"On mine arm shall they trust." Today's Devotional Reading Isaiah 51:5 In seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust to, and is therefore compelled to cast himself on his God alone. When his vessel is on its beam-ends, and no human deliverance can avail, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence and care of God. Happy ...
Keep Reading"Wait on the Lord." Today's Devotional Reading Psalm 27:14 It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures which a Christian soldier learns not without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier to God's warriors than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiously desirous to serve the Lord, know...
Keep Reading"Have mercy upon me, O God." Today's Devotional Reading Psalm 51:1 When Dr. Carey was suffering from a dangerous illness, the enquiry was made, "If this sickness should prove fatal, what passage would you select as the text for your funeral sermon?" He replied, "Oh, I feel that such a poor sinful creature is unworthy to have anything said about him; but if a funeral serm...
Keep Reading"Oil for the light." Today's Devotional Reading Exodus 25:6 My soul, how much thou needest this, for thy lamp will not long continue to burn without it. Thy snuff will smoke and become an offence if light be gone, and gone it will be if oil be absent. Thou hast no oil well springing up in thy human nature, and therefore thou must go to them that sell and buy for thyself,...
Keep Reading"How long will it be ere they believe me?" Today's Devotional Reading Numbers 14:11 Strive with all diligence to keep out that monster unbelief. It so dishonors Christ, that he will withdraw his visible presence if we insult him by indulging it. It is true it is a weed, the seeds of which we can never entirely extract from the soil, but we must aim at its root with zeal ...
Keep Reading"He hath commanded his covenant forever." Today's Devotional Reading Psalm 111:9 The Lord's people delight in the covenant itself. It is an unfailing source of consolation to them so often as the Holy Spirit leads them into its banqueting house and waves its banner of love. They delight to contemplate the antiquity of that covenant, remembering that before the day-star k...
Keep Reading"His fruit was sweet to my taste." Today's Devotional Reading Song of Solomon 2:3 Faith, in the Scripture, is spoken of under the emblem of all the senses. It is sight: "Look unto me and be ye saved." It is hearing: "Hear, and your soul shall live." Faith is smelling: "All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia"; "thy name is as ointment poured forth." Faith ...
Keep Reading"The breaker is come up before them." Today's Devotional Reading Micah 2:13 Inasmuch as Jesus has gone before us, things remain not as they would have been had he never passed that way. He has conquered every foe that obstructed the way. Cheer up now thou faint-hearted warrior. Not only has Christ travelled the road, but he has slain thine enemies. Dost thou dread sin? H...
Keep Reading"The voice of weeping shall be no more heard." Today's Devotional Reading Isaiah 65:19 The glorified weep no more, for all outward causes of grief are gone. There are no broken friendships, nor blighted prospects in heaven. Poverty, famine, peril, persecution, and slander, are unknown there. No pain distresses, no thought of death or bereavement saddens. They weep no mor...
Keep Reading"I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him, that I am sick of love." Today's Devotional Reading Song of Solomon 5:8 Such is the language of the believer panting after present fellowship with Jesus, he is sick for his Lord. Gracious souls are never perfectly at ease except they are in a state of nearness to Christ; for when they are ...
Keep Reading"He that watereth shall be watered also himself." Today's Devotional Reading Proverbs 11:25 We are here taught the great lesson, that to get, we must give; that to accumulate, we must scatter; that to make ourselves happy, we must make others happy; and that in order to become spiritually vigorous, we must seek the spiritual good of others. In watering others, we are our...
Keep Reading"The sweet psalmist of Israel." Today's Devotional Reading 2 Samuel 23:1 Among all the saints whose lives are recorded in Holy Writ, David possesses an experience of the most striking, varied, and instructive character. In his history we meet with trials and temptations not to be discovered, as a whole, in other saints of ancient times, and hence he is all the more sugge...
Keep Reading"He shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord." Today's Devotional Reading Micah 5:4 Christ's reign in his Church is that of a shepherd-king. He has supremacy, but it is the superiority of a wise and tender shepherd over his needy and loving flock; he commands and receives obedience, but it is the willing obedience of the well-cared-for sheep, rendered joyfully to...
Keep Reading"Strangers are come into the sanctuaries of the Lord's house." Today's Devotional Reading Jeremiah 51:51 In this account the faces of the Lord's people were covered with shame, for it was a terrible thing that men should intrude into the Holy Place reserved for the priests alone. Everywhere about us we see like cause for sorrow. How many ungodly men are now educating wit...
Keep Reading"The mercy of God." Today's Devotional Reading Psalm 52:8 Meditate a little on this mercy of the Lord. It is tender mercy. With gentle, loving touch, he healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He is as gracious in the manner of his mercy as in the matter of it. It is great mercy. There is nothing little in God; his mercy is like himself - it is infinite...
Keep Reading"Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name." Today's Devotional Reading Psalm 29:2 God's glory is the result of his nature and acts. He is glorious in his character, for there is such a store of everything that is holy, and good, and lovely in God, that he must be glorious. The actions which flow from his character are also glorious; but while he intends that they s...
Keep Reading"Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide." Today's Devotional Reading Genesis 24:63 Very admirable was his occupation. If those who spend so many hours in idle company, light reading, and useless pastimes, could learn wisdom, they would find more profitable society and more interesting engagements in meditation than in the vanities which now have such cha...
Keep Reading"Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work." Today's Devotional Reading Psalm 92:4 Do you believe that your sins are forgiven, and that Christ has made a full atonement for them? Then what a joyful Christian you ought to be! How you should live above the common trials and troubles of the world! Since sin is forgiven, can it matter what happens to you now? Luther sai...
Keep Reading"The cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted." Today's Devotional Reading Psalm 104:16 Lebanon's cedars are emblematic of the Christian, in that they owe their planting entirely to the Lord. This is quite true of every child of God. He is not man-planted, nor self-planted, but God-planted. The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped the living seed into a heart whic...
Keep Reading"The Lord reigneth, let the earth rejoice." Today's Devotional Reading Psalm 97:1 Causes for disquietude there are none so long as this blessed sentence is true. On earth the Lord's power as readily controls the rage of the wicked as the rage of the sea; his love as easily refreshes the poor with mercy as the earth with showers. Majesty gleams in flashes of fire amid the...
Keep Reading"Oh, that I were as in months past." Today's Devotional Reading Job 29:2 Numbers of Christians can view the past with pleasure, but regard the present with dissatisfaction; they look back upon the days which they have passed in communing with the Lord as being the sweetest and the best they have ever known, but as to the present, it is clad in a sable garb of gloom and d...
Keep Reading"Christ, who is our life." Today's Devotional Reading Colossians 3:4 Paul's marvelously rich expression indicates, that Christ is the source of our life. "You hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins." That same voice which brought Lazarus out of the tomb raised us to newness of life. He is now the substance of our spiritual life. It is by his life that we ...
Keep Reading"The city hath no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it." Today's Devotional Reading Revelation 21:23 Yonder in the better world, the inhabitants are independent of all creature comforts. They have no need of raiment; their white robes never wear out, neither shall they ever be defiled. They need no medicine to heal diseases, "for the inhabitant shall not ...
Keep Reading"They weave the spider's web." Today's Devotional Reading Isaiah 59:5 See the spider's web, and behold in it a most suggestive picture of the hypocrite's religion. It is meant to catch his prey: the spider fattens himself on flies, and the Pharisee has his reward. Foolish persons are easily entrapped by the loud professions of pretenders, and even the more judicious cann...
Keep Reading"The upright love thee." Today's Devotional Reading Song of Solomon 1:4 Believers love Jesus with a deeper affection then they dare to give to any other being. They would sooner lose father and mother then part with Christ. They hold all earthly comforts with a loose hand, but they carry him fast locked in their bosoms. They voluntarily deny themselves for his sake, but ...
Keep Reading"Watchman, what of the night?" Today's Devotional Reading Isaiah 21:11 What enemies are abroad? Errors are a numerous horde, and new ones appear every hour: against what heresy am I to be on my guard? Sins creep from their lurking places when the darkness reigns; I must myself mount the watch-tower, and watch unto prayer. Our heavenly Protector foresees all the attacks w...
Keep Reading"We know that all things work together for good to them that love God." Today's Devotional Reading Romans 8:28 Upon some points a believer is absolutely sure. He knows, for instance, that God sits in the stern-sheets of the vessel when it rocks most. He believes that an invisible hand is always on the world's tiller, and that wherever providence may drift, Jehovah steers...
Keep Reading"The people that do know their God shall be strong." Today's Devotional Reading Daniel 11:32 Every believer understands that to know God is the highest and best form of knowledge; and this spiritual knowledge is a source of strength to the Christian. It strengthens his faith. Believers are constantly spoken of in the Scriptures as being persons who are enlightened and ta...
Keep Reading"The lamb is the light thereof." Today's Devotional Reading Revelation 21:23 Quietly contemplate the Lamb as the light of heaven. Light in Scripture is the emblem of joy. The joy of the saints in heaven is comprised in this: Jesus chose us, loved us, bought us, cleansed us, robed us, kept us, glorified us: we are here entirely through the Lord Jesus. Each one of these th...
Keep Reading"Who worketh all things after the counsel for his own will." Today's Devotional Reading Ephesians 1:11 Our belief in God's wisdom supposes and necessitates that he has a settled purpose and plan in the work of salvation. What would creation have been without his design? Is there a fish in the sea, or a fowl in the air, which was left to chance for its formation? Nay, in ...
Keep Reading"Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn." Today's Devotional Reading Ruth 2:2 Downcast and troubled Christian, come and glean today in the broad field of promise. Here are an abundance of precious promises, which exactly meet thy wants. Take this one: "He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax." Doth not that suit thy case? A reed, helpl...
Keep Reading