Category: Uncategorised

 

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Chronicles 1-2; Ezekiel 27; John 10:1-18

And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.  Luke 2:17

This was the reaction of the shepherds after they had seen the Saviour lying in the manger. They told abroad the saying of the angel, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). We might think that they would have told about what they saw or at least how they felt when they saw the manger scene. But instead they “made known abroad the saying”. As special as seeing the Son of God in the manger must have been, the exciting message was that of the angel “concerning this child”. May we not see the scene and miss the message. Tell abroad that the Saviour has come.  —Ken Gross

Who is He in yonder stall, at whose feet the shepherds fall?
‘Tis the Lord! Oh wondrous story! ‘Tis the Lord, the King of glory!
—Benjamin R. Hanby

 

DAILY?READINGS: 1 Chronicles 29; Ezekiel 26; John 9:18-41

And he (a Samaritan) went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  Luke 10:34

Many who come to Christ have experienced the trauma of abuse, abandonment, divorce, and sexual immorality. Their marriages have been broken, their homes have been broken, and their hearts have been broken. In coming to Christ they find forgiveness and healing and a Friend who will never leave them nor forsake them. We must ensure that our care goes beyond administering first-aid on the Jericho road. We need to embrace and care for them with love, whatever their past. Anything less is a dereliction of our responsibility. —W. H. Burnett

Christian pity moves our heart, through “the love of Christ;”
Others woes pierce like a dart, when there’s love to Christ. —W. Reid

 

DAILY?READINGS: 1 Chronicles 28; Ezekiel 24-25; John 9:1-17

Lord, and what shall this man do?…What is that to thee? follow thou me.  John 21:21-22

Again, as in the past, Peter took his eyes off Christ (Matt. 14:30). Peter’s interest in his close friend and fellow disciple John can readily be understood and appreciated. Nevertheless, the Lord rebuked Peter for his curiousity in order to stress that interest in others must not be allowed to stand in the way of keeping our eyes fixed on Christ. In other words, we must not meddle in the lives of other believers, but faithfully follow Him.  —W. Ross Rainey

Follow! Follow! I would follow Jesus!
Anywhere, ev’rywhere, I would follow on!
—William O. Cushing

 

DAILY?READINGS: 1 Chronicles 26-27; Ezekiel 23; John 8:31-59

And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.  Matthew 28:9

Here is a lovely verse to stir our worship. The essence of worship is to fall at the feet of the Saviour and this is what these women did. Notice too that they held Him. We should be careful to keep our minds focused so they do  not wander from Him. He is worthy of our total occupation. It is interesting as well that these ladies never said a word. Worship is the heart’s overflow. We err if we think it needs to be audible. May God help us today to worship as these women worshipped.  —Harold G. Smith

O worship the King, all glorious above,
And gratefully sing His power and His love;
—R. Grant

 

DAILY?READINGS: 1 Chronicles 24-25; Ezekiel 22; John 8:12-30

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.  Revelation 3:20

The lukewarm Laodicean church had put the Lord outside. How very much like the religious system in our world today. Yet, the Lord stands and knocks on the door of the individual’s heart. He calls with His voice, speaking gracious words to gain entrance. When the heart’s door is opened, He comes in as a guest saying, “I…will sup with him.” Soon, this guest becomes the host, “and he with me”. Are you feasting with Him? —Rex Trogdon

What food luxurious loads the board,
When, at His table, sits the Lord!
The wine how rich, the bread how sweet,
When Jesus deigns the guests to meet. —C. H. Spurgeon

 

DAILY?READINGS: 1 Chron. 22-23; Ezekiel 20:45-21:32; John 7:31-8:11

O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy. Habakkuk 3:2

After learning of God’s plan to restore Israel, Habakkuk prayed for revival. The condition of God’s people was appalling and he longed for what could be. Martyn Lloyd Jones writes: “We are living in a godless age and the main reason we should be praying about revival is that we are anxious to see God’s name vindicated and His glory manifested. We should be anxious to see something happening that will arrest the nations, all the peoples, and cause them to stop and to think again.” May the Lord revive the church and may it begin with me.  —W. A. H.

Revive Thy work, O Lord, disturb this sleep of death.
Quicken the smoldering embers now, by Thine almighty breath.
—Albert Midland

 

DAILY?READINGS: 1 Chronicles 21; Ezekiel 20:1-44; John 7:12-30

For this Melchizedek…who met Abraham…and blessed him:…the less is blessed of the better.  Hebrews 7:1, 7
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings.  Ephesians 1:3

We see here that the lesser (Abraham) is blessed by the greater (Melchizedek). It is a beautiful picture of our experience. God blesses us by giving us all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. But Abraham gave back to Melchizedek and so should we, by being generous with the gifts God has given—using them for Him. The greatest blessing we can give is to lift up His Son to Him and say we find Him altogether lovely. We are blessed; so may we bless. —Robert Gentile

Blessed be God, our God who gave for us His well beloved Son;
The gift of gifts, all other gifts in one. —Horatius Bonar

 

DAILY?READINGS: 1 Chronicles 19-20; Ezekiel 18-19; John 6:41 to 7:11

The fool has said in his heart, There is no God.  Psalm 53:1 (NKJV)

To be a fool is to be without common sense, without wisdom. The wise man will contemplate creation and marvel. He sees the way planet earth orbits the sun at just the right distance to sustain life. He delights in the great seas and lakes without which no life would survive. He is amazed at the countless species of plant and animal life. He studies his own body and marvelous brain and stands in awe. All of this proclaims a Creator, infinitely wise and powerful. Only a fool will say that there is no God. Do not be a fool. Come to know God through the Lord Jesus Christ. —Donald L. Norbie

I sing the mighty power of God that made the mountains rise,
That spread the flowing seas abroad and built the lofty skies,
I sing the wisdom that ordained the sun to rule the day,
The moon shines forth at His command and all the stars obey. —I. Watts

 

DAILY?READINGS: 1 Chronicles 17-18; Ezekiel 17; John 6:22-40

And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon concerning the name of the Lord, she came to prove him with hard questions.  1 Kings 10:1

The queen of Sheba came to view Solomon’s kingdom. She saw firsthand the glory of his person and his work; how he conducted his affairs and how well he treated his subjects. There was nothing he would not do for them and nothing that they would not do for him. Nothing missed her watchful gaze as she exclaimed with enthusiasm that the half had not been told her. Israel’s citizens were the happiest of any nation on earth. Still today, people are judging God’s kingdom by our behaviour. May we show them how much greater than Solomon our Saviour is. —Mark Kolchin

I love the Christ who all my burdens in His body bore,
Each day He grows still sweeter than He was the day before. —W. Martin

 

DAILY?READINGS: 1 Chronicles 16; Ezekiel 16:35-63; John 6:1-21

Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.  Psalms 107:6

This psalm presents a cyclical theme that many of us have experienced first hand: man’s failure, sin’s consequences, a cry for deliverance and God in His grace providing salvation time and time again. For each one of His people’s distresses, God provides the corresponding relief. What an encouragement for us! Whatever our burden may be, whether due to our own failure or one of life’s heavy blows, we too can cry out to God in our need and rest assured that “He will deliver us”.  —E. V.

He is able to deliver thee, He is able to deliver thee;
Though by sin oppressed, go to Him for rest,
Our God is able to deliver thee.
—William A. Ogden