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DAILY?READINGS: Deut. 22 to 23:8; Joel 3; Luke 12:22-40

 

 

He shall feed His flock like a shepherd; He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Isaiah 40:11

 

I was walking up the hill on an uneven path towards my henhouse when my little companion said, “Please Grandma, will you hold my hand?” Later, as we climbed through gorse and scrub she asked, “Grandma, will you carry me?” How wonderful it is to know that we are held in the hand of Almighty God and that when times become too difficult, He will carry us if we allow Him to do so. —J. Fleming

 

Fear not, the path ahead is rough, but let me take your hand;
You may not see the way to go, you may not understand.
Yet hold my hand and trust in me, for I am always near,
And I will lead you through the dark and lonely days you fear.—J. Fleming

 

 

 

DAILY?READINGS: Deut. 20-21; Joel 2; Luke 12:1-21

 

 

And the prophet Isaiah said unto him (Hezekiah), thus saith the Lord, set thine house in order; for thou shalt die, and not live. And Hezekiah wept sore. 2 Kings 20:1, 3

 

 

Hezekiah begged for his life. This was obviously contrary to the will of God. During the extra 15 years granted to him, Manasseh was born, and after his father’s death, he virtually undid all the good works of Hezekiah. Only God can see what the future holds. Sometimes we are bereft through the loss of a loved one, and we naturally despair. Rest assured that the Father knows what He is doing, and it is always for the best (Rom 8:28). —Brian Russell

Lead forth my soul, O Christ, one with Thine own,
Joyful to follow Thee through paths unknown. —L. Larcom

 

 

 

DAILY?READINGS: Deut. 18:9 to 19:21; Joel 1; Luke 11:37-54

 

 

 

Never man spake like this man. John 7:46

Thou hast the words of eternal life. John 6:68

 

He spoke and the storm was stilled (Mark 4:39). He spoke to thousands (Luke 9:14) and to one (John 4:7). He could speak to the dead (John 11:43) and they obeyed Him. He uttered words of warning to those who needed them and words of comfort too. Lives were changed after the Lord spoke to them. Indeed He had the words of eternal life and never man spake like Him. May we too be receptive to His voice and obedient to His commands. —John M. Clegg

Master, speak and make me ready, when Thy voice is truly heard,
With obedience glad and steady, still to follow every word.
I am listening, Lord, for Thee; Master, speak O speak to me! —F. R. Havergal

 

DAILY?READINGS: Deut. 17 to 18:8; Obadiah; Luke 11:14-36

 

 

And Ruth the Moabitess said unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after him in whose sight I shall find grace. And she said unto her, Go, my daughter. Ruth 2:2

 

Naomi was in dire need. Ruth, the foreign girl, went out into the field of grain that was being harvested, and found more than enough for both of them. Our Lord Jesus has more than we need too, joy now and a great hope for the future. He gives us our daily spiritual food, but we have to be like Ruth and gather it each day from His Word. He is our “mighty man of wealth” and supplies every need. —G. Frear

But the priceless gifts of heaven,
God to us hath freely given.
Though the wealth of earth were proffered,
Naught would buy the gifts here offered. —J. Franck

 

DAILY?READINGS: Deut. 16; Song of Sol. 6:10 to 8:14; Luke 11:1-13

 

 

He shall see of the travail of His soul, and shall be satisfied. Isaiah 53:11

 

God is satisfied! The work of His soul is completed! The sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ at the cross has completely and utterly fulfilled God’s righteous demands. Now our Saviour’s sufferings are over, and as a result the power of the Gospel is completely effective to those who put their trust in Him. “It is finished” (John 19:30). Christ “once offered” (Heb. 9:28) is the amazing heart of the Gospel. God is satisfied and we are too. —Mark Fenn

O Jesus, Lord! ‘Tis joy to know thy path is o’er of shame and woe,
For us so meekly trod:
All finished is Thy work of toil, Thou reapest now the fruit and spoil;
Exalted by our God. —James G. Deck

 

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

 

 

But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God. Deuteronomy 8:18

And ye shall observe this thing for an ordinance to thee and to thy sons forever. Exodus 12:24

 

Israel was to remember what the Lord had done for them. But it is easy to forget and so they had a sequence of yearly feasts to aid them in recalling God’s goodness to them. We have only one remembrance feast to keep—the Lord’s Supper. Do we do it with joy? Do we think on the glorious salvation He has provided? But above all, do we remember Him: His beauty, purity, and love? Is it vitally important for us to be at the Lord’s Supper each Sunday! —M. Robins

 

Lord we would not forget the pain, the blood-like sweat, the shameful tree,
The wrath Thy soul did once sustain, from sin and death to set us free. —James G. Deck

 

 

 

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

 

 

And when Herod was about to bring him out, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains and the keepers before the door kept the prison. Acts 12:6

 

It was maximum security for Peter! These were difficult days for the apostle. His fellow apostle James had been killed, (vs. 2). He was in chains, surrounded by guards and there seemed to be no way of escape. All seemed lost, except for two words, “but prayer” (vs. 5). G. C. Morgan comments, “That force of earnest prayer was mightier than Herod, and mightier than hell.” Does your situation or that of a loved one seem completely impossible? Never forget these words, “but prayer.”—Jim Comte

When our Saviour’s Name to the throne we bear;
Then a Father’s love will receive us there. —E. Hewitt

 

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

 

 

Oh that men would praise the LORD for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:8

 

How careful we ought to be in praising God for His goodness to us. Sadly we are inclined to be more occupied with our troubles than our blessings. Ironically, many times the troubles are blessings and we just fail to recognize them. All the troubles of Job ended up in blessing. James says, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations” (James 1:2). When we praise the Lord for our blessings, He is pleased and delivers us from troubles! —Harold G. Smith

Praise God from whom all blessings flow;
Praise Him, all creatures here below;
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host;
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. —Louis Bourgeols

 

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

 

Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth! Psalm 80:1

 

The Lord who led Joseph through banishment, slavery, and prison to rule over Egypt, similarly shepherded Israel in days of old. He will continue this work when He comes to rule those He saves through the Tribulation. Likewise, today the Lord leads and feeds His saints through His Word. Christ, our “mercy seat” (Rom. 3:25), brings us into the presence of the Holy God, who guides and cares for us from His throne. In every way, we are deeply loved. —Keith Keyser

He leaves us not alone to trace our path across the waste;
But leads us still, with living grace, homeward, whereto we haste.—J. N. Darby

 

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

And Jesus said, Who touched Me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with Him said, Master, the multitude throng Thee and press Thee, and sayest thou, Who touched Me? Luke 8:45

 

“Who touched Me?”

No one ever cared for me like Jesus,
There’s no other friend so kind as He. —C. F. Weigle

What a beautiful question! One can almost hear the incredulity in Peter’s voice though: “What do you mean who touched You, Lord? Everybody touched You!” But, despite the massive throng, the Lord was looking for one particular woman. In our day, it’s easy to feel lost in the crowd, as if we don’t really matter. Let us remember that we serve the God of the individual, and no matter how invisible we seem to those around us, the Lord Jesus is personally concerned about us. —L. Shatford