Month: August 2018

DAILY READINGS: 2 Samuel 15:1-37; Zephaniah 3:1-20; Galatians 3:1-14

The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good. Psalm 14:1

What a sad picture of people without God. Thinking they can cope on their own! Yet the grace of God of God is so vast, that even though people have turned against Him, He will still hear the faintest cry, and will never turn away from any who seek Him. We can be thankful that we know Him and have communion with Him. —G. Frear

Weak and wounded sinner,
Lost and left to die;
O, raise your head, for Love is passing by,
Come to Jesus, Come to Jesus,
Come to Jesus and live! —Chris Rice

DAILY READINGS: 2 Samuel 14:1-33; Zephaniah 2:1-15; Galatians 2:1-21

They ran out of wine. John 2:3, NKJV 

Hospitality was the duty of the bridegroom. But the wine ran out. The rabbis have a saying, “Without wine there is no joy.” Our Bridegroom does not expect us to drum up our own joy. He has spoken truth so that “My joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full” (John 15:11). And, if we are still lacking He goes even further saying, “Ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24). Our Bridegroom has not let the wine of our joy run out. The water pots are full to the brim. —M. MacMullen

Jesus Thou joy of loving hearts,
Thou Fount of life, Thou Light of men;
From the best bliss that earth imparts,
We turn unfilled to Thee again. —Bernard of Clairvaux

DAILY READINGS: 2 Samuel 13:1-39; Zephaniah 1:1-18; Galatians 1:1-24

Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee. 1 Kings 8:27

An atheist met a farmer one Sunday morning on his way to church. A conversation ensued in which the atheist asked if God were a great God or a little God. “Both,” exclaimed the farmer, “He is so great that the heavens cannot contain Him, and so little that He dwells in my poor heart.” Does He dwell in your heart? —W. Ross Rainey

From His bright throne above,
He came to earth below;
To dwell eternally in love,
In my changed heart of woe. —W. R. R.

DAILY READINGS: 2 Samuel 12:1-31; Habakkuk 3:1-19; Romans 16:1-27

Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven… That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:1, 4

What a sobering thought, that our desire for man’s approval of our charitable deeds may in effect rob us of our heavenly reward. Of how much more lasting value is our heavenly Father’s “well done” of those things done in secret. May we seek this rather than the fleeting praise of man’s recognition. —E. V.

We give Thee but Thine own, what e’er the gift may be;
All that we have is Thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from Thee. —William W. How

DAILY READINGS: 2 Samuel 10:1-11:27; Habakkuk 2:1-20; Romans 15:14-33

O magnify the Lord with me… Psalm 34:3
My soul doth magnify the Lord… Luke 1:46
Now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death. Philippians 1:20

Here are three who magnified the Lord! David a shepherd boy, a soldier, and ultimately a King. In every area of his life he desired above all to magnify the Lord. Mary, a young woman, yet her submission to the will of God meant she could magnify her Lord. Paul, the seasoned missionary, facing either execution or release from prison for his faith, desired only one thing, living or dying that the Lord would be magnified. Let us magnify Him today! —Jim Paul

O magnify the Lord with me, Ye people of His choice.
Let all to whom He lendeth breath, now in His name rejoice.—Lelia Morris

DAILY READINGS: 2 Samuel 8:1-9:13; Habakkuk 1:1-17; Romans 14:19-15:13

Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands. Isaiah 49:16

As the Lord Jesus came and stood before the disciples they were terrified. To allay those fears He showed them His hands and His feet. Thomas saw those nail prints in the hands of the Saviour and cried out, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). One day soon we too will view those nail pierced hands and kneel in wonder at His feet. —Janet Fleming

His hands still today bear those nail prints,
Received when He suffered for sin;
But there is another great wonder,
A wonder I can’t understand,
The Maker of earth and of heaven,
Has graven my name on His hands. —Janet Fleming

DAILY READINGS: 2 Samuel 7:1-29; Nahum 2:1-3:19; Romans 14:1-18

Thou art fairer than the children of men: grace is poured into thy lips: therefore God hath blessed thee for ever. Psalm 45:2
And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. Luke 4:22

That day, in the Nazareth synagogue, the Lord stood up to read and then sat down to explain that He was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. Everyone was filled with wonder at His words. His words were gracious coming from His mouth, for grace had been poured into His lips long ago. He was the eternal Word; God’s final Word become flesh and dwelling among them. —Rex Trogdon

Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life;
Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life. —Philip P. Bliss

DAILY READINGS: 2 Samuel 6:1-23; Nahum 1:1-15; Romans 13:1-14

I will see what their end shall be: for they are a very froward generation, children in whom is no faith. Deuteronomy 32:20

These are perilous times, when our children are being taught on every side that God is not to be trusted. Though we may be small in number and weak in influence, it falls on every believer to bear witness that human revolt against God has destructive consequences. The fruit of unbelief not only leads to eternal darkness, but a present life that is empty and without purpose along the way. Tell them with your lips; show them with your life. —Rick Morse

May His beauty rest upon me, as I seek the lost to win;
And may they forget the channel, seeing only Him. —Kate B. Wilkinson

DAILY READINGS: 2 Samuel 4-5; Micah 7; Romans 12

Where is thy God? Psalm 42:3, 10

My God is before me (Ex. 13:21). He is behind me (Isa. 52:12). He is around me (Ps. 34:7). He is above me (Ezek. 11:22). He is underneath me (Deut. 33:27). He is with me (Isa. 41:10), and He is within me (1 Cor. 3:16). The psalmist speaks of how he makes his prayer “unto the God of my life” (v. 8). Whatever life’s circumstances, you can count on God being there! Are you enjoying His presence today? —Pete Smith

Trust in Him, ye saints for ever;
He is faithful, changing never;
Neither force nor guile can sever
Those He loves from Him. — Thomas Kelly 

DAILY READINGS: 2 Samuel 3:1-39; Micah 6:1-16; Romans 11:13-36

That no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother’s way. Romans 14:13

The positive side of Christianity is that we are to display to all around us the amazing life changing love of our Lord. On the negative side, we are to do nothing that would cause our brethren to stumble. We should be willing to die rather than mislead or give offence to the Father’s beloved. Are we careful of the example we are giving others? —Mary Robins

O the deep, deep love of Jesus, spread His praise from shore to shore;
How He loveth, ever loveth, changeth never, never more;
How He watcheth o’er His loved ones, died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth, watcheth o’er them from the throne. —Samuel Francis