Month: December 2017

DAILY READINGS: Ezra 3:1-4:24; Daniel 5:1-31; Revelation 1:1-20

Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. Genesis 45:5

Sometimes we can spend a lifetime regretting past failures. Firstly we must remember there is forgiveness on confession (John 1:9). Secondly when we read in Romans 8:28 about “all things”, it can include our failures and mistakes. God in His mercy can turn a negative situation into something good and positive. Praise His name He is both sovereign and merciful. —Brian Russell

All the way my Saviour leads me; cheers each winding path I tread,
Gives me grace for ev’ry trial, feeds me with the living bread;
Tho’ my weary steps may falter, and my soul athirst may be,
Gushing from the Rock before me, Lo! a spring of joy I see. —F. Crosby

DAILY READINGS: Ezra 1:1-2:70; Daniel 4:1-37; 3 John:1-14

Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. Hebrews 12:16

The original root word for fornicator here is “pornos”, which also is the name of the most defiling of modern atrocities. As the world grows ever more accepting of fornication and the flaunting of it, God’s people must be ever vigilant to escape its ruinous effects. It is an evil that corrupts the mind, ruins lives, destroys relationships, degrades humanity, abuses children, demeans women, and fills the prisons. We need make no mistake, God will judge. —Rick Morse

When sin no more obstructs the sight,
And flesh and sense deceive no more;
What heights and depths of love divine,
Will there through endless ages shine. —Joseph Swain

DAILY READINGS: 2 Chronicles 36:1-23; Daniel 3:1-30; 2 John:1-13

But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. Acts 1:8

Perhaps we are in need of a “wake-up call” to alert us to the urgency of our assigned task. Are we not His “witnesses” to our own generation? Wherever we may be on planet Earth, the gospel is humankind’s greatest need and Christ the only answer. Where you are is “your Jerusalem”; start there, commit the future to Him. —George Hall

Bring them in, bring them in! Bring them in from the fields of sin;
Bring them in, bring them in! Bring the wandering ones to Jesus! —A. Thomas

DAILY READINGS: 2 Chronicles 35:1-27; Daniel 2:24-49; 1 John 5:1-21

That ye would walk worthy of God. 1 Thessalonians 2:12
How ye ought to walk and to please God. 1 Thessalonians 4:1
Walk honestly toward them that are without. 1 Thessalonians 4:12

The apostle Paul reminded the believers in Rome to provide things honest in the sight of all men (12:17). One of the most difficult challenges in the life of a believer is to be a transparent Christian in this world of compromise and cover-up. We cannot do it in our own strength. His strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). He gives the necessary help day by day so that our lifestyle can be a testimony to His enabling power. —W. H. G.

Walk in the light: and thou shalt find, thy heart made truly His;
Who dwells in cloudless light enshrined, in whom no darkness is. —Bernard Barton

DAILY READINGS: 2 Chronicles 34:1-33; Daniel 2:1-23; 1 John 4:1-21

I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness. Psalm 17:15

A Christian was told by his doctor he had only a short time to live. His doctor said, “Go out and live your life to the full. Make the most of your remaining time.” The man replied, “I’m going to the land of the living. This is the land of the dying.” Revelation 21:4 says of heaven “There shall be no more death,” while Paul said “absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8). Are you a Christian nearing the
end of your earthly life? You are going to the land of the living. —Janet Fleming

Oh what a thrill one day, to find Heaven’s door is opened wide,
And Jesus there with outstretched hands to welcome me inside. —Janet Fleming

DAILY READINGS: 2 Chronicles 33:1-25; Daniel 1:1-21; 1 John 3:1-24

For his great love wherewith he loved us. Ephesians 2:4
This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church. Ephesians 5:32

Here are two “greats” in the Ephesian epistle. The first is the greatness of God’s love for us, and the second is the greatness of God’s eternal union with us. How great is the Father’s love for us? Look at Calvary. How great is the Son’s love for us? Look at Calvary. Loved of the Father and wedded to His Son—what a great love and what a great mystery. —Sam Thorpe Jr.

Oh, love Him! For He loveth well;
Let Him with love thy spirit fill;
How much He loveth, none can tell,
And to the end He loveth still. —Horatius Bonar

DAILY READINGS: 2 Chronicles 32:1-33; Ezekiel 48:1-35; 1 John 2:12-29

Hope to the end. 1 Peter 1:13

When Peter speaks here of “hope to the end”, it is not hoping for the end, but rather, hoping to the end. It is more than dying in hope. It is living with hope. It is dwelling in an attitude and atmosphere of hope,
on a regular, daily basis. —N. C. Funston

My hope is in the Lord,
Who gave Himself for me,
And paid the price of all my sins at Calvary.
No merit of my own,
His anger to suppress.
My only hope is found in Jesus’ righteousness. —Norman Clayton

DAILY READINGS: 2 Chronicles 31:1-21; Ezekiel 47:1-23; 1 John 1:1-2:11

And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you. 2 Cor. 12:15

A physician acquaintance of mine serves the Lord in Cambodia with his wife (also a physician) and family. He writes that “Our food is grown in raw sewage, soaked in illegal chemicals, and processed in medieval conditions. Cambodians die at a horrific rate from malnutrition and disease. Good food is a luxury. We and our children will probably live shorter lives, and chances of dying from accidents are legion. We gladly accept these things because we hold a different perspective and from that perspective everything is worth it!” In view of such sacrificial service, dare we complain amidst our generally favourable circumstances? —W. Ross Rainey

Go, labour on; spend, and be spent—Thy joy to do the Father’s will;
It is the way the Master went; should not the servant tread it still? —Horatius Bonar