Month: March 2012

DAILY?READINGS: Leviticus 6:8 to 7:10; Psalm 106; Acts 28:1-16

 

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; for Thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. Psalm 4:8

 

During the 25 summers I accompanied my family’s wheat harvesting route, a plaque hung in our camper-home stating, “Lord help me, the sea is so wide and my boat is so small.” Storms gust into everyone’s life. But as the disciples experienced, the ship cannot sink when the Lord is on board. He who controls the winds is only a call away. In every storm may we make Him our refuge. —E. M. Dyck

‘Til the storm passes over, ‘til the thunder sounds no more,
‘Til the clouds roll forever from the sky;
Hold me fast, let me stand in the hollow of Thy hand;
Keep me safe ‘til the storm passes by. —Mosie Lister

 

DAILY?READINGS: Leviticus 5:14 to 6:7; Psalm 105; Acts 27:27-44

 

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound. Isaiah 61:1

 

With perfect unity Father, Son and Spirit bring good tidings to the suffering. Are you sorrowing? Let the God of all comfort support you through His Word. Are you held in bonds of sin? God’s truth will set you free. Are you being persecuted for righteousness sake? Jesus declared that all power is given unto Me. May the Spirit of God enable you to be joyful in your God, even in your trials. —D. Pickup

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds in a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, and drives away his fear. —John Newton

 

DAILY?READINGS: Leviticus 4:27 to 5:13; Psalm 104; Acts 27:1-26

 

He hath made every thing beautiful in His time. Ecclesiastes 3:11

There is a time… for every purpose. Ecclesiastes 3:17

 

How can all things be beautiful when Ecclesiastes says everything under the sun is “vanity of vanity?” The answer is, “in His time.” When we view time it can be a burden instead of a blessing. When we see it according to “His timing” it becomes beautiful. Someone has said, “He takes our sorrows and turns them into symphonies; our tears He turns into telescopes; our calamities He turns into opportunities.” It is God who is mixing all the colours in our life into a perfect composition and one day we will be like Him and then we will understand that, “He hath made every thing beautiful in his time.” —Milton Haack

Fair the sunshine, fair the moonlight, bright the sparkling stars on high;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer than all the angels in the sky.—written by German Jesuits, translated by Joseph A. Seiss

 

 

DAILY?READINGS: Leviticus 4:1-26; Psalm 103; Acts 26:19-32

 

Commit thy way onto the Lord; trust also in Him; and He shall bring it to pass. Psalm 37:5

 

Do we dare embrace this verse? “Commit” is a strong word! It tells us to give over to the Lord our way. That is our life’s path, with its issues, burdens, and decisions. Just hand all that over to the Lord, in total trust. Our directive is to leave the Lord in charge of all of our issues. Hand them over to His care. And, if we do that, He (who loves us) will direct our path. —Doug Kazen

He always wins who sides with God,
To him no chance is lost;
God’s will is sweetest to him when,
It triumphs at his cost. —Frederick W. Faber

 

DAILY?READINGS: Leviticus 3; Psalm 102; Acts 26:1-18

And it shall come to pass that whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered. Joel 2:32

 

These words were repeated by Peter as he addressed the men of Israel on the day of Pentecost, (Acts 2:21) and the apostle Paul repeats it again as he writes his great doctrinal treatise to the Romans (Rom. 9:13). This verse gives us the secret to being saved. It is by calling upon the name of the Lord. As we read through the Gospels, time and again the needy called upon His name and He responded in blessing. So also today, none are excluded, and none who call on His name will be denied. What wondrous grace. —W. H. Burnett

Oh, the precious Name of Jesus! How it thrills our souls with joy,
When His loving arms receive us, and His songs our tongues employ!—Lydia O. Baxter

 

DAILY?READINGS: Leviticus 2; Psalms 99-101; Acts 25:13-27

 

This is My memorial unto all generations. Exodus 3:15

 

A memorial is a monument keeping in memory a past event or person. Biblically, it means bringing the offerer of a sacrifice into remembrance before God or God into a favourable remembrance with the offerer. The Passover was a remembrance of the Lord’s redemption of His people from slavery, a reminder to them to observe it and to revere the Lord in worship (Ex. 12:27b). The Lord’s Supper is our memorial feast to keep the Saviour in our memory until He returns (1 Cor. 11:26). May our memories of Him be precious today. —K. C. Ung

By Christ redeemed, in Christ restored, we keep the memory adored,
And show the death of our dear Lord, until He come.
His body broken in our stead is seen in this memorial bread,
And so our feeble love is fed until He come. —G. Rawson

 

DAILY?READINGS: Leviticus 1; Psalms 96-98; Acts 24:24 to 25:12

 

Give me a blessing. Judges 1:15

 

Achsah was a bold woman. She had asked her father Caleb for a field, and now she was asking for something more. It wasn’t her greed—it was her insight. She knew her father, and better, she knew her father’s heart. She wanted to get because he was willing to give. Our heavenly Father is no different, so we must emulate Achsah. Are we limiting ourselves because we doubt the generous heart of God? James tells us that we don’t get because we don’t ask (James 4:2). We also miss out on right things because we ask with wrong motives (James 4:3). We are to come boldly to the throne of grace. That sounds like something that Achsah would do and we should too. —Norman Craig Funston

O this full and perfect peace! O this transport all divine!
In a love which cannot cease, I am His and He is mine. —G. W. Robinson

 

 

DAILY?READINGS: Exodus 40; Psalms 94-95; Acts 24:1-23

 

Put on the whole armour of God. Ephesians 6:11

 

Paul was a prisoner in Rome, awaiting trial and chained to a Roman soldier. Every morning that soldier had to put his armour on and be ready for action. Paul reminds us that every day we are in a fierce, spiritual conflict with the hosts of hell. The armour we must put on daily are those character traits of our Lord Jesus. Be truthful; be righteous and faithful. Know the Word of God and use it in the conflict. Put on the Gospel shoes; be zealous in witnessing. Be a good soldier today. —Donald L. Norbie

Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb,
And shall I fear to own His cause,
Or blush to speak His name? —Isaac Watts

 

DAILY?READINGS: Exodus 39; Psalms 92-93; Acts 23:12-35

Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. 1 Corinthians 9:25b

 

Men and women are willing to endure tremendous hardships for earthly honours. Sir Ernest Shackleton once placed this ad in a London paper: “Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.” They all returned to their homes safely and were given honour and recognition. They did it to obtain a corruptible crown. How much more should we be willing to do for an incorruptible crown? —W. Ross Rainey

Must Jesus bear the cross alone,and all the world go free?
There’s a cross for all who trust, and I know that there’s a cross for me.—James Cleveland

DAILY?READINGS: Exodus 38; Psalms 90-91; Acts 22:22 to 23:11

And when he hath found it, he layeth it on his shoulders, rejoicing. Luke 15:5

 

Christ the Shepherd went after the lost sheep until He found it. No cost was too great, no distance too far and no mountain too steep to rescue the perishing! Thank God for Calvary where our Good Shepherd gave “His life for the sheep” (John 10:11). How much He loves us! What joy is His when we are saved, but note also His rejoicing when He gets us safely home (Luke 15:6). How precious. He lifts us up and carries us—all the way! Both the saving and keeping are His responsibilities, ours is to simply rest upon Him today (1 Peter 1:5). —Pete Smith

Perverse and foolish oft I strayed, but yet in love He sought me,
And on His shoulders gently laid and home rejoicing brought me.—Henry Williams Baker