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

Do all things without murmurings and disputings. Phil. 2:14

The church that honestly longs to be eff ective in a dark world must
have the right att itude toward each other. We need to be gracious
in our dealings with each other, both inwardly (murmuring) and
outwardly (disputing). Murmuring was a hallmark of those Israelites
who journeyed out of Egypt to the promised land. As long as
they murmured, they made litt le progress and as long as they didn’t
progress they were vulnerable to enemy att acks. Awhining Christian
is not a winning Christian. May the Lord guard our hearts and
tongues for His glory. —Craig Funston

Lord Jesus change my heart; restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation;
And let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart please Thee.
—Anon.

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

He said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake.
And they launched forth. Luke 8:22b
They came to Him, and awoke Him, saying, Master, master, we
perish. Luke 8:24a

The disciples’ panic could have been avoided had they listened when
the Lord said, “Let us go over unto the other side.” He did not say
“Let us go to the bott om.” The Lord has promised to complete the
work He has begun in us. Let us trust Him to do that. Full faith brings
Him pleasure— feeble faith brings Him sorrow. —Milton Haack

He is greater than the thunder, He is mightier than the storm;
He extends His hand to lift me, And protect my soul from harm.
He will see me safe to harbor, To the haven of my rest,
Sheltered by the Rock of Ages, Held in His almighty arm.—R. W. Adams

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

Even the sparrow has found a home…where she may lay her
young, even thine altar, O Lord of hosts. Psalm 84:3

The psalmist is envious of the sparrow who is able to build her nest so
close to the presence of God. But there is something else here. She lays
her young in the same place. The Lord sometimes asks that we lay
our young on His altar, that we give back the dearest gift s He has entrusted
to us. Let me be willing like Abraham to bring my dearest and
best to Him with open hands, so my fi ngers do not have to be pried
off any treasure God has given me. Harold St. John wrote, “The altar
is the only safe resting place for the heart’s dearest aff ection. Only
completely yielded are they completely safe.” —M. MacMullen

O we never can know, what the Lord will bestow
Till our body and soul, He doth fully control, and our all on the altar is laid.
—Anon

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

Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour,
wherewith shall it be salted? It is thenceforth good for nothing, but
to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men. Matthew 5:13

No right minded believer wants to be a good-for-nothing Christian.
Paul was concerned that he could be one (1 Cor. 9:27). He also
spoke of others who would be saved but “so as by fi re” (1 Cor. 3:15).
This is not a verse regarding one’s eternal security; it has to do with
one’s temporal usefulness. God has many purposes for His children,
and these include vibrant lives that testify daily to the Lord’s
grace. We need to aspire to be good-for-everything Christians.
—Craig Funston

Pure and holy I would be, worthy of Your love for me.
Teach me while Your light is clear; change me while my heart is near.—Anon

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

Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If God will be with me, and will keep
me in this way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, and raiment
to put on, So that I come again to my father’s house in peace;
then shall the LORD be my God. Genesis 28:20-21

Jacob said he would only make the Lord his God if God fi rst fulfi lled
certain conditions! This delayed commitment resulted in the next
twenty years of his life being fi lled with sin and failure. If we don’t
wish Satan to ruin our lives, then we must hand ourselves over to
Christ right now—without delay, and allow Him to control all our
plans, decisions and circumstances. —David Croudace

Lord of the years that are left to me, I give them to Thy hand,
Break me, make me, mould me to the patt ern Thou hast planned.—Anon.

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

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He
was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that ye through His
poverty might be rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Cor. 5:21

These two verses are a mirror of opposites. The fi rst, He who was
rich became poor, that we who were poor might become rich. The
second, He who was righteous was made sin, that we who are sinners
might be made righteous. Such amazing grace and love certainly
give us something on which to refl ect. —Rex Trogdon

Oh, make me understand it, help me to take it in,
What it meant to Thee, the holy One, to bear away my sin. —A. M. Kelly

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

Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the
LORD he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath:
there is none else. Deuteronomy 4:39
The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master’s crib: but Israel
doth not know, my people doth not consider. Isaiah 1:3

God desires His people to know Him on a personal basis. This One,
who is the Creator of the heavens and the earth invites us to know
Him today! The implication of “consider” in this text is “to turn
back, to return”. In your life’s pathway, have you drift ed far from
God? He still invites you to come (Rev. 3:20). How sad the commentary
of Isaiah—they did not consider. —W. H. Gustafson

Repent, believe, this very hour, Trust in the Saviour’s grace and power,
Then will your joyous answer be, Saved thro’ a long eternity!—E. A. H.

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

Samson said, Let me die with the Philistines. And he bowed himself
with all his might; and the house fell upon the lords, and upon
all the people that were therein. So the dead which he slew at his
death were more than they which he slew in his life. Judg. 16:30

Samson’s greatest work was done when he died to himself and trusted
in the Lord. Similarly we will be more eff ective servants if we die
to ourselves and embrace the life He has for us. Beloved, do you want
to do great things for God? Believe and practice that you are dead to
self and let His life be lived through you. This means saying no to
sin, living by faith and depending on His strength for service. Then
Christ’s fragrant life will shine through you. —George Ferrier

As Thou didst hunger bear, and thirst, so teach us, gracious Lord,
To die to self, and chiefl y live, by Thy most holy Word. —C. F. Hernaman

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

But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall
never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a
well of water springing up into everlasting life. John 4:14

Captain Walker worked his way up the cliff the morning of the Dieppe
assault. A third of the way up, a wounded German soldier cried,
“vasser”, water. Walker was willing to help, but his own canteen was
empty. The wounded soldier pointed to a nearby stream. Cautiously,
Walker made his way to it, and fi lling his own canteen and that of the
wounded, he returned to his enemy. In life’s journey, we meet many
who need the refreshing water of salvation. May we make certain we
meet the need of these thirsty souls. —Arnot McIntee

Come to the living water, come! Sinners obey your Maker’s call,
Return ye weary wanderers home, and fi nd My grace is free to all.—Anon

DAILY READINGS: Deut. 5; Eccl. 7; Luke 8:1-21

And Amaziah did that which was right in the sight of the LORD,
but not with a perfect heart. 2 Chronicles 25:2

If we are honest with ourselves, one of the things that distresses us
in relation to our service for the Lord is lack of wholeheartedness.
We can be so cold and mechanical at times in our eff orts for the
Master. What we do may look good in the sight of others, but our
hearts can be like stone, and we can develop an inner negativity
about others that undermines our whole Christian life. Remember
and emulate Caleb who “wholly followed the Lord” (Num. 13:12).
—Brian Russell

By Thy Spirit grant that we,
Worshippers in truth may be;
Praise, as incense, sweet to Thee;
Father we adore Thee. —S. T. Francis