Month: May 2022

Deuteronomy 10:12-11:32; Song of Solomon 1:1-2:7; Luke 9:18-36

And he (Jacob) dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:12

It was a dark night, and Jacob had a stone for a pillow. But God arranged for a ladder that reached to heaven, and communication was established with God. We are living in days of unprecedented darkness and fear, and many have pillows of stone. What a blessing to know that amidst our darkness and fear, God has not forgotten us, and there is nothing that can interrupt communication with heaven to reassure and comfort us. —W. H. Burnett

Though, like a wanderer, the sun gone down,
Darkness comes over me, my rest a stone,
Yet in my dreams I’d be, nearer, my God, to Thee.
Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee. —Dr. L. Mason

Deuteronomy 9:1-10:11; Ecclesiastes 11:1-12:14; Luke 9:1-17

Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. John 20:17

What a message of victorious assurance Mary was given, to personally deliver to the saddened disciples! The next verse records that Mary went straight to the disciples to tell them the happy news. Social media enables people to tell others about their latest interests. But there is no message, no power, and no peace greater than delivering the hope-filled message of our crucified and risen Lord. —Rick Morse

Thine be the glory risen conquering Son;
Endless is the victory, Thou o’er death has won.
Let our doubting spirits find a voice to sing:
Christ who died is living; death has lost its sting. —Edmond L. Budry

Deuteronomy 7:12-8:20; Ecclesiastes 9:11-10:20; Luke 8:40-56

Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16

What a great verse for the day! Grace bestows what I don’t deserve. Mercy withholds what I do deserve. Think about all the blessings that He has given us at such tremendous cost to Himself. Then think of all the judgment that should have been ours but was borne by Him. Thank God for the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ! —Sid Halsband

O Calvary! O Calvary! The thorn-crown and the spear,
‘Tis there Thy love, Lord Jesus, in flowing wounds appear.
O depths of grace and mercy! To those dear wounds I flee;
I am a feeble sinner, but Jesus died for me. —Anonymous

Deuteronomy 6:1-7:11; Ecclesiastes 8:1-9:10; Luke 8:22-39

Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16

The path to effective prayer begins first with confession of sin. Once that obstacle has been overcome, then prayer for one another is opened and healing occurs, especially in spiritual ways. To be on “praying ground” is to be on solid ground and makes it possible for the Lord to work in the most difficult of situations. Keep praying—solid ground! —Mark Kolchin

Thou art coming to a King,
Large petitions with thee bring;
For His grace and power are such,
That none can ever ask too much.  —John Newton

Deuteronomy 5:1-33; Ecclesiastes 7:1-29; Luke 8:1-21

And when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart. 1 Kings 10:2

Behold, a greater than Solomon is here. Matthew 12:42

The queen of Sheba had the privilege to open her heart to Israel’s wisest king and it appears she wasn’t disappointed (v. 3). How much more blessed are we, to know “the only wise God our Saviour” (Jude 1:25), and to be able to speak to Him of all those deep concerns and unanswered questions that burden our troubled hearts. He will surely not disappoint us either! —Pete Smith

Tell Him about the heartache,
And tell Him the longings too,
Tell Him the baffled purpose,
When we scarce know what to do.  —Philip Brooks

Deuteronomy 4:1-49; Ecclesiastes 5:1-6:12; Luke 7:30-50

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God. 1 John 5:13

Someone has said, “You can follow your ‘know’s’ through 1 John”. He was right. In this little epistle, just five chapters long, John uses the word “know” 40 times! Of all the “know” statements, the dearest is that we know that we have eternal life. God’s salvation is not a think so, hope so, trust so, guess so, maybe so salvation. We have a “know so” salvation, based solely upon the finished work of our Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary.—Rex Trogdon

Oh, the peace forever flowing
From God’s thoughts of His own Son!
Oh, the peace of simply knowing,
On the cross that all was done. —A. P. Cecil

Deuteronomy 3:1-29; Ecclesiastes 3:16-4:16; Luke 7:1-29

David said [to] Mephibosheth…I will surely shew thee kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake. 2 Samuel 9:6-7

Mephibosheth lived in obscurity, hidden away from King David. As a descendant of king Saul, he was fearful for his safety. He was helpless (lame) and his outlook was hopeless. When called into the king’s presence, he must have feared the worst. What a blessing he received from David’s kindness. He was given protection, (fear not); provision (land restored); and position—elevated to the king’s table. David’s actions foreshadowed the Lord’s kindness to
us. Oh the depths of spiritual wealth we have received through the kindness of God our Saviour. —Paul Young

In loving kindness Jesus came, my soul in mercy to reclaim,
And from the depths of sin and shame through grace He lifted me.  —Charles H. Gabriel

Deuteronomy 2:1-37; Ecclesiastes 2:12-3:15; Luke 6:20-49

Do not boast about tomorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring forth. Proverbs 27:1, NKJV

Solomon was one of the wisest men that ever lived. The Queen of the south came with hard questions and said of him that the half of his wisdom had not been told. His statement above is challenging for it brings before us the terrible uncertainty of life. Maybe someone reading this has just received bad news. All your plans for the future have been put on hold. You were not expecting this! God’s purposes are often different from ours. We must trust Him fully for He knows the end from the beginning. —Jim Paul

Bad news indeed! But God abideth faithful!
Some fresh unfolding of His power He will show;
Thus, unto Him, whose love is quite unending,
Whose care and power are limitless—we will go. —J. Danson Smith

Deuteronomy 1:1-46; Ecclesiastes 1:1-2:11; Luke 6:1-19

Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God. Philippians 1:11

Living near to me there is a Christian family who had a very sick daughter. This necessitated constant visits from doctors and nurses. Having said that, the medics never minded how many times they had to visit day or night simply because they loved the atmosphere in that home. True Christian love and happiness prevailed to such an extent that when the child died the principal doctor readily received a Bible and promised to read it and continued to visit the home even when she retired. Are our homes as welcoming or would folk rather stay away? —Brian Russell

All for Jesus—all for Jesus, all my being’s ransomed powers,
All my thoughts and words and doings, all my days and all my hours.  —Mary James

Numbers 35:9-36:13; Proverbs 31:1-31; Luke 5:17-39

Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16, NKJV

Peter recognized the evidence and rightly identified Jesus as the Messiah. But even in his declaration, Peter imagined something altogether different from God’s plan. Peter saw a Reformer-King who had come to rid Israel of her enemies. It was at this point that Jesus began to clearly explain the purpose of His coming. God had purposed from before the foundations of the earth that His Servant would suffer many things and that He would give His life as a ransom for many. —J. D. Fraser

I will sing the wondrous story,
Of the Christ who died for me,
How He left His home in glory,
For the cross of Calvary. —F. H. Rowley