Month: July 2025

Judges 16:1-31; Isaiah 35:1-10; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Turn us back to You, O Lord, and we will be restored. Lamentations 5:21 NKJV

Particularly in the western world, the church of God is in need of restoration. As we look into our hearts, is there sorrow for her condition? Are their tears for our personal failures? Is there missing joy when it comes to God’s presence in our lives? Do we look on with indifference when we see other believers’ living in a spiritual desert? Before Jerusalem’s destruction, God told Jeremiah, “I will bring them up and restore them to this place” (Jer. 27:22). God is the God of restoration. Whether for ourselves or for others, the Lord loves to renew His people. May He do so in our lives and in our gatherings. —David W. Oliver

Lord, let Thine all-consuming fire, the truth of all Thou art,
Consume my indifference and inspire a pure, impassioned heart. —D.W.O.

Judges 14:1-15:20; Isaiah 34:1-17; 1 Corinthians 12:1-31

Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son. Genesis 22:12
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

Abraham loved his son but was willing to sacrifice him, and God acknowledged Abraham’s love for Him because of it. We are shown God’s amazing love for us when we look at Calvary’s cross and see the Lord Jesus, God’s beloved Son, dying there for our sins. Let us praise and thank Him for such love. —Mary Robins

His love is wonderful to me,
His love is wonderful to me:
For Jesus loved me so, He did to Calvary go:
His love is wonderful to me. —Paul White

Judges 13:1-25; Isaiah 33:1-24; 1 Corinthians 11:2-34

He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Genesis 2:2 NKJV
[Jesus] said, It is finished…and gave up the ghost. John 19:30
Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it. Philippians 1:6 NKJV

Construction on the National Monument of Scotland began in 1826. A soldiers’ memorial, it was modeled after the Greek Parthenon. However, within three years, a lack of funds and motivation prevented the work from continuing. Almost 200 years later, it sits unfinished. Dear friend, the Lord always finishes what He starts! This is true in  creation and the cross and one day it will be true of us. He will not abandon the work He has begun! —Lynn Shatford

The work which His goodness began,
The arm of His strength will complete! —A. Toplady

Judges 11:29-12:15; Isaiah 32:1-20; 1 Corinthians 10:14-11:1

Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed…because she judged him faithful who had promised. Hebrews 11:11

Sarah had three main challenges to her faith. There was her barrenness, her age, and her unbelief (Gen. 18:12). Despite these obstacles God enabled her to get pregnant. What changed her attitude? It seems that her focus came off of herself and was directed to the strength of God Almighty— “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” (Gen. 18:14). This should strengthen our faith no matter what we are facing. Look to the omnipotence of our great God and have faith in His character. —K. W.

Fear not, I am with thee, Oh be not dismayed,
For I am thy God, and will still give thee aid.  —Unknown

Judges 10:6-11:28; Isaiah 31:1-9; 1 Corinthians 9:24-10:13

Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and offered a sacrifice unto the Lord, and made vows. Jonah 1:16

What a response to God’s goodness! These sailors had just thrown Jonah into the sea and the storm had miraculously ceased. They realized the greatness of God, reverenced Him, made offerings to Him, and promised to serve Him. Even Jonah’s disobedience caused them to think about God and reach out to Him in faith. God can use anything and everything, even our failures to bring praise to His name. This is never an excuse to disobey Him or go outside His will, but God works in utterly amazing ways, defying human reason, to bring honour to His name. —Paul Young

How good is the God we adore! Our faithful, unchangeable friend:
His love is as great as His power, and knows neither measure nor end.  —Joseph Hart

Judges 9:1-10:5; Isaiah 30:1-33; 1 Corinthians 9:1-23

You must be born again. John 3:7 NKJV

There are a series of imperatives in John chapters 3 and 4. It is imperative for sinners to be born again, while in verse 14 there is the imperative of the Saviour, “Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” Next, John the Baptist says, “He must increase, but I must decrease”(John 3:30). Then Jesus says of the Father, “Those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). There is a wonderful progression applicable to us, the “must” of the sinner, followed by the “must” of the Saviour. Then the “must” of the Sovereign followed by the response of a servant. Finally, there is the “must” of saints regarding worship to Him. May God help us to make application of them to our lives.—Gary McBride

Crowned with the victor’s crown, Jesus on high we see;
He won that place of high renown on Calvary’s cruel tree. —J. Wheeler

Judges 8:1-35; Isaiah 29:1-24; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Lest I should be exalted above measure…there was given to me a thorn in the flesh. 2 Corinthians 12:7

Pride is a danger to us all, even to someone like the apostle Paul. It prevents sinners from admitting their guilt and need of a Saviour. It also hinders saints from honouring Christ and giving Him the first place in everything. We cannot be full of ourselves and full of Christ at the same time. After a unique foretaste of heaven itself, Paul had to endure a persistent and painful physical condition to hold him back from any self-exaltation. In his case, it worked; he regarded himself as the chief of sinners and “less than the least of all saints” (Eph. 3:8). —Clark Logan

Boasting excluded, pride I abase;
I’m only a sinner, saved by grace! —James M. Gray

Judges 7:1-25; Isaiah 28:1-29; 1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Psalm 90:1

The reason we read the Old Testament is that the God of the Old Testament, who inspired its words, is unchangeable and is our God today (Heb. 13:8). Enjoy the promises, and learn from the experiences of the Old Testament saints. Some of God’s most helpful directions to me have been from the Old Testament, especially the Psalms. —Brian Russell

O God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while life shall last,
And our eternal home.  —Isaac Watts

Judges 6:1-40; Isaiah 27:1-13; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20

When he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself…He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. John 16:13-14

Our Lord Jesus here explains what the Holy Spirit would do when He came. But perhaps even more intriguingly, He tells us what He would not do. The Spirit would not speak of Himself. His central focus would be to glorify Christ. When I fully appropriate what that means and have a passion to be Spirit-led, I dare not glorify myself with my words, but, magnify my Saviour. May we do so today as we worship Him. —Ken Gross

Tell me the story of Jesus, write on my heart every word,
Tell me the story most precious, sweetest that ever was heard.   —Fanny Crosby

Judges 5:1-31; Isaiah 26:1-21; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13

The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness, the world and those who dwell therein. Psalm 24:1 NKJV

The world in which we live and breathe was created by Almighty God! He owns it and all who dwell in it. “Every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills” (Ps. 50:10). God not only created and owns the world we live in, but He loves His creation. This love includes His great love for all the people of the world, for you and me! But we are separated from Him by our sin. Yet God loves us so much that He sent His Son to pay for our sins and open the way for us to be forgiven and restored to fellowship with Him. Have you received Him as Saviour? —Ray Jones

All things bright and beautiful, all creatures great and small,
All things wise and wonderful, the Lord God made them all.  —C. Alexander