Month: February 2022

Exodus 19:1-25; Psalms 58:1-59:17; Acts 10:24-48

Thus saith the Lord; Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears: for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the Lord. Jeremiah 31:16

Many a servant of God has laboured faithfully for years without seeing results. This can be very discouraging, and can cause the servant to doubt his calling. But in the parable of the sower, the Lord made it clear, that it is not for us to be concerned about results, but to faithfully sow the seed of the gospel, and to leave the results with God. Scripture gives us encouragement to do so, when we read “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him” (Ps. 126:6). —W. H. Burnett

When our weeping’s over, He will bid us welcome,
We shall come rejoicing, bringing in the sheaves. —Geo. A. Minor

Exodus 18:1-27; Psalms 56:1-57:11; Acts 10:1-23

Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm 85:10

Calvary’s cross was a meeting place of the ages. Inflexible truth and tender mercy came together there. Truth demanded sin be punished. But loving-kindness longed to shower blessing upon the offenders. Humanly speaking, such a meeting would have ended abruptly over irreconcilable differences. But at Calvary righteousness and peace kissed. The Saviour, “full of grace and truth” (John 1:14) made peace by the blood of His Cross. —P. Ramsay

Mercy and truth unite;
O, ‘tis a wondrous sight—all sights above.
Jesus the curse sustains.
Guilt’s bitter cup He drains.
Nothing for us remains—nothing but love. —Thomas Kelly

Exodus 17:1-16; Psalm 55:1-23; Acts 9:32-43

Before he had done speaking, behold, Rebekah came out…Genesis 24:15
Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer…Gabriel…being caused to fly swiftly, touched me…and said…At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved. Daniel 9:21-23

Abraham’s unnamed servant and Daniel shared a prayer truth. Their God was not only willing to listen, but swift and faithful to provide the perfect answer. Daniel shares a bonus lesson with us. God knew Daniel’s prayer before it was uttered, but waited in anticipation for Daniel to ask. Their unchangeable God is our God! O greatly beloved—delay not God’s answer today. —David J. Reed

O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear.
All because we do not carry, everything to God in prayer. —J. Scriven

Exodus 16:1-36; Psalm 52:1-54:7; Acts 9:1-31

My times are in thy hand. Psalm 31:15
Trust in him at all times. Psalm 62:8

Sitting in my home in “lockdown” due to the Coronavirus epidemic, one wonders what the future holds. We live in uncertain times. Let us lay hold of the fact that there is One who is in complete control of every situation and circumstance. The Psalmist too lived in difficult times and put his trust in the Lord. He also appreciated that his life was in His hands. We dare not have it any other way. —John M. Clegg

My times are in Thy hand,
My God, I wish them there;
My life, my friends, my soul,
I leave entirely to Thy care.  —William F. Lloyd

Exodus 15:1-27; Psalm 51:1-19; Acts 8:5-40

Thus shall ye say every one to his neighbour, and every one to his brother, What hath the Lord answered? and, What hath the Lord spoken? Jeremiah 23:35

In the name of open dialogue, far too many state their opinions about divine things, without having consulted what God Himself has revealed. Surely we should know that God’s mind is infinitely superior to ours. And while it is important to think things through, it is only useful if, “thus saith the Lord” (v. 2) is permitted to formulate our opinion. What God has stated will always give us healthy minds and clear heads. —Rick Morse

Master! Speak, Thy servant heareth;
What hast Thou to say to me? —Frances R. Havergal

Exodus 14:5-31; Psalms 49:1-50:23; Acts 7:30-8:4

Also some of the disciples from Caesarea went with us and brought with them a certain Mnason of Cyprus, an early disciple, with whom we were to lodge. Acts 21:16, NKJV

Expressions in different translations can give us insight. For example, in the NKJV Mnason is called an early  disciple. It’s a polite way of saying he was “an old disciple” (KJV). Both terms, early and old, were meant as a compliment to him, being a mature believer. The key for spiritual maturity is to start early (now) so that when
we are older, we may be like Mnason, a disciple of long standing. —Rex Trogdon

Help me, Lord, when toil and trouble meeting;
E’er to take, as from a father’s hand,
One by one, the days, the moments fleeting,
Till I reach the promised land. —Lina Sandell Berg

Exodus 13:1-14:4; Psalms 47:1-48:14; Acts 7:1-29

To open blind eyes…look, ye blind, that ye may see. Is. 42:7, 18

Fanny J. Crosby became physically blind at the age of six weeks due to a mistake by an unqualified “doctor”. She lived to be 95 and never seemed to show any bitterness. She clearly had a repose in Christ and her spiritual eyes were open and she saw eternal glories. Sometimes in her hymns she seems to almost forget that she was blind, as she wrote, “Visions of rapture burst on my sight” and “Lo a spring of joy I see” and again “Watching and waiting, looking above”. She wrote with delight in her Saviour and at the age of eight she wrote the poem below. —Paul Young

Oh, what a happy soul am I, although I cannot see!
I am resolved that in this world contented I will be.
How many blessings I enjoy, that other people don’t.
To weep and sigh because I’m blind, I cannot—and I won’t.—F. Crosby

Exodus 12:21-51; Psalm 45:1-46:11; Acts 6:1-15

Behold the tears of such as were oppressed, and they had no comforter. Ecclesiastes 4:1b

What a sad observation Solomon makes of those who were oppressed. He observes their tears and the fact that they had no comforter. Praise God we are not left in this sad condition today. Yes, there are tears, but Jesus promised His disciples to send the Comforter, who would not leave them comfortless (John 14:16, 18). As children of God, we too are beneficiaries of this promise. We can rest assured that our tears are never overlooked by the One who is touched with our sorrows, and He always draws near to comfort us in our time of need. —E. V.

I must have the Saviour with me, for my faith at best is weak;
He can whisper words of comfort, that no other voice can speak.  —Lizzie Edwards

Exodus 11:1-12:20; Psalm 44:1-26; Acts 5:12-42

And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit…and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:12
I go and prepare a place for you. John 14:3a

In preparation for the creation of mankind, God made the waters (Gen. 1:10) and food (Gen. 1:11-12)—the necessities of life. What a wonderful world! In preparation for the new creation of mankind (2 Cor. 5:17), the Lord Jesus went and prepared the way through His finished work on Calvary’s cross—the necessity of a new life. What a wonderful Saviour! —Bob Cretney

What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Jesus!
What a wonderful Saviour is Jesus, my Lord!  —Elisha A. Hoffman

Exodus 10:1-29; Psalms 42:1-43:5; Acts 4:32-5:11

Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil. Proverbs 4:25-27

Jesus said that the road that leads to destruction is wide, but the path that is narrow leads to eternal life. My friend, do not stray off the right path. Stay away from evil things and keep your eyes focused on the face of our dear Lord Jesus Christ. He will lead you home. —Bronwyn Hagey

Thru this world of toil and snares,
If I falter, Lord who cares?
Who with me my burden shares?
None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee.  —Author Unknown