Category: Uncategorised

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Kings 24; Lamentations 4-5; 2 Timothy 1

…stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved. Philippians 4:1

The Lord met Paul on the Damascus road and told him, “rise and stand on your feet” (Acts 26:16, NKJV). From then on Paul stood before rulers, stood up to his own nation and at the end of his life he was still standing. He wrote, “…no man stood with me…Notwithstanding the Lord stood with me” (2 Tim. 4:16-17). Confident of the Lord’s power to make him stand (Rom. 14:4) he writes to the Philippian believers and to us, “…stand fast in the Lord, my dearly beloved” (Phil. 4:1). —Rex Trogdon

Stand up, stand up, for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross;
Lift high His royal banner; it must not suffer loss.
From vict’ry unto vict’ry, His army shall He lead,
Till ev’ry foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.
—George Duffield

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Kings 23; Lamentations 3; 1 Timothy 6

…When ye say, Every one that doeth evil is good… Malachi 2:17

Western society is seeing Christianity decline, unlike the rest of the world where there is significant and sustained growth. Not only is there numerical decline but there is serious decline in biblical understanding and moral life is at a low level. Laws are introduced that negate Scriptural truth and endorse evil and corrupt practices. It is a time when evil is described as good and good spoken of as evil. We must remember that God’s standards for moral behaviour never change. He will right all wrongs in a coming day when the only place of safety will be the person of Jesus Christ. —Paul Young

Justice and truth from His sceptre shall spring,
Wrong shall be ended when Jesus is King.
—C. Silvester Horne

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Kings 21:19 to 22:20; Lamentations 2; 1 Timothy 5

And Moses brought their cause before the Lord. Numbers 27:5
…Hezekiah went up into the house of the Lord, and spread it before the Lord. 2 Kings 19:14

Moses was challenged by the situation the daughters of Zelophehad had brought before him. What was the right course of action? What was God’s will? Moses rightly laid the matter before the Lord. Hezekiah did the same when the armies of Assyria were surrounding Jerusalem. On both occasions the Lord answered their prayers and revealed His mind. When we are faced with difficult problems as elders, individuals or parents, where do we turn for guidance? —Pete Smith

Mine eyes are unto Thee, my God; my soul on Thee doth wait,
My hope is in Thy faithful Word, and in Thy love so great.
—Author Unknown

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Kings 20 to 21:18; Lamentations 1; 1 Timothy 4

And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us… Psalm 90:17

The above prayer request was penned by Moses. Is this our desire as well, to reflect God’s beauty? How is this even possible? Moses’ face shone when he came down from the mountain. Why? Because he had spent time in God’s presence! We too will reflect His beauty as we spend more time in His presence. —E. V.

Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me,
All His wondrous compassion and purity:
O, Thou Spirit divine, all my nature refine,
Till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me.
—Albert Osborn

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Kings 19; Jeremiah 52; 1 Timothy 3

Saul said…I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord…because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice. 1 Sam. 15:24

Saul made a feeble excuse! A king fearing his people! This is a typical example of peer pressure—doing what will please everyone around me, instead of what I know is right and will please the Lord. Everyday we have to make similar choices and must decide, “Will I do what is popular or will I do what God would have me do?” The problem can be summed up by asking, “Do I fear God or do I fear man?” —David Croudace

Am I a soldier of the cross, a follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own His cause or blush to speak His name?
Must I be carried to the skies on flowery beds of ease,
While others fight to win the prize, and sail through bloody seas?
—Issac Watts

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Kings 18; Jeremiah 51:25-64; 1 Timothy 2

…who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross… Hebrews 12:2

The cross was a time of fearful suffering: spiritual, emotional and physical. Christ did not enjoy the cross; He endured it. He knew beforehand the nature of his death. For months He told His disciples that in Jerusalem He would be rejected, humiliated, scourged and nailed to a cross. What sustained Him through that awesome suffering? Part of the answer is the joy of having a vast throng of the redeemed in heaven with Him. When sinners turn to Him it gives Him much joy. When believers follow Him and live for Him it makes His heart glad. Let’s give Him joy by our lives. —Donald L. Norbie

I gave, I gave My life for thee;
What has thou given for Me? —Frances R. Havergal

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Kings 17; Jeremiah 51:1-24; 1 Timothy 1

…that great shepherd of the sheep… Hebrews 13:20

The writer to the Hebrews has been giving his readers some firm reminders. In every way, in the glorious person, titles and offices of the Lord Jesus, He is better than anything to which they may have been accustomed previously. Now at the end of this sure and triumphant treatise, he commends them lovingly to the care of their great Shepherd. The way ahead will be fraught with false doctrine and hostility, but the victorious, great Shepherd will be there to strengthen at every moment of the earthly pilgrimage. —Mark Fenn

We are Thine, do Thou befriend us,
Be the Guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,
Seek us when we go astray. —Dorothy A. Thrupp

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Kings 15:32 to 16:20; Jer. 50:21-46; Titus 2:9 to 3:15

Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations [trials]. 1 Peter 1:6
…as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10

The word manifold literally means “very many coloured”. Peter speaks of very many coloured trials and of the very many coloured graces of God. Whatever the colour of your trial today, dear child of God, He has grace of a corresponding hue. Thank you, Father. Your grace is sufficient for me. —Arnot P. McIntee

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure;
His power has no boundary known unto men,
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth, again.
—Annie Johnson Flint

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Kings 14:23 to 15:31; Jer. 50:1-20; Titus 1 to 2:8

Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Psalm 119:1
…walk worthy of the vocation to which ye are called. Ephesians 4:1

An alternate rendering of Psalm 119:1 is: “Blessed is the man whose life is a practical transcript of the will of God.” Believers face a major challenge in making our walk and talk agree, in other words living a lifestyle consistent with the teachings of Scripture. The unsaved world loves to point out our inconsistencies. We should frequently ask ourselves what the Lord Jesus would do in a given circumstance and then seek to emulate Him in all we do. —Wm. H. Gustafson

Walking with Jesus—walking ev’ry day, walking all the way;
Walking in the sunlight, walking in the shadows,
Walking with Jesus, walking with Jesus alone. —Author Unknown

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Kings 13 to 14:22; Jeremiah 49; Hebrews 13:7-25

My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Psalms 22:1
I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5

Completely abandoned. Forsaken by men, forsaken by God, our Lord Jesus endured the punishment for our sins. In contrast God has promised the believer that we will never be deserted by Him. He is with us in life and in death. He is with us for eternity. If you have not yet done so, today choose Christ, choose eternity with God.
—George Ferrier

He died on Calvary’s mountain, for me they pierced His side.
For me He opened that fountain, the crimson, cleansing tide.
For me He waiteth in glory, seated upon His throne.
He promised never to leave me, never to leave me alone!
—Ludie Pickett