Category: Uncategorised

DAILY?READINGS: Deut. 14:22-15:23; Song of Sol. 5:2-6:9; Luke 10:25-42

Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity… Psalm 119:37
I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes… Psalm 101:3
And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out… Mark 9:47

In a world system filled with vanity, the admonition of the psalmist is one we should all take to heart. The adversary of men’s souls is very clever in using the “eye gate” to gain access to the mind. The Lord Jesus’ instructions to His disciples illustrates how important proper spiritual eyesight really is. Remember that Samson found sin blinds, binds, and grinds. —Wm. H. Gustafson

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. —Helen Lemmel

DAILY?READINGS: Deut. 13-14:21; Song of Sol. 3:6-5:1; Luke 10:1-24

And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. Matthew 14:28

From this experience in the life of Peter we learn that if we invite the Lord to test our faith, as Peter did, we must be prepared to face the consequences, and to trust Him in the test that comes along. It is easy to have strong faith when we are in the ship. But, even if, like Peter, we embark on a certain course with over-confident bravado, and discover that our faith is not as robust as we thought, in His love, He is always ready to answer that urgent prayer—”Lord, save me” (Matt. 14:30). —W. H. Burnett

I am trusting Thee Lord Jesus, never let me fall,
I am trusting Thee forever, and for all.
—Anna B. Warner

DAILY?READINGS: Deut. 12; Song of Sol. 2:8 to 3:5; Luke 9:37-62

By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. Hebrews 11:7

The same gospel that saves those who believe, also condemns the unrepentant. Noah built the ark as a refuge for whoever would heed the warning; sadly only eight people did. His ark consigned the unbelieving world to judgment. Christ died to save you. Have you received Him? —K. R. Keyser

“Call them in”—the mere professors, Slumbering, sleeping on hell’s brink;
Naught of life are they possessors, Yet of safety vainly think.
Bring them in—the careless scoffers, Pleasure-seekers of the earth;
Tell of God’s most gracious offers, And of Jesus’ priceless worth.
—Anna Shipton

DAILY?READINGS: Deut. 10:12-11:32; Song of Sol. 1-2:7; Luke 9:18-36

If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. 1 Corinthians 3:14

In gospel work, the Saviour said the labourers are few (Matt. 9:37). But when it comes to ministry, there seems to be an ample supply of labourers, all with varying ideas of how to conduct the work of the Lord. Though it is true that there are diversities in the body (1 Cor. 12:4-6), we are exhorted to build with a proper motive and a proper method. Let’s ponder the work we are engaged in to make sure it is according to His word and worthy of His reward. — Mark Kolchin

If at the dawn of the early morning, He shall call us one by one,

When to the Lord we restore our talents, will He answer thee, well done? — Fanny J. Crosby

DAILY?READINGS: Deut. 9 to 10:11; Eccl. 11-12; Luke 9:1-17

And king Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty… 1 Kings 10:13

The queen of Sheba came to test Solomon with hard questions. Solomon not only answered all her questions and gave her all that she desired; he also gave her of his royal bounty. What kingly generosity! If Solomon reminds us of the Lord Jesus, one “greater than Solomon” (Matt. 12:42), then the queen of Sheba must remind us of ourselves. We, too, are amazed at the royal generosity of our Saviour King, the One who “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think” (Eph. 3:20). —Rex Trogdon

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

DAILY?READINGS: Deut. 7:12 to 8:20; Eccl. 9:11 to 10:20; Luke 8:40-56

Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number. Jeremiah 2:32

What a sad observation God makes here of the children of Israel. After He had done so much for them! Yet, are we any better? Have we forgotten to spend time with our God and Father for days without number? How it should humble our hearts to think of how much He has given to demonstrate His love for us (1 John 4:9). Surely our hearts should respond to that great love by ”remembering Him”. —E. V.

Lest I forget Gethsemane, lest I forget Thine agony,
Lest I forget Thy love for me, lead me to Calvary.
—J. Hussey

DAILY?READINGS: Deut. 6 to 7:11; Eccl. 8 to 9:10; Luke 8:22-39

That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death. Philippians 3:10

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee. John 17:3

Making spiritual progress and enjoying our salvation is directly linked to our knowledge of Christ. It is not just knowing facts about Him but knowing Him. Paul’s desire to know Christ and have His power evident in his life was connected with suffering. If we really want to know Christ we should not fear personal difficulties and suffering. The end result will be worth all the tears. —Sid Halsband

Ye fearful saints fresh courage take; the clouds ye so much dread,
Are big with mercy, and shall break in blessings on your head.
—William Cowper

DAILY?READINGS: Deuteronomy 5; Ecclesiastes 7; Luke 8:1-21

But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57

The victory is already ours. Through faith, the cross of Christ has already procured for us the triumph over the world, the flesh and the devil. It would be meaningless to turn back. Our Conqueror is on the throne and always hears and intercedes for those who bear the whole armour of God. The laurels of heaven beckon. —Mark Fenn

We rest on Thee, our Shield and our Defender;
Thine is the battle; Thine shall be the praise;
When passing through the gates of pearly splendour,
Victors, we rest, with Thee, through endless days.
—Edith Gilling Cherry

DAILY?READINGS: Deuteronomy 4; Ecclesiastes 5-6; Luke 7:30-50

O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
Matthew 12:34

The Pharisees’ mouths revealed their hearts and Jesus called them poisonous snakes. If I find that I am often criticizing, slandering and back-biting, I will not overcome this so-called “fault” by trying to control my mouth. Rather I must realize that it is sin and comes from my heart. It can only be cleaned up by the Lord—through repentance and confession. Then, if I spend much time meditating on His Word, out of the abundance of my heart will come words of blessing and encouragement. —David Croudace

Out of my heart, out of my heart, shine out of my heart Lord Jesus;
Shine out today, shine out always, shine out of my heart Lord Jesus.
—Harry D. Clarke

DAILY?READINGS: Deuteronomy 3; Eccl. 3:16 to 4:16; Luke 7:1-29

Make me to go in the path of thy commandments. Psalm 119:35

I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go…Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule. Psalm 32:8-9

Someone has noted the mule typically won’t go (hence being as stubborn as a mule) and the horse won’t stop (a runaway horse). Neither extreme is appropriate for the believer. There are necessary times to “stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Ex. 14:13) followed by His instruction to “go forward” (Ex. 14:15). True spiritual discernment enables us to know the proper balance between these two positions. —Wm. H. Gustafson

Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go;
Anywhere He leads me in this world below.
—Jessie Pounds