Category: Uncategorised

Joshua 16:1-17:18; Isaiah 11:1-12:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:13-3:13

Great peace have those who love Your law, and nothing causes them to stumble. Psalm 119:165 NKJV
For He Himself is our peace. Ephesians 2:14 NKJV

In turbulent times peace is a precious commodity. When we spend time in God’s Word and in prayer, both speaking and listening, we find a peace “which surpasses all understanding.” God’s peace “will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7 NKJV). He, who is our peace, imparts His perfect peace to us. We can go through each day, each moment, bathed in His peace. Let your troubled mind rest in Him. —Annette Baal

Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round?
On Jesus’ bosom naught but calm is found.  —Edward H. Bickersteth

Joshua 14:1-15:63; Isaiah 10:5-34; 1 Thessalonians 1:1-2:12

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. Proverbs 3:5 NKJV
Who is this coming up from the wilderness, leaning upon her beloved? Song of Solomon 8:5 NKJV

I love connecting Scripture with Scripture and here is one example. We are not to lean upon our own understanding in any situation, but we are to lean upon the Lord. How very intimate this is. It is like the apostle John leaning on the Lord’s breast (John 13:23). When we lean on Him, we are already on the way up from any wilderness we might be in. —Eleanor Isaacson

Leaning, leaning, safe and secure from all alarms,
Leaning, leaning, leaning on the everlasting arms.   —Elisha Hoffman

 

Joshua 13:1-33; Isaiah 9:8-10:4; Luke 24:36-53

And their soul shall be as a watered garden. Jeremiah 31:12b

What a beautiful word picture the Spirit of God paints for us in this verse! A watered garden has the  potential to flourish and manifest abundant growth for all to see and enjoy. Left unattended it will wither and die. Jesus came, not only that we might have life, but that we might have abundant life that flourishes and displays fruit for His glory. This is only possible as we abide in Him. If He should come today, would He find your soul thriving and flourishing like a well watered garden? —E. V.

Watered and thriving my soul longs to be,
Bringing forth fruit that glorifies Thee.  —E. V. 

Joshua 11:1-12:24; Isaiah 8:5-9:7; Luke 24:13-35

For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. Hebrews 6:10

It is so easy to forget or take for granted acts of kindness that our fellow believers show towards us. We too can feel aggrieved when others fail to appreciate our thoughtfulness towards them. God does not fail in this way! He appreciates such deeds of kindness and values them as done to Him personally. Such acts will not be forgotten by Him and will be rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ. —Philip A. Kaye

Kindness that we overlook
Is recorded in God’s book. —Anonymous

Joshua 10:1-43; Isaiah 7:1-8:4; Luke 23:47-24:12

The brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land… get thee to Zarephath…I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee. 1 Kings 17:7, 9

To provide for Elisha during a drought, God sent him to a brook. When the brook dried up—God sent him to a widow who had a little oil and flour. God used that little to feed the widow, her son and Elisha until rain came. God delights using little things. His resources are infinite and when it seems there is no hope—He provides the answer. Has your brook dried up? Is there just a little left? Trust the God of endless resources to supply for your need! —Deborah Manera

When I cannot feel the faith of assurance,
I live by the fact of God’s faithfulness.  —Matthew Henry

Joshua 9:1-27; Isaiah 6:1-13; Luke 23:13-46

They that sit in the gate speak against me; and I was the song of the drunkards. Psalm 69:12 

If you have ever passed through a town centre on a Friday night, you may have encountered the song of the drunkard. The song of the drunkard is rarely uplifting and often epitomises the depth of sin in the human heart. Prophetically, Psalm 69 records that Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lords, became the subject of the drunkard’s song. As part of Calvary’s shame, He allowed His precious name to be dragged through the gutter of human depravity. If that doesn’t stagger our hearts, what will? —Matthew Butler

For me Thou hast borne the reproaches,
The mockery, hate and disdain,
The blows and the spittings of sinners,
The scourgings, the shame and the pain. —Ernest C. Homburg

Joshua 8:1-35; Isaiah 5:1-30; Luke 22:54-23:12

He made the stars also. Genesis 1:16
He calleth them all by their names. Psalm 147:4

Astronomers reckon there may be more stars in the universe than grains of sand on the earth. “When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” (Ps. 8:3-4). “Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me” (Isa. 49:16). “For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are
dust” (Ps. 103:14). How blessed to have a Saviour who is aware of each of His redeemed ones! —Wm. H. Gustafson

He loves me, He loves me, O the wonder of such a tho’t,
That He loves me; I never could love Him the way I ought,
But He loves me. —Wendell P. Loveless

Joshua 7:1-26; Isaiah 3:1-4:6; Luke 22:31-53

And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. Matthew 28:12-13

The Roman soldiers were paid off to perpetuate a lie. The sum must have been great indeed. A soldier admitting to sleeping on the job could well have meant the death penalty. In the two millennia since, people of influence and means still perpetuate lies to lead people away from the truth of a risen Saviour. We must pray for them. There is forgiveness available even for agents of deception such as these; the sentence awaiting them is horrible and eternal. —Rick Morse

Wonderful grace of Jesus, reaching the most defiled;
By its transforming power, making him God’s dear child. —H. Lillenas

Joshua 5:13-6:27; Isaiah 2:1-22; Luke 22:1-30

Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? Jesus saith unto him, If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee? follow thou me. John 21:21-22

And what shall this man do? So many of us are just like Peter, prone to try and run other people’s lives. John’s future was not really Peter’s concern. It was all in the hands of the Lord! Unfortunately failures in Christian service often start from disciples being more occupied with one another than with the Lord Himself. Our work remains to deliberately turn our eyes and focus on His wonderful face. —Sid Halsband

Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
Look full in His wonderful face,
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace. —H. Lemmel

Joshua 4:1-5:12; Isaiah 1:1-31; Luke 21:5-38

Abraham said…Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. Genesis 22:5

God had promised Abraham “in Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Gen. 21:12). Centuries later we learn why Abraham was willing to offer Isaac—“Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead” (Heb. 11:19). Indeed, the short phrase in our text “and come again to you” shows that Abraham anticipated this. In our day, we may face difficult moments that seem to contradict all we have understood of God’s promises to us. Oh that we might, like Abraham, have confidence in God, that, in the final outcome, all will be well. —W. H. Burnett

If Thou shouldst call me to resign, what most I prize, it ne’er was mine.
I only yield Thee what was Thine; “Thy will be done.” —C. Elliot