Category: Uncategorised

Exodus 26:1-30; Psalms 70:1-71:24; Acts 15:1-21

The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:9

We can become complacent about the Lord’s return and look at world events without urgency. God’s people need to be actively involved in seeking the lost and conscious of the state of their own souls. The lovingkindness of God should never be doubted, even when events seem to be out of control. God is faithful to His own and does not unleash His wrath against sinners immediately because He is longsuffering. “God doesn’t delay, He waits”. —Gaius C. Goff

While hosts cry hosanna, from heaven descending;
With glorified saints and the angels attending;
With grace on His brow, like a halo of glory;
Will Jesus receive His own. —H. L. Turner

Exodus 25:1-40; Psalm 69:1-36; Acts 14:1-28

. . . unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. 1 Peter 1:12

The missionary C.T. Studd said: “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last”. Now is the time to serve the Lord. We are to testify of salvation which fascinates angels, and serve one another by using our gifts to edify the Church (Eph. 4:11-16). Our time, talents, and treasure are lent to us for God’s glory and the saints’ good (1 Pet. 4:10). —Keith R. Keyser

Awake my zeal, awake my love,
And serve my Saviour here below,
In works which all the saints above,
Which holy angels cannot do. —Isaac Watts

Exodus 24:1-18; Psalm 68:1-35; Acts 13:26-52

O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! Even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! Habakkuk 1:2

We must each confess that there are times when our prayer life feels like this, and the pain of hopeless despair almost consumes us completely. Much as Elijah mocked Baal’s priests about their absent god, we may be tempted to allow similar thoughts into our minds. It is at such times that we must draw near to the foot of the cross of Christ. Does He hear? Does He know? Does He care? The evidence of His shed blood answers with a resounding “Yes”!
—Rick Morse

O yes He cares—I know He cares!
His heart is touched with my grief;
When the days are weary, the long nights dreary,
I know my Saviour cares. —Frank E. Graeff

Exodus 23:10-33; Psalms 66:1-67:7; Acts 13:1-25

A thorn in the flesh was given to me. 2 Corinthians 12:7 NKJV

Martha Snell Nicholson experienced a life of deep suffering. Like the Apostle Paul, she had a “thorn in the flesh”. She was bedridden for over thirty years and endured four incurable illnesses. But, also like Paul, she waded into deeper levels of God’s sustaining grace.  As a result, she was able to pen a poem about this “gift” of a thorn and its intended purpose in our lives. May we let the Lord use the hardship in our life today to reveal more of Himself to us.  —Brian Cretney

I took it home and though at first the cruel thorn hurt sore,
As long years passed I learned at last to love it more and more.
I learned He never gives a thorn without this added grace,
He takes the thorn to pin aside the veil which hides His face.  —Martha Snell Nicholson

Exodus 22:1-23:9; Psalms 64:1-65:13; Acts 12:1-25

None shall appear before Me empty. Exodus 34:20 NKJV

Would a delivered people possibly come before God empty? Could the worship of those redeemed by precious blood be stale or stilted? In Malachi, honour and reverence for God were lacking. Priests offered blind, lame, sick, and stolen offerings. They kept their best animals and gave God their blemished animals (Mal. 1:6-14). Does our Lord
receive our best thoughts when we gather together to worship Him? Predictable lines, random references, and uninspired worship add up to appearing before Him “empty”. In a coming day we’ll be overwhelmed eternally with insights into our Saviour’s sufferings and glories. Why not grasp all we can now? — David W. Oliver

The mention of Thy name shall bow, our hearts to worship Thee;
The chiefest of ten thousand Thou! The chief of sinners we.  —Mary Peters

Exodus 21:1-36; Psalms 62:1-63:11; Acts 11:19-30

Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations. Psalm 82:8

There is coming a day when God is going to judge the world.  All those who have refused Him will stand before Him and hear these dreadful words, “I do not know you…depart from Me” (Luke 13:27). Let us make sure that we are ready to meet Him. If we have trusted in His Son for the forgiveness of our sins we need not fear (1 John 1:9). We will be ready to meet Him with confidence and joyful anticipation. —Gwenyth Frear

And when, before the throne,
I stand in Him complete,
“Jesus died my soul to save,”
My lips shall still repeat.  —Elvina M. Hall

Exodus 20:1-26; Psalms 60:1-61:8; Acts 11:1-18

Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Romans 6:11 NKJV

Jesus Christ, He who did no sin, took upon Himself all the sin of the world, dealt with it and was done with it once and for all! He was, in effect, “dead to sin” (v. 10). Paul, in his letter to the believers in Rome, tells them to “Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin…”. But Jesus Christ is God! How can we who daily battle sin, reckon ourselves to be “dead” to it? Christ identified us with Himself on Calvary, created all things new and removed us from the “old Adam” into Himself, the new Adam. Now, “alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord”, we too can have victory over sin! —Ray Jones

Our blest Redeemer, ere He breathed His tender last farewell,
A Guide, a Comforter, bequeathed with us to dwell. —Harriet Auber

Exodus 19:10-25; Psalms 59:1-17; Acts 10:34-48

Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest…and offer him there for a burnt offering… Genesis 22:2

God had promised Abraham, “In Isaac shall thy seed be called” (Gen. 21:12). This request seemed to contradict what God had promised. But Abraham believed that God would never go back on His promise, and in the meantime, he must obey, and leave the future with God. There are times in our experience when we may feel that things happening in our lives do not seem to make sense, but we can be sure that God will honour all His promises, and we can enjoy the peace that this brings. —Willie H. Burnett

Standing on the promises that cannot fail,
When the howling storms of doubt and fear assail,
By the living Word of God we shall prevail,
Standing on the promises of God. —R. Kelso Carter

Exodus 19:1-9; Psalms 58:1-11; Acts 10:24-33

Therefore, the Lord will wait, that He may be gracious to you; And therefore He will be exalted, that He may have mercy on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; Blessed are all those who wait for Him. Isaiah 30:18 NKJV

God is waiting for the needed moment to be gracious to us. Likewise, we are blessed as we learn to wait on Him. His grace, mercy and justice are fully revealed between the divine waiting and human waiting, and for this He is exalted. —Sam Thorpe

O God of matchless grace,
We sing unto Thy name!
We stand accepted in the place
That none but Christ could claim.  —Hannah Burlingham

Exodus 18:1-27; Psalms 56:1-57:11; Acts 10:1-23

For thou hast been a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. Isaiah 25:4

Need help? How many times do we resort to our own abilities or other earthly resources, thinking, “I’ve got this”, and in so doing, exercise independence of my loving God? Each of the above challenges and promised remedies are in the context of counting oneself as poor and needy. Independence from God leads us to the pride of self-assurance. Dependence upon God is an attitude, a virtue and a grand privilege. Become dependent upon God and find the joy of
taking His yoke upon you. —Doug Lewis

The Lord’s our rock, in Him we hide, a shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever ill betide, a shelter in the time of storm. —V. Charlesworth