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Comfort of the Scriptures

A daily Scripture verse, meditation and poem

January 2025

All months

Friday, January 31, 2025

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It is when we are “in distress,” in tight places, and narrow, and receive such circumstances rightly, and as from the Lord’s hand, that we are enlarged spiritually. For while “no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” “I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.” So when distress and trouble come, let us ask the Lord for a right attitude toward it, and for spiritual enlargement, that it might increase our Christ-likeness. Then we can say with the psalmist, “He brought me forth also into a large place; He delivered me, because He delighted in me.” “I will be glad and rejoice in Thy mercy: for Thou hast considered my trouble; Thou hast known my soul in adversities; and hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemy: Thou hast set my feet in a large room.” “Thou hast enlarged my steps under me, that my feet did not slip.” “I called upon the Lord in distress: the Lord answered me, and set me in a large place.”
In my distress I sought Him;
He gave me grace to endure,
Using the things that hurt me,
To make my life more pure.
Psalm 4:1 ~ Hebrews 12:11 ~ Ecclesiastes 3:10 ~ Psalm 18:19 ~ Psalm 31:7‑8 ~ Psalm 18:36 ~ Psalm 118:5

Thursday, January 30, 2025

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When we go to the Word of God to obtain spiritual help and food for our souls, let us not forget the three S’s: Search, Study and Seek. “Search the Scriptures,” said our Lord Jesus, “for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me.” Elsewhere we read, “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth,” and, “Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read: no one of these shall fail, none shall want her mate: for My mouth it hath commanded, and His Spirit it hath gathered them.” “Canst thou by searching find out God?” No, except by searching the Scriptures, for our Lord said that “they are they which testify of Me.” So, as we investigate the Scriptures, we find our blessed Lord revealed therein, and as we study, as we diligently and earnestly seek to “show thyself approved unto God,” we shall learn to be “rightly dividing the word of truth.” And as we “seek ... out of the book of the Lord,” we shall find that “blessed are they that ... seek Him with the whole heart.”
He unfolds His treasures to us,
When we seek Him in His Word,
Giving joy and help and blessing,
More than heart has ever heard.
Psalm 119:14‑16 ~ John 5:39 ~ 2 Timothy 2:15 ~ Isaiah 34:16 ~ Job 11:7 ~ Psalm 119:2

Wednesday, January 29, 2025

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How good it is to know that “the Lord ... forsaketh not His saints,” no, never, “for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.” We are likely to mistakenly think when all goes well, when there are health and friends and material prosperity, that then the Lord is with us, and that when these things are lacking, He is not with us. Such is not the case, for He has said, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” We do not judge His presence with us by our feelings, but by His faithful Word, and that Word is that “the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.” Sad to say, there are those times when “we believe not, yet He abideth faithful: He cannot deny Himself.” Let us praise Him for His abiding presence with His own, for “faithful is He that calleth you, who also will do it,” regardless of our circumstances or our feelings. “Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.”
He never forsakes His own,
Though clouds may hide His face;
“My presence shall go with thee,”
Is His promise of grace.
Matthew 28:20 ~ Psalm 37:28 ~ Hebrews 13:5‑6 ~ Deuteronomy 31:8 ~ 2 Timothy 2:13 ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:24 ~ Joshua 1:9

Tuesday, January 28, 2025

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“Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus.” “As the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.” It is the height of folly to suppose that because one belongs to a certain group or denomination, he is more accepted before God than one who belongs to some other group. Every true believer in Christ has been saved by the grace of God alone, and we are alike “accepted in the Beloved: in whom we have redemption through His blood.” Therefore we are to “minister ... one to another,” “to love one another,” to “bear ... one another’s burdens,” and to “follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.” “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”
We love all those who love the Lord,
Though different they may be,
For they are His, redeemed by blood,
And loved as well as we.
Psalm 119:63 ~ Galatians 3:26‑28 ~ 1 Corinthians 12:12‑13 ~ Ephesians 1:6‑7 ~ 1 Peter 4:10 ~ 1 John 4:11 ~ Galatians 6:2 ~ Romans 14:19 ~ Philippians 2:4

Monday, January 27, 2025

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This is really a picture of our becoming more like the Lord, as “we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord,” for the Lord has just said of Himself “that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary.” Our life as a Christian is likened to a race, and we are to “run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Our life is also a walk, and we are told that “we also should walk in newness of life,” and “walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,” but rather “walk in love,” and “walk circumspectly.” If we would thus “run, and not be weary,” and “walk, and not faint” in our Christian experience, we must first “mount up with wings as eagles” into the Lord’s presence, and thus in fellowship with Him “renew [our] strength.”
“They shall mount up with wings” to Him,
And thus “shall renew their” power;
“They shall run, and not be weary”;
“They shall walk” with Him each hour.
Isaiah 40:31 ~ 2 Corinthians 3:18 ~ Isaiah 40:28 ~ Hebrews 12:1‑2 ~ Romans 6:4 ~ Ephesians 4:17 ~ Ephesians 5:2 ~ Ephesians 5:15

Sunday, January 26, 2025

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It is well that God’s children heed the warnings which the Word of God puts before us, for His Word not only encourages, it also reproves and convicts the heart of the believer in Christ. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” Therefore we are to both practice and proclaim the Word. “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.” “Concerning the works of men, by the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.” “Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded.” So “I will meditate in Thy precepts, and have respect unto Thy ways,” for “Thy testimonies also are my delight, and my counselors,” and “I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep Thy word.” “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto Thy testimonies. I made haste, and delayed not to keep Thy commandments.”
Thy Word gives warning on my path
Of dangers I do not know,
Of Satan’s traps, and worldly lusts
That would snare me as I go.
Psalm 19:11 ~ 2 Timothy 3:16‑17 ~ 2 Timothy 4:2 ~ Psalm 17:4 ~ Proverbs 13:13 ~ Psalm 119:15 ~ Psalm 119:24 ~ Psalm 119:101 ~ Psalm 119:59‑60

Saturday, January 25, 2025

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“The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: Thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage.” How full is the Lord’s cup of blessing to His own! “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” “For all things are yours; whether ... the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s,” “and of His fullness have all we received, and grace for grace.” “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work.” “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,” “according as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory and virtue,” “according to the working of His mighty power, which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places.” “My cup runneth over.”
Blessed by His grace beyond compare,
For the sake of Christ our Lord,
Who ever lives for us above,
And blesses us through His Word.
Psalm 23:5 ~ Psalm 16:5‑6 ~ Romans 8:32 ~ 1 Corinthians 3:21 ~ 1 Corinthians 3:23 ~ John 1:16 ~ 2 Corinthians 9:8 ~ Ephesians 1:3 ~ 2 Peter 1:3 ~ Ephesians 1:19‑20

Friday, January 24, 2025

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Although the above words are spoken of “the workers of iniquity,” think of the blessings which the redeemed children of God have missed because “they have not called upon God.” The Lord tells us that “the prayer of the upright is His delight.” “It is good for me to draw near to God” in prayer, and our Lord said “that men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” Prayer is not only God’s appointed means for us to obtain our needs; it also brings us into deep fellowship with the Lord. “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh; and having a High Priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water,” that is, cleansed by the work of Christ, for “if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” What are you missing in your life, dear reader, because you “have not called upon God”? “Ye have not, because ye ask not.” He says to “call upon Me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify Me.”
He asks us to come unto Him,
With all the needs of our lives,
To praise, and ask, and worship,
For all the grace that He gives.
Psalm 53:4 ~ Psalm 53:4 ~ Proverbs 15:8 ~ Psalm 73:28 ~ Luke 18:1 ~ Hebrews 10:19‑22 ~ Psalm 66:18 ~ James 4:2 ~ Psalm 50:15

Thursday, January 23, 2025

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A “whisperer” is one who in stealthy and secretive ways spreads unkind rumors about the character or the actions of another. Today we call it “gossip,” but God’s Word calls a “gossip” a “talebearer.” Such a person goes about as a scandal-monger and “separateth chief friends” and, like certain widows spoken of by Paul, become “tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.” God warns His children to flee from such conduct, from “debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults,” for “the words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.” So “thou shalt not go up and down as a talebearer among thy people,” for “a talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter.” The Lord says that He hates “a false witness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren.” “He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.” “Let none of you suffer ... as a busybody in other men’s matters.” “Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out: so where there is no talebearer, the strife ceaseth.”
Words that are uttered in secret
About those we want to harm,
When viewed in the light of God’s Word,
Are cause for shame and alarm.
Proverbs 16:28 ~ 1 Timothy 5:13 ~ 2 Corinthians 12:20 ~ Proverbs 18:8 ~ Leviticus 19:16 ~ Proverbs 11:13 ~ Proverbs 6:19 ~ Proverbs 20:19 ~ 1 Peter 4:15 ~ Proverbs 26:20

Wednesday, January 22, 2025

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“He is faithful that promised” that “if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto Myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” To be living in the constant expectation of His return, to remember that it is a daily possibility, will serve to mold the Christian’s character and service, to the end “He may stablish your hearts unblamable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints.” After He comes for us and we stand before the judgment seat of Christ for our rewards, there will be “the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all His saints” back to this earth. Now, therefore, “the grace of God” is “teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ.” “Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.”
Soon we shall go to meet the Lord;
Perhaps He shall come today,
To call us home to His glory,
Who’ve trusted Him as the way.
1 John 2:28 ~ Hebrews 10:23 ~ John 14:3 ~ 1 Thessalonians 3:13 ~ Titus 2:11‑13 ~ 2 Peter 3:14

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

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For His own who are oppressed, who are crushed and afflicted under the weight of trials and burdens and failure, “the Lord ... will be a refuge,” a defense, a strong tower into which we may flee for protection and succor. “In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us.” “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear.” With David, “when he fled from Saul in the cave,” we can pray, “Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in Thee: yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be overpast,” “for Thou hast been my defense and refuge in the day of trouble.” “The Lord is my defense; and my God is the rock of my refuge,” and “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust.” “O Lord, my strength, and my fortress, and my refuge in the day of affliction.” “In the fear of the Lord is strong confidence: and His children shall have a place of refuge.”
The Lord’s a refuge for His saints,
A tower to which we flee;
Kept safe by His love and power,
“More than conquerors” are we.
Psalm 9:9 ~ Psalm 62:78 ~ Psalm 46:1‑2 ~ Psalm 57:1 ~ Psalm 59:16 ~ Psalm 94:22 ~ Psalm 91:2 ~ Jeremiah 16:19 ~ Proverbs 14:26

Monday, January 20, 2025

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To be “forbearing” means to be “putting up with,” and here we who know the Lord are told to be “putting up with one another,” and that “with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering.” One who is orderly and systematized in his work and with his time must be “putting up with” one who is careless and unorganized. The neat one must be “forbearing” to the untidy one, the quiet one to the talkative one. “Every one of us shall give account of himself to God,” and we are not to try to fit everyone else into our own mold. “We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves,” and to “bear ... one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” We are to suffer one another, endure one another, bear with one another, “forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.” “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.”
We can see the faults of others,
But our own we do not see;
Let us then take heed to ourselves,
That we long-suffering be.
Ephesians 4:2 ~ Romans 14:12 ~ Romans 15:1 ~ Galatians 6:2 ~ Colossians 3:13 ~ Ephesians 4:31‑32

Sunday, January 19, 2025

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How gracious is the Lord to hide and cover and protect His own from dangers seen and unseen. “The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works.” “A Man [the God-Man, our Lord Jesus Christ] shall be as a hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.” Thus He hides us and protects us, and though “we are troubled on every side, yet [we are] not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed.” “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock.” “Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee before the sons of men! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of Thy presence from the pride of man: Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.” “I flee unto Thee to hide me.”
He hides His own from troubles,
From dangers we do not know,
From the onslaughts of Satan,
All because He loves us so.
Psalm 32:7 ~ Psalm 145:8‑9 ~ Isaiah 32:2 ~ 2 Corinthians 4:8‑9 ~ Psalm 27:5 ~ Psalm 31:19‑20 ~ Psalm 143:9

Saturday, January 18, 2025

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“Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?” How easy it is to let “the fear of man” influence our life and actions. “Do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.” We are called as believers to “speak, not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts. For neither at any time used we flattering words ... nor of men sought we glory.” “It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in man.” “Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man,” and “when the Lord shall stretch out His hand, both he that helpeth shall fall, and he that is helped shall fall down, and they all shall fail together.” “Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that very day his thoughts perish. Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God.” “Thus saith the Lord, Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm. ... Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.”
Man’s strength cannot prevail for us;
The Lord alone can aid;
His help is for the trusting heart,
Whose cry to Him is made.
Proverbs 29:25 ~ Isaiah 2:22 ~ Galatians 1:10 ~ 1 Thessalonians 2:4‑6 ~ Psalm 118:8 ~ Psalm 108:12 ~ Isaiah 31:3 ~ Psalm 146:3‑5 ~ Jeremiah 17:5 ~ Jeremiah 17:7

Friday, January 17, 2025

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How comforting to the Christian is the knowledge that our God is sovereign and “worketh all things after the counsel of His own will,” “saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.” For “there is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord,” “for the Lord of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? and His hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?” He says that “there is none that can deliver out of My hand: I will work, and who shall let it?” “What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?” “The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?” “Take counsel together, and it shall come to naught; speak the word, and it shall not stand: for God is with us.” With Jehoshaphat we can say, “Art not Thou God in heaven, and rulest not Thou over all the kingdoms of the heathen? and in Thine hand is there not power and might, so that none is able to withstand Thee?” “The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of His heart to all generations.” And “this God is our God forever and ever.”
God’s ways are always perfect,
And His Word, it shall stand;
He guards His own in trouble,
When Satan doth withstand.
Ephesians 1:11 ~ Isaiah 46:10 ~ Proverbs 21:30 ~ Isaiah 14:27 ~ Isaiah 43:13 ~ Romans 8:31 ~ Psalm 118:6 ~ Isaiah 8:10 ~ 2 Chronicles 20:6 ~ Psalm 33:11 ~ Psalm 48:14

Thursday, January 16, 2025

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These words, spoken about our blessed Lord when He was falsely accused on trial before Pilate, ought to speak volumes to us who have been redeemed “with the precious blood of Christ.” Isaiah had written in prophecy of Him that “He was oppressed, and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth,” “leaving us an example, that ye should follow His steps.” So often we speak when we should be silent, to our own hurt and to the dishonor of our Lord, for “in the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.” “A fool’s voice is known by multitude of words,” “and should a man full of talk be justified?” “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” For “he that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit.” “For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile.”
Silent when falsely accused,
Leaving our defense to Him,
He “is my Rock ... my Fortress,
My Deliverer” from men.
Matthew 27:12 ~ Matthew 27:14 ~ 1 Peter 1:19 ~ Isaiah 53:7 ~ 1 Peter 2:21 ~ Proverbs 10:19 ~ Ecclesiastes 5:3 ~ Job 11:2 ~ James 3:2 ~ Proverbs 17:27 ~ 1 Peter 3:10

Wednesday, January 15, 2025

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God’s Word to His redeemed ones, those “whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered,” is that “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with Mine eye.” For “the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.” So “lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths.” “Show me Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths. Lead me in Thy truth, and teach me: for Thou art the God of my salvation; on Thee do I wait all the day.” “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” “But be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” “Thou shalt guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory.” “The meek will He guide in judgment: and the meek will He teach His way.” “Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path, because of mine enemies.” “If any man will do His will, he shall know.” “Neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon Thee.”
If we will do the will of God,
He then will make it known;
It is His joy to guide His saints;
His love is with His own.
Psalm 23:3 ~ Psalm 32:1 ~ Psalm 32:8 ~ Isaiah 58:11 ~ Proverbs 3:5‑6 ~ Psalm 25:4‑5 ~ Psalm 119:105 ~ James 1:22 ~ Psalm 73:24 ~ Psalm 25:9 ~ Psalm 27:11 ~ John 7:17 ~ 2 Chronicles 20:12

Tuesday, January 14, 2025

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“As it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” It is absolutely impossible for us to understand God’s Word by our human wisdom or ingenuity. It must be revealed and unfolded to us by the Holy Spirit, who indwells every true child of God, for He has “hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes.” For “where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” “But ye,” writes John “unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God,” “ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. ... The anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you ... and ... teacheth you of all things.” Our Lord promised that, upon His return to the Father, He would send the Spirit and that “when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth ... and ... He shall glorify Me,” for our Lord said that “the Scriptures ... testify of Me.”
The Word of God is not revealed
To those who are wise in this age;
The truth comes to the humble heart,
Who seeks Christ on the sacred page.
Luke 24:45 ~ 1 Corinthians 2:9‑10 ~ Matthew 11:25 ~ 1 Corinthians 1:20 ~ 1 John 5:13 ~ 1 John 2:20 ~ 1 John 2:27 ~ John 16:13‑14 ~ John 5:39

Monday, January 13, 2025

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The believer who separates himself from all known evil, who heeds God’s admonition to “be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God,” and who can truthfully say to the Lord that “Thy words were found, and I did eat them; and Thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I am called by Thy name, O Lord God of hosts,” that person will be a fruitful Christian, “like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” For when we delight in and obey the Word of God, we are abiding in Christ, who said, “If ye keep My commandments, ye shall abide in My love; even as I have kept My Father’s commandments, and abide in His love,” and, “He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without Me ye can do nothing.” Our Lord further said, “Herein is My Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be My disciples.”
Would you be fruitful for the Lord,
And show Him forth each day?
So that men might see and want Him,
Who alone is the way?
Psalm 1:1‑2 ~ Romans 12:2 ~ Jeremiah 15:16 ~ Psalm 1:3 ~ John 15:10 ~ John 15:5 ~ John 15:8

Sunday, January 12, 2025

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“The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.” “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake.” Our Lord said, “These things have I spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.” “Unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake.” “And who is sufficient for these things?” “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God.” “For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.” “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.” “I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” “If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glory and of God resteth upon you: on their part He is evil spoken of, but on your part He is glorified.”
We are appointed to suffer,
In a world that knows not our Lord;
Still yet “all things are for your sakes,”
We read in His own holy Word.
Luke 6:26 ~ Psalm 37:12 ~ Matthew 5:11 ~ John 16:33 ~ Philippians 1:29 ~ 2 Corinthians 2:16 ~ 2 Corinthians 3:5 ~ 1 Peter 2:15 ~ 2 Timothy 3:12 ~ Romans 8:18 ~ 1 Peter 4:14

Saturday, January 11, 2025

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It is sad and regretful that some fundamental Christians have set up standards of separation that are neither Scriptural nor fair. We come dangerously near being like the Pharisee who “prayed thus with himself, God, I thank Thee, that I am not as other men are,” or the Jews of Isaiah’s day, who said, “Stand by thyself, come not near to me; for I am holier than thou.” To be sure, we ought to separate ourselves from all known evil, and the Word of God so instructs us. “Let everyone that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.” But the same chapter tells us to “follow after righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.” There are certain things about which even spiritual Christians do not agree, things that are not explicitly covered in Scripture. “One believeth that he may eat all things: another, who is weak [in faith] eateth herbs. ... One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” This is the principle to apply to doubtful things: “Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.” Let us not “make a man an offender for a word,” but “receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God.”
Your brother may not see like you,
To know what is evil and good;
Encourage him to grow stronger;
Pray for him as you know you should.
Romans 14:1 ~ Luke 18:11 ~ Isaiah 65:5 ~ 2 Timothy 2:19 ~ 2 Timothy 2:22 ~ Romans 14:2 ~ Romans 14:5 ~ Isaiah 29:21 ~ Romans 15:7

Friday, January 10, 2025

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“God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye have showed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.” All that we do for the Lord’s honor or glory, no matter how little or insignificant it may seem to men, will be rewarded by Him. And while we know that the greatest reward will be at the judgment seat of Christ, when He comes for us, yet even now our Lord has promised that “if any man serve Me, him will My Father honor.” So “let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith,” not forgetting the Lord’s words that “My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” So “let not your hands be slack,” for “he that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him.” “He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.” “Ye, brethren, be not weary in well doing.”
The work seems hard and burdensome;
We have no strength for the way,
But we know that all done for Him
Awaits His smile in that day.
2 Chronicles 15:7 ~ Hebrews 6:10 ~ John 12:26 ~ Galatians 6:9‑10 ~ 2 Corinthians 12:9 ~ Zephaniah 3:16 ~ Psalm 126:6 ~ Isaiah 40:29 ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:13

Thursday, January 9, 2025

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“O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.” “He that trusteth in his own heart is a fool: but whoso walketh wisely, he shall be delivered.” God has graciously told us that “if any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering: for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” “Give therefore Thy servant an understanding heart ... that I may discern between good and bad.” And the Lord has promised to do this for His own, for “if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of His mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.” For “there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” “What man is he that feareth the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way that He shall choose.”
Our wisdom is not sufficient
To trust in our time of need;
The Lord’s perfect understanding
Can show us wisdom indeed.
Proverbs 3:6 ~ Jeremiah 10:23 ~ Proverbs 28:26 ~ James 1:5‑6 ~ 1 Kings 3:9 ~ Proverbs 2:3‑6 ~ Job 32:8 ~ Psalm 25:12

Wednesday, January 8, 2025

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It is the natural inclination, our hearts being warped by sin as they are, to want to get even with those who mistreat or ignore us. But God’s Word tells us to “say not, I will do so to him as he hath done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.” Instead, God tells us who know Him to “see that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men,” and to “bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you,” “not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.” “For we know Him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge His people.” So let us not take our case out of His hands, “because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example. ... Who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.” “Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.”
We cannot fight our own battles;
We have not wisdom or strength,
But putting all in His dear hands
Will make all things right at length.
Proverbs 20:22 ~ Proverbs 24:29 ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:15 ~ Luke 6:28 ~ 1 Peter 3:9 ~ Hebrews 10:30 ~ 1 Peter 2:21 ~ 1 Peter 2:23 ~ Romans 12:20

Tuesday, January 7, 2025

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When Paul wrote the above statement, he had just enumerated the things in which he had once trusted and gloried. These included his ancestry, his religion, his education, his zeal and his imagined righteousness. But when, some thirty years before he made the above statement, he had met the Lord Jesus Christ and had come to know Him, all these things were “counted loss for Christ.” There have been and are today many who can give similar testimony: All changed when we met Him. All things in which we trusted and gloried were “counted loss for Christ.” But has this attitude continued in our lives? Have we continued through the days and years and varied circumstances of life to count all “loss for Christ”? It had continued so with Paul, and he says further that “yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in Him.” Our love for the Lord ought to deepen as the days go by. May He not have to say to us that “I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love,” and may we not have to pray, “Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation.”
“All things but loss” for Thee, dear Lord,
Whether wealth, or fame, or name;
“I have heard Him, and observed Him,”
Who is evermore the same.
Philippians 3:7 ~ Philippians 3:8‑9 ~ Revelation 2:4 ~ Psalm 51:12

Monday, January 6, 2025

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“Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.” How easy it is for the Christian to become engrossed with material things, forgetting that “we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out,” for “thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall these things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.” “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” “Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate.”
The riches of the world perish;
That given to God remains,
Waiting for us up in heaven,
The land of eternal gains.
Proverbs 13:7 ~ Luke 12:15 ~ 1 Timothy 6:7 ~ Luke 12:20‑21 ~ Matthew 6:19‑21 ~ 1 Timothy 6:17‑18

Sunday, January 5, 2025

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Pitiful and to be pitied is that person who thinks that he or she is always right, and that they must have the last word in every argument or situation. Sad to say, such people are to be found among God’s redeemed children. Such an attitude is in plain violation of God’s Word, which says “to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.” The Word also tells us to “let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves. Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” There is never a valid reason for a child of God to be “wise in his own conceit.” Let us never imagine that we have perfect knowledge about anything, nor will we until we see the Lord. “Now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.” Now, in this present life, “if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.” So, “if thou hast done foolishly in lifting up thyself, or if thou hast thought evil, lay thine hand upon thy mouth.”
Our knowledge is limited;
So much we do not know;
Why should we think we are wise,
Above what others know?
Proverbs 26:12 ~ Romans 12:3 ~ Philippians 2:3‑4 ~ 1 Corinthians 13:12 ~ 1 Corinthians 8:2 ~ Proverbs 30:32

Saturday, January 4, 2025

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How often, when there has been a potentially explosive situation in the home, between friends, or in the church, it has been subdued by a tender, “soft answer,” and how often have painful, “grievous words,” better left unspoken, been used to “stir up anger,” to the hurt of all concerned. “A wrathful man stirreth up strife: but he that is slow to anger appeaseth strife.” “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health,” and “by long forbearing is a prince persuaded, and a soft tongue breaketh the bone.” Such a “soft tongue,” or if need be, a silent tongue, is a testimony to our Lord, “who, when He was reviled, reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; but committed Himself to Him that judgeth righteously.” Let us not be of those “who have said, With our tongues will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us?” Let us always remember that, given room, “the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. ... And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.” How it behooves the Christian to “let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye might know how ye ought to answer every man.”
A soft and tender answer
Can calm the wrath of man,
But grievous words, and painful
Can anger start and fan.
Proverbs 15:1 ~ Proverbs 15:18 ~ Proverbs 12:18 ~ Proverbs 25:15 ~ 1 Peter 2:23 ~ Psalm 12:4 ~ James 3:5‑6 ~ Colossians 4:6

Friday, January 3, 2025

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If we would have freedom in our lives from sin’s dominion, it is necessary that we “continue in [the] Word.” Thus “ye shall know the truth,” and “Thy Word is truth.” To “continue” is to “abide,” to “remain,” to “stay,” to “dwell.” To “continue in My Word” is to “let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,” for “the entrance of Thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.” So “continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of ... the holy Scriptures.” For “the statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. ... More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is Thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.” Christian reader, how much does the Word of God mean to you? We manifest our love for the Lord by our love for His Word. Can we truthfully say to Him that “Thy testimonies also are my delight, and my counselors”?
“Thy Word is a lamp unto” me,
To “lead me in Thy truth,”
“Rejoicing the heart” day by day,
And that I love Him is proof.
John 8:31‑32 ~ John 17:17 ~ Colossians 3:16 ~ Psalm 119:130 ~ 2 Timothy 3:14‑15 ~ Psalm 19:8 ~ Psalm 19:10‑11 ~ Psalm 119:24

Thursday, January 2, 2025

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Anyone, be he saved or unsaved, who lifts his hand against one of God’s redeemed children, is inviting God to deal with him, “for he that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of His eye.” The Lord said of Israel that “He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness ... He instructed him, He kept him as the apple of His eye,” and His Word concerning all His people is, “Touch not Mine anointed.” We read how Saul of Tarsus, “yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord ... as he journeyed ... there shined round about him a light from heaven: and ... a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me? And he said, Who art Thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.” In persecuting the Lord’s people, Paul had persecuted the Lord Himself. “We have not a High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” “Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?” We can confidently pray, “Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me under the shadow of Thy wings.”
God guards His own from day to day,
For they are dear to His heart;
“Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,”
He saith to those who would hurt.
Zechariah 2:8 ~ Deuteronomy 32:10 ~ Psalm 105:15 ~ Acts 9:1 ~ Acts 9:3‑5 ~ Hebrews 4:15 ~ 1 Samuel 26:9 ~ Psalm 17:8

Wednesday, January 1, 2025

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“Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow.” “Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth.” But, “the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed,” for “as thy days, so shall thy strength be.” He says to His own, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My righteousness,” “for I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will help thee.” “Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler. ... He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” So “I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will make mention of Thy righteousness, even of Thine only,” “redeeming the time, because the days are evil.”
The days lie out before me,
And I know not what they hold,
But I know Him who promised,
Never to forsake my soul.
Exodus 12:2 ~ James 4:13‑14 ~ Proverbs 27:1 ~ Deuteronomy 31:8 ~ Deuteronomy 33:25 ~ Isaiah 41:10 ~ Isaiah 41:13 ~ Psalm 91:3‑4 ~ Psalm 71:16 ~ Ephesians 5:16
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