passage was desperately poor. All she had was two of the very...More Sunday, January 8, 2024 Forever Safe The Lord is my shepherd. Psalm 23:1 NKJV Forever Safe On this sentence hangs every blessing in Psalm 23, and they are many. But notice, it is not, "The Lord is the Shepherd," but "The Lord is my Shepherd"; it is a personal matter, deeply and exclusively personal. A young man said to me one day, "I don't like the personal way you put things." "And that is the reason you are not saved," was my answer. If you cannot say, "The Lord is my Shepherd," you are not saved. You do not know Him, and you are not a disciple of His. How can you come into this? A girl was very ill, and greatly troubled...More Saturday, January 7, 2024 Indifference to Christ Where two or three are gathered together unto My name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:20 JND Indifference to Christ Those wholehearted for Christ desire to be in His company. They instinctively make their way to where He is known to be. Is this possible? Yes, "Where two or three are gathered together unto My name." No one who is truly conscious of the greatness and excellency of His Person, and the blessedness of communion with Him, would be willingly absent there. A neglected Lord's Table, and prayer meeting, speak aloud of the Laodicean state of the heart. Of old, "they...More Friday, January 6, 2024 Living a Life of Hope (1) No king is saved by the multitude of an army; a mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him. Psalm 33:16-18 NKJV Living a Life of Hope (1) Where do you turn for hope? Maybe we should ask the question, what do we really mean by the word hope? What is hope? Webster's dictionary defines hope as, "to cherish a desire with anticipation, to want something to happen, to trust." But when hope is used in Scripture, it means so much more than this. In the Bible, hope...More Thursday, January 5, 2024 Fervent Prayer Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. Acts 12:5 KJV Fervent Prayer At least ten times, the Book of Acts mentions the collective prayer of first-century believers. Here, Acts 12 describes their united prayer for Peter, whose death at the hands of Herod seemed imminent. Four characteristics of that prayer meeting are helpful. First, their prayer was without ceasing. Other translations use the term "fervent" or "earnest" to give the sense of a Greek word that means "stretched out" or "at full tension." This was not a time of...More Wednesday, January 4, 2024 David's Mighty Men (1) [Eleazar] was with David at Pasdammim. Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle, and there was a piece of ground full of barley. So the people fled from the Philistines. 1 Chronicles 11:13 NKJV David's Mighty Men (1) Chronicles uses the term mighty men more often than do other books of the Bible. One of David's "three mighty men" (v. 12) was Eleazar, whose name means "God has helped." Many soldiers were fleeing for fear of the Philistines, but this man stayed put and defended a field full of barley. Why? Food for God's people must be kept out of enemy control. This mighty man learned...More Tuesday, January 3, 2024 The New Testament in Brief (1)—Matthew Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matthew 11:29-30 NKJV The New Testament in Brief (1)—Matthew Matthew, meaning "gift of Jehovah," the first book of the New Testament, is written from a Jewish point of view, and preserves admirable continuity with the Old Testament. It presents the Lord Jesus Christ as the long sought Messiah of Israel, as their King. His genealogy therefore is traced to David and Abraham. This genealogy is that of Joseph. It therefore establishes...More Monday, January 2, 2024 By Faith I call God to witness upon my soul that to spare you I have not yet come to Corinth. Not that we rule over your faith, but are fellow-workmen of your joy: for by faith ye stand. 2 Corinthians 1:23-24 JND By Faith Paul had no wish to come among the Corinthians only to find himself bound to act in severity by reason of sin and grave disorder still being found in their midst. Hence he had waited until he had news of the effect of the earlier epistle he had written to them. He hoped for better things. It was not that he assumed dominion over their faith, but rather that he was just a "helper," or...More

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