Month: April 2022

Numbers 10:11-11:3; Proverbs 8:1-36; Jude

I will send swarms of flies upon thee…and into thy houses. Exodus 8:21

What a horrible plague this must have been! Flies everywhere. Swarms upon the Egyptians and in their homes. How amazing that when God ended this plague, “there remained not one” (Ex. 8:31b). When there are flies in my home it seems as though there is always one more buzzing around. This same complete removal applies to our sin. When the Lord Jesus was on the cross, He said “It is finished” (John 19:30). The penalty for my sin was completely paid. When our God does something it is done completely. Praise God! “Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more” (Heb. 8:12). —M. Robins

Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow.  —E. M. Hall

Numbers 9:1-10:10; Proverbs 6:20-7:27; Mark 16:1-20

And he said unto them, What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad? Luke 24:17

Luke records this meeting between the Lord and two discouraged, depressed, disillusioned disciples on the Emmaus
Road. Why did He ask them why they were sad, if He already knew? The Lord knew that even in telling Him the story behind their sadness, they would find relief. So it is with ourselves. When sadness and sorrow overtake us, the Lord wants us to tell Him all the details of how we are feeling and why, and then allow Him to provide the solace we need. —W. H. Burnett

All your anxieties, all your cares.
Bring to the mercy seat; leave them there.
Never a burden that He cannot share,
Never a friend like Jesus. —Edward H. Joy

Numbers 8:1-26; Proverbs 5:1-6:19; Mark 15:24-47

I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour. Judges 4:9

Deborah told Barak that he would remain faceless and fameless in victory. It is not for the servant of God to be seeking their own glory, nor the admiration and respect of others. Faith which begets obedience seldom results in  our being praised, and we must ever be cautious if it comes from the lips of men. If we seek and somehow obtain the adoration of other people, we may obtain it, but that’s all we’ll get. —Rick Morse

Make this poor self grow less and less,
Be Thou my life and aim.
Oh, make me daily through Thy grace,
More fit to bear Thy name. —Johann C. Lavater

Numbers 7:1-89; Proverbs 4:1-27; Mark 15:1-23

Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Titus 2:14

We are a set-apart, peculiar people. I know, some of us are more peculiar than others. What a difference the Lord has made in our lives! We have a different destiny—we’re heaven bound. A different purpose for living—no longer for ourselves but for Him who died for us and rose again! God made this difference in our lives that we might make a difference in our world—one life at a time. —Rex Trogdon

What a wonderful change in my life has been wrought,
Since Jesus came into my heart!
I have light in my soul for which long I have sought,
Since Jesus came into my heart! —Rufus H. McDaniel

Numbers 6:1-27; Proverbs 3:1-35; Mark 14:53-72

But his delight is in the law of the Lord. Psalm 1:2
And his heart took delight in the ways of the Lord. 2 Chronicles 17:6, NKJV
I delight to do thy will, O my God. Psalm 40:8

What does it mean to delight yourself in the Lord? Do we enjoy meditating daily on the Scriptures of truth? Do we, like Jehoshaphat, rejoice in His ways, making it our ambition to please Him? Are we happy to do His will, whatever the cost? If these are your goals “Then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord” (Isa. 58:14).  —Pete Smith

Thou, Lord, alone art all Thy children need,
And there is none beside;
From Thee the streams of blessedness proceed;
In Thee the blest abide. —Jeanne M. Guyon

Numbers 5:1-31; Proverbs 2:1-22; Mark 14:27-52

Now is the accepted time…now is the day of salvation.  2 Corinthians 6:2

A man I know had discomfort in his chest and his daughter drove him to hospital. They were just in time as three times in the 20 minutes he was in the emergency ward, his heart stopped beating. They revived him and an ambulance took him to a bigger hospital for heart procedures. I visited him the same day and he was desperate
for prayer. He has refocused his life upon the Lord and wants to be at all the meetings, most of which he had previously neglected. He wants to make up for lost time. What a warning—don’t wait until it might be too late. —Paul Young

Then melt my heart, O Saviour, bend me, yes, break me down,
Until I own Thee Conqueror, and Lord, and Sovereign crown.   —Katherine Agnes May Kelly

Numbers 4:1-49; Proverbs 1:1-33; Mark 14:1-26

That they might cast him down headlong. But he passing through the midst of them went his way. Luke 4:29-30
But when they came to see Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs. John 19:33

It was not according to the dictates of Rome when the Lord would die. God appointed the time. Men tried to cast Him headlong down a hill; they were too early! And when they came to break His legs upon the cross; they were too late! God too, has appointed a day when our risen Lord will come for us. It could be today! May He find us  worshipping. —John M. Clegg

O wondrous hour, when Jesus, Thou,
Co-equal with the eternal God,
Beneath our sin didst deign to bow,
And in our stead didst bear the rod. —E. Denny

Numbers 3:1-51; Psalms 148:1-150:6; Mark 13:1-37

Behold, I come quickly. Revelation 22:7

Three times in the last chapter of Revelation, the Lord Jesus said, “I come quickly” (22:7, 12, 20). The response to His declaration comes from three different sources and is “Even so, come, Lord Jesus” (22:20). “The Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (22:17). The Spirit and the Church welcome the Lord’s coming. Can you echo them and say to Him, “Come”? If not, His invitation is still open. Come to Him and drink of the water of life so that you will be able to welcome His coming also. Will you even now? —K. C. Ung

Even so, Lord Jesus, come;
Hope of all our hopes the sum,
Take Thy waiting people home. —A. J. Gordon

Numbers 2:1-34; Psalms 146:1-147:20; Mark 12:18-44

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. 1 John 2:6, NKJV

Claiming to be a Christian is not enough. The proof will be fully revealed in how I live. Salvation in Christ is the message this broken world needs to hear. Sadly, many who claim to follow Christ are smearing the credibility of true evangelism, undermining the message in every other signal they send out to a world in distress. If we live deeply in Him, we will reflect His radiance in the darkness. —P. Ramsay

O to be like Thee! Full of compassion,
Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,
Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,
Seeking the wandering sinner to find.  —Thomas O. Chisholm

Numbers 1:1-54; Psalms 144:1-145:21; Mark 11:27-12:17

To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days. Acts 1:3

This forty-day experience was like many others in Scripture, a challenge to His followers as to the depth of their commitment and to see how they would respond to an extended time of testing. For Mary, it was to comfort; for Thomas, it was to strengthen from doubt; for those on the road to Emmaus it was to teach; for Peter, to restore. Extended trials are difficult to go through, but properly responded to, they will yield fruit as we further commit ourselves to His care and keeping. —Mark Kolchin

Though I forget Him and wander away,
Still He doth love me whenever I stray;
Back to His dear loving arms would I flee,
When I remember that Jesus loves me. —Philip P. Bliss