Month: February 2018

DAILY READINGS: Exodus 9:1-35; Psalm 40:1-41:13; Acts 4:1-31

Who is worthy?…No man was found worthy…Thou art worthy… Worthy is the Lamb that was slain. Revelation 5:2, 4, 9, 12

“Worthy” is clearly a key word in this passage. A great question is asked,”Who is worthy?” The answer—no one. Upon finding no man worthy, John wept. It is the only case on record of anyone weeping in Heaven! He was told, “Weep not” (Rev. 5:5). All heaven knows and now by God’s grace so do we: the Lamb of God is the only worthy One. All heaven adores Him, and we who believe join in here below. Soon every knee will bow to Him, but our joy now is to proclaim, “Thou art worthy…for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood” (Rev. 5:9). —Carl Knott

Jesus, our Lord, with what joy we adore Thee,
Chanting our praise to Thyself on the throne! —H. d’A Champney

DAILY READINGS: Exodus 8:1-32; Psalms 38:1-39:13; Acts 3:1-26

But He answered and said…Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition…in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Matt. 15:3, 9

As Martin Luther meditated on God’s Word he realized that a lot of what he had been teaching were the traditions of men and not what the Bible said. When at the Diet of Worms he was called upon to recant, he said, “I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God.” May God deliver us from misleading His people with our traditions instead of feeding them the true and accurate written Word of God. —David Croudace

O teach me, Lord, that I may teach, the precious things Thou dost impart,
And wing my words, that they may reach the hidden depths of many a heart. —Frances Ridley Havergal

DAILY READINGS: Exodus 6:14-7:25; Psalm 37:1-40; Acts 2:22-47

It is not [fitting] to take the children’s bread, and to cast it to dogs. Matthew 15:26

A Canaanite mother approached Jesus to heal her demon-possessed daughter. He declined. His priority was the lost sheep of Israel. He replied that it was not fitting to take the children’s bread and to cast it to dogs (Gentiles). But she appealed humbly saying that even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table. The Lord accepted her humble faith and healed her daughter. Today the Gentile Chinese celebrate their New Year of the Dog. We all are “dogs” loved by our Lord. Come to Him for blessing today. —K. C. Ung

A weary, heavy laden sinner comes,
To plead Thy promise and obey Thy call. —E. H. Bickersteth

DAILY READINGS: Exodus 5:1-6:13; Psalms 35:1-36:12; Acts 2:1-21

Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Psalm 77:8-9, NKJV

How often in the midst of trying circumstances do we think that God has forgotten us? When assailed with such doubts, we need to refresh ourselves in His Word. “The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy” (Num. 14:18). “His mercy endureth for ever” (Ps. 136:1). “According to his mercy he saved us” (Titus 3:5). In the darkest of times we can recall that He has promised, “I will not fail thee, neither forsake thee” (Deut. 31:8). —Ken Gunnell

Father of mercies, in Thy Word,
What endless glory shines!
Forever be Thy Name adored,
For these celestial lines. —Anne Steele

DAILY READINGS: Exodus 4:1-31; Psalm 34:1-22; Acts 1:1-26

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

Here, our Lord is declaring that the zenith of human love is reached when one person voluntarily lays down his life for his dear friend. We are deeply stirred when we read historical accounts of such sacrifices, but we must never forget that divine love is unique in both quality and quantity. The amazing contrast between the two is that God’s love embraced us, not when we were His friends, but when we were His enemies! Thus, as always, the divine transcends the human. —George Hall

No man of greater love can boast, than for his friend to die;
Thou for Thine enemies wast slain! What love with Thine can vie? —Joseph Stennett

DAILY?READINGS: Ex. 2:23-3:22; Psalms 32:1-33:22; Matt. 28:1-20

My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning. Psalm 130:6

Many individuals, especially children, are afraid of the dark. A dark night, particularly in an unfamiliar place can be unsettling. Our reaction can be “If only the morning would come”! The wait can be painful. But the Psalmist says the Lord is the one I am anxious for. He is the one who will calm my fears and settle my distress. This is why one of the last things our Lord said to His disciples was “Lo, I am with you always” (Matt. 28:20). Rejoice in this blessed promise. —Ken Gross

Leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus,
Safe and secure from all alarms;
Leaning on Jesus, leaning on Jesus,
Leaning on the everlasting arms. —Elisha A. Hoffman

DAILY READINGS: Ex. 1:1-2:22; Psalm 31:1-24; Matt. 27:45-66

He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy. Proverbs 29:1

I well remember a mother telling me the tragic words of her teenage son, “Mum, if you talk to me any more about Jesus or being saved, I’ll leave home and you’ll never see me again.” She replied, “I won’t mention it again, but I won’t stop praying for you son.” Sadly, a few weeks later he was killed in a tragic car accident and went into eternity, and as far as I know without Christ. How important to “Prepare to meet thy God” (Amos 4:12). “Behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). Come to the Lord Jesus, today! —Jim Comte

Almost persuaded now to believe; almost persuaded Christ to receive:
Seems now some soul to say, “Go Spirit, go Thy way:
Some more convenient day on Thee I’ll call. —Philip P. Bliss

DAILY?READINGS: Gen. 50:1-26; Psalm 30:1-12; Matt. 27:27-44

The King of kings and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. 1 Timothy 6:15-16

In our present, weak, and mortal state we cannot, nor can the angels, bear the brilliance of the King of Kings. Angelic beings must employ two of their six wings to cover their faces, as they encircle the glory-filled throne, praising, and adoring the King of kings. Their God, and ours, is light and clothes Himself in light. We enjoy the sight by faith today, and will do so in reality throughout eternity when we are at home with the Lord. —Arnot P. McIntee

Only faintly now I see Him, with a darkling veil between;
But a blessed day is coming, when His glory shall be seen. —C. E. Breck

DAILY?READINGS: Gen. 49:1-33; Psalms 28:1-29:11; Matt. 27:1-26

And they continued steadfastly… Acts 2:42, NKJV

We tend to overlook the “continued steadfastly” component of a New Testament church. In those early days, the norm was that anytime a gathering occurred, the believers were there, week in and week out. The Greek reads a little differently in various passages; a strong phrase, it is often translated ”devoted.” Our devotion is first and foremost to the Lord, of course. “Continuous commitment” to the local body has fallen on hard times these days, for some reason. One way to reverse this trend is to put every effort into supporting the local church on a regular basis. May God help us to do so. —N. C. Funston

Rise up O church of God! Have done with lesser things;
Give heart and mind and soul and strength, to serve the King of kings. —William P. Merrill

DAILY?READINGS: Gen. 47:28-48:22; Psalms 26:1-27:14; Matt. 26:57-75

And Uriah said unto David, The ark, and Israel, and Judah, abide in tents; and my lord Joab, and the servants of my lord, are encamped in the open fields; shall I then go into mine house, to eat and to drink, and to lie with my wife?…I will not do this thing. 2 Samuel 11:11

Uriah’s exploits earned him inclusion among the mighty men (2 Sam. 23:39). This Gentile loyally fought for God. The king’s coverup of adultery manifested Uriah’s lustrous character. He refused to attend to his private interests—even legitimate family pleasures—to faithfully serve the Lord. May we emulate this loyalty to our God, putting Him ahead of everything else in life. —K. R. Keyser

Let us leave to those behind us, the heritage of faithfulness passed on through godly lives. —R. Rambo-Maguire