Category: Uncategorised

DAILY READINGS: Nehemiah 4; Haggai 1; Revelation 9

But we see Jesus. Hebrews 2:9
Whom having not seen ye love…yet believing, ye rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory. 1 Peter 1:8

There are problems all around us: in our families, assemblies and communities. And so each of us faces a choice. Will we focus on the problems that dishearten us and drag us down? Or will we choose to look at Him? As we gaze into His lovely face we see the tenderness of His love, the security of our faith and the certainty of our hope. Surely this will put our problems into perspective. What “joy unspeakable” is ours when we make Him our focus! —C. Cairns

Give me the love that leads the way; the faith that nothing can dismay,
The hope no disappointments tire; the passion that will burn with fire,
Let me not sink to be a clod: make my Thy fuel, Flame of God. —Carmichael

DAILY READINGS: Nehemiah 3; Daniel 12; Revelation 8

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  Proverbs 3:5

The world’s way of doing commercial and political business consists of demanding rights and implementing legal safeguards. This is not God’s way. God calls us to trust Him. If believers cannot have faith in the Lord, then who else will? The believers’ trust in the Lord, commends the very Gospel which we profess. Are we not saved because we first trusted the Lord, taking Him at His word? Continue to walk in that trust and you will be blessed. —Mark Fenn

In simple trust like theirs who heard, beside the Syrian sea,
The gracious calling of the Lord,
Let us, like them, without a word, rise up and follow Thee.
                                               —John Greenleaf Whittier

DAILY READINGS: Nehemiah 1-2; Daniel 11:21-45; Revelation 7

For these things I weep. Lamentations 1:16
This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. Lamentations 3:21

Jeremiah probably wrote these words as he sat in a cave overlooking the remains of Jerusalem, which had been almost completely destroyed by the invaders after a siege of two years. There was nothing left; all was destroyed. Jeremiah wept. Yet, he tells us that he has hope. How so? Because Jeremiah saw that God was good and merciful and had the ability and willingness to restore the city. On this fact  Jeremiah hoped. So, today, many believers weep due to bereavement, illness, persecution or fear. But we too have great hope in God’s faithfulness. We should, like Jeremiah, rest in Him.  —Roy Hill

Every tear I’ve cried, You hold in your hand, You never left my side,
And tho’ my heart is torn, I’ll praise you in this storm. —Casting Crowns

DAILY READINGS: Ezra 10; Daniel 11:1-20; Revelation 6

From Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood.  Revelation 1:5

Have you ever thought about the order of the words here? The Lord Jesus loved us and then He washed us. He loved us before He washed us, while we were still in our sins and spiritually filthy. It was this great unprovoked love that led Him to Calvary where His shed blood washed our sins away. We love Him because He did it! He loved us before He did it! All praise to Him. —Carl Knott

I will sing of Jesus’ love, sing of Him who first loved me;
For He left bright worlds above, and died on Calvary. —Franklin E. Belden

DAILY READINGS: Ezra 9; Daniel 10; Revelation 5

Behold, thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint. 2 Samuel 15:15b

Unconditional was the commitment that David’s servants gave him. What commitment do you offer to your King? Are you ready to do each day what He appoints for you? Are you willing to accept the interruptions to your plans, the people He places in your path and their challenges, and the personal goals you must set aside so His work may be done in you? Is God really in control? —L. Tempest

I love to think that God appoints my portion day by day;
Events of life are in His hand, and I would only say,
Appoint them in Thine own good time,
And in Thine own best way.         —A. L. Waring

DAILY READINGS: Ezra 8; Daniel 9; Revelation 4

A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  John 13:34

At first this seems like a simple command. But as we begin to rub shoulders with our fellow believers (and them with us), we begin to see how difficult it truly is. But this is when the Lord shows us what true love is all about. We are to love each other as Christ has loved us. He has loved us while we were yet without strength, while we were yet sinners and even while we were His enemy (Rom. 5:6, 8, 10). We can only love others like this, when the eyes of our heart are focused on the Lord Jesus.                 —V. Gaynier

Oh, fill me Lord yet more and more, so that my heart e’en here below,
From Thy love’s rich and boundless store, be satisfied and overflow.—Anon.

DAILY READINGS: Ezra 7; Daniel 8; Revelation 3:7-22

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

Sometimes we forget how much gratitude we owe our God. When things are going well and we feel encouraged, we are thankful for our salvation, and our earthly blessings. But when difficult times come, we often forget to be thankful for them. Yet it is during our testing and trials that God draws us nearer to Himself and stirs us from our complacency. Thank God that He doesn’t let us settle in our unfaithfulness but uses the challenges of life to draw us to Himself and move us forward again. Truly these are wonderful works too. May we praise the Lord for them! —J. Jacob

We, so faithless and so weary, serving with impatient will;
He unwearied in our service, gladly, ministering still. —F. Beven

DAILY READINGS: Ezra 6; Daniel 7; Revelation 2:18 to 3:6

Canst thou bind the sweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion?  Job 38:31

After reading Psalm 8:8, which speaks of “paths in the sea”, 19th century Matthew Maury was prompted to map out prevailing sea currents and revolutionized trade routes for sailing ships. God revealed to Job that the stars composing Pleiades in the Taurus constellation were bound (we now understand that these are in gravitation lock), while the constellation Orion, composed of stars throughout our galaxy, is expanding. Only God is able to arrange creation and tell us all about it. —W. A. Henderson

For the beauty of the earth, for the glory of the skies,
For the love which from our birth over and around us lies;
Christ, of God, to Thee we raise this our hymn of grateful praise. —F. S. P.

DAILY READINGS: Ezra 5; Daniel 6; Revelation 2:1-17

For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.  Jeremiah 31:34b
Their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.  Hebrews 10:17

We are often told to “forgive and forget.” But God does not forget; He chooses “not to remember.” Forgetting is a lapse of the memory; choosing not to remember is an act of the will. How wonderful to know that our God has chosen to completely put our sins out of His mind, to love us so dearly that He does not call them to His remembrance. Let us emulate His example. —A. Fiebig

Because the sinless Saviour died, my sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the just, is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me.  —C. L. Bancroft

DAILY READINGS: Ezra 3-4; Daniel 5; Revelation 1

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest…Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.  Hebrews 4:14

The offices that our Lord bears are many and majestic. He is our Advocate, defending our justified position in the courtroom of Heaven (1 John 2:1); our merciful and faithful High Priest able to help us when we are tempted (Heb. 2:17); our Intercessor, ever-present at the right hand of God and speaking on our behalf (Rom. 8:34). Indeed, the offices He bears are wonderful—each one faithfully executed in bringing many sons to glory.  —Mark Kolchin

Great are the offices He bears,
And all the forms of love He wears, exalted on His throne;
In loftiest songs of sweetest praise,
I would to everlasting days, make all His glories known. —Samuel Medley