Category: Uncategorised

Deuteronomy 32:15-52; Hosea 2:1-3:5 ; Luke 17:20-18:14

For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. John 6:38

Humanity’s opportunity for eternal life came in the person of Jesus Christ. He came humbly to the manger, sojourned humbly daily and was victorious in humility on the cross at Calvary. In laying out this pattern, Christ affirms that the path to fulfilling God’s will requires humility. Might we pause daily to thank Him for the path He took and then press on in His footsteps of humility! “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time” (1 Peter 5:6). —David J. Reed

Lord, I bring to Thee my all;
Humbly now, on Thee I call;
Burn the dross and purify,
And to self, Lord, may I die. —Olga J. Weiss

Deuteronomy 31:14-32:14; Hosea 1:1-11; Luke 17:1-19

And Elijah the Tishbite, who was of the inhabitants of Gilead, said unto Ahab… 1 Kings 17:1

The most wicked king in Israel’s history was Ahab. The situation in the northern kingdom was at its worst morally and spiritually, and yet it was at this time that God sent a prophet to bring about a measure of help and restoration. God comes to us in the bleakest times, and will still act in grace, despite the wicked activities of men. It has been said that when Israel was at its darkest God sent forth His Son. He still delights in shining His light into the darkness.
—Brian Russell

He did not come to judge the world,
He did not come to blame;
He did not only come to seek it,
It was to save He came. —C. H. M. Foster

Deuteronomy 30:1-31:13; Amos 9:1-15; Luke 16:1-31

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”  Matthew 14:30, NKJV

When we lose sight of Christ, the way gets hard. Instead of feeling like a new creation, our life feels like a dusty, fruitless field and the pages of Scripture we read that morning seem dim and distant.  Dear Christian, put all your confidence in the truth that God is pleased with His Son. Trust that when the Spirit says you are “accepted” in Christ, He means it. Set your mind on things above and see the Father smiling on you in His Son. —J. D. Fraser

Sinner, thou thinkest that because of thy sins and infirmities I cannot
save thy soul. But behold My Son is by Me, and upon Him I look, and
not on thee, and will deal with thee according as I am pleased with Him.  —John Bunyan

Deuteronomy 29:1-29; Amos 7:1-8:14; Luke 15:11-32

That they all may be one…that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. John 17:21

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. Acts 16:31

A natural outflow of being saved is to desire that others would also believe and be saved. Of course, this is accomplished by using our voice but there are other factors too. As we, the children of God, display a sincere unity and oneness, unbelievers will be affected and desire to have what they see in us. What a responsibility we have to be led thus by the Spirit, to think and act as one in Christ. —Ken Gross

May we not grieve Him by our sin, not quench Him by neglect;
As we acknowledge Him within, we shall His ways reflect.  —Thomas Gilbert

Deuteronomy 28:38-68; Amos 5:1-6:14; Luke 14:25-15:10

Say not thou, What is the cause that the former days were better than these? Ecclesiastes 7:10

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations.  James 1:2

When times of trial come, it is good to look back and remember God’s faithfulness in seeing us through in times past. Every trial will eventually end and will give us strength and wisdom for the next one. “For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off” (Prov. 23:18). God brings us through each challenge in His time and for His purposes. He will faithfully bring you out in His own time. Take heart, dear suffering saint! —E. C. B.

His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.  —William Cowper

Deuteronomy 28:1-37; Amos 3:1-4:13; Luke 14:1-24

We have such an high priest. Hebrews 8:1

To be a high priest, a person must be “taken from among men… ordained…in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins” (Heb. 5:1). Indeed, we have such a High Priest in our sinless Jesus (Heb. 5:5-8). He offered Himself unto God on our behalf once for all, and has now sat down on His right hand (Heb. 1:3) interceding for us (Heb. 7:25). “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). —K. C. Ung

Jesus, my great High Priest, offered His blood and died;
My guilty conscience seeks no sacrifice beside.
His pow’rful blood did once atone,
And now it pleads before the throne. —Isaac Watts

Deuteronomy 26:16-27:26; Amos 1:1-2:16; Luke 13:22-35

But now ask the beasts, and they will teach you; And the birds of the air, and they will tell you… Job 12:7, NKJV

There are two birds which I consider to be my favourites. One is the common sparrow because it reminds me of God’s promise in His Word to care for me. The other is the shining cuckoo. Each spring I look forward to hearing the call of this migratory bird. To me it heralds the fact that winter is over and summer is coming. And so today, as I look around this world, I see the signs that tell me that Jesus is coming soon and until He does, He will care for me. What a wonderful day that will be! —Janet Fleming

Jesus is coming, coming one day,
Jesus is coming, coming this way;
I’ll rise to meet Him, gladly I’ll greet Him,
Jesus is coming soon! —Janet Fleming

Deuteronomy 25:1-26:15; Jonah 3:1-4:11; Luke 13:1-21

The Lord recompense thy work…under whose wings thou art come to trust. Ruth 2:12

In the shadow of thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast. Psalm 57:1

Ruth was in a very precarious position! As a young widow she had chosen to make Naomi’s God her God and was now in a foreign land facing loneliness and uncertainty about her future. However, having trusted the one true God she was assured she was under His protecting wings. Like Ruth, we are living in a world in which we are strangers and pilgrims. We too can rest with assurance that He will uphold us under the shadow of His wings when calamities,
hardships, loneliness or temptations come. —David Croudace

Let me hide in Thee, Christ of Calvary,
Christ of resurrection fullness, let me hide in Thee. —Mrs. J. McClelland

Deuteronomy 23:9-24:22; Jonah 1:1-2:10; Luke 12:41-59

Why boastest thou thyself in mischief, O mighty man? the goodness of God endureth continually. Psalm 52:1

We are surrounded by evil, and often don’t know what to believe. But we can be thankful that there is One whose word never fails; One who can be totally trusted. He will uphold and strengthen those who wait on Him. He has given us many wonderful promises, and He will never fail in keeping one of them! He is the same today, tomorrow and forever, praise His name (Heb. 13:8)! We are so blessed to know Him! —G. Frear

The Lord is strong to help the weak,
Upholding those that fall,
Restoring those bowed down with grief,
And doing good to all. —Anonymous

Deuteronomy 22:1-23:8; Joel 3:1-21; Luke 12:22-40

And none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it. Micah 4:4

Above most other nations, modern Israel is security-conscious and constantly fearful of surrounding enemies. The United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and other countries also worry about conflict, crime, and terrorism but not like Israel. But a future day is coming when times of fear will be past for Israel and peace will prevail over the Lord’s millennial reign. The nations will come to Jerusalem not to conquer, but to know God.  —K. R. Keyser

Fear thou not, nor be asham’d, all thy sorrows soon shall end:
I who heav’n and earth have fram’d, am thy husband and thy friend:
I the High and Holy One, Israel’s God, by all ador’d,
As thy Saviour will be known, thy Redeemer and thy Lord.—J. Newton