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Joshua 7; Isaiah 3 to 4; Luke 22:31-53

And the Lord shut him in. Genesis 7:16

When all the creatures and Noah and his family had entered the ark, God shut the door. He sealed them in. This was the most secure measure God could take to safeguard His creatures. He personally secured them! No adversary from outside could get in and no one could go out to be lost in the flood. In Christ, all Christians are safe in Him. Nothing can snatch us away from Him nor from the safety of His Father’s arms (John 10:28-30). We all are safe and secure in the arms of Jesus. Trust Him. —K. C. Ung

Safe in the arms of Jesus,
Safe on His gentle breast,
There by His love o’ershaded,
Sweetly my soul shall rest. —Fanny Crosby

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

You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it. Deuteronomy 4:2 NKJV
These (Bereans) were more noble…in that they…searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:11

It is a great blessing for us that we have so many rich Bible commentaries. Yet as valued and instructive as these may be, they should never replace God’s Word. Even the most reliable and
trusted resources should be verified by the Scriptures for their accuracy. Men’s “opinions” do not always convey God’s truth. Jesus promised that when the Spirit came, He would guide us into all truth, (John 16:13). Let us trust Him to do that and diligently practice being modern day Bereans! —E.V.

Holy words of our faith, handed down to this age;
Came to us through sacrifice, O heed the faithful words of Christ. —L. DeShazo

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

Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and peace have kissed each other. Psalm 85:10

Mercy and truth could never meet. They are diametrically opposed to each other. Truth demanded that every sin be paid for; that every payment be exacted in its entirety. Mercy longed to offer
forgiveness, to proffer a pardon. But mercy was frustrated in its purposes by the unflinching character of truth. But wait! Is there a means whereby God can be just and the justifier? (Rom. 3:26) Consider the cross. Calvary is the greatest possible display of the grace of God. But Calvary is also the greatest possible display of the justice of God. God is love (1 John 4:8). God is light (1 John 1:5). Oh, what a meeting at Calvary!! —L. Cain

Oh, safe and happy shelter! Oh, refuge tried and sweet!
Oh, trysting place where heaven’s love, and heaven’s justice meet. —E. Clephane

Joshua 3; Hosea 11:12 to 14:9; Luke 20:20 to 21:4

The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16 NKJV

Effective praying requires knowing God. Why did Elijah pray for a drought? He had observed the nation’s condition and because of their disobedience to God, he (and the Lord) wanted “healing”. Elijah’s prayer was effective (had power) because He was thinking God’s thoughts. Elijah wasn’t condescending and self-righteous; he’d suffer the same drought as the people. Prayer for God to act consistent with His revealed character is powerful. Prayer is not to accomplish my will, but God’s. In the context, powerful prayer is for the benefit of fellow believers. May we pray fervently and effectively for one another’s spiritual prosperity. —David W. Oliver

Revive Thy work, O Lord! Create soul-thirst for Thee,
And hungering for the Bread of Life, O may our spirits be! —A. Midlane

Joshua 2; Hosea 10 to 11:11; Luke 20:1-19

Beloved, now are we the sons of God…but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. 1 John 3:2

Who can fully appreciate the truth revealed to us in this lovely verse? To think, that one day we shall be like Him is beyond our comprehension. William Alexander tells of an incident when translating these verses. The native scribe when hearing the words, “We shall be like him”, laid down his pen and exclaimed, “No, it’s too much; let us write, ‘we shall kiss His feet’”. Is it too much that “sons” shall one day be like Him? “As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness” (Ps. 17:15). —Jim Comte

And is it so? I shall be like Thy Son!
Is this the grace which He for me has won?
Father of glory—thought beyond all thought!
In glory, to His own blest likeness brought! —J. N. Darby

Joshua 1; Hosea 8 to 9; Luke 19:29-48

When I say unto the wicked, thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning…the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. Ezekiel 3:18

We see here two things God takes very seriously. One is the actions of the wicked man. He will die in his iniquity if no one gives him warning. The other is the grave consequence for the one who
fails to warn the wicked man of his impending doom. If he fails to warn, God says He will require the wicked man’s blood at the failed messenger’s hand. Ask God to lead you to that person who
needs His serious warning. —Ken Gross

Rescue the perishing,
Care for the dying;
Jesus is merciful,
Jesus will save. —Fanny Crosby

Deuteronomy 34; Hosea 6:4 to 7:16; Luke 19:1-28

I will arise and go to my father. Luke 15:18

The telephone rang and a voice which I recognised said, “Brian, God will never forgive me”. There may be someone reading this who feels the same—having actually abandoned Christian life and
committed gross sin. The fact you feel like this may well indicate a prompting of the Holy Spirit, which dwells in every believer. The father forgave the prodigal and our heavenly Father will forgive
you. Do not wait, repent and return. —Brian Russell

Let me at the throne of mercy,
Find a sweet relief;
Kneeling there in deep contrition,
Help my unbelief.
—Fanny Crosby

Deuteronomy 33; Hosea 4 to 6:3; Luke 18:15-43

God loveth a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7

I once heard a story of a boy who was given a dime for church, and a dime to buy candy. The boy dropped one dime in the sewer and remarked, “Too bad about God’s dime”, and went to buy
candy. Another boy had no money to give, so he climbed into the offering plate and gave himself! Which boy are we? Is giving to the Lord’s work a priority, or do we always come first? God loves a
cheerful giver, a committed giver and a regular giver as well! —Deborah Manera

He who loves Jesus consecrates to Him all that he has,
and feels it a delight that he may lay anything
at the feet of Him who laid down His life for us.
—Charles Spurgeon

Deuteronomy 32:15-52; Hosea 2 to 3 ; Luke 17:20 to 18:14

Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. Psalm 119:67
It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. Psalm 119:71
I know, O Lord…that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Psalm 119:75

George Goodman wrote “Affliction is testing at the hand of God, our faithful Father in heaven. To affliction we bow in submission”. We see in our first verse that God uses affliction for our correction. Then in the second, we see that through affliction He gives us counsel. In the third, we see the kindness of God in affliction. We have His faithful consolation. —Pete Smith

Faint not, nor fear; His arm is near.
He changeth not and thou art dear. —John Monsell

Deuteronomy 31:14 to 32:14; Hosea 1; Luke 17:1-19

I rejoiced greatly that I found [your] children walking in truth. 2 John 4

Someone has written, “A happy family is but an earlier heaven”. A family united around the Lord Jesus is such a blessing. To pray together, to be united in purpose and desire, to encourage, comfort and be glad for one another is an ideal which can be realized in the life of a family. Wonderfully, it should also be found in the life of the wider family of the local church. When love for Christ permeates to one another, then we are walking in truth and being obedient children to our heavenly Father. Let us make this our aim for His glory and the spiritual welfare of others. —Paul Young

Children of Jerusalem, sang the praise of Jesus’ name;
Children, too, of modern days, join to sing the Saviour’s praise.
—John Henley