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The LORD is near Daily Devotional for 2025

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Sunday, August 31, 2025 A Faithful Shepherd Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen. Hebrews 13:20–21 ???? A Faithful Shepherd How full and appropriate is this lovely closing prayer of the Epistle to the Hebrews! For these troubled Hebrew believers, there was a God of peace. He had laid the firm foundation of peace in raising from among the dead this One whose heart...More Saturday, August 30, 2025 Believing God’s Words 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 ???? Believing God’s Words Noah saw things from God’s perspective. He was not led by what was popular, or his favorite thing to do, but by what God told him to do. Today, God speaks to us through the complete Word of God, inspired and written by the Spirit of God, using about forty human authors. God regretted what He had made because of humanity’s...More Friday, August 29, 2025 The Magnitude of Our Sin My iniquities have gone over my head; like a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. Cain said to the L???, “My punishment is greater than I can bear!” Psalm 38:4 ????; Genesis 4:13 ???? The Magnitude of Our Sin Before God we are all guilty sinners, and this sin condemns us and sets us at a distance from Him. The greatness of our sin is not only in the number of sins, but in the seriousness of even just a single one. One sin is enough to pronounce a death sentence, and one sin is too much for us to pay the penalty for. Having a sense of guilt is different than realizing...More Thursday, August 28, 2025 Sanctified for Obedience Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. 1 Peter 1:1–2 ???? Sanctified for Obedience All believers have been positionally set apart by the Holy Spirit of God. Positional sanctification refers to the objective fact that God takes a sinner and makes him or her His unique child. He sets believers apart as His special people. The use of...More Wednesday, August 27, 2025 The Sinner’s Friend And behold, a woman in the city who was a sinner … brought an alabaster flask of fragrant oil, and stood at His feet behind Him weeping; and she began to wash His feet with her tears. Luke 7:37–38 ???? The Sinner’s Friend The first great truth that dawns upon the soul as we come into the place of blessing is that He is greater than our sins. It was this that the sinner of the city discovered in Luke 7:36–50. It is more than likely that this tired woman had heard the words of the Lord and, attracted by them, had followed Him to Simon’s house. Should she enter it? What right had she to do...More Tuesday, August 26, 2025 A Walled Garden A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed. Song of Songs 4:12 ???? A Walled Garden Solomon composed a beautiful song, though we may have to admit that we find some of its details difficult to understand. It portrays the relations between Jehovah and Israel, but surely we can apply it to ourselves as God’s heavenly people whom the Lord Jesus loves, and from whom He yearns for a response (Song 2:14). Often, successive passages of Scripture look at the same subject from various angles rather than presenting it in a single line of truth. So it is here:...More Monday, August 25, 2025 The Real Hindrance My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you. Galatians 4:19 ???? The Real Hindrance Worldliness is a terrible hindrance to the saint. We have the threefold opposition: the world, the flesh, and the devil. The world is opposed to the Father, as the flesh opposes the Spirit, and the devil opposes Christ. The difficulty lies in not maintaining nearness to Christ, which the world would come in and hinder. Then I am open to all sorts of error, for I shall not take the trouble to be right if I am not near Christ. It is very troublesome and disagreeable...More Sunday, August 24, 2025 Tools and Steps (2) An altar of earth shalt thou make unto Me, and shalt sacrifice on it thy burnt-offerings, and thy peace-offerings, thy sheep and thine oxen: in all places where I shall make My name to be remembered, I will come unto thee, and bless thee. Exodus 20:24 ??? Tools and Steps (2) At the time of receiving the Ten Commandments, Moses received other regulations for the people in connection with altars (Ex. 20:25–26). They were to be made of stone and without any tool being used. They were to be very simple with no steps up to the place of sacrifice. Man’s innovations were set aside. Man was not to be...More Saturday, August 23, 2025 Tools and Steps (1) If you make Me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stone; for if you use your tool on it, you have profaned it. Nor shall you go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it. Exodus 20:25–26 ???? Tools and Steps (1) When we read the regulations of the law given to the people of Israel, it can seem a bit distant and removed from us; besides, theologically speaking, we are not “under the law” at all. From this we could easily conclude that we should ignore these Old Testament texts altogether—they are not about us. But if not everything is about us, it...More Friday, August 22, 2025 Jesus Christ Our Lord He said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Luke 23:42 ???? Jesus Christ Our Lord Just as we worship Christ, so also we pray to Him as Lord. There are two striking examples of this principle recorded in the Scriptures. When Stephen was martyred by the infuriated Jews, it is said, “And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit’” (Acts 7:59). Paul, too, speaking of the thorn in the flesh, says, “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, ‘My grace...More Thursday, August 21, 2025 Obedience Brings Blessings to Others Now by this I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of the L??? in your mouth is the truth. 1 Kings 17:24 ???? Obedience Brings Blessings to Others We often remember Elijah as a prophet of judgment because of the fact that he prayed for rain to stop and fire to come down from heaven. But this is probably an oversimplification. One trait that is worth underlining, despite his moment of great discouragement, is his obedience. The Lord told him to go to the Brook Cherith, and then to Zarephath, where a widow would maintain him. His obedience not only kept him safe, but also brought...More Wednesday, August 20, 2025 The Rulers Are Coming to Nothing However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 1 Corinthians 2:6 ???? The Rulers Are Coming to Nothing This really is a tremendous indictment! The supreme Lord of glory was condemned to a death of supreme degradation and shame, and that not so much by the ignorant rabble as by the rulers of this age. The very superscription on His cross was written in letters of Greek and Latin and Hebrew. The Greeks were incontestably the intellectual rulers of the age. The Romans were the rulers in matters of military...More Tuesday, August 19, 2025 Every Day With God 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. Genesis 5:22–24 ???? Every Day With God Enoch belonged to the seventh generation from Adam, whereas Noah was part of the tenth generation. Many years later, God called Abram—later Abraham—to leave Ur of the Chaldeans. The patriarch was part of the twentieth generation since Adam. As far as we are concerned, so many generations later, may we also please our Lord until He...More Monday, August 18, 2025 Elect Pilgrims Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father … Grace to you and peace be multiplied. 1 Peter 1:1–2 ???? Elect Pilgrims As Peter begins his letter to those dispersed Christians who were scattered throughout the Roman empire, he reminds them that they were “elect according to the foreknowledge of God.” The word “elect” in the Greek text comes before the word “pilgrims.” Their status before God is stressed: they are God’s elect pilgrims. Their salvation...More Sunday, August 17, 2025 His Own Blood (3) And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood. Revelation 1:5 ???? His Own Blood (3) This verse presents three distinct glories of our Lord. First, He was and is the Faithful Witness. In particular, we believe that this has in view His life. When He was here, His life was a faithful witness to His Father. He revealed the Father through His words and works. He witnessed to the truth (Jn. 18:37). He was faithful in every situation, in season and out of...More Saturday, August 16, 2025 Ruth the Gleaner (3) She gleaned in the field until evening, and beat out what she had gleaned, and it was about an ephah of barley. Ruth 2:17 ???? Ruth the Gleaner (3) Ruth was persevering. She was not diligent one day and slothful the next; she kept with the maidens of Boaz to glean until the end of the barley harvest and of the wheat harvest. Day after day she gleaned until the end of both the barley and the wheat harvest (Ruth 2:23). The Bereans were specially commended not simply for searching the Scriptures, but because they did so daily (Acts 17:11). It is easy to be diligent for one day, but to be diligent day...More Friday, August 15, 2025 Ruth the Gleaner (2) Please let me glean and gather after the reapers among the sheaves. Ruth 2:7 ???? Ruth the Gleaner (2) How is it we have been such poor gleaners? Is it not that gleaning demands conditions with which we are not always prepared to comply? This becomes manifest as we note the qualities that made Ruth such an excellent gleaner. Ruth was marked by a spirit of humility and subjection. She says to Naomi, “Please let me go,” and again she says to the servant, “Please let me glean.” She did not act independently of others who were older and more experienced than herself. She did not...More Thursday, August 14, 2025 Ruth the Gleaner (1) Then [Ruth] left, and went and gleaned in the field after the reapers. Ruth 2:3 ???? Ruth the Gleaner (1) Ruth is presented here as a gleaner. But what is the spiritual significance of gleaning? We must remember that the first chapter ends by telling us that it was “the beginning of barley harvest.” Naomi and Ruth found themselves in the midst of plenty. But however plentiful the harvest, unless gathered in it will be useless to feed the hungry. The reapers and the gleaners must do their work or otherwise they will starve in the midst of plenty. By gleaning, Ruth appropriated for her own need,...More Wednesday, August 13, 2025 A Serious Question He said to them, “How can they say that the Christ is the Son of David? Now David himself said in the Book of Psalms: ‘The L??? said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.”’ Therefore David calls Him ‘Lord’; how is He then his Son?” Luke 20:41–44 ???? A Serious Question With simplicity and purity of wisdom the Lord Jesus had silenced the questioning of the chief priests, scribes, and Sadducees. Now He Himself asks a question of most vital consequence which they are unable to answer, but which they ought to have known from their Old Testament...More Tuesday, August 12, 2025 The Heavenly Land The land which you go to possess is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come, where you sowed your seed and watered it by foot, as a vegetable garden; but the land which you cross over to possess is a land of hills and valleys, which drinks water from the rain of heaven. Deuteronomy 11:10–11 ???? The Heavenly Land These words are part of Jehovah’s exhortation to the people of Israel to “be strong, and go in and possess” Canaan (Dt. 11:8). It was a very different land from the one they had left. Egypt was a flat, dry country where they had to irrigate their crops by...More Monday, August 11, 2025 That They May Be With Me I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am. John 17:24 ???? That They May Be With Me Looking at David’s desire to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life (Ps. 27:4) is an encouraging lesson for us. How wonderful to have our heart’s affections directed to the Lord. The truth is, though, this aspiration is only possible because Christ first desired to have us with Him. The verse for today follows the same formula we read in John’s first epistle: “we love Him because He first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19). Consider what the Lord is saying by...More Sunday, August 10, 2025 His Own Blood (2) Wherefore also Jesus, that He might sanctify the people by His own blood, suffered without the gate. Hebrews 13:12 ??? His Own Blood (2) Our verse tells us that Jesus has sanctified His people by His own blood. Sanctification is a subject in Scripture that is often misunderstood. To be sanctified means to be set apart; it is related to the word “holy.” There is a positional once-for-all sanctification, which our verse speaks about, and there is the practical sanctification in which we are learning more every day what pleases our Father and the Lord Jesus. In this verse, we read that...More Saturday, August 9, 2025 Prayer From the Heart So I prayed to the God of heaven. Nehemiah 2:4 ???? Prayer From the Heart A story is told about an English preacher of the 1600s named Thomas Watson. On a certain occasion, a well-known bishop joined the audience as Watson preached. The bishop enjoyed the message so much that he went to Watson’s home afterward to thank him for it. In particular, the bishop had been touched by the preacher’s closing prayer, and he earnestly asked Watson to give him a copy of it. “Alas! that is what I cannot give,” Thomas Watson replied. “It was no studied thing, but uttered as God enabled me from the...More Friday, August 8, 2025 Pilgrims in the World Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 1 Peter 1:1–2 ???? Pilgrims in the World The apostle Peter writes this letter to believers who are living in a hostile world—hostile to those who desire to live for Christ. Even though they are scattered across the region, Peter wants them to realize their position in Christ. He calls them pilgrims, meaning those who do not belong, who are only passing through, who are not home but are in a foreign land. He wanted them to be aware of the fact that their...More Thursday, August 7, 2025 Two Seeds Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” And as for Seth, to him also a son was born; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the name of the L???. Genesis 4:25–26 ???? Two Seeds The first human being born in this world, sadly, became the first murderer. We are talking about Cain, the firstborn son of Adam and Eve. What happened? His younger brother Abel had become a farmer and had a flock. Cain offered to God the best of the fruit he had cultivated, working hard because of...More Wednesday, August 6, 2025 The Smallest Matters Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 1 Corinthians 6:2 ???? The Smallest Matters The Corinthian saints ought to have really known that “the saints will judge the world.” This fact had been stated in the Old Testament: “The Ancient of Days came, and judgment was made in favor of the saints of the Most High, and the time came for the saints to possess the kingdom” (Dan. 7:22). Had they really known it they would not have dragged one another into heathen law courts. If we really know it,...More Tuesday, August 5, 2025 Hold Fast Behold, I am coming quickly! Hold fast what you have, that no one may take your crown. Revelation 3:11 ???? Hold Fast It is not simply “a crown” that they are in danger of losing, but “your crown,” their own distinguishing crown. The distinction of the Philadelphians is that they cherish the truths concerning Christ and the Church in a day when, on every hand, these truths are denied. Having returned to the apprehension and practice of the truths concerning Christ and the Church, their ever-present danger is that they may surrender these truths and be drawn aside into the surrounding...More Monday, August 4, 2025 Time to Be Awake He who gathers in summer is a wise son; he who sleeps in harvest is a son who causes shame. A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest; so shall your poverty come like a prowler, and your need like an armed man. Proverbs 10:5 ????; Proverbs 24:33–34 ???? Time to Be Awake From these verses we understand that now is not the time for us to be at ease; now is the time to work. Today, by God’s mercy, it is still the day of grace, and His desire is that none perish but that all come to repentance (2 Pet. 3:9). We know that the Lord is coming soon, and when He...More Sunday, August 3, 2025 His Own Blood (1) Nor by blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, [Christ] has entered in once for all into the holy of holies, having found an eternal redemption. Hebrews 9:12 ??? His Own Blood (1) Three times in the New Testament we are told that the Lord Jesus shed “His own blood.” The priests of Israel in the Old Testament were continually bringing the blood of animals into the tabernacle and later the temple. No priest ever presented his own blood before God. Even if this was possible, the blood of Aaron and his sons was tainted by sin. In these pictures and types in the Old Testament, Aaron had to...More Saturday, August 2, 2025 Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (7)—The Prodigal Son I will arise and go to my father, and will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Make me like one of your hired servants.” Luke 15:18–19 ???? Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (7)—The Prodigal Son In the well-known story of the prodigal son, we see a perfect example of the awakened sinner. While the prodigal’s stomach was gnawing with hunger in the pigsty of the far country, “he came to himself.” He came to himself before he came to his father. This is the true nature of biblical...More Friday, August 1, 2025 A Storm Is Coming He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness. Acts 17:31 ???? A Storm Is Coming On a certain day, I sat on my back porch enjoying the crisp morning air, when my wife informed me that the morning sky was strikingly red. A cold front had moved in, with many clouds, casting a burning scarlet glow on the eastern horizon. I immediately thought of that ancient proverb, “Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.” As I mused on this scene, my mind drifted to the time, in Acts 17, when the apostle Paul preached the gospel to the intelligentsia of the day in Athens. In...More Thursday, July 31, 2025 The Second Man Cannot Fail The L??? God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. Genesis 2:8 ???? The Second Man Cannot Fail This was a garden made for man. Eden means “delight.” It faced the morning sun, and God “made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food” (Gen. 2:9). A river watered it in a land of gold and precious stones (vv. 10, 12). Man had a job: “to tend and keep it” (v. 15). God gave him a wife, a helpmate, to enjoy it together with him (v. 22), and in the cool of the day He Himself would commune with him (3:8). What went wrong?...More Wednesday, July 30, 2025 Redeeming the Time Watch therefore, for ye do not know when the master of the house comes: evening, or midnight, or cock-crow, or morning; lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping. But what I say to you, I say to all, Watch. Mark 13:35–37 ??? Redeeming the Time I went to the airport three hours before flight departure as required. I registered, did the police security requirements, and then, as the flight was not to leave for two hours, I went with the brother who accompanied me to the refreshment area for a soda pop, and we visited together before boarding. As we talked together, we heard a plane arrive. A...More Tuesday, July 29, 2025 A Song for the Sabbath It is good to give thanks to the L???, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High. Psalm 92:1 ???? A Song for the Sabbath The superscription of Psalm 92 reads, “A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath day.” It is one of the 116 different psalms that begin with a title. These superscriptions provide introductory notes about the text. Many are brief, giving only the author’s name or perhaps a musical notation for singing the psalm. Other titles are more detailed, describing a personal experience of the author that links with the subject of the psalm. We understand these titles to be part of the...More Monday, July 28, 2025 Together Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. 1 Thessalonians 4:17 ???? Together Here we get the thought, we are all to be caught up together to meet the Lord. I might say, “There’s one so strong in faith and good works, he will surely go up first.” No; all distinction fades away in Christ; all is gone in the thought, we all get there together. When I look back and see the devotedness of Paul, I think of the love of Christ, who takes us all up together, to be with Him forever. That there may be no difference, all alike are...More Sunday, July 27, 2025 Grace and Truth Then the L??? God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—therefore the L??? God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. Genesis 3:22–23 ???? Grace and Truth In Genesis 3 we read how Adam and Eve lost the blessed relationship God had with them before they fell (Gen. 2:21–25). However, in his fallen condition, man was still able to know good and evil, but he did not have the capacity to resist evil, or to only do good. For...More Saturday, July 26, 2025 God Known Through the Blessed One But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4–5 ???? God Known Through the Blessed One Think of it: the Son is sent to win sons! Oh! It is wonderful. Now you might ask, What do you mean by “the fullness of the time”? Well, it was clearly the moment when the probation of man was over. The first man had had a fair, full, and complete trial. Tried in innocence, he had fallen and become guilty: tried without law, he was lawless:...More Friday, July 25, 2025 Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (6)—David David said to Nathan, “I have sinned against the L???.” 2 Samuel 12:13 ???? Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (6)—David In studying the life of David, and the events surrounding his grievous sin, we discover that he is a good example of the brokenhearted sinner. In looking at the personalities in the Bible who said, “I have sinned”—Pharaoh, Balaam, Achan, Saul, and Judas—it is refreshing to turn to one who is sincere, one whose confession really meant something. David was a man after God’s own heart (1 Sam. 13:14; Acts 13:22). His tender heart toward God continued...More Thursday, July 24, 2025 Taking up the Cross If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:23 ???? Taking up the Cross How little some of us know of this, and yet if our hearts are truly attached to Christ, surely, we should not draw back or shrink from the path He sets before us. It means gain, undoubtedly, in that which is abiding and eternal, even if it means loss here. It means nearness to Him who has led the way, the conscious support of His hand in the difficulties that we are sure to meet; and though we naturally shrink from trouble and fear the future, yet if we have...More Wednesday, July 23, 2025 Value the Inheritance Ahab spoke to Naboth saying, Give me thy vineyard, that I may have it for a garden of herbs, for it is near, by the side of my house; and I will give thee for it a better vineyard than it; if it seem good to thee, I will give thee its value in money. 1 Kings 21:2 ??? Value the Inheritance This seems a reasonable request, so why did Naboth reject it out of hand? He said, “Jehovah forbid it me, that I should give the inheritance of my fathers to thee!” (1 Ki. 21:3). He was a faithful Israelite who knew the law of God. Among other things this said, “the land shall not be sold for ever” (Lev....More Tuesday, July 22, 2025 Steadfastness in a World Under Condemnation You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked. 2 Peter 3:17 ???? Steadfastness in a World Under Condemnation We live in a world full of deceit and under God’s condemnation. Unfortunately, instead of being arrested by the message of the coming judgment of God, it seems this world just goes faster than ever to its doom. But thanks be to God, there are still many who turn away from their sins to put their trust in the accomplished work of Christ on the cross to receive forgiveness and...More Monday, July 21, 2025 The Mystery of Godliness 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 ???? The Mystery of Godliness This is indeed so great a mystery that the human mind cannot understand it. Neither can we understand God in the greatness of His being. What creature could possibly understand One who is omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent—One who is infinite and eternal? We all are impotent, ignorant, and limited, nor do we understand eternity. People...More Sunday, July 20, 2025 Blessed Love My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? Psalm 22:1 ???? Blessed Love In Psalm 22, it is Christ forsaken of God. Not that He is not despised of the people there: strong bulls of Bashan beset Him round, dogs compassed Him, the assembly of the wicked enclosed Him; but all this, felt as none but Christ could feel, what was it in the presence of the awful reality of Christ suffering from the hand of God—of Christ suffering for sin? Christ has brought out what God is, and this is love, even when it is a question of our sins. On...More Saturday, July 19, 2025 Nehemiah—Building a Wall of Prayer Next to them Jedaiah the son of Harumaph made repairs in front of his house. Nehemiah 3:10 ???? Nehemiah—Building a Wall of Prayer The name Jedaiah means “invoker of God.” He is a picture of a man who prays for his family. Men, how many of us spend time in prayer for our families? Not just, “Lord bless my family,” but actually travailing in prayer, bringing our families before the Lord at the family altar? How many of us are letting our children hear us as we talk to our Abba Father on our knees, prevailing in prayer for our family, knowing that, though the enemy has a plan, as we commit...More Friday, July 18, 2025 Beholding the Beauty of the Lord One thing I have desired of the L???, that will I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the L??? all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the L???, and to inquire in His temple. Psalm 27:4 ???? Beholding the Beauty of the Lord If you could ask the Lord anything, what would it be? Would it be to escape an outward struggle—a tough circumstance? Or perhaps, is it an inward struggle you would want to be rid of? David voiced his one desire to the Lord in the above verse: to dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of his life. Dwelling implies a sense of belonging. He would not...More Thursday, July 17, 2025 I Will Never Leave You He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we may boldly say: “The L??? is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me?” Hebrews 13:5–6 ???? I Will Never Leave You It was to Joshua that the Lord said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” We might very properly say to ourselves, “But I am no Joshua. He was a very eminent man of faith, and I am a very insignificant and often a very feeble believer. Would it not be a rather forward and impertinent thing for me to calmly assume that a promise made to him is equally valid for me?” It is delightful to...More Wednesday, July 16, 2025 At Any Moment For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as a garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth, so the Lord Jehovah will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations. Isaiah 61:11 ??? At Any Moment What a beautiful prospect: the future millennial kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. It will be an age of moral and material blessing on earth unknown before—a greener garden than any man-made climate change initiative can achieve (Jer. 31:12). But Isaiah 61 begins with a verse the Lord Jesus applied to Himself in the synagogue at Nazareth: “The...More Tuesday, July 15, 2025 A Resting Place He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. Matthew 3:16 ???? A Resting Place You remember that in the moment when Christ was baptized in the Jordan the Holy Spirit fell upon Him like a dove, that emblem of purity and gentleness, not like “fire,” but like a dove. The dove had found, so to speak, a resting place. You will remember also that when Noah sent out the dove from his ark, he sent it out twice, and it came back. And why? Because there was nothing on the water but carrion, and there was no resting place for the feet of the dove. At length, on the third...More Monday, July 14, 2025 Peter’s Field of Service Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the pilgrims of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. 1 Peter 1:1 ???? Peter’s Field of Service After Peter’s imprisonment in Acts 12, he “went to another place” (Acts 12:17). Here in his epistle he addresses those who, it seems, had become his new field of service. We can draw some encouraging conclusions from the places named in this text. First, we would remember Peter’s preaching in Acts 2 at the inauguration of the Church age, when many Jews were in Jerusalem to observe the feast of Pentecost. In particular, some...More Sunday, July 13, 2025 Clothed by God Himself And the L??? God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. Genesis 3:21 ??? Clothed by God Himself Isn’t this an amazing story? It implies that God Himself brought a sacrifice, from which He prepared the garments of skin. He then clothed Adam and Eve with those garments. They probably observed God preparing and bringing that sacrifice. They never had seen anything like it, and the whole procedure must have deeply affected them. Under the Levitical system, the officiating priest had the privilege to be clothed with such a garment after he presented to God a...More Saturday, July 12, 2025 Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (5)—Judas Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” Matthew 27:3–4 ???? Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (5)—Judas Judas Iscariot is an example of the remorseful sinner. He is sometimes presented in a sympathetic way, as a tragic individual, acting from sincere but misguided reasons, but this is incorrect. Why then did Judas betray Christ? Many theories have been suggested to explain his behavior. A recurring one is that, as a...More Friday, July 11, 2025 We Have Eternal Life And this is the witness, that God has given to us eternal life; and this life is in His Son. 1 John 5:11 ??? We Have Eternal Life It is not persecution that many among the people of God find now, but a slippery day, in which it is difficult to keep the feet. The hot blast of persecution is not as bad as the clear frost which, after a shower of rain, makes the ground slippery as glass; and that is the character of the day we live in. Little snares of Satan are on every side; the feet slip and slide and you get discouraged—but why? God says, “Is not eternal life yours? Have I not pledged Myself...More Thursday, July 10, 2025 Not of Works It is the blood that makes atonement for the soul. Leviticus 17:11 ???? Not of Works This is a grand foundation-truth of Christianity, and must be constantly affirmed, and tenaciously held. There is immense moral power in it. If it be true that all the life-labors of the Son of God, His tears, His prayers, His groans, His sighs, if all these things put together could not cancel one single speck of guilt then, indeed, may we not lawfully inquire what possible value can there be in our works, our tears, our prayers, our religious services, our ordinances, sacraments and ceremonies, the whole range...More Wednesday, July 9, 2025 The Household of God You are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God. Ephesians 2:19 ???? The Household of God Wonderful words of encouragement for Gentiles who before had been without hope and without God in the world! What marvelous results have been accomplished by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross! Only by the grace of God were Jews saved, but they had the promise of the coming of Christ to bring wonderful blessing to them. Gentiles had no such promise. Yet the grace of God in Christ Jesus, like the branches of Joseph’s...More Tuesday, July 8, 2025 Nehemiah—Working Together Then Eliashib the high priest rose up with his brethren the priests and built the Sheep Gate; they consecrated it and hung its doors. They built as far as the Tower of the Hundred, and consecrated it, then as far as the Tower of Hananel. Next to Eliashib the men of Jericho built. And next to them Zaccur the son of Imri built. Nehemiah 3:1–2 ???? Nehemiah—Working Together Chapter 3 of Nehemiah is a busy chapter; everyone is involved in the building of the wall. One phrase that is repeated about thirty times is “next to him” and “after him.” They are working right next to each other,...More Monday, July 7, 2025 The Effect of the Cross in the World (2) Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? 1 Corinthians 1:20 ???? The Effect of the Cross in the World (2) As to the state of the world, it remains in the same state, modified only by the rejection of Christ. Sin has not gone out of the world; men are trying to bind it and restrain evil, as of old they bound “Legion” with fetters and chains (Mk. 5:9); they have set to do their best. They talk of progress, and in a certain way, as to physical discoveries and conveniences, there is; but is there morally? I do not see any progress in the obedience of children, nor in the devotedness of...More Sunday, July 6, 2025 The Effect of the Cross in the World (1) For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Hebrews 2:10 ???? The Effect of the Cross in the World (1) The moment I get the cross, all is settled; it was fitting for Him; it was fitting for God, in bringing many sons to glory to make the Captain of their salvation perfect through suffering—that was fitting for God. His majesty is maintained in the highest way. The Son must suffer if He takes up this cause. Then I find perfect righteousness against sin,...More Saturday, July 5, 2025 What Is the Camp? Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. Hebrews 13:13 ???? What Is the Camp? The camp represents a worldly religious system, originally set up by God, making its appeal to the natural man and composed of people outwardly in relationship with God. 1. It was marked by a worldly sanctuary with magnificent vessels and furniture (Heb. 9:1–2). 2. There was an inner shrine to this worldly sanctuary, veiled from the outer and known as “the Holiest of all” (vv. 3–4). 3. In connection with this worldly sanctuary, there existed an...More Friday, July 4, 2025 Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (4)—Saul Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the L??? and your words … Now therefore, please pardon my sin, and return with me, that I may worship the L???.” 1 Samuel 15:24–25 ???? Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (4)—Saul Saul is an example of the religious sinner. In the beginning, Saul showed promise and the people admired him. He stood taller than his contemporaries “from his shoulders upward” (1 Sam. 10:23). Naturally speaking, he had the appearance of physical strength, one the people could follow readily into battle. On many...More Thursday, July 3, 2025 The Power of Sharing Your Faith Agrippa said to Paul, “You are permitted to speak for yourself.” So Paul stretched out his hand and answered for himself. Acts 26:1 ???? The Power of Sharing Your Faith In Acts 26:1–29, we find the apostle Paul in the governor’s palace in Caesarea, where Paul was about to make a defense regarding his activities before the Roman governor and the king. Now, at first blush, it might seem that Paul was merely a helpless prisoner on trial for his life. However, Paul’s imprisonment and trial at Caesarea was only the first part of God’s larger plan to send His apostle to Rome, there to...More Wednesday, July 2, 2025 Doing It God’s Way The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. Genesis 3:7 ???? Doing It God’s Way The first sin in human history led the first couple to blame each other and then to accuse God. They started seeing things from a human perspective, not in God’s light. This led them to take things into their own hands without humbling themselves under God’s mighty hand after they had disobeyed. They gathered some fig leaves to put them together as a covering. Very smart. But neither effective, nor sufficient. God...More Tuesday, July 1, 2025 Life and Incorruptibility Our Savior Jesus Christ, who has annulled death, and brought to light life and incorruptibility by the glad tidings. 2 Timothy 1:10 ??? Life and Incorruptibility Paul urged Timothy, not to be ashamed of “the testimony of our Lord” (2 Tim. 1:8). The wonderful conclusion, which is found in the above verse, is the result of what God has done through Christ, “Who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling” (v. 9). What is the purpose of our calling? It is this: “As He who has called you is holy, be ye also holy in all your conversation” (1 Pet. 1:15). But not only this, furthermore it...More Monday, June 30, 2025 Nehemiah—A Prudent Strategy So, I came to Jerusalem and was there three days. Then I arose in the night, I and a few men with me; I told no one what my God had put in my heart to do at Jerusalem; nor was there any animal with me, except the one on which I rode. Nehemiah 2:11–12 ???? Nehemiah—A Prudent Strategy It is very instructive to observe the approach which Nehemiah takes at the very beginning of his building project. When arriving in Jerusalem, he does not jump right into action! Nehemiah’s strategy is birthed in private! He takes three days; this would give him time to rest from his journey. This is often...More Sunday, June 29, 2025 Nothing but His Death Behold, two men talked with Him, who were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of His decease which He was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Luke 9:30–31 ???? Nothing but His Death Could anything be more wonderful? They are talking with the Lord about His death. How striking a theme on that mount of glory! These two men are conversing with Jesus as to His death, while they at the moment see Him glorified. Marvelous mystery! He told them, as He had told His disciples a few days before, that He must die. Why die? Because there is no way for you and me into God’s presence except...More Saturday, June 28, 2025 The Schoolmaster The law has been our tutor up to Christ, that we might be justified on the principle of faith. But, faith having come, we are no longer under a tutor; for ye are all God’s sons by faith in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:24–26 ??? The Schoolmaster The teacher and all that he teaches is only a means to an end. He should, of course, strive with earnest energy to put his pupils on the right track. But he has completely failed in his function if those pupils settle down indefinitely, always continually in subjection to him and remaining dependent on him for everything. Rather, his teaching should make...More Friday, June 27, 2025 God’s Care for Us In the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge. Psalm 57:1 ???? God’s Care for Us Once, while fishing with my father on a small lake, a fierce storm suddenly came up, and the wind and waves threatened to swamp our boat. With much haste, we headed for a quiet little cove along the shore where we found shelter until the storm passed, and there we were safe. As I think back on this time, it occurs to me that our lives in this fallen world are a lot like my trip to this lake. There is generally a mixture of storm and sunshine in our days here in this scene; but, during very stormy times, we need...More Thursday, June 26, 2025 Unity in the Family of God Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 1 John 5:1 ???? Unity in the Family of God Here we get the link between God and the family. When anyone is born of God, he is my brother. If the question is asked, “Who is my brother? How am I to know my brother?” Everyone that is born of God is my brother. I may have to sorrow over him sometimes, but still he is my brother, because I am related to him by the same divine nature. It is of great importance to remember this in the present day, because, where the...More Wednesday, June 25, 2025 Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (3)—Achan Achan answered Joshua and said, “Indeed I have sinned against the L??? God of Israel.” Joshua 7:20 ???? Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (3)—Achan Achan is a tragic figure who led not only himself but his entire family into a severe judgment. He is an example of the deceptive sinner. Achan freely confessed his sin, but it was only because he was caught. Confession and acknowledgment of our sin because we were caught, because they have come to light in some way to others, is not the true confession of brokenness for sin. Israel “could not stand” before their enemies...More

Sunday, June 22, 2025 Satan’s Deception and God’s Provision Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the L??? God had made. Genesis 3:1 ???? Satan’s Deception and God’s Provision Our great Creator God is the all-wise and almighty God, the Sustainer of our vast universe. He has everything in His hands and makes no mistakes, not even when He allowed the serpent to deceive Eve. Adam and Eve were responsible to obey God’s Word. Instead, they gave preference to the serpent. With his subtle question about what God had actually said, doubt entered Eve’s mind as she started to reason in herself instead of letting her husband, the...More Saturday, June 21, 2025 Forgiveness of Sins (2) To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins. Acts 10:43 ???? Forgiveness of Sins (2) False theology tells me I can never be sure of the forgiveness of sins; God’s Word tells me I can. Which am I to believe? The former fills me with gloomy doubts and fears; the latter imparts divine certainty. One casts me upon my own efforts; the other upon a finished work. To which shall I attend? Is there a shadow of foundation, throughout the entire volume of God, for the notion that no one can be sure of his eternal salvation? I most...More Friday, June 20, 2025 Forgiveness of Sins (1) Through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins. Acts 13:38 ???? Forgiveness of Sins (1) What did the apostles Peter and Paul mean when they so unreservedly preached the forgiveness of sins to those who listened to them? Did they really mean to convey to their hearers the idea that no one could be sure that he possessed this forgiveness of sins? When in the synagogue of Antioch, Paul said to his audience, “We declare to you glad tidings,” did he entertain the notion that no one could be sure that his sins were forgiven? How could the gospel ever be called “glad tidings” if its...More Thursday, June 19, 2025 The Marred Girdle For as a girdle cleaveth to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto me the whole house of Israel … that they might be unto Me for a people, and for a name, and for a praise, and for a glory: but they would not hear. Jeremiah 13:11 ??? The Marred Girdle In this chapter the Lord instructs Jeremiah to wear a girdle, which was a fabric belt wrapped around a robe, and then to remove it and place it near the Euphrates. After some time Jeremiah retrieves the girdle and it is marred and good for nothing. The Lord uses this as an illustration of what had happened to His people Israel. He had...More Wednesday, June 18, 2025 Nehemiah—Prayer Is Always the Best Option And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. Nehemiah 2:1 ???? Nehemiah—Prayer Is Always the Best Option Nehemiah does not rush into things but waits on the Lord. He has been waiting now for four months. Waiting is something that most of us do not do very well—waiting, wondering when things are going to change, when a door is going to open up, or when my circumstances are going to change. We often have the idea that waiting is passive,...More Tuesday, June 17, 2025 Christ in Glory (3) The L??? said to my Lord, “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” The L??? shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power; in the beauties of holiness, from the womb of the morning, You have the dew of Your youth. Psalm 110:1–3 ???? Christ in Glory (3) Psalm 110 is a remarkable psalm; it is quoted in the New Testament more often than any other. It begins, “The L??? said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool,’” plainly presenting...More Monday, June 16, 2025 Christ in Glory (2) We see Jesus … crowned with glory and honor. Hebrews 2:9 ???? Christ in Glory (2) We see Jesus crowned with glory and honor, and it is as the victorious and crowned Savior that He is leading many sons to glory (Heb. 2:10). Glory is our destiny, for we are following the One who is there. This is all real to men of faith but not to those who walk by sight, and we must be on our guard against the glamour of “the things that are seen” which dims faith’s keen vision, and often betrays the Christian into fearing men, or into admiring and following them. But the greatest of men can offer us no...More Sunday, June 15, 2025 Christ in Glory (1) 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 ???? Christ in Glory (1) We turn our eyes to the right hand of the Majesty on high, and there we see Jesus, crowned with glory and honor. Yes, the One whom Simeon looked upon, a lowly babe at His mother’s breast, the One whom John saw crucified and dead upon a cross, we see now in the highest place in the glory. God has raised Him from the dead and set Him there. Every Christian heart thrills at the thought of His...More Saturday, June 14, 2025 Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (2)—Balaam Balaam said to the Angel of the L???, “I have sinned, for I did not know You stood in the way against me.” Numbers 22:34 ???? Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (2)—Balaam Balaam is one of the strangest characters recorded throughout the whole volume of the Scriptures. He is an example of the double-minded sinner. This verse shows, in an essential way, the contradictory character that Balaam was. In his history we find him in opposition to God, under occult power, corrupted by the love of financial gain; on the other hand, there is an apparent deference and respect toward God. And on...More Friday, June 13, 2025 Comfort, Hope, and Rest 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 ???? Comfort, Hope, and Rest Talking with brothers and sisters in Christ, we sometimes conclude saying that “God is the great Encourager.” The above verse confirms this thought with what the apostle Paul wrote to the new believers in Thessalonica in present-day Greece, which was at the time a part of Macedonia in the Roman Empire. After his visit to Thessalonica, the...More Thursday, June 12, 2025 Gospel Shoes Having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace. Ephesians 6:15 ???? Gospel Shoes Many lines of work require appropriate footwear, and this not only helps perform tasks more effectively, but can offer protection as well. A tradesman in the construction industry may need to wear steel toe boots whereas a ballet dancer will wear pointe shoes. You could not swap these without seriously affecting your performance in either case. Christians have special footwear as well: we need to strap our feet with the readiness, or preparation, of the gospel of peace. Every piece of the...More Wednesday, June 11, 2025 How Did I Get Here? I have gone astray like a lost sheep; seek Your servant, for I do not forget Your commandments. Psalm 119:176 ???? How Did I Get Here? It could be said that Psalm 119 is the Bible’s longest prayer. At the very beginning, the psalmist notices the blessings that rest upon those who walk in the law of the Lord; and then, almost immediately, he begins speaking to God about his own life: “Oh, that my ways were directed to keep Your statutes” (v. 5). Nearly the entire psalm is a conversation with Jehovah about this desire. Many well-loved verses follow: “Your word I have hidden in my...More Tuesday, June 10, 2025 Moses: A Man of Prayer I fell down before the L???, as at the first, forty days and forty nights; I neither ate bread nor drank water, because of all your sin which you committed in doing wickedly in the sight of the L???, to provoke Him to anger. Deuteronomy 9:18 ???? Moses: A Man of Prayer Among the many characteristics of Moses, one that is outstanding is that he was a man of prayer. When Israel, going out of Egypt, traveled through the wilderness, the people of Amalek came out to fight against them. From a high vantage point where he could see the battle, Moses lifted up his hands in petition to God for victory for...More Monday, June 9, 2025 Patience and Faith We ourselves boast of you among the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure. 2 Thessalonians 1:4 ???? Patience and Faith The apostle Paul was reflecting on the positive response of the young believers in Thessalonica. However, some people in the local community fiercely opposed the apostle and his message and had forced him to leave. Therefore, Paul sent his first letter to the Thessalonians to encourage and comfort the assembly. However, the opponents tried to mislead the new believers through several means (2 Th. 2:2–10). The...More Sunday, June 8, 2025 Following in His Steps For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps. 1 Peter 2:21–24 ???? Following in His Steps What pleases God is to take patiently suffering which is endured for doing well and acting with “conscience toward God.” Nothing is harder to us naturally than this. How indignant we feel when our well-doing only serves to bring trouble upon us! What will help us in this? Two things. Firstly, the example of Christ. Secondly, His atoning sacrifice and its results. No one ever did well like the Lord Jesus....More Saturday, June 7, 2025 Nehemiah—One Man Can Make a Difference So it was, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned for many days; I was fasting and praying before the God of heaven. And I said: “I pray, L??? God of heaven, O great and awesome God, You who keep Your covenant and mercy with those who love You and observe Your commandments.” Nehemiah 1:4–5 ???? Nehemiah—One Man Can Make a Difference The book of Nehemiah is an example of how the Lord brings about revival through one man who can make a difference. But it is not one man leading a protest or even one man taking the initiative. This revival begins with one man on his...More Friday, June 6, 2025 Beautify the Doctrine of God That they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. Titus 2:10 ???? Beautify the Doctrine of God The doctrine of God our Savior is the gospel. It tells us that God is good and does good (Ps. 119:68). How glad we are that we ever heard it; without it we would have lived without God, without Christ, and without hope in the world; and what would such a life have been to us? And what would we have been? A walking shadow; a poor player, That struts and frets his hour upon the stage, And then is heard no more. It is a tale Told by an idiot, full...More Thursday, June 5, 2025 Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (1)—Pharaoh Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “I have sinned this time. The L??? is righteous, and my people and I are wicked.” Exodus 9:27 ???? Seven People Who Said “I Have Sinned” (1)—Pharaoh There are seven people in the Bible who said the words: “I have sinned.” Five of them were insincere, and only two of them said it out of a heart of genuine repentance. The first person that comes before us is Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, and he is an example of the hardened sinner. We see in him the mystery of God’s sovereignty and man’s...More Wednesday, June 4, 2025 The Lord and Peter’s Mother-in-Law (3) Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Him to help her. Luke 4:38 ???? The Lord and Peter’s Mother-in-Law (3) In Luke’s narrative we find some things we already know from Matthew and Mark. But “Dr. Luke” is more precise as far as the “diagnosis and treatment” of the sickness is concerned. It is Luke who tells us that the mother-in-law had a “high fever.” In those days without antibiotics and other medical help, this was a life-threatening situation. In such a situation the disciples “asked Him to help her.” They prayed with a precise point...More Tuesday, June 3, 2025 The Lord and Peter’s Mother-in-Law (2) Now Simon’s mother-in-law was lying sick with a fever; and they immediately spoke to Jesus about her. Mark 1:30 ???? The Lord and Peter’s Mother-in-Law (2) While in Matthew the whole initiative comes from the Lord without any activity by men, we see in Mark’s Gospel that the Lord together with Andrew, James, and John entered the house of Simon. And now the disciples approach the Lord with the issue of the sick mother-in-law. From Mark’s report we can gather some useful information: Firstly, they “spoke to Jesus about her.” We do not read of anything they asked for—we find...More Monday, June 2, 2025 The Lord and Peter’s Mother-in-Law (1) When Jesus came into Peter’s home, He saw his mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. And He touched her hand, and the fever left her; and she got up and waited on Him. Matthew 8:14–15 ???? The Lord and Peter’s Mother-in-Law (1) In the Gospels we find various incidents in the life of the Lord Jesus. Some of them are described in detail, others only in one or two verses, like the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law. But this short report is given by all of the three synoptic Gospels. And studying the differences will reveal the rich information that these few verses...More Sunday, June 1, 2025 Lowly Grace Came Near The sight of the glory of the L??? was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel. Exodus 24:17 ???? Lowly Grace Came Near The occasion of this fiery appearance was when God gave Israel the Ten Commandments. How could Israel think of drawing near to a God whose very presence was a consuming fire? All that was implied in this was foreboding and forbidding. Why? Because from the very beginning of the giving of the law, God would impress man with the solemn fact that, on the basis of law-keeping, man could hope for no favorable relationship with God. Men...More Saturday, May 31, 2025 Carts for the Levites And they brought their offering before the L???, six covered carts and twelve oxen, a cart for every two of the leaders, and for each one an ox; and they presented them before the tabernacle. Numbers 7:3 ???? Carts for the Levites God’s instructions for the tabernacle had been faithfully followed and all the items made ready. The details were important because they were full of spiritual meaning, being copies and shadows of heavenly things (Heb. 8:5). Many of the materials they used came as freewill offerings from the people. The Israelites gave not only for the house of God, but for...More Friday, May 30, 2025 A Simple, Beautiful Picture The assemblies … had peace, being edified and walking in the fear of the Lord, and were increased through the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Acts 9:31 ??? A Simple, Beautiful Picture Here we have Christian assemblies marked by two things: they walked in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Opposed and persecuted by the religious world of the day, they were directed and supported by the Lord in glory and guided by the Holy Spirit on earth. Not many wise after the flesh, nor many mighty or noble were found in these assemblies. For the most part, those who formed...More Thursday, May 29, 2025 Our Shield and Reward After these things the word of the L??? came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.” Genesis 15:1 ???? Our Shield and Reward What a comforting message to think upon, especially in those times that try the soul! The very God of the universe, the One who created all things, was telling Abraham that God Himself was his shield. With God as his shield, nothing should trouble Abraham. No worries about his future, nor even the devices of the enemy could touch him. And, we Christians have the words of that same God, “What then shall...More Wednesday, May 28, 2025 Hear Him! (2) And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” Luke 9:35 ???? Hear Him! (2) Listen again, the Father says, “Hear Him!” Ah, friend, it is life to hear the voice of Jesus. To you He says, “The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God; and those who hear will live” (Jn. 5:25). And if you hear His voice, it will be life to your dead soul. “Hear, and your soul shall live,” says Scripture, by the pen of Isaiah (Isa. 55:3). Again the apostle Peter says, “Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The L??? your God will...More Tuesday, May 27, 2025 Hear Him! (1) And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son. Hear Him!” Luke 9:35 ???? Hear Him! (1) Peter saw everything that was important to a Jew’s mind and a Jew’s heart. In Moses he had the lawgiver; by his side was Elijah, the prophet and reformer; and, above all, now he sees the Messiah, and to his Jewish mind the scene was so beautiful that he desired to perpetuate it. He spoke out first as they were retreating out of sight. And what had he said? What had he done? He had put the Son of God, the Messiah, Moses the lawgiver, and Elijah the reformer, on a dead level. He had...More Monday, May 26, 2025 He Believed God Ah, Lord G??! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You. Jeremiah 32:17 ???? He Believed God These great words were sighed out by Jeremiah’s troubled soul in prayer to Jehovah. It is necessary to read the whole chapter from which they are taken to enter properly into the prophet’s prayer and the Lord’s answer, but the single verse before us contains deep encouragement for the tried and troubled heart. Dark as present circumstances may be, it is well for the believer, like Jeremiah, to lay firm hold of God...More Sunday, May 25, 2025 The Lord’s Supper As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:26–28 ???? The Lord’s Supper The Lord’s Supper in the Christian church takes the place of the Passover among the Jews. The two are intimately linked together, for it was after the celebration of the paschal feast that Jesus offered His disciples the bread and...More Sunday, May 25, 2025 The Lord’s Supper As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Matthew 26:26–28 ???? The Lord’s Supper The Lord’s Supper in the Christian church takes the place of the Passover among the Jews. The two are intimately linked together, for it was after the celebration of the paschal feast that Jesus offered His disciples the bread and...More Saturday, May 24, 2025 Growing Faith and Abounding Love We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is fitting, because your faith grows exceedingly, and the love of every one of you all abounds toward each other. 2 Thessalonians 1:3 ???? Growing Faith and Abounding Love Many people in Thessalonica had responded to God’s call, leaving idolatry behind. Having received the message of the gospel presented by the apostle Paul and his helpers, they had turned to the only true and living God and started serving Him with enthusiasm. Today, we need to make sure that we are free from idolatry because we are exposed to its influence, often not...More Friday, May 23, 2025 Gideon: Strength Out of Weakness (2) And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9–10 ???? Gideon: Strength Out of Weakness (2) It is impossible to run the eye along the brilliant array of Christ’s workmen, and not see the truth of this need for brokenness: Moses, Joshua, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah,...More Thursday, May 22, 2025 Gideon: Strength Out of Weakness (1) So [Gideon] said to Him, “O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.” Judges 6:15 ???? Gideon: Strength Out of Weakness (1) Here we reach a profoundly interesting stage of Gideon’s preparatory course. He is called to enter practically and experimentally into the great and universal law for the servants of God, namely, “When I am weak, then I am strong.” This is a most precious law, and one which forms an indispensable element in the education of all Christ’s servants. Let no one imagine that he can ever be...More Wednesday, May 21, 2025 Choosing By faith Moses, when he became of age, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt. Hebrews 11:24–26 ???? Choosing Moses had been raised under the careful teaching of his parents who knew that at any time Moses could be taken back from them to Pharaoh’s palace. What energy must have been invested by his father and mother into little Moses, bringing him up in the ways of Jehovah, hiding God’s Word in his...More Tuesday, May 20, 2025 Brother Saul So the Lord said to [Ananias], “Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.” Acts 9:11–12 ???? Brother Saul Ananias was a faithful disciple. It does not seem that he personally experienced Saul’s violent persecution, but he had certainly “heard from many about this man” (Acts 9:13). Now the Lord was sending Ananias to visit that same man. In fact, the Lord had already told...More Monday, May 19, 2025 Joshua (19)—He Never Fails Israel served the L??? all the days of Joshua, and all the days of the elders who outlived Joshua, who had known all the works of the L??? which He had done for Israel. Joshua 24:31 ???? Joshua (19)—He Never Fails Joshua had given his final challenge to the nation of Israel. He had enumerated many of the wonderful things the Lord had done for them. He had publicly taken his stand that he would serve the Lord, speaking also on behalf of his family. The people too now answered that they would not forsake the Lord to serve other gods, but would serve Him who had done so much for...More Sunday, May 18, 2025 God’s Provision for Us By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks. Hebrews 11:4 ???? God’s Provision for Us “Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin” (Rom. 5:12), and so man found himself at a distance from God. Having disobeyed the command God gave to Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he was expelled from the garden, and God “placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned...More Saturday, May 17, 2025 The Bones of Joseph (4)—The Record of Faith By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and gave instructions concerning his bones. Hebrews 11:22 ???? The Bones of Joseph (4)—The Record of Faith In the Old Testament there are three mentions of the bones of Joseph: Genesis 50:25, Exodus 13:19, and Joshua 24:32. In turning to the New Testament, we see the final mention of the bones of Joseph in Hebrews 11:22. Shortly before he died, Joseph made the children of Israel promise to carry his bones with them up out of Egypt to the land of Canaan. Joseph is an exemplar of faith, as...More Friday, May 16, 2025 Lamps, Wicks, and Trays You shall make seven lamps for it … that they give light in front of it. And its wick-trimmers and their trays shall be of pure gold. Exodus 25:37–38 ???? Lamps, Wicks, and Trays The lampstand, placed in the outer sanctuary of the tabernacle, was made entirely of gold, beaten out of one piece, having a central stem and six branches to support its seven lamps. The gold speaks of the glory of God as revealed in the blessed person of the Lord Jesus, the supreme Sustainer of all light. Oil for the light is mentioned elsewhere, and we know this is a type of the power of the Spirit of...More Thursday, May 15, 2025 God’s Faithfulness and Our Responsibility He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:24 ???? God’s Faithfulness and Our Responsibility God is faithful to Himself and to His people, whether it concerns His earthly people, Israel, or the Church. God cannot deny who He is or what He has promised. His faithfulness is clearly demonstrated in His dealings with Israel: past, present, and future. God’s faithfulness is something that believers from among the Gentiles also may rely on. The apostle Paul wrote about this to the new believers in Thessalonica after he had been forced to leave them. But he exhorted them to...More Wednesday, May 14, 2025 Walking With God 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. For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps. Genesis 5:22–24 ????; 1 Peter 2:21 ???? Walking With God Strange that I am not always looking up if I expect to see the door of heaven open and the One I love coming out. Oh! what a scene, when He comes forth to change these vile bodies, fashioning them like to His own...More Tuesday, May 13, 2025 Be Valiant Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the L??? do what is good in His sight. 1 Chronicles 19:13 ???? Be Valiant In 1 Chronicles 19, we read of a great trial for Israel in the days of King David. David had made a generous peace gesture to the newly enthroned king of Ammon, whose name was Hanun, after the death of Hanun’s father Nahash. David had sent a delegation to comfort the new king in his grief, but Hanun and his princes shamefully abused the delegation and sent them home in disgrace. Then, to make matters much worse, we read that...More Monday, May 12, 2025 The Word of God Abiding I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you. 1 John 2:14 ???? The Word of God Abiding Here the apostle puts the young men in contrast, as overcoming the world, and shows where their real strength is: divine strength. “The word of God abides in you,” not merely you refer to it, but it abides in you. If you look to Christ in the temptation, His answers to Satan, there was no lust of the flesh, there could be none; but He was hungry. Satan says, “Make these stones bread,” to tempt Him; “Throw Yourself down”; then shows Him all the glory of...More Sunday, May 11, 2025 The Bones of Joseph (3)—The Reward of Faith The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel had brought up out of Egypt, they buried at Shechem, in the plot of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of silver, and which had become an inheritance of the children of Joseph. Joshua 24:32 ???? The Bones of Joseph (3)—The Reward of Faith When Joseph was dying he asked that his bones be carried to the Promised Land (Gen. 50:25). Hundreds of years passed while the children of Israel remained in Egypt; then at the time of the exodus out of Egypt Moses took the bones with him (Ex....More Saturday, May 10, 2025 Joshua (18)—Serve in Perfectness and Truth Now therefore, fear the L???, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the L???! And if it seems evil to you to serve the L???, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve … But as for me and my house, we will serve the L???. Joshua 24:14–15 ???? Joshua (18)—Serve in Perfectness and Truth In the 24th chapter of the Book of Joshua, we hear Joshua’s final solemn public address to his people, Israel, and their leaders in particular. He begins by briefly giving a divinely inspired review of...More Friday, May 9, 2025 A Man in the Glory and the Spirit Here On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. John 7:37–39 ???? A Man in the Glory and the Spirit Here We have brought before us the two great outstanding facts of the Christian period on the basis of which the new things of Christianity are...More Thursday, May 8, 2025 Two Bookends I write to you, children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. And now, children, abide in Him, that if He be manifested we may have boldness, and not be put to shame from before Him at His coming. 1 John 2:12 ???; 1 John 2:28 ??? Two Bookends Think of these two scriptures as bookends. In both, John calls his readers “children,” using a diminutive of the Greek word for child, expressive of endearment as well as relationship. As believers on the Lord Jesus, we are all children together, and family affection should pervade us. The apostle has highlighted this...More Wednesday, May 7, 2025 The Bones of Joseph (2)—The Response of Faith Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had placed the children of Israel under solemn oath, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here with you.” Exodus 13:19 ???? The Bones of Joseph (2)—The Response of Faith A few centuries following the death of Joseph, a new king had arisen over Egypt “who did not know Joseph.” This Pharaoh began a program of brutal rule over the Hebrews in Egypt (Ex. 1:8–14). But God in mercy raised up a deliverer: Moses, who would lead the people out of Egypt. Moses then fulfilled the oath that had been made to Joseph...More Tuesday, May 6, 2025 Days of the Heavens Ye shall lay up these My words in your heart and in your soul, and bind them for a sign upon your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes. And ye shall teach them unto your children … that your days may be multiplied, and the days of your children … as the days of the heavens which are above the earth. Deuteronomy 11:18–19, 21 ??? Days of the Heavens 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 Deuteronomy 6....More Monday, May 5, 2025 Three Exhortations: Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks! Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18 ???? Three Exhortations: Rejoice, Pray, Give Thanks! In the Bible, we often find combinations of three. The above verse is a beautiful example of this phenomenon. Whatever we do or say should be in tune with God’s will and our relationship with Him. The expression “in Christ Jesus” is true of all believers since Pentecost and until the rapture. That relationship implies immense privileges as God has transferred us from Adam to Christ—from lost...More Sunday, May 4, 2025 The Wondrous Works of the Lord I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, and on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, and I will declare Your greatness. Psalm 145:5–6 ???? The Wondrous Works of the Lord What themes of unspeakable delight are these to all who have known the sweetness of the marvelous grace of God that has been brought to us in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ! Though we may speak of them with full hearts, yet in doing so we realize that what we say falls far short of what we desire to speak. We cannot find words to express what we sense and know to be true...More Saturday, May 3, 2025 They Followed Him They immediately left their nets and followed Him. And immediately He called them, and they … went after Him. Mark 1:18 ????; Mark 1:20 ???? They Followed Him In this well-known account, the Lord Jesus first called Simon Peter and Andrew, and then He also called James and John. In both cases they left their fishing business behind to follow the Lord. However, notice the Scripture does not say that they left their fishing business in order to become fishers of men. It is true the Lord had said He would make them that. But what do the verses say? They left everything in order to follow...More Friday, May 2, 2025 Joshua (17)—Spiritual Blessings Joshua called for all Israel … and said to them … “The L??? your God is He who has fought for you … And you know in all your hearts and in all your souls that not one thing has failed of all the good things which the L??? your God spoke concerning you.” Joshua 23:2–14 ???? Joshua (17)—Spiritual Blessings Joshua lived for many years after the conquest of the land and its division among the tribes of Israel. Toward the end of his life, he called Israel together to review what the Lord had done for them and to instruct and warn them about their future. Not one thing had...More Thursday, May 1, 2025 The Bones of Joseph (1)—The Request of Faith Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” Genesis 50:25 ???? The Bones of Joseph (1)—The Request of Faith Did you ever read something in the Bible and wonder why it is there? Perhaps the story of the bones of Joseph is such a passage. There are four places in Scripture which speak about the bones of Joseph: Genesis 50:25, Exodus 13:19, Joshua 24:32, and Hebrews 11:22. A fact such as this should arrest our attention. There can be no doubt that Joseph is a prominent character among the patriarchs of...More Wednesday, April 30, 2025 His Throne Is Not Disturbed Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him. 1 John 3:2 ???? His Throne Is Not Disturbed We have not to inquire if we are sons, but take that as the ground of our now being conformed to Him. “Oh,” you will say, “that is so high!” Well, but Christ has come as the link to what is so high by coming so low—and He stooped lower than any—and He made Himself our only object. It is not the power of the mind that thinks about it, but the singleness of the eye that looks at it; the single eye...More Tuesday, April 29, 2025 From Death to Life Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the L??? and against you; pray to the L??? that He take away the serpents from us.” Numbers 21:7 ???? From Death to Life The reason Jehovah sent snakes into the Israelite camp is because the people had cast God aside, treating His deliverance from Egypt as nothing. Death comes in when we turn our backs on God and reject the salvation He has accomplished. Life can only be found in His presence, and the result for Israel is that “many of the people of Israel died” (Num. 21:6). Judgment is a...More Monday, April 28, 2025 The Pillar and Cloud I will bring the blind by a way they did not know; I will lead them in paths they have not known. I will make darkness light before them, and crooked places straight. These things I will do for them, and not forsake them. Isaiah 42:16 ???? The Pillar and Cloud There are times when God’s dealings with His people are very perplexing, when the present is full of anxiety and the future is full of difficulty. Our condition is like that of blind men, groping at noontime, trying to go through a labyrinth, having lost the guiding thread! We may be struggling with some question of duty or our...More Sunday, April 27, 2025 The Sufferings of the Son of God But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised by the people. All those who see Me ridicule Me. Psalm 22:6–7 ???? The Sufferings of the Son of God These are amazing words from the lips of the blessed, holy Son of God. The worm is the very picture of the lowest humiliation. Every sinner of the race of Adam might rightly speak of himself as this, for sin has taken away the proper dignity of manhood, and we deserve to be humbled to the dust. But in these words we hear that One speaking who is the absolutely unique and sinless Son of God. This psalm speaks of Him as being...More Saturday, April 26, 2025 Blessing and Honor Those who honor Me I will honor. 1 Samuel 2:30 ???? Blessing and Honor The Bible expresses many principles in decisive succinct statements, and this is one of them. We may well ask, “Who was it that honored God?” The answer is obvious: the Lord Jesus Christ. Although not so noticed by man in His early years, His Father saw Him. When the Lord started His public ministry, when He was baptized by John in the Jordan, the heavens opened and the voice of God was heard: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt. 3:17). Then, in the years of His public ministry, His desire...More Friday, April 25, 2025 The Dignity of Uprightness I myself always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men. Acts 24:16 ???? The Dignity of Uprightness Uprightness, integrity, straight dealing before God and man—these are the essential things without which religious talk, eloquent prayers, and attendance at church or meeting are valueless. It is not that a Christian cannot make mistakes, or fall short of the ideal. If you are looking for faultless men and women, you had better go to the heavenly land right away, for you will never find them here. But if a true Christian blunders, he will instantly own up to it. He never...More Thursday, April 24, 2025 Joshua (16)—Be Careful With Assumptions The children of Israel sent Phinehas … and with him ten rulers, one ruler each from the chief house of every tribe of Israel … Then they came to the children of Reuben, to the children of Gad, and to half the tribe of Manasseh, to the land of Gilead, and they spoke with them … Then [they] answered … And Phinehas the son of Eleazar the priest, and the rulers, returned … to the children of Israel, and brought back word to them. So the thing pleased the children of Israel, and the children of Israel blessed God; they spoke no more of going against them in battle. Joshua 22:13–33 ???? Joshua...More Wednesday, April 23, 2025 Jude’s Message I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. Jude 3 ???? Jude’s Message By the Holy Spirit, Jude exhorts us to contend for the faith. Sometimes this verse is used to call Christians to a deeper knowledge of what we believe and why we believe it. That is indeed important, but Jude’s message is less about knowledge and more about godliness. Certain impostors had infiltrated Christian gatherings, using God’s grace as a license for any lifestyle they chose (Jude 4). By tracing Jude’s six references to...More Tuesday, April 22, 2025 Which World Are We Living For? The day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. 1 Thessalonians 5:2–3 ??? Which World Are We Living For? Christians have the Lord as their blessed hope and are waiting for their heavenly Bridegroom. The day of the Lord and of judgment, however, is linked to His coming as “a thief in the night.” That event is for unbelievers, though they may be professing Christians, but in name only, for they are not born again....More Monday, April 21, 2025 Resurrection: God’s Mighty Remedy By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac … concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense. Hebrews 11:17, 19 ???? Resurrection: God’s Mighty Remedy How must the angelic hosts have watched this illustrious father from stage to stage of his wondrous journey, until at last they beheld his hand stretched forth for the knife to slay his son, that son for which he had so long and ardently wished, and for which he had so steadily trusted God. Then again, what an opportunity for Satan to ply his fiery darts! What...More Sunday, April 20, 2025 The Foundational Nature of the Resurrection of Christ But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon! 1 Corinthians 15:13–14 ????; Luke 24:34 ???? The Foundational Nature of the Resurrection of Christ Christ risen from the dead establishes, as the great fact presented by God to faith, victory over evil in Him who bore its consequences in the righteous judgment of God, that He might deal in sovereign grace with man, give the believer power morally by the Holy Spirit, and...More Saturday, April 19, 2025 The Sufferings of Christ (3) For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted. Hebrews 2:18 ???? The Sufferings of Christ (3) In our previous meditations we have considered the amazing thought that the Son of God has become Man in order to suffer. We first considered His suffering death (Heb. 2:9), and secondly, His being made perfect through sufferings to be the Leader of our salvation, bringing many sons to glory (v. 10). In verse 18 of chapter 2, we may meditate upon another type of suffering that He endured. In verse 17, we are told it was necessary for Him in all...More Friday, April 18, 2025 The Sufferings of Christ (2) For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. Hebrews 2:10 ???? The Sufferings of Christ (2) In yesterday’s meditation, we saw that He who is the Son of God has become Man. Numerous reasons are given to us in Hebrews 2 for why He would become Man, but three times it is mentioned that it was so He might suffer. Previously, we considered in verse 9 His atoning sufferings. Here, in verse 10, a different type of suffering is brought before us. The Lord Jesus...More Thursday, April 17, 2025 The Sufferings of Christ (1) But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9 ???? The Sufferings of Christ (1) In Hebrews 1 and 2, many glories of the Lord Jesus are brought before us. In chapter 1, we behold Him as the Son of God. In chapter 2, we behold Him as Son of Man. And why would the Son of God become Man? Numerous reasons are brought before us in chapter 2, but three times it is mentioned that it was in order that He might suffer. Amazing thought! In verse 9, He...More

Tuesday, April 15, 2025 Caught up to Heaven For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. 1 Thessalonians 4:16–17 ???? Caught up to Heaven Wonderful promise for all believers! The Lord Jesus, our beloved Bridegroom, will not send the most powerful angel to take us out of this world and bring us to Himself in heaven. The Lord Himself will come with the greatest possible...More Monday, April 14, 2025 The First of Months Observe the month of Abib, and keep the Passover to the L??? your God, for in the month of Abib the L??? your God brought you out of Egypt by night. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Deuteronomy 16:1 ????; 1 Corinthians 5:7 ???? The First of Months The first mention of a month name in the Bible is in Exodus 13:4, when Moses is speaking to the people of Israel about their departure from Egypt. In the previous chapter, Jehovah had instructed Moses and Aaron that Abib was to become the first month of their calendar (Ex. 12:1–2). The significance of the...More Sunday, April 13, 2025 A Poor Wise Man There was a little city with few men in it; and a great king came against it, besieged it, and built great snares around it. Now there was found in it a poor wise man, and he by his wisdom delivered the city. Yet no one remembered that same poor man. Ecclesiastes 9:14–15 ???? A Poor Wise Man How perverted are the natural thoughts of our hearts! If a man set in high honor and dignity were to formulate a wise plan by which to deliver his city from a formidable attack by a great adversary, he would be highly acclaimed and should likely have a monument erected in his honor. But a poor man who shows...More Saturday, April 12, 2025 Josiah the King (3) “I have found the Book of the Law in the house of the L???.” And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan … Thus it happened, when the king heard the words of the Law, that he tore his clothes. 2 Chronicles 34:15, 19 ???? Josiah the King (3) Josiah became king at a very young age and during a very dark time, but “he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left” (2 Chr. 34:2). He was very balanced and did not go to one extreme or another. Josiah was confronted with division, confusion, and every kind of evil work. But during those dark days, what brought revival back to the land was the...More Friday, April 11, 2025 Josiah the King (2) [Josiah] did what was right in the sight of the L???, and walked in the ways of his father David; he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left. 2 Chronicles 34:2 ???? Josiah the King (2) Josiah joins the company of two other kings—Jehoshaphat and Hezekiah—of whom it is said, they “did what was right in the sight of the L???.” This idea of doing “what was right” is similar to what we find in Psalm 1, where we read, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in...More Thursday, April 10, 2025 Josiah the King (1) Josiah was eight years old when he became king, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. 2 Chronicles 34:1 ???? Josiah the King (1) Josiah was eight years old when he became king. In 2 Kings 23, we learn of the idolatrous times into which this young boy was born. However, he is the last good king of Judah in spite of the environment he was born into. What marked such a good king, even at eight years old? What marked the revival that was brought on by such a surrendered heart? What spiritual lessons can we apply to our own lives? We can answer these questions by giving an overview...More Wednesday, April 9, 2025 Have Your Eyes Fixed on Christ For to me, to live is Christ. Christ is all and in all. Philippians 1:21 ????; Colossians 3:11 ???? Have Your Eyes Fixed on Christ What a difference between a man walking in darkness and a man standing in the broad daylight of God’s presence, having been given Christ for righteousness, and being a part of the heavenly Bride. Those who know Christ see such a fullness and freshness in His love that the very thought of Him sets all the affections in movement. And when it is the question of what there is in Him, I find the tenth part has not been told me. If you do not keep...More Tuesday, April 8, 2025 Joshua (14)—Called to Service The heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites came near to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’ houses of the tribes of the children of Israel. And they spoke to them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, saying, “The L??? commanded through Moses to give us cities to dwell in, with their common-lands for our livestock.” Joshua 21:1–2 ???? Joshua (14)—Called to Service After taking the Israelites out of Egypt, God had set apart the tribe of Levi for His service instead of the firstborn of the children of Israel. Out of this tribe He had selected...More Monday, April 7, 2025 Walking in Holiness For God did not call us to uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore he who rejects this does not reject man, but God, who has also given us His Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 4:7–8 ???? Walking in Holiness Over the years and in several parts of the world, many have tried to live in holiness. Some would withdraw from the community where they were living and isolate themselves, even going far into the wilderness. One such “saint” decided to live on top of a high pole, relying on others for his daily needs. Some others moved away to live in caves or huts. Later, it was thought that living in a...More Sunday, April 6, 2025 Access (3)—A New Confidence In whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him. Ephesians 3:12 ???? Access (3)—A New Confidence The word “access” is only used three times in the New Testament and only by the apostle Paul. In Romans 5:2, we learn that through this access we have a new standing; in Ephesians 2:18, it is revealed that we have a new relationship. In the above verse, we will find that we have a new confidence. Before we were saved, we dreaded the thought of meeting God. Our bad conscience caused us to draw back; indeed, we were alienated from Him. But now we can draw near to...More Saturday, April 5, 2025 Access (2)—A New Relationship For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. Ephesians 2:18 ???? Access (2)—A New Relationship In this verse, Paul reveals that “we both” have access to the Father. This is a reference to the two groups that constituted the assembly: Jews and Gentiles. Most of the Ephesians had previously been pagans. In Acts 19, we read that they worshiped the goddess Diana. When they turned to Christ in repentance, they burned their books of magic, which were valued at 50,000 pieces of silver, about 6 million US dollars (Acts 19:19)! After they were saved, they and the converted Jews...More Friday, April 4, 2025 Access (1)—A New Standing 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. Romans 5:1–2 ???? Access (1)—A New Standing Sometimes when we read the Bible we have the tendency to pass over words without considering their spiritual importance. This is completely understandable because we tend to be dull to some things due to their familiarity. I believe this to be the case with the word, “access.” It only appears three times in the New Testament: Romans 5:2; Ephesians 2:18; 3:12. It is a very...More Thursday, April 3, 2025 The Path of Obedience I have set the L??? always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Psalm 16:8 ???? The Path of Obedience When the serpent tempted Eve to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she “saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise.” However, it was when she transgressed God’s instruction by eating of the tree and “gave to her husband with her, and he ate” (Gen. 3:6) that man fell into sin and became prey to “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life” of which the...More Wednesday, April 2, 2025 Christ Is the Foundation Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Hebrews 13:8 ???? Christ Is the Foundation We live in such difficult times, where it seems the entire foundation all around us is crumbling! David dealt with this same feeling about his times back in Psalm 11:3, saying, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” As David pondered the problems of the world around him, his answer was, “In the L??? I put my trust” (v. 1). He continues by reminding us that the Lord has not changed; He is still on the throne, saying, “The L??? is in His holy temple, the L???’s...More Tuesday, April 1, 2025 An Endless Love Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. Jeremiah 31:3 ???? An Endless Love Travel back in imagination to the beginning, before one heavenly body was erected in space, to when time began and God inhabited sublime solitude alone. Realize that even then His thought was of you and that His thought was love! Our verse was directed to Israel, but we can apply it to ourselves with profit. Think of the sovereignty of God’s love. He does not draw us because of anything in us, not on account of our poor earthly love nor any foreseen...More Monday, March 31, 2025 Joshua (13)—Seeking Greener Pastures The children of Joseph spoke to Joshua, saying, “Why have you given us only one lot and one share to inherit, since we are a great people, inasmuch as the L??? has blessed us until now?” So Joshua answered them, “If you are a great people, then go up to the forest country and clear a place for yourself there in the land of the Perizzites and the giants, since the mountains of Ephraim are too confined for you.” Joshua 17:14–15 ???? Joshua (13)—Seeking Greener Pastures The tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim did not dispossess all the Canaanites from the territory of their inheritance. But...More Sunday, March 30, 2025 The Remembrance of You Yes, in the way of Your judgments, O L???, we have waited for You; the desire of our soul is for Your name and for the remembrance of You. With my soul I have desired You in the night, yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early. Isaiah 26:8–9 ???? The Remembrance of You In Isaiah 53, we read about the great sacrifice of our Lord Jesus: “It pleased the L??? to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief … You make His soul an offering for sin … 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...More Saturday, March 29, 2025 The Cross of Christ For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of no effect. 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 1:17–18 ???? The Cross of Christ Much more is meant by the “cross of Christ” than the means of pardon for the sinner. To treat it only as the great remedy for man’s need, however true as far as it goes, is to rob it of an immense deal of its importance as well as to obscure the truth and shut out God’s...More Friday, March 28, 2025 Increasing and Abounding May the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you. 1 Thessalonians 3:12 ???? Increasing and Abounding Strong bonds of affection existed between Paul and his coworkers. They loved the believers in Thessalonica, a love that came from God, who is the Source of love (1 Jn. 4:7). It was poured out in the hearts of those who responded to God’s love. They received it when they became believers (Rom. 5:5). Wonderful grace! Yet there is always room for improvement and progress. The above verse indicates such a development with the words increase and abound....More Thursday, March 27, 2025 Construction or Destruction Lift up Your feet to the perpetual desolations. The enemy has damaged everything in the sanctuary. Your enemies roar in the midst of Your meeting place; they set up their banners for signs. They seem like men who lift up axes among the thick trees. And now they break down its carved work, all at once, with axes and hammers. Psalm 74:3–6 ???? Construction or Destruction In Psalm 74, we have a complaint of Asaph concerning the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar. He tells us that at one time a man was accounted famous for going to Lebanon and, with an axe, hewing down trees, and with a...More Wednesday, March 26, 2025 Fellowship With the Father and the Son The life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us—that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 1 John 1:2–4 ???? Fellowship With the Father and the Son Life is ours by the free favor of God, and having the life, we have the privilege of the fellowship. It is true that some of the children only enjoy the fellowship...More Tuesday, March 25, 2025 The Father’s Discipline You have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the L???, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the L??? loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.” Hebrews 12:5–6 ???? The Father’s Discipline This text is one that we sometimes would rather pass right over. It is often misunderstood and misapplied. But it is actually very encouraging because we are reminded of the loving hand of God the Father. These verses, and the ones that follow, deal with the subject of God’s discipline. When we hear the...More Monday, March 24, 2025 The Lord’s Pathway All the paths of the L??? are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies. Psalm 25:10 ???? The Lord’s Pathway My soul, never follow your own paths. If you do, you will often be in danger of walking by sight rather than by faith, thus choosing the evil and refusing the good. Let this be your prayer: “Show me Your ways, O L???; teach me Your paths” (Ps. 25:4). And help me to commit my way to You and trust You to bring it to pass (Ps. 37:5). Oh for Caleb’s spirit which enabled him to say, “I wholly followed the L??? my God” (Josh. 14:8)! May we all...More Sunday, March 23, 2025 Worthy of Unceasing Praise Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me; let them bring me to Your holy hill and to Your tabernacle. Then I will go to the altar of God, to God my exceeding joy; and on the harp I will praise You, O God, my God. Psalm 43:3–4 ???? Worthy of Unceasing Praise God must be, and is, the Originator of all that is good. If one is to be led rightly, this must be by God sending out His light and His truth to lead in His own wise way. The truth does not leave me to decide for myself what is the best way to be led. If I receive the truth of God, it will lead me unerringly to God’s holy...More Saturday, March 22, 2025 Joshua (12)—Seeking the Blessing Caleb said, “He who attacks Kirjath Sepher and takes it, to him I will give Achsah my daughter as wife” … She answered, “Give me a blessing; since you have given me land in the South, give me also springs of water.” So he gave her the upper springs and the lower springs. Joshua 15:16, 19 Joshua (12)—Seeking the Blessing After seven years of fighting, the land was now being divided for an inheritance to the tribes. Judah was first in line, and 85-year-old Caleb, that intrepid old warrior and former spy, stepped forward to claim the portion he had been promised by Moses 45 years...More Friday, March 21, 2025 The Right Moment Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with Me? My hour has not yet come.” John 2:4 ???? The Right Moment The Gospel of John shows the Lord Jesus as the Son of God who was sent by the Father and who lived in constant dependence on Him. This dependence is seen in not only what He did but also when He did it. In chapter 2, Jesus’ mother noticed that the wine at the wedding feast had run out. Her indirect suggestion that Jesus may do something about it was rejected by the Lord as His time had not come. He did not listen to the well-meant remark of His mother but...More Thursday, March 20, 2025 A Short-Lived Revival The words of Jeremiah … to whom the word of the L??? came in the days of Josiah … until the carrying away of Jerusalem. Jeremiah 1:1–3 ???? A Short-Lived Revival As a young man, Jeremiah was called by the Lord to prophetic service. King Josiah was on the throne in Jerusalem, and a revival was underway. Josiah had removed the idolatrous displays that infected the land, even personally supervising the destruction of Baal’s altars (2 Chr. 34:3–5). Five years after Jeremiah’s call, a tremendous Passover feast was held—the greatest since the days of Samuel (35:18–19). It probably looked...More Wednesday, March 19, 2025 A False Messiah Is Coming The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 ???? A False Messiah Is Coming Many people in Thessalonica responded to the message of God’s good news and became believers. They turned to the living and true God. Their faith had three vital characteristics, as seen in their (1) work of faith, (2) labor of love, and (3) endurance or perseverance of hope (1 Th. 1:3). Today, we still need these features that show the reality of what we believe. The enemy wants believers to be satisfied with their profession, with a...More Tuesday, March 18, 2025 Let This Mind Be in You He knows our frame; He remembers that we are dust. Psalm 103:14 ???? Let This Mind Be in You How wonderful to see God’s understanding of us and our needs. God knows our anxieties and fears and assures us to trust in Him. Many times He tells us, “fear not.” Someone once told me that the thought of this phrase is repeated 365 times in the Bible, one a day for the whole year. Even so, God recognizes that we may be fearful, and He makes provision for us. We see this in His instruction to Israel in relation to war. Those who feared the impending battle did not have to go out to fight (Dt. 20:8)....More Monday, March 17, 2025 The Power of God [You] are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:5 ???? The Power of God In addressing the believers that had been scattered due to persecution in Jerusalem and the surrounding area, Peter does not merely reassure them by saying their hardships were over, but he encourages them with the thought that they are being kept by the power of God. How infinitely better for them to undergo hardships under the watchful protection of the loving God in whom they had placed their faith, than to have a false sense of security in pleasant...More Sunday, March 16, 2025 Joshua (11)—The Glorious Victor Joshua did. He left nothing undone of all that the L??? had commanded Moses … So Joshua took the whole land, according to all that the L??? had said to Moses; and Joshua gave it as an inheritance to Israel according to their divisions by their tribes. Then the land rested from war. Joshua 11:15, 23 ???? Joshua (11)—The Glorious Victor Joshua 11 relates how the peoples of the northern part of the land united together under Jabin, the king of Hazor, to fight against Israel. God tells us that “they went out, they and all their armies with them, as many people as the sand that is on the seashore...More Saturday, March 15, 2025 Consider Him For consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners against Himself, lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls. Hebrews 12:3 ???? Consider Him Whereas the imagery given in Hebrews 12:1–2 is of a race, and of an object to focus on while we run, today’s verse goes a bit deeper. The writer encourages us to “consider Him.” This word consider means to “weigh the value of.” As we look at the life of the Lord Jesus and all that He endured, we will be encouraged to press on and to neither turn back nor give up on the journey of faith. The path of faith can...More Friday, March 14, 2025 Three Apples Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Acts 16:31 ???? Three Apples It has been said, humorously, that three apples have changed the course of human history? Let us take them in reverse order. Apple Inc. has spearheaded the information technology revolution of recent years with their remarkable array of electronic products. Isaac Newton’s apple may not have fallen on his head, but it did make him think, “Why should that apple always descend perpendicularly to the ground?” His laws of gravity revolutionized scientific understanding of the day when first...More Thursday, March 13, 2025 God Had a Plan (2) But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Genesis 50:20 ???? God Had a Plan (2) God used Joseph in a mighty way to save and bless not only Egypt, but also his brothers, the very ones who had treated him so unfairly! When all had come to pass, he said to his brothers, “You meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order … to save many people.” Joseph’s brothers had their plan for Joseph, and all the while God was working out His plan! The antitype to the story of Joseph...More Wednesday, March 12, 2025 God Had a Plan (1) Joseph said to his brothers, “Please come near to me.” So they came near. Then he said: “I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. Genesis 45:4–5 ???? God Had a Plan (1) One of the wonderful things about the Word of God is that the truths revealed in its contents do not stand as isolated snippets or disassociated stories and events. Rather, they are woven and linked together throughout the Bible, supporting the overriding theme: the redemption of...More Tuesday, March 11, 2025 One Man There is still one man … but I hate him. Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him. 1 Kings 22:8 ????; Mark 12:6 ???? One Man This chapter of 1 Kings is very remarkable. We find on earth a godly king, Jehoshaphat, wrongly associating himself with a very wicked king, Ahab. At the same time, we find heaven opened to us, allowing us to view the way in which God in His sovereignty uses a lying spirit to lead Ahab to his destruction. And we also find one man on earth who is able to speak for Jehovah in heaven. Let us consider for a moment this last point, and...More Monday, March 10, 2025 Suffering for Christ For you, brethren, became imitators of the churches of God which are in Judea in Christ Jesus. For you also suffered the same things from your own countrymen, just as they did. 1 Thessalonians 2:14 ???? Suffering for Christ In this world full of turmoil, God has a people for Himself, disciples of the Lord Jesus. They have chosen to take a path marked by sufferings, which others have taken before. Many believers have gone through great conflicts. Yet they are willing to do so, eager to imitate the example of those who went before. It is like in an army, where fallen soldiers are being replaced by...More Sunday, March 9, 2025 A Precious Observance He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this is remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.” Luke 22:19–20 ???? A Precious Observance The institution of the Lord’s Supper is like a beautiful jewel against a black background, precious to the hearts of those who love the Lord at a time when He has been cast out by Israel and the world. The bread which the Lord Jesus breaks symbolizes His body given for us, and...More Saturday, March 8, 2025 Joshua (10)—God Is for Us The L??? cast down large hailstones from heaven on them as far as Azekah, and they died … So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies. Joshua 10:11, 13 ???? Joshua (10)—God Is for Us The Hivites in Gibeon had made peace with Israel and were under Israel’s protection. This did not please their neighbors to the south. Five kings of the Amorites under the leadership of the king of Jerusalem now camped before Gibeon with their armies to make war against it. The Gibeonites appealed to Joshua for help. Joshua and Israel’s warriors...More Friday, March 7, 2025 Using the Time While We Wait for Christ Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. 1 Corinthians 16:13 ???? Using the Time While We Wait for Christ Never in the history of the world have things moved with such lightning speed. In the past decade, we have witnessed changes that we thought would take centuries for development. People may well cry, “What is next?” and “Where is all this leading?” In the light of the Word of God there is one sure and certain event of great magnitude that is coming soon—very soon. The Lord Jesus is coming! He will give that shout in the air which will call all who are sheltered...More Thursday, March 6, 2025 Living Epistles You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart. 2 Corinthians 3:2–3 ???? Living Epistles It was a wonderful thing to call any company of saints in this world Paul’s epistle, that which set forth his mind and heart, the fruit of his testimony in the Spirit to the world. Such he declares the Corinthian assembly to be; no mere “lip service” this, but “written in our hearts,” yet...More Wednesday, March 5, 2025 A Wonderful Day Is Coming This shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tabernacle of meeting before the L???, where I will meet you to speak with you. And there I will meet with the children of Israel, and the tabernacle shall be sanctified by My glory. Exodus 29:42–43 ???? A Wonderful Day Is Coming It is a wonderful fact to know that a continual fragrance of Christ rises up to God. His Person and His work, that bring endless delight to His God and Father, are the foundation of every blessing. We stand before God, accepted in His beloved Son. When God looks upon Christ in glory,...More Tuesday, March 4, 2025 Christ Occupied With Us and We With Him And Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.” Luke 23:43 ???? Christ Occupied With Us and We With Him One of the greatest blessings the soul can have is the power of entering into the refreshment the Lord Jesus Christ had while He was on the earth, and it is that which makes the scene between Himself and the dying thief so precious: not only that this poor man found light through an open door, but—the thought is so exceedingly precious—that He who saved that thief saw in him one of the fruits of the travail of His soul. This is very...More Monday, March 3, 2025 His Light and Truth Oh, send out Your light and Your truth! Let them lead me. Psalm 43:3 ???? His Light and Truth There are times when I have allowed myself to become discouraged over the trials and tribulations common to life in this fallen world. I do admit to some self-pity over all the lovely sights my blinded eyes are missing, and upon my own dependence upon others just to navigate about my darkened world. However, in Psalm 43, I believe there is much to encourage the soul! In this psalm, I believe we hear the voice of the faithful of Israel, who despite the trials posed by enemies around them, are longing for...More Sunday, March 2, 2025 The Patient Sufferer When the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” which is translated, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Mark 15:33–34 ???? The Patient Sufferer All night long the blessed Lord of glory had been subjected to the vicious abuse of religious leaders who had before plotted His death. Then to this was added the ordeal of a second mock trial before a Roman judge who proclaimed His innocence, yet ordered Him to be scourged, and finally passed the...More Saturday, March 1, 2025 Running the Race Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1 ???? Running the Race The word “therefore” is a bridge that connects us back to the so-called “Heroes of Faith” in chapter 11. Name after name is given of men and women who pressed on by faith! They were not perfect, but they were persistent! What caused them to push forward despite the obstacles they faced? It was the Object set before them! The Object of their faith...More Friday, February 28, 2025 Joshua (9)—Servants of God When the inhabitants of Gibeon heard what Joshua had done to Jericho and Ai, they worked craftily … So Joshua made peace with them, and made a covenant with them to let them live … And that day Joshua made them woodcutters and water carriers for the congregation and for the altar of the L??? … even to this day. Joshua 9:3–4, 15, 27 ???? Joshua (9)—Servants of God Fearing for their lives, the people of the Hivite royal city of Gibeon decided to try to enter into covenant relationship with Israel. Unlike Rahab, who had acknowledged Jehovah to be “God in the heavens above and on the earth...More Thursday, February 27, 2025 Saul of Tarsus Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. Acts 26:9–10 ???? Saul of Tarsus Saul was born in the city of Tarsus in modern-day Turkey. He belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, and was named, in Greek, Saulos, from the Hebrew name Shaoul, meaning desired. Israel’s first king had the same name, and he was of the same tribe. Saul’s hometown, Tarsus, was part...More Wednesday, February 26, 2025 How Can I Know the Will of God? (2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2 ???? How Can I Know the Will of God? (2) We need to realize this is not an “on/off” matter. Our God may direct us to do different things at different times but there will never be any “down-time.” If the word for “present” in verse 1 means a once-for-all lifelong commitment, verse 2 tells us how we can sustain this day to day. The world has a completely different agenda. After all, its princes crucified the Lord...More Tuesday, February 25, 2025 How Can I Know the Will of God? (1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1 ???? How Can I Know the Will of God? (1) This is one of the most frequent questions Christians ask. How many sermons, books, websites, blogs and, yes, calendar texts, try to answer it, and yet God’s answer, in a nutshell, is in the first two verses of Paul’s letter to the Romans. It takes the form of an appeal founded on the pitying love of God which suffuses the way of salvation Paul has expounded in the preceding...More Monday, February 24, 2025 Four Generations The L??? has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the L??? has commanded him to be commander over His people. 1 Samuel 13:14 ???? Four Generations When God chose David to sit on the throne, something new began. David was a man after God’s own heart. From youth to old age, he displayed a life of faith. Even when he failed through tremendously offensive sins, he made no excuses but genuinely repented. Centuries later, the days of David were still a reference point for God’s people (Neh. 12:46). Solomon took the throne next. He asked God for understanding, and his kingdom...More Sunday, February 23, 2025 A New and Living Way Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Hebrews 10:19–22 ???? A New and Living Way It will be noticed that these four verses complete one full sentence. Earlier in Hebrews 10, the writer was demonstrating the superiority of Christ’s sacrifice. Here he goes on to...More Saturday, February 22, 2025 Joshua (8)—Privileged to Have God’s Word There was not a word of all that Moses had commanded which Joshua did not read before all the assembly of Israel, with the women, and the little ones, and the strangers who were living among them. Joshua 8:35 ???? Joshua (8)—Privileged to Have God’s Word God gave Israel a complete victory over Ai, but it was not the easy victory that they in self-confidence had originally expected to gain with just three thousand warriors. Once the victory was won, Joshua and the people did what Moses had commanded in Deuteronomy 27. Joshua built an altar of large whole stones on which he offered...More Friday, February 21, 2025 Salvation to All The gospel of Christ … is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. Romans 1:16 ???? Salvation to All During His earthly ministry we hear the Lord Jesus tell His disciples not to go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans, but to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Mt. 10:5–6); and to the woman at the well of Sychar He says, “salvation is of the Jews” (Jn. 4:22). This may seem strange at first glance, yet He is not limiting salvation to the nation of Israel, but rather, He is making it clear that salvation would come from this nation....More Thursday, February 20, 2025 Be Still God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 ???? Be Still I find Psalm 46 to be most comforting, despite the turbulent times in which we live, because there we are assured that God Himself is our refuge, come what may in this world. Today, do we not see the unbelievers raging everywhere we look, and isn’t faith in the Lord being challenged on every side? We see wars and mass killings, severe weather events, and all manner of terrible diseases; and these events seem to be growing in number and intensity by the day. On top of that, it seems that all that...More Wednesday, February 19, 2025 Approved by God Just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. 1 Thessalonians 2:4 ??? Approved by God The Lord Jesus called Saul of Tarsus out of darkness to light. After a time of training in God’s school, He entrusted him with the special task of proclaiming His message of salvation to Jews and Gentiles. He became God’s spokesperson, sent to many places and countries, serving his new Master with great devotion and amazing results. Saul did not volunteer for this task. On the contrary, he had not been willing at...More Tuesday, February 18, 2025 Take Heed It happened in the spring of the year, at the time when kings go out to battle. 2 Samuel 11:1 ???? Take Heed The story of David’s fall is a sad but very instructive portion of Scripture. His sin and the long-lasting consequences have a number of lessons for us. God wants us to learn from others’ mistakes, so much so that a significant portion of Scripture is dedicated to this sad story. We know that David was a man after God’s heart, so if it could happen to him, we are not exempt from such failure too: “let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor. 10:12). What...More Monday, February 17, 2025 Divine Commission and the Divine Presence (3) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19–20 ???? Divine Commission and the Divine Presence (3) God called Moses and told him He was going to “send” him to Pharaoh with the message of deliverance to His people. Though Moses protested this, because of a sense of his own inadequacy, God assured him, “I will certainly be with you” (Ex. 3:10, 12). In a similar...More Sunday, February 16, 2025 “This Man” Finished the Work But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. Hebrews 10:12–14 ???? “This Man” Finished the Work What an object for our souls! “But this Man!” This Man, the Lord Jesus, is in contrast to every priest who “stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (Heb. 10:11). The writer of the Book of Hebrews has set this Man before us throughout...More Saturday, February 15, 2025 The Exquisite Graciousness of Christ Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7 ???? The Exquisite Graciousness of Christ How wonderful Christ is! How He watches to bless us! Is there something that is the one care of your heart? And is that one care half as much to you as you are to Christ? Do not think that His eye has not been on each one of us today. We little appreciate how He looks on us as those given Him of the Father, a people for whom He has so well done what He has done, a people so identified with His own heart’s affections. Ah! Christ loves to hear His people speak of Him and for Him....More Friday, February 14, 2025 Joshua (7)—Achan’s Sin Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. For they have even taken some of the accursed things … Therefore, the children of Israel could not stand before their enemies. Joshua 7:11–12 ???? Joshua (7)—Achan’s Sin God is holy! This we dare not forget. After the great victory at Jericho, Israel had gone on to send some three thousand men to capture Ai, a small nearby city. But to their shock and consternation they had been routed, and thirty-six of their men had been killed in battle. Joshua and the elders fell down before the ark of Jehovah until...More Thursday, February 13, 2025 Sanctification (2) To open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. Acts 26:18 ???? Sanctification (2) Here, faith is the instrument by which we are said to be sanctified, because it connects us with Christ. The very moment the sinner believes on the Lord Jesus Christ he becomes linked with Him. He is made one with Him, complete in Him, accepted in Him. This is true sanctification and justification. It is not a process. It is not a gradual work. It is not...More Wednesday, February 12, 2025 Sanctification (1) For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells. Romans 7:18 ???? Sanctification (1) Are you a true believer? If so, have you found any improvement in your old nature? Is it a single whit better now than it was when you first started on your Christian course? You may, through grace, be able to subdue it more thoroughly; but it is nothing better. If it be not mortified, it is just as ready to spring up and show itself in all its vileness as ever. “The flesh” in a believer is in no wise better than “the flesh” in an unbeliever. If this be forgotten, it would be hard to...More Tuesday, February 11, 2025 Divine Commission and the Divine Presence (2) Then the L??? turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” And the L??? said to him, “Surely I will be with you.” Judges 6:14 ????; Judges 6:16 ???? Divine Commission and the Divine Presence (2) When Jehovah appeared to Gideon to call him to fight the Midianites. He said, “The L??? is with you, you mighty man of valor!” (Judg. 6:12). An interesting salutation to a man hiding in a winepress! The first question that Gideon asked God—and it probably had been on his mind for a while—was,...More Monday, February 10, 2025 Hidden Things Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and I will shew thee great and hidden things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3 ??? Hidden Things Let us consider together three points in the above verse: 1. “Call unto Me.” Here we have the gracious invitation of the Lord to His people to call to Him in the midst of all their distress, difficulty, and need. Do we feel the lack of our own resources, whether wisdom or strength or anything else? He desires to be our resource. How many believers look within themselves or look to their brethren or, sadly, look to the world for the resources...More Sunday, February 9, 2025 Christ Is “Better” Having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. Hebrews 1:4 ???? Christ Is “Better” The writer of the Book of Hebrews opens by establishing the fact that the Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, who became a Man for the purpose of offering Himself as the sacrifice for sin, is superior to everyone and everything else! Here in today’s verse, he uses the word “better,” which is used at least thirteen times throughout the Book of Hebrews. The word that has been translated as better actually means “greater,...More Saturday, February 8, 2025 Love Your Brothers Hatred stirs up strife. Proverbs 10:12 ???? Love Your Brothers By the Spirit of God, the apostle who tells us “God is love” also warns us against hating our brother. In three successive chapters of 1 John, we find his strongly worded admonitions. The one who hates his brother walks in darkness (2:9–11) and is a murderer (3:11–15). Further, he who claims to love God is called a liar if he also hates his brother (4:20–21). These passages even imply that the one who hates his brother might not be a true believer, since “no murderer has eternal life abiding in him”; and “he...More Friday, February 7, 2025 Joshua (6)—Rahab’s New Life Only Rahab the harlot shall live, she and all who are with her in the house … Joshua spared Rahab the harlot, her father’s household, and all that she had. So she dwells in Israel to this day, because she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. Joshua 6:17, 25 ???? Joshua (6)—Rahab’s New Life When Israel had followed the Lord’s detailed instructions for a whole week, at Joshua’s direction they gave a great shout, and the priests blew with their trumpets and Jericho’s wall fell flat. Israel could rush in from every direction and take the city, killing the people and...More

Wednesday, February 5, 2025 Divine Commission and the Divine Presence (1) Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt … I will certainly be with you. Exodus 3:10, 12 ???? Divine Commission and the Divine Presence (1) God will never ask us to do something for Him, be it little or great, without His presence also aiding and empowering us. Jehovah had appeared to Moses in the burning bush with the purpose of calling him to a special service: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their...More Tuesday, February 4, 2025 The Yearnings of the New Nature God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. 1 John 5:11 ???? The Yearnings of the New Nature The child of God, in the normal, right state of his affections, looks on to the future, when all hindrance shall be abolished, and when he, spirit, soul, and body, shall be like the Lord in the liberty of the glory. He also yearns after the conscious favor of his God’s presence day by day, and longs to know more of Christ, and to live in His enjoyed communion until the glory comes. This, though varying in intensity, and though interrupted by the influences of the world, is true of...More Monday, February 3, 2025 Be a Berean They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. Acts 17:11–12 ???? Be a Berean It is a great blessing to read brother Luke’s report in his Gospel about the Son of Man who came to this earth. His second account, the Book of Acts, is an important addition to “all that Jesus began both to do and teach” (Acts 1:1). Sometimes called the Acts of the Apostles, it describes what the Lord Jesus had been doing after He ascended to...More Sunday, February 2, 2025 Our Object in Heaven We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. Hebrews 8:1 ???? Our Object in Heaven This is the third of five times in the book of Hebrews where the writer mentions that the Lord Jesus has sat down at the right hand of God. This is not simply repetition without purpose; each time it is mentioned there is a specific point the Spirit of God is seeking to put before us. First, in Hebrews 1:3 we read, “when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.” In the context the writer sets...More Saturday, February 1, 2025 Joshua (5)—The Captain of the Lord’s Army It came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand … He said, “No, but as Commander of the army of the L??? I have now come.” And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, “What does my Lord say to His servant?” Then the Commander of the L???’s army said to Joshua, “Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy.” And Joshua did so. Joshua 5:13–15 ???? Joshua (5)—The Captain of the Lord’s Army It was on the tenth day of the...More Friday, January 31, 2025 Waiting on God (2) Those who wait on the L??? shall renew their strength. Isaiah 40:31 ???? Waiting on God (2) The word “wait” in Isaiah 40:31 has the thought of simply and singly looking to Him. It also embraces waiting for Him, and expecting from Him. It is a very full word. That accounts for it being variously translated. One word in English does not give the fullness of its meaning. It is upon God alone then we are to wait. We are to look to Him; to wait for Him; and to expect from Him only. In this exercise, we deepen in the knowledge of that which is before the mind of God; and that displaces things which...More Thursday, January 30, 2025 Waiting on God (1) Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, but those who wait on the L??? shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:30–31 ???? Waiting on God (1) The Lord Jesus knew well where to turn for help as He pressed forward in the path of faith. God was His confidence, as the will of God was His delight, and He ceased not to turn to Him. His own strength might be weakened in the way (Ps. 102:23), but He knew where to find the source of strength unfailing, and to...More Wednesday, January 29, 2025 Members of the Body As we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Romans 12:4–5 ???? Members of the Body The human body is an amazing masterpiece of God’s workmanship, encompassing so great an array of intricate details that the psalmist exclaims, “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made” (Ps. 139:14). It is a wonderful example of diversity in unity, for it embraces members totally diverse in character and operation, yet all function together in marvelous unison....More Tuesday, January 28, 2025 What Is Grace? For 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 ???? What Is Grace? I remember a person once saying he did not like the word grace; he thought the word love meant the same and was much better. This is a mistake; grace goes a great deal further than love. Man loves that which he thinks is in some way worthy of love, and he thinks God is the same as himself, and therefore, says he, “I must turn to God someday and try to be worthy of His love; and then He will love me.”...More Monday, January 27, 2025 He Hears Our Cries In my distress I called upon the L???, and cried out to my God; He heard my voice from His temple, and my cry entered His ears. 2 Samuel 22:7 ???? He Hears Our Cries The history of the nation of Israel is given for our learning, and as we read through the various accounts, one cannot help but relate to some of their experiences. As Christians we have highs and we have lows, and Israel was no different. As they transitioned from the wilderness to the Promised Land, God gave them Joshua as a leader, a type of Christ. While Joshua was with them, they served the Lord. This “high,” if we...More Sunday, January 26, 2025 Joshua (4)—The Work of the Lord Jesus Israel did so, just as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones from the midst of the Jordan, as the L??? had spoken to Joshua … and carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there. Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of the Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests who bore the ark of the covenant stood; and they are there to this day. Joshua 4:8–9 ???? Joshua (4)—The Work of the Lord Jesus The long-awaited day had come! Although it was overflowing all its banks, Israel had crossed the Jordan. By God’s command the ark, borne on...More Saturday, January 25, 2025 The Free Offer to All Let him who thirsts come. Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely. Revelation 22:17 ???? The Free Offer to All Every man is left without excuse. God can say to all who have rejected His gospel, “I would, but you would not” (cf. Mt. 23:37). There is absolutely no such thing as “reprobation” in the Word of God, meaning the consignment, on God’s part, of any number of His creatures to everlasting damnation. Everlasting fire is prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41). Men will rush into it. “Vessels of wrath” are fitted, not by God, but by themselves, to...More Friday, January 24, 2025 Proving Jesus Is the Christ Paul, as his custom was, went in to them, and for three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and demonstrating that the Christ had to suffer and rise again from the dead, and saying, “This Jesus whom I preach to you is the Christ.” Acts 17:2–3 ???? Proving Jesus Is the Christ The apostle Paul had presented God’s Word in Thessalonica’s synagogue during three consecutive Sabbaths. Luke reports that Paul reasoned with them from the Scriptures, which indicates that the apostle interacted with his audience as he read and interpreted the Scriptures: “Explaining and...More Thursday, January 23, 2025 The Everlasting Light Thy judgments are a great deep … with Thee is the fountain of life: in Thy light shall we see light. Psalm 36:6, 9 ??? The Everlasting Light Just as the natural sun sometimes sinks in clouds, so the Christian occasionally has a bright rising, and a still brighter noon, yet goes down in gloom. But we know that when the day of immortality breaks, the last vestige of earth’s shadows will forever flee away. The Lord promises then, although we do not know what He is doing, we shall know hereafter (Jn. 13:7). He seems to keep some things from us to test our faithfulness or to lead us to live in a...More Wednesday, January 22, 2025 Possible and Not Possible Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.“ Mark 9:23 ???? Possible and Not Possible When we come to the end of ourselves, it is good to know that all things are possible with God. This declaration is found three times in the Gospel of Mark. First, a desperate father in Mark 9 brought his demon-possessed son to the disciples, but they could not cast out the evil spirit. A faithless generation (Mk. 9:19) looked on as the demon threw the pitiable boy to the ground at the very moment he approached the Lord: “If You can do anything, have compassion on us...More Tuesday, January 21, 2025 Joshua (3)—The Faith of Rahab The L??? your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the L???, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death. Joshua 2:11–13 ???? Joshua (3)—The Faith of Rahab The two spies Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho are also called messengers. To Jericho and its king they were spies who should be sought and killed. To Rahab the prostitute and her family they proved...More Monday, January 20, 2025 A Sympathetic High Priest Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14–16 ???? A Sympathetic High Priest Today’s verses inform us of an extremely important area of our Lord’s priestly work. Presently, because the Lord Jesus Christ has suffered and died, rose again and...More Sunday, January 19, 2025 The Prince of Life In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:4 ???? The Prince of Life Human life began when God took what He had formed from the dust and breathed into it the breath of life to form a living being (Gen. 2:7). Death came in shortly after when the first couple doubted God’s motives (3:5–6), and this set in motion the all-too-familiar cycle we witness today, where life is continuously interrupted by death. It took the Prince of Life to come and disrupt this reality over which we have no control. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have...More Saturday, January 18, 2025 The Attitude of the Antediluvians (2) Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen … prepared an ark … by which he condemned the world. Hebrews 11:7 ???? The Attitude of the Antediluvians (2) God had divinely warned Noah about the coming flood. At this time in man’s history, there was not yet a written revelation from God to man, no Bible; thus He had divinely warned Noah about this judgment to come. Thus God put Noah to work in the great project of building the ark according to the design revealed to him. However, Noah was not just building, he was also preaching. In fact, the Bible calls him a “preacher of...More Friday, January 17, 2025 The Attitude of the Antediluvians (1) Will you keep to the old way which wicked men have trod, who were cut down before their time, whose foundations were swept away by a flood? They said to God, “Depart from us! What can the Almighty do to them?” Yet He filled their houses with good things. Job 22:15–18 ???? The Attitude of the Antediluvians (1) An interesting statement is found in the Book of Job concerning Noah’s flood. The prevailing attitude of the antediluvians—people who perished in the great flood—is described. The Book of Genesis describes how violence and corruption had filled the earth at that time (Gen....More Thursday, January 16, 2025 Serving the Living and True God You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10 ???? Serving the Living and True God Only two possibilities exist: life or death, heaven or hell, joy or gnashing of teeth, hope or gloom. The choice is not difficult. That’s why many in Thessalonica had turned to the living and true God, away from idols, demons, doom, and the terror of death. New priorities and activities marked them. Serving the living and true God, instead of...More Wednesday, January 15, 2025 Genuine Reconciliation When he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned.” When he had called for Absalom, he came to the king and bowed himself on his face to the ground before the king. Then the king kissed Absalom. Luke 15:20–21 ????; 2 Samuel 14:33 ???? Genuine Reconciliation The story of David’s relationship with his son Absalom is sad, but it has important lessons for us. When Absalom murdered his brother Amnon, he fled to Geshur where he stayed for three years (2 Sam....More Tuesday, January 14, 2025 A Special Love And the dead in Christ will rise first. 1 Thessalonians 4:16 ???? A Special Love Departed saints have not yet got full blessing, but an immense step onward. The position of believers is not changed by death. They were waiting when down here; they are now waiting still in the glory with the Lord in that state of separation from the body. In the case of Stephen, we see how the Lord takes the soul at once to be with Himself; and all beloved departed ones who have died in Jesus are in the experience of that state. This meets the heart when sorrowing under bereavement, and tasting the...More Monday, January 13, 2025 Joshua (2)—Obedience to the Word To the Reubenites, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh Joshua spoke, saying, “Remember the word which Moses the servant of the L??? commanded you” … So they answered Joshua, saying, “All that you command us we will do, and wherever you send us we will go. Just as we heeded Moses in all things, so we will heed you.” Joshua 1:12–13, 16–17 ???? Joshua (2)—Obedience to the Word Moses had died. Thirty days of mourning for him had ended. God had commissioned Joshua to lead Israel into the Promised Land. He had promised to be with him and to give him victory over all the enemies...More Sunday, January 12, 2025 Apostle and High Priest Therefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus, who was faithful to Him who appointed Him, as Moses also was faithful in all His house … as a servant … but Christ as a Son over His own house, whose house we are if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end. Hebrews 3:1–2, 5–6 ???? Apostle and High Priest By addressing his readers as “holy brethren,” the writer is seeking to remind them that they have been set apart for the purposes of heaven. They are no longer an earthly...More Saturday, January 11, 2025 Thirst for God As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. Psalm 42:1–2 ???? Thirst for God Do we hunger and thirst for the presence of God? David, in the Psalms, uses some very descriptive similes and metaphors to describe the longing that came from deep within his soul for the presence of God. This need was more intense and urgent to David’s soul than the food and water which is so critical for life itself. In Psalm 42:2, we read, “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God?” And then, in...More Friday, January 10, 2025 All Christians in Every Place To the church of God which is at Corinth … with all who in every place call on the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours. 1 Corinthians 1:2 ???? All Christians in Every Place By the Spirit of God, the apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Christians in Corinth, probably around the year 54 ??. He had taught the Word of God among them for eighteen months or more (Acts 18:11), and evidently he had remained in contact with them since that time (1 Cor. 5:9). In this letter, the Lord used Paul to address a number of important issues. The epistle’s introduction is...More Thursday, January 9, 2025 Eagles’ Wings You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Exodus 19:4 ???? Eagles’ Wings The Lord uses this remarkable bird as an illustration of His grace! When Israel arrived at the border of Canaan, Moses rehearsed it in the ears of the people: “He found him in a desert land … He encircled him, He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. As an eagle stirs up its nest, hovers over its young, spreading out its wings, taking them up, carrying them on its wings, so the L??? alone led him” (Dt. 32:10–12). The eagle...More Wednesday, January 8, 2025 Turning to God You turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son from heaven, whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. 1 Thessalonians 1:9–10 ???? Turning to God The believers in Thessalonica had turned to God from all kinds of idols. We sometimes say that they turned from the idols to God, which is true. But the way it is written emphasizes God’s greatness, in contrast to the idols. This is not an unimportant matter, because it shows the secret of the salvation of these new believers. The true and living God had attracted them in...More Tuesday, January 7, 2025 Fear Not They come from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying, Thy daughter has died, why troublest thou the teacher any further? But Jesus … says to the ruler of the synagogue, Fear not; only believe. Mark 5:35–36 ??? Fear Not We may wonder what thoughts filled the heart of Jairus as the report came to him from his house saying his daughter was dead. He had gone to the Lord Jesus knowing He was able to heal his daughter. The Lord had set off on the journey to his home. But there was a delay. Another need had come to light, a woman who was in desperate need of help. For twelve years she had...More Monday, January 6, 2025 Inviting the Lord In Do not pass on by Your servant. He came to them, walking on the sea, and would have passed them by. He indicated that He would have gone farther. Genesis 18:3 ????; Mark 6:48 ????; Luke 24:28 ???? Inviting the Lord In In Abraham’s story in Genesis 18, he looked up and noticed three men standing nearby. This was not a coincidence. The Lord did not need to go by Abraham’s tent to get to Sodom, but He had an appointment with Abraham. Rather than walk up to Abraham’s tent, the Lord allowed Abraham to display his affection for the Lord by standing nearby while Abraham ran up...More Sunday, January 5, 2025 A Man in the Glory But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9 ???? A Man in the Glory The book of Hebrews begins by setting the glories of the Lord Jesus before us as the Son of God: “Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person” (Heb. 1:3). Chapter two goes on to set the glories of the Lord Jesus as the Son of Man before us. This chapter reminds us that where the first man, Adam, failed, the Lord Jesus has recovered all...More Saturday, January 4, 2025 Joshua (1)—Prepared for Conflict Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go. Joshua 1:6–7 ???? Joshua (1)—Prepared for Conflict Joshua had been Moses’ faithful attendant throughout Israel’s long journey through the wilderness. Now Moses was dead. Joshua was the new leader who was to bring his people into the...More Friday, January 3, 2025 The Ethiopian Eunuch—A Dead Man Come to Life (2) Now as they went down the road, they came to some water. And the eunuch said, “See, here is water. What hinders me from being baptized?” Acts 8:36 ???? The Ethiopian Eunuch—A Dead Man Come to Life (2) Now it always followed in those days that the moment a person believed he was dead, and that Christ had died for him, he had his burial there and then. Indeed, the Lord Jesus expressly taught His disciples to bury everybody that believed. On the day of Pentecost, 3,000 believed, and immediately there were 3,000 buried that very day. It was just so with this Ethiopian: the moment he...More Thursday, January 2, 2025 The Ethiopian Eunuch—A Dead Man Come to Life (1) A man of Ethiopia, a eunuch … [who] had come to Jerusalem to worship, was returning. And sitting in his chariot, he was reading Isaiah the prophet. Acts 8:27–28 ???? The Ethiopian Eunuch—A Dead Man Come to Life (1) An Ethiopian, of great worldly authority, was driving through the desert; he had been to worship in the city of God. If anything could have been done, in any city, to improve his spiritual condition, Jerusalem was the place. As yet, he knew not his dead condition. Reading the Word of God, where the prophet Isaiah describes the adorable Substitute, he read these words: “He was...More Wednesday, January 1, 2025 A Day in the Life of Anah—A New Year’s Meditation This was the Anah who found the water in the wilderness as he pastured the donkeys of his father Zibeon. Genesis 36:24 ???? A Day in the Life of Anah—A New Year’s Meditation Don’t skip over the genealogies when reading the Bible. Anah was a man found in Esau’s genealogical record, thus an Edomite, from a nation which would eventually become bitter enemies of God’s people. Nevertheless, God has been pleased to record Anah’s name in the Bible for our benefit. It is a wonderful fact that the God who created the universe with its innumerable blazing orbs, the God who lifts up...More

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