Month: August 2017

DAILY READINGS: 2 Samuel 2:1-32; Micah 4:9-5:15; Romans 11:1-12

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 

Righteousness is doing what is right, doing what God intended us to do. As a thirsty man in a desert craves for water to quench his parched lips, so the people of God should hunger and thirst for righteousness to quench their parched souls. The pursuit of righteousness is really a seeking after Christ as He is our Righteousness. The closer we draw to Him the more like Him we will be and the longings of our heart will then be truly satisfied. —Paul Young

Seek ye first the kingdom of God,
And His righteousness,
And all these things shall be added unto you,
Hallelu, Hallelujah. —Karen Lafferty

DAILY READINGS: 2 Samuel 1:1-27; Micah 3:1-4:8; Romans 9:30-10:21

Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to usward: they cannot be reckoned up in order unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Psalm 40:5 

Verses 5-11 and verse 16 in this Psalm contain wonderful expressions for us to meditate on and give back to God in the Lord’s Supper. He came. He delighted to do the Father’s will. He preached righteousness.
He suffered in sacrifice for our sins and one day soon we will see Him and rejoice to praise and worship Him face to face. We love the Lord and thus when meeting to remember Him we should say continually:
“The Lord be magnified” (Ps. 35:27). —Carl Knott

Great the joy when Christians meet, Christian fellowship, how sweet.
When, our theme of praise the same, we exalt Jehovah’s name. —Author Unknown

DAILY READINGS: 1 Samuel 30:1-31:13; Micah 1:1-2:13; Romans 9:1-29

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. John 14:27

When the Armstrong-Aldrin Apollo flight entered space, it took as its motto, “We come in peace for all mankind.” Before leaving for planet earth, these men of space left a plaque bearing the words of their motto
near the moon’s Sea of Tranquility. Before leaving earth for glory, the Prince of Peace left not a plaque of empty words, but the full realization in the hearts of men that He had given them eternal peace. —Arnot P. McIntee

I may sing, with Christ beside me,
Tho’ a thousand ills betide me;
Safely He hath sworn to guide me:
Peace, peace is mine. —Joseph Denham Smith

DAILY READINGS: 1 Samuel 28:1-29:11; Isaiah 66:1-24; Romans 8:18-39

Thus they changed their glory into the similitude of an ox that eateth grass. Psalm 106:20

Israel’s creation of the golden calf degraded the living God’s glory. By making it, the people lowered themselves to animal level and began committing unrestrained acts of bestial lust (a principle later described in Rom. 1:20-25). The Lord was “their glory.” Only in rightly appreciating Him could they live morally beautiful lives. His beauty is incomparably lovelier than anything that human hands can fashion. We are made to worship our Creator and any alteration of His attributes by man inevitably leads to a diminishing of our dignity and well-being—our glory is connected with His. —Keith Keyser

Thou art in heaven our all, our all on earth art Thou;
Upon Thy glorious name we call, Lord Jesus, bless us now! —H. Bonar

DAILY READINGS: 1 Samuel 26:1-27:12; Isaiah 65:1-25; Romans 8:1-17

And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. Matthew 17:8

Moses and Elijah, two of the greatest prophets of the Old Testament, had been on the mount of transfiguration with the Lord. Yet now these two men disappear from sight. The best of men are only men at their best. Who can be compared with the incomparable Lord? —John M.Clegg

Join all the glorious names,
Of wisdom, love and power;
That mortals ever knew,
That angels ever bore;
All are too mean to speak His worth,
Too mean to set our Saviour forth. —Isaac Watts

DAILY READINGS: 1 Samuel 25:1-44; Isaiah 63:15-64:12; Romans 7:7-25

As the deer panteth for the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. Psalm 42:1

Psalm 42 and 43 are plaintive cries from the depths of the heart. David was alone and longing for God during this time of spiritual drought. Count the “whys,” “whens,” and “wheres,” of the struggling psalmist. Psalm 42 was a great favourite of the early Christians who were hunted in the catacombs. Inscribed on those dark, damp walls are many deer, expressing that they too were in deep anguish, feeling forsaken, yet their hearts still beat with hope! Three times (42:5, 11; 43:5), David challenges his faith and cries “Hope in God.” Thank God we have a blessed hope. Perhaps today! —Jim Comte

O child of God, there is for thee a hope that shines amid the gloom,
A gladsome hope that you shall see thy Lord, for He will surely come. —T. D. W. Muir

DAILY READINGS: 1 Sam. 23:1-24:22; Isaiah 62:1-63:14; Romans 6:15-7:6

My times are in thy hand. Psalm 31:15
I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. Hebrews 13:5
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me. Psalm 23:4

How many times do we ask the question, “Does God care about me?” Or, “Where is God in the situation I am facing?” We know from His Word, that He is fully aware of our circumstances. Whether it is in our daily struggles or walking through the dark valley of death, He is with us. We are always, “near to the heart of God.” —Bob Cretney

There is a place of full release, near to the heart of God;
A place where all is joy and peace, near to the heart of God. —Cleland B. McAfee

DAILY READINGS: 1 Samuel 21:1-22:23; Isaiah 61:1-11; Romans 6:1-14

Behold, ye have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine. Acts 5:28
These that have turned the world upside down. Acts 17:6

The enemies of Christ gave this testimony concerning the early believers. They not only filled Jerusalem with the doctrine of Christ but proclaimed a message which was contrary to all that the world accepted. Today, antagonism towards Christians and the gospel daily increases and whether the world listens or not, we must boldly proclaim God’s truth. To “[fill] Jerusalem with your doctrine” meant the apostles were thrown into prison (Acts 5:18). To “[turn] the world upside down” meant that Jason was dragged to the courts (Acts 17:6). We must also be prepared to suffer. —David Croudace

I’ve borne, I’ve borne it all for thee;
What hast thou borne for Me? —Frances Ridley Havergal

DAILY READINGS: 1 Samuel 19:8-20:42; Isaiah 60:1-22; Romans 5:12-21

But I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. Psalm 22:6
Though your sins…be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. Isaiah 1:18

Downtrodden, despised and the lowest of the low! Is it possible that our Lord could be so described? Only by Himself! Interestingly, the word for “worm” is the same as “crimson”—the word that is used to describe sins of deepest dye. By crushing the worm, a scarlet dye was obtained. Upon the cross, the Man of Sorrows, who knew no sin, was made sin for us and crushed beneath its judgment (Isa. 53:5, 10). May our love pour out to Him today! —Pete Smith

Crowned with thorns upon the tree, silent in Thine agony;
Dying, crushed beneath the load, of the wrath and curse of God. —Guiness

DAILY READINGS: 1 Samuel 18:6-19:7; Isaiah 59:1-21; Romans 4:23-5:11

They are like grass which groweth up…in the evening it is cut down. Psalm 90:5-6
The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. Isaiah 40:8

God was long-suffering when men lived long, but in the end they were like grass, grown up during the day, then cut down in the evening. God reduced man’s expected lifespan twice; first to 120 years in Genesis 6:3, then to 70 to 80 years in Psalm 90:10. In comparison, these shortened days are likened unto the dew upon the grass, which by midmorning is gone. It is the Word of the Lord, that endures forever and imparts wisdom. May we apply our hearts to it daily. —Tom Steere

I’ll trust in God’s unchanging Word, ’til soul and body sever:
For tho’ all things shall pass away, His Word shall stand forever. —Luther