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Growing in Grace

A daily Bible verse and devotional

May 2025

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Saturday, May 31, 2025

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“Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad” (Proverbs 12:25).
It makes us feel sad when we see someone who walks along stooped over, not because he is old and has arthritis, but because he is feeling bad about something. Perhaps you have seen people like this walking along the sidewalk or sitting on a bench. This morning when I was running some errands, I saw a man like this, leaning over the hood of a car. He looked old, but not unhealthy. However, the look on his face and the slump of his body indicated that he was probably sad about something, and maybe about several things.
Back in the 1950s, in the city where I grew up, there was a large company that produced railway cars. A man whose name was Mike had worked for them for many years. He was Italian by birth, and was a good worker; everyone knew him and liked him, even the president of the company. One day the president walked through the shop and noticed Mike looking like the man in our verse — heaviness in his heart was making him stoop. When the president asked him what was wrong, Mike answered in his broken English, “I lose my wife; I lose my boy; I lose both of them, and now I have big debts.” His wife had died after a long illness, and his son had been killed in an accident. This was before the days of government medicine in Canada, so Mike had big doctors’ bills, and hospital bills.
The president said to Mike, “You come to my office tomorrow, and bring all those bills with you; I want to see them.” Mike went to his office with the bills the next day, and the president said to him, “Mike, I cannot give you back your wife and son, but I can help with those bills.” Then he added them up and wrote out a check for the whole amount. This was indeed a “good word” that made Mike’s heart glad. He still missed his wife and son, but he did not have to worry about paying all those bills.
Sometimes there are things in our lives that make us stoop, even when we are young. Perhaps someone bullies us, or says something unkind about us. Or maybe we flunk a test, and feel bad about it. Perhaps one of our friends treats us badly. We do not need money, but a “good word” can come from the Lord, from reading His Word. The Bible can give us comfort in every kind of problem. However, a good Christian friend can also give us a kind word that encourages us. Let us also be ready to give a kind word to someone who is feeling a bit “down.” If we look around us, there will be many opportunities to do this.

Friday, May 30, 2025

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“These six things doth the Lord hate … a proud look” (Proverbs 6:16-17).
“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world” (1 John 2:16).
We have spoken about pride before, but it is good to mention it again, as it is a big problem in this world. It is one of the oldest sins, for it was pride that caused the fall of Satan, even before man was created in this world. It was partly pride that Satan used to deceive Eve in the Garden of Eden, for he told her that the forbidden fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would make her wise. Her pride responded to that. Since that time, man has been characterized by pride, and it is one of the characteristics of the world system that Cain started, after he had killed his brother Abel.
Why is pride so wrong? It is because pride takes away from the glory that belongs to God, and gives it to man. Man, as a creature, has no right to be proud. Everything he has, whether it is his health, his brain, his resources, his various abilities — all have been given to him by God. He has no reason to be proud of it.
The pride of man will eventually reach its height after all Christians have been called home to be with the Lord. Man will become so filled with himself that he will actually think he is capable of fighting against God. Of course, he will be thoroughly defeated, but his pride will lead him to that awful point. Truly, every form of pride is wrong, and ought to be condemned.
But some will say, Should I not be proud of my good work, or my neat and tidy appearance? No, for that is being occupied with yourself. If we remember that we belong to Christ, and want to do everything for Him, we will do good work, and be careful about our appearance, but it will not be for pride. We do it because we represent Christ in this world.

Thursday, May 29, 2025

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“Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord” (Ephesians 5:19).
“Is any merry? Let him sing psalms” (James 5:13).
We do not read anything about musical instruments in the New Testament. They were part of the service in the tabernacle and temple in the Old Testament, but we do not read of them in Christian worship. However, we do read about singing, for that is the use of our own ability to praise and thank the Lord.
We all know that even naturally, songs and singing have a real effect on us. Someone has made a very good remark, saying that “words make you think a thought, and music makes you feel a feeling. But singing makes you feel a thought.” That is true, for music and words together make you feel the thoughts in the words, and this impresses them on our hearts. Our emotions become involved, as well as our minds.
It is sad that in North America today, many young people do not really sing much, and some think it is not “cool” to use their voices and really sing. But the Bible encourages us to sing, for not only does it speak to our own hearts, as our verses for today tell us, but it pleases the Lord. When we sing, we praise the Lord too, and He has said, “Whoso offereth praise glorifieth Me” (Psalm 50:23). We give glory to God when we sing, and it is good for us to use our voices in doing this.
I knew a man who lived in Romania during the communist rule, and he was in prison for five years for his Christian faith. The Communists wanted everyone to believe that there is no God, and they hated the Christians. During his time in prison he composed hundreds of hymns with the tunes, although he had nothing on which to write down the music and words! He remembered them all in his head, and when he was eventually released, he wrote them all down. Many people today sing those hymns and enjoy them. It was a treat to visit him and hear him sing those hymns for us. He is with the Lord now, but “he being dead yet speaketh” (Hebrews 11:4).
If you do not sing much, I would encourage you to do it more, and especially when you are feeling good, as our second verse says. You will feel even better.

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

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“Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard His word” (Luke 10:39).
“Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped His feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment” (John 12:3).
We find an incident in Luke 10 concerning the home of Martha and Mary which is very instructive for us. The Lord Jesus had come, and they were preparing a meal for Him and for others who were there. Evidently Mary had been helping, but then went and sat down at Jesus’ feet to hear His word. Martha was upset about this. She asked the Lord Jesus to tell Mary to come and help her get the meal ready. But the Lord Jesus commended Mary, telling Martha that Mary had chosen rightly, and that sometimes it was better to listen to the Word of God than to fuss too much over food preparation. Martha was the kind of person who wanted everything just right, and there is nothing wrong with that, but if it interferes with our hearing the Lord’s word, then we have to remember what is most important.
We notice too that the same person — Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and heard His word, was the one who later anointed His feet with some very expensive ointment. She understood that His feet would carry Him to the cross, and she used this expensive ointment to show how much she loved Him. That ointment came from plants that grow up in the Himalayan mountains in India, and it probably was worth about a year’s salary in those days. Yet she gladly anointed the Lord Jesus with it, because He meant so much to her. In those days it was customary to wash the feet of guests that came to the house, but to anoint their feet was extra-special. The Lord Jesus really appreciated it.
We cannot actually anoint the feet of the Lord Jesus today, but when we come together to remember Him, we too are pouring ointment on Him, and He values it very highly. Others objected to what Mary did, but the Lord Jesus defended her, for she loved Him very much. If we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we too love Him. He values it if we remember Him, and all that He did for us.

Tuesday, May 27, 2025

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“There is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother” (Proverbs 18:24).
Can you imagine that the Son of God, a part of the Trinity, wants to call you, His friend! He tells us in John 15:14, “Ye are My friends if you do whatsoever I command you.” Yes, there is a price tag attached to any friendship! We cannot be friends with someone whom we are not pleasing.
And the Lord Jesus tells us also that He will never leave us or forsake us. That is in Hebrews 13:5. That is more than any regular friend can ever say! His ear is always ready to listen, and His heart is always ready in love. And the most amazing part is that He knows you better than you know yourself. You cannot say that about any friend in this world!
How can we interact with the Lord Jesus as a friend? You share with Him. Tell Him the things you are thankful for as your day progresses. Tell Him the things you are worried about, or frightened about. Then sit quietly and ask Him to put His arms about you and fill you with His peace or a sense in your heart as to what you should do next. His Holy Spirit is living in you, and He is there to guide each step. We all know that lovely hymn,
“What a Friend we have in Jesus,
All our sins and griefs to bare
What a privilege to carry
Everything to Him in prayer.”
That was written by a young man who suffered some very painful losses in his life, but had found Jesus to be a true and faithful friend. We can enjoy that friendship too.

Monday, May 26, 2025

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“I am a companion of all them that fear Thee” (Psalm 119:63).
Yesterday we talked about friends. Today let us think about what the difference might be between friends and companions. I think of companions as more of an action word. It pictures to us friends working together.
Paul had a special companion in a young man named Epaphroditus. In Philippians 2:25 he says, “Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labor, and fellow soldier.” According to the verses here, he had been sick, and almost died. Paul says he would have had “sorrow upon sorrow” if this had happened. He really loved and appreciated his companion and friend! They were working and travelling together. Back in the first century (a long, long time ago!) travel was not as it is today. It involved miles of walking, sea voyages that often included storms and shipwreck, sleeping in the cold and not having any “fast food” from the drive-thru when you were really hungry!
So, can you be a companion today? There are lots of opportunities to work together for the Lord with others. Picking up the hymn books after Sunday school, cleaning the meeting room together or maybe going with others to sing to some elderly people in a nursing home. We had a young brother travel with us on a long trip to a foreign country, who said, “I just want to come along and carry your luggage!” He was a real companion and did a wonderful job in serving the Lord in that way.
The Apostle John mentions companions in Revelation 1:9. “I John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation.” If we are going through a tough time, how wonderful to have someone to go through it with us. I am very sure that Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego were “companions” in that fiery furnace trial they endured together and with the Lord.

Sunday, May 25, 2025

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“Whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God” (James 4:4).
Everyone wants to have a friend, and be a friend! It’s amazing how many times in the Bible friends are mentioned. There were treacherous friends. We all know the story of Samson and how the woman he loved and thought was his friend, betrayed him. When Judas came to betray the Lord Jesus, Jesus said to him, “Friend, wherefore art thou come?” (Matthew 26:50). And there were good friends like David and Jonathan, or Ruth and Naomi, in the Old Testament, and James and John in the New Testament.
Our verse today is warning us that, if we know the Lord Jesus as Savior, we will not want to have friends who do not love Him too. The “world” as we call those who have not accepted Christ, does not want to talk about Him. And if He is our very best friend, then we do want to talk about Him!
If you were to make a list of qualities you would like to have in a friend, what might it include? Perhaps cheerful, kind, helpful, fun! Would you think to include “someone who is honest with me?” Maybe someone who would kindly tell me when I’m wrong or might be hurting someone’s feelings?
There is a good verse in Proverbs 27:6 that tells us, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend.” No one likes to be wounded. But a good friend may kindly have to do that sometimes. And as a friend, we need to learn how to accept criticism.
Another special quality in a good friend is that they do not gossip about the little secrets we may share. That means we can trust them when we tell them something special that is only between friends. It’s wonderful to be able to pray with and for a friend who has shared a problem he/she may be having.
And here is a final verse to think about, “A whisperer separateth chief friends” (Proverbs 16:28). Let is never be the one responsible for separating friends!

Saturday, May 24, 2025

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“As for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (Psalm 73:2-3).
“Their feet run to evil … their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity” (Isaiah 59:7).
Sometimes we may look at others who do not know the Lord, and feel a little envious when we see them getting away with all the wrong things that they do. David had this problem thousands of years ago, when he saw wicked people doing so much wrong, and nothing seemed to happen to them. Not only did nothing happen to them, but they prospered too; things went well for them. He began to wonder if it was worth it to follow the Lord. But if we read the rest of Psalm 73, we find that eventually David saw their end, which was the judgment of God.
Those who are in our second verse — whose feet run to evil, and whose thoughts are of wrong things, will eventually fall under God’s judgment, unless they repent and turn to Him. We who know the Lord may suffer in this world, for at present Satan is the god and prince of it, and to some extent he has things running his way. Of course, the Lord is over it all, and Satan cannot go beyond what the Lord allows him to do. But for the moment, the world is his world, and the Lord is not directly interfering in it.
However, we need to look at the whole picture. It is well worth it to live for the Lord, for not only do we enjoy the Lord’s company all along the way, but we will be rewarded for it for all eternity. It is a good investment to make — living for the Lord for a few short years, and then enjoying the reward for all eternity!
But there is another reason why we follow the Lord. It is not mainly for a reward, but because of His love for us. When we realize how much He did for us on the cross, we realize that He is worthy of all that we can give for His glory. Rewards are not the motive for living for the Lord, although they are an encouragement. But our motive for living for Him is His love for us.

Friday, May 23, 2025

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“He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings” (Psalm 40:2).
“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).
When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, He does two things for us. First of all, He brings us out of the horrible pit in which we are as sinners. Being a sinner is like being in quicksand; the more you struggle against the sucking power of the thick mud, the more you are dragged down. I have never been caught in quicksand, but I have read about those who have been trapped in it. Unless someone comes and helps you, it is impossible to get out by yourself. You just sink more and more until you are sucked under the mud. But the Lord has lifted us out of this “miry clay,” and set our feet on a rock. That rock is the Lord Jesus Himself.
But this is not all. The Lord does not save us, and then leave us to find our own way as Christians. No, His Word provides a lamp for our feet, and a light for our path. The lamp for our feet shows us the next step. It does not show us the whole pathway, but only the next step, for that is all we need. As we move along, the lamp shows us a further step, and we have guidance all the way along.
But the light shows us the end of the journey. We do not know everything about the path right now, but we know both the next step, and the end of the path. We know where we are going, for the Lord Jesus has gone ahead, and where He is, there we will be. We can confidently walk the path of faith, for the Lord Jesus has promised to guide us all the way home. We never need to stumble in that path, for we have a perfect lamp by which to be guided.

Thursday, May 22, 2025

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“And He took them up in His arms, put His hands upon them, and blessed them” (Mark 10:16).
“All they that had any sick with divers diseases brought them unto Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them, and healed them” (Luke 4:40).
“They pierced My hands and My feet” (Psalm 22:16).
“And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them” (Luke 24:50).
The Lord Jesus had hands too, and He always used them in blessing. He took little children up into His arms, put His hands on them, and blessed them. Their mothers wanted Him to do this, but the disciples thought that the Lord Jesus did not have time for all this. However, the Lord Jesus loved children, and He did lay His hands on them.
He also laid His hands on many sick people, and every one of them was healed. There was power in those hands to heal from every kind of disease, whether an internal disease, or someone who was crippled or bent over. All of these miracles were for man’s blessing, and clearly showed who the Lord Jesus was. He claimed to be the Son of God, for He was, and He provided all the necessary proof so that there could be no doubt. Yet men rejected Him and crucified Him.
It was prophesied away back in the Old Testament that the Lord Jesus would have His hands and feet pierced. This took place on the cross, when they nailed Him to it. It was an awful way to die, yet the Lord Jesus endured it, to pay the penalty for our sins, and to show us how much He loved us. His hands will bear those nail marks for all eternity, to remind us that He suffered for us.
Finally, the last act of our Lord Jesus before He went back to heaven was to lift up His hands and bless all those who were with Him. There would have been the eleven disciples, and others too, who went with the Lord Jesus, and watched Him ascend back to heaven. Although He is not here on earth any longer, His hands are full of blessing for us too.

Wednesday, May 21, 2025

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“Be ye strong therefore, and let not your hands be weak: for your work shall be rewarded” (2 Chronicles 15:7).
“The desire of the slothful [lazy person] killeth him; for his hands refuse to labor” (Proverbs 21:25).
“There is none upright among men … they hunt every man his brother … that they may do evil with both hands” (Micah 7:2-3).
Our hands are a most useful part of our body, and we can do many things with them. We can do good things, or we can do bad things. Also, we can sit around and do nothing with them. In our verses today we have these three examples of the use of our hands.
First of all, we have the encouragement to be strong, and not to let our hands be weak. These words were originally addressed to king Asa of Judah, after he had won a great victory over the large army that had come to attack him. The prophet encouraged him to go on, and as a result, Asa got rid of all the idols in the land, and offered a large sacrifice to the Lord. He used his hands in a good way.
In our second verse, we find someone who is lazy, and refuses to do any work. It says that his desire “killeth him,” meaning that the lazy person really wants all the good things of life, but does not want to work for them. It is very hard for him, for the next verse in the chapter says that “he coveteth (really wants) greedily all the day long,” yet his laziness means that he does not get any of those things. We all need to work in this life, and it is good to learn how when we are young.
Finally, we have those who use their hands, but in a wrong way. They may be clever and willing to work, but not to do good things. No, they “do evil with both hands.” For example, there are many in this world who use their brains and their hands to invent viruses for computers, just to see how much damage they can do. Others invent clever ways to “scam” people, by pretending to be the government, or a big company (like the telephone company, or a bank). They try to trick people into giving them private information such as bank account numbers and passwords, or credit card information. Last year in Canada one group of scammers pretended to be the income tax department, and eventually cheated people out of fifteen million dollars before they were finally stopped.
You and I can use our hands in a right way or a wrong way. Let us choose the right way.

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

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“A wholesome [gentle] tongue is a tree of life: but perverseness [crookedness] therein is a breach [break] in the spirit” (Proverbs 15:4).
The tree of life is mentioned a number of times in the Bible, and it is mentioned four times in the book of Proverbs. Here it is connected with gentleness when we speak. Why is this? It is because the tree of life is really a picture of the Lord Jesus, and when He spoke, it was with gentleness. Yes, He could speak very seriously to people when He needed to, and on at least one occasion he looked on the Jewish rulers with anger, but it was always with real love and care for them.
The second part of our verse today reminds us of something that is very important. When we speak, it is not only the words that we use that affect other people; it is the spirit in which we say something that is even more important. Those who have studied this subject tell us that when we speak, only 10% of the message comes from the actual words we say. About 40% of the message we give to others is the tone of voice we use, and the other 50% is the “body language” we use. What do we mean by body language? It is the look on our face, the way we hold our hands and arms, and even the way we use our legs and feet. All of these combine to give a message to the other person. We can give a peaceable message by our body language (a smile and a hug), or we can give an angry, threatening message (arms crossed, feet apart, face scowling!). We can make other people feel that we really love them, or we can give them the distinct feeling that “I don’t like you.”
To use gentleness and love in speaking to others is to be a “tree of life” — like the Lord Jesus. This does not mean that we never say anything to reach someone’s conscience. We do need to speak seriously to people sometimes, and to remind them of God’s claims. The Lord Jesus did this in Matthew 23, when he gave a strong rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees for being hypocrites. (A hypocrite is someone who pretends to be good, but then does bad things on the side, hoping no one will notice.) But He said these things in love, wanting them to repent and be saved.
Let us all remember that part of our message to others is the way we speak and look, nor just the words we say.

Monday, May 19, 2025

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“A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures [or, baskets] of silver” (Proverbs 25:11).
“The tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity … it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison” (James 3:6, 8).
“If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle [control] the whole body” (James 3:2).
The next part of our body we want to discuss is the tongue. It is not very large, and it can do a lot of good, but also a lot of damage. How much trouble we can get into by what we say! Yet, if we say something good, how much help it can be!
Our first verse today speaks of a word “fitly spoken.” That means knowing how to say just the right thing at the right time. Only the Lord can help us do that, for often we say the first thing that comes into our minds, without thinking about it. But the Lord, by His Spirit, can show us just the right thing to say at any given time. When this happens, it is like a basket of silver with apples of gold in it. We would all like to get a gift like that! I am sure that we can all remember hearing someone say just the right thing, and how much it meant to us. We often remember something like that all our life.
Then we have the opposite in the next verse. James points out to us that the tongue is like a fire. It may be small, but a small fire can light a big pile of wood, and sometimes a whole forest. Lately we have been hearing about wildfires in forests in different parts of the world, and how much damage they do. Sometimes houses catch fire from these wildfires, and people have to be evacuated in order not to be killed. Those fires started out small, but they became big.
Usually, if someone can control his tongue, he is able to control the rest of his body. I think we can all understand that it is usually our tongue by which we sin, and get into trouble. If you read the whole 3rd chapter of James, you will see that the tongue is also compared to the rudder of a ship, or a bit in the mouth of a horse. Both of these are small, yet they turn the ship or the horse in the right direction. It is important for each of us to be on guard as to what we say, and how we say it.

Sunday, May 18, 2025

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“Then Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus” (John 18:10).
“And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And He touched his ear, and healed him” (Luke 22:51).
Here is another story about an ear that is worth noticing. The high priest and the Pharisees had sent a band of men to arrest the Lord Jesus, and Judas, who was one of the Lord’s disciples, had betrayed his Master. For a sum of money he had promised to lead the soldiers to where he knew the Lord Jesus would be.
When the soldiers came, Peter was ready to defend his Master. He had a sword, and he used it on a servant of the high priest. He ended up by cutting off his right ear, but Peter was probably aiming for more than the ear! He was likely aiming for his head, but since the man probably ducked, the sword cut off only his ear. The Bible even tells us the man’s name — Malchus. Why does it give us these details?
I believe it is because there is a moral lesson for us here. We may not cut off someone’s ear with a sword or a knife, but if we treat people roughly or use harsh language with them, there are not likely to listen to the gospel afterward. We have, in that sense, cut off their ear. It is easy to do this when someone treats us badly. In this case the servant of the high priest was coming to arrest the Lord Jesus and Peter felt that he should fight these bad men. But he did not realize that it was all in God’s plan, and that he should not resist.
Notice how the Lord Jesus handled the situation. He told Peter to stop, but then healed the servant’s ear. What wonderful grace! I am sure that Malchus never forgot it. Whether he ever got saved we do not know, for we never hear of him again in the Bible. But the Lord Jesus had showed him love and grace, even when he was coming to do harm to Him. Surely all this would have made him ready to listen to the gospel.

Saturday, May 17, 2025

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“The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry” (Psalm 34:15).
“He that hath ears to hear, let him hear” (Matthew 11:15).
Today we will talk about ears, and once again, we notice that the Lord has ears too. As we said yesterday about the Lord’s eyes, it is a little scary to think that the Lord hears everything that is said in this world. We sang a song in Sunday school when I was young that went like this —
He sees what we do, and He hears what we say,
My Lord is watching all the time.
This song reminded us that the Lord hears everything we say, whether we are saved or not, and that it is a serious thing to say wrong things.
However, it is also comforting to know that He hears our cry if we need help. In this world, sometimes we call someone on the telephone, but they do not answer. Or we may ask others for some help, but perhaps they say that they are too busy. But the Lord is always there for us, and is never too busy to listen to us.
We also have ears, and it is important what we listen to, and what we remember. Our second verse today is so important that it is repeated four times in the Word of God. It means that when the Lord is speaking to us, and we have ears to hear, it is important to listen. As we would say in modern language, it is important for us to “listen up.”
We all know what it is like to listen to something, but not really pay attention to what is said. Then, if someone asks us about it a few minutes later, we cannot remember. But when God speaks, it is always important. Sometimes the Lord uses others to speak to us, and again, it is important to listen.
But as it was with our eyes, we can choose what we hear much of the time. Listening to things that defile our minds is not good, for then our minds are filled with bad thoughts. Listening to bad music, to bad jokes, or to worldly talk all tend to pollute our minds. Let us be careful what we listen to.

Friday, May 16, 2025

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“The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3).
“Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity” (Psalm 119:37).
In an earlier meditation, we have seen how that we, as human beings, are composed of body, soul, and spirit. We saw that the soul and spirit live in the body, and express themselves through the body. For the next few talks, we will look at some parts of the body, and what the Bible says about them. In our verses today, we have the eyes mentioned — the Lord’s eyes, and our eyes.
First of all, it is important to know that the Lord has eyes, and that He sees everything. Our eyes are limited as to how much they can see, although we can see light from the stars that are millions of miles away. In this world we can see only a short distance, unless we are up in an airplane. But the Lord’s eyes can see everything, and as our first verse tells us, He is beholding both the evil and the good.
At first it might seem a bit frightening to us, to think that the Lord sees everything. If we do wrong, He sees it, and records it. However, it is also encouraging for us as Christians to realize that He is looking after us, and that He sees us wherever we are.
As I write this in November 2021, the news media are telling us about a little four-year-old girl named Cleo who was kidnapped in Australia while she was camping with her parents. After two weeks she was found, but up until that time, no one knew where she was. But the Lord knew where she was all the time. Eventually the police found her, and she was safely returned to her home.
But then the Bible speaks about our eyes, and how we use them. There are many things to be seen in this world, and sometimes we cannot help but see things that upset us. I know a young man who was sent to Iraq with the U.S. army, and he saw things there that still cause him to have bad dreams. I knew another man who fought in the 2nd World War (he was a Christian, and he is with the Lord now), and he too saw some awful things. Even as an old man, he would break down and cry when he talked about them.
But many times we can choose what we see with our eyes. We can choose to look at bad things on television, on the computer, on our cell phones, or perhaps even reading a book or a magazine. We can also choose to look at good things, such as reading good books (especially the Bible!), or doing things on our cell phones and computers that are pleasing to the Lord. God has given us our eyes. Are we using them for Him?

Thursday, May 15, 2025

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“How say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain [empty]” (1 Corinthians 15:12-14).
The resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and the resurrection of those believers who have died, are most important truths. Yet some in the city of Corinth were trying to say that there was no resurrection of the dead. They were saying that when people die, they die just like an animal, and that is the end of them forever.
The Apostle Paul points out clearly that if this is true, then the resurrection of the Lord Jesus must not be true either. But we know that the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is definitely a fact. At the beginning of this same chapter (1st Corinthians 15), Paul points out how that many people saw the Lord Jesus after He rose from the dead, including over 500 believers at once. There were certainly plenty of witnesses of His resurrection. But there is a most important truth connected with our Lord’s resurrection, and Paul explains it here.
If the Lord Jesus is risen from the dead (and He is!), then every believer that has died must also rise from the dead at the Lord’s coming. Why is this? It is because we are so closely united to the Lord Jesus that we have the same life as He has. That is why it says, “Even so in Christ shall all be made alive” (1 Corinthians 15:22). This is referring to believers, who will all be raised from the dead when the Lord comes. Then we will instantly be given bodies fit for heaven.
But if this will not happen, as some were teaching, then the Lord Jesus must not have risen from the dead, and if He did not rise from the dead, then no one is saved. Why is this? It is because our Lord’s resurrection was the sign that God had accepted His work on the cross, and that He had fully satisfied His God and Father in doing it. If the Lord Jesus had not risen from the dead, it would have meant that the work was not done, and that God was not happy with it. But all that work was done in perfection; Christ is risen, and every believer who has died in Christ will rise too, when the Lord comes.

Wednesday, May 14, 2025

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“For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:10).
In yesterday’s verse it mentions a reward for helping as an under-shepherd — “Ye shall receive a crown of glory.” Rewards will be handed out at what the Bible calls “the judgment seat of Christ.” As we see in our verse today, we will all be there. But how can this happen, if all our sins are already washed away through the blood of Christ?
Most of you know that there are two kinds of judging in this world. There is the judging that goes on in a courtroom, where someone is accused of having committed a crime. The judge listens to the evidence, and if the person accused is convicted of the crime, the judge will decide on a punishment; perhaps a fine, or even some time in jail. This is the kind of judging that those who are not saved will have to experience, when they stand before God. (The term “judgment seat of Christ” can also refer to this judgment of the unsaved. That is why 2 Corinthians 5:11 says, “Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.”) At that awful time, all unbelievers will be sent into hell for their sins.
But there is another kind of judging in this world, such as we see at a fall fair, or at a piano recital. In that setting, the judge does not send anyone to jail, or impose a fine. Rather, the judge decides on the best farm produce, the best farm animals, or the best piano player. Then rewards are handed out to those who are the best. This is the kind of judging that will take place for believers at the judgment seat of Christ.
It will happen after the Lord comes for us, when we are up there in heaven. The Lord will review our lives and will reward what has been done for Him. What has not been for Him will be burned up. More than this, we will realize for the first time how big the load of sin was that the Lord Jesus bore for us. We know we have committed many sins, but surely all of us have forgotten many of them too. But at the judgment seat of Christ, we will see how many sins we have committed, and have been forgiven. All this will only make us want to praise the Lord Jesus even more for all He has done for us.
“When I stand with Christ in glory,
Looking o’er life’s finished story;
Then, Lord, shall I fully know,
Not till then, how much I owe.”

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

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“Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep” (Hebrews 13:20).
“And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away” (1 Peter 5:4).
Yesterday we saw that the Lord Jesus was the good Shepherd who gave His life for the sheep. But in today’s verses we see Him in two other ways — the great Shepherd and the chief Shepherd. In both of these we see Him as the One who leads us all the way home to heaven, and who also has “under-shepherds” who help Him in His work.
The great Shepherd shows us the Lord Jesus as risen and glorified in heaven, and who looks after His sheep all the way home. He not only died for them, but as we get in Psalm 23, He “leads [them] beside still waters,” He makes them to “lie down in green pastures,” He comforts them with His rod and staff, etc. All this is in addition to His having died for us.
Then Peter reminds us that He is also the chief Shepherd, meaning that there are other shepherds who work under Him. When the Lord Jesus restored Peter publicly after Peter had denied Him, He says to Peter, “Shepherd my sheep” (John 21:16 JND). I am sure that Peter never forgot this, and he did shepherd his Master’s sheep. You and I can be shepherds too, for every believer who cares about other believers can be a shepherd.
The Lord Jesus has under-shepherds, but no sheep dogs. Many years ago, when my wife and I were visiting in the county of Yorkshire in northern England, we saw sheep dogs at work. The best sheep dogs are border collies. The ones we saw were very clever and had been well trained. They knew how to round up a flock of sheep and herd them down into the right place, just where the shepherd wanted them. But these sheep dogs did not really care for the sheep; sometimes they nipped at their heels, to get them going faster. The dogs simply did what their master wanted. But a real under-shepherd cares for the sheep and wants them to be looked after properly. The Lord Jesus wants you and me to do that for His sheep, for in doing this we are serving Him.

Monday, May 12, 2025

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“He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth” (Isaiah 53:7).
“I am the good Shepherd: the good Shepherd giveth His life for the sheep” (John 10:11).
It is interesting and instructive for us that in these verses, we find the Lord Jesus as both a sheep and a shepherd. We would never find such a thing naturally, for a sheep is only an animal, while a shepherd (or a shepherdess) is a human being. But in these verses the Lord Jesus is pictured as both.
As a sheep (or a lamb) He went to the cross, and was the sacrifice for sin. In the Old Testament, many lambs and sheep were offered up to the Lord as sacrifices, and especially at the Passover, when all Israel were to remember how the Lord delivered them from Egypt. Once a year they were to celebrate the Passover, and to sacrifice a lamb. On that occasion the blood was to be sprinkled on the doors of their houses, and then they were to go inside and have a meal, eating of the roast lamb.
But the Lord Jesus was the true Passover, and we read in 1 Corinthians 5:7 that “even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” Now we no longer keep the Passover as Christians, but rather remember the Lord with a loaf and cup, as He has asked us to do.
The Lord Jesus is also pictured to us as a Shepherd, and as we see in our second verse today, He Himself said, “I am the good Shepherd.” A shepherd looks after sheep, and defends them from danger, even if it means that he must risk his life to do so. But the Lord Jesus did more than risk His life; He gave His life so that the sheep might be saved. He knew who His sheep were, and who they would be; He not only thought of those who lived when He was on earth, but He looked on to the time when you and I would be living. Then He gave His life for us, His sheep, whom He would save hundreds of years later.

Sunday, May 11, 2025

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“And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).
In today’s verse we have the Lord Jesus Himself as the perfect example for us as young Christians. There is not much said about the growing years of the Lord Jesus. The circumstances surrounding his birth are mentioned, and then the incident at the time he was twelve years old, when his parents took him up to the temple at the time of the feast of the Passover. After this, we do not hear anything more until He sets out on His earthly ministry at the age of thirty. However, what is said when He was twelve is really important.
We notice several things in the growing years of the Lord Jesus, after he reached the age of twelve. First of all, it is said that “He went down with them … and was subject unto them” (Luke 2:51). Think of it — the Creator of the universe being obedient to human parents! Yet He was, and we too should respect and obey our parents. No doubt the Lord’s earthly parents made mistakes, but He obeyed them.
Secondly, we notice that he increased in wisdom. We might wonder how the Son of God could increase in wisdom, but I believe that in every way He was perfect, at whatever age He was. When He was twelve, He did not act as if He were twenty. Rather, He acted with the wisdom of a twelve-year-old, and this increased as he got older. There was a natural progression, as there would be with any other growing child, yet without sin.
Finally, He increased in favor “with God and man.” How could the Son of God increase in favor with God? It was because He was doing something He had never done before — He was finding out what it cost to obey His Father’s will, and humbling Himself to do so. If we could say it this way, God the Father now had a fresh reason to be pleased with His Son. He also increased in favor with men, for His ways were pleasing to them as well as to God. He is our example in doing all this, and we read this in Philippians 2:5-8. Perhaps you can find these verses and read them for yourself.

Saturday, May 10, 2025

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“But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timotheus shortly unto you … for I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state” (Philippians 2:19-20).
Timothy was a young man who came from a city called Lystra. This was a place where they at first wanted to worship Paul and Barnabas, but later they stoned Paul, and thought he was dead. But Timothy was saved there, and he became like a son to the Apostle Paul. His father was a Greek and his mother was a Jewess — another marriage forbidden by the law of Moses. But grace brought him to Christ, and he became a most devoted servant of the Lord.
We find him traveling with the Apostle Paul on many of his journeys, and even suffering too because of this. At some point he was put in prison, we are not sure where, but at the end of Hebrews, it is noted that “our brother Timothy is set at liberty” (Hebrews 13:23).
As we see in our verses today, Paul gives him a very high commendation, and in another translation, it reads, “For I have no one like-minded who will care with genuine feeling how ye get on” (Philippians 2:20 JND). Here was a young man who really cared for the believers, and who was willing to sacrifice his life to encourage them.
At the end of Paul’s life, when he was in prison in Rome, the Lord had revealed to him that he was not going to be released again. At that time Paul wrote his last epistle to Timothy, giving him instructions as to how he should behave when things were not going well in the assembly. Paul expected Timothy to carry on faithfully after he was called to be with the Lord, and we have every reason to believe that he did so.
Today we need godly young people who are willing to learn from those who are older, and who are prepared to carry on faithfully for the Lord when some of us older ones are gone. Are you ready to be one of them?

Friday, May 9, 2025

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“And Ruth said, Intreat (persuade) me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go” (Ruth 1:16).
The story of Ruth involves an entire book of the Bible, and I recommend that you read the book in order to know all about her. It is a short book — only four chapters. But in summary, she was a Moabitish young woman who married one of the sons of Naomi, when Naomi, her husband Elimelech, and their two sons moved from Israel to Moab for ten years. They did this because there was a lack of food in Israel. But Elimelech died there in Moab, and so did Mahlon and Chilion, their two sons. The death of the two sons left their wives, Orpah and Ruth, widows at a young age, and of course Naomi was a widow as well.
Later, when she heard that there was food again in Israel, Naomi wanted to go home. Her two daughters-in-law wanted to go with her, but Naomi tried to persuade them to stay in Moab. One of the girls, Orpah, eventually went back, but Ruth insisted on coming to the land of Israel with Naomi. Somehow the Lord had worked in her heart, and instead of going back to Moab, where they worshiped idols, she came to Israel with Naomi.
At first she was a stranger there, but she was evidently a hard worker, and went out to gather barley in the fields after the reapers were finished. Later the owner of the field, a man by the name of Boaz, wanted to marry her. According to the law of Moses, those from Moab were not supposed to be admitted into the congregation of Israel, but everyone recognized that the Lord was specially working with Ruth, and she became the wife of Boaz. She was the great grandmother of David, and in this way was also one of the human ancestors of the Lord Jesus.
Ruth’s faith made her insist on coming to the land of Israel with Naomi. If you and I really love the Lord Jesus, we too will want to follow Him, even if it is a difficult pathway. Because the Lord was with her, Ruth was able to overcome every problem, and she prospered in the land of Israel. The Lord is well able to look after us too, if we follow Him.

Thursday, May 8, 2025

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“And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. And she said to her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! For he would recover him of his leprosy” (2 Kings 5:2-3).
In the next few meditations, I would like to consider some young people in the Bible who are good examples for us. Here we find a young girl, perhaps a teenager, who had been taken captive from the land of Israel in war, and was now a servant (really a slave!) to the wife of Naaman, who was the captain of the Syrian army. How would you like to be taken away from your home like that, compelled to live in someone’s home as a slave, to learn a new language, and not to see your family again?
This girl found out that Naaman had leprosy, and she might easily have said, “It serves him right for what he did to me! Let him suffer with it!” But she felt sorry for Naaman, and she knew that the prophet Elisha lived in Samaria. Although she had never seen him cure anyone of leprosy, yet she had faith in God, and told Naaman’s wife that if he were to visit the prophet in Israel, he could be cured. Leprosy is a dreadful disease, and in those days there was no cure for it. It eventually killed the people who had it. It is used in the Bible as a picture of sin.
As a result, the king of Syria eventually wrote to the king of Israel, and sent Naaman there to be cured. But someone had not listened carefully, for the little maid had not said to go to the king of Israel, but to the prophet. Eventually Naaman ended up at the right place, and after following Elisha’s instructions, Naaman was cured of his leprosy. I am leaving out many of the details of what happened, but you may read them in 2nd Kings 5.
Not only was Naaman healed of his leprosy, but I believe he also came to know the true God. He no longer wanted to worship idols, but the true God. All this because a young girl spoke up, and wanted to help the man who had taken her captive. This is a real lesson for us, for we are to love our enemies, and do good to them, even though they may have treated us badly.

Wednesday, May 7, 2025

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“And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold” (Luke 19:8).
Zacchaeus was a tax collector for the Romans, and these men were hated by everyone who had to pay taxes. To make it easy for themselves, the Roman Empire often hired men like Zacchaeus to do this job, and would state how much money they wanted from a certain group of people. The tax collector was allowed to charge more than this, and the extra was his pay for doing the job. As you may imagine, many of the tax collectors were greedy, and charged people a lot extra, so that they became rich men. The Bible tells us that Zacchaeus was a rich man, for he had probably done this at some point in the past.
But now the Lord was working in his heart. He wanted to see the Lord Jesus, and was willing to climb a tree in order to see Him. Also, he had begun to be careful about how much he collected, and if he had made a mistake and taken too much, he gave the person back four times as much as he took. Also, he began to give away some of his riches, and the Bible tells us that he gave half of his money to the poor. He was doing this before He ever met the Lord Jesus, for God had begun a work in His heart.
We see something else here in Zacchaeus that is most important. He was truly repentant about his sins, and there was a change in his life. Sometimes people pretend to repent of their sins, and say, “I’m sorry,” but it is clear that they are not really very sorry. At the time I am writing this, the Covid pandemic is still going on. Some government officials are making strict rules for people to follow, but then later we find out that the government people have broken their own rules! When they are found out, they usually say, “I apologize; I wasn’t really thinking straight that day.” This is not real repentance; it is just an excuse after getting caught. But real repentance is when we see our sin in the sight of God, and then there is a change in our life.

Tuesday, May 6, 2025

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“They wandered … in dens and caves of the earth” (Hebrews 11:38).
Perhaps you have read this verse before, and wondered what it would be like to have to live in a den or a cave. We often read of animals like wolves or bears, who live in a den or a cave, and perhaps raise their young there.
Sometimes when we were young, we would dig holes in the sides of big piles of dirt (or snowbanks), and make a small cave into which we would crawl, just to pretend that we were going to live there. It was fun, but we really would not have wanted to sleep there, and have it as our home.
But many times in the history of God’s people, there have been those who were persecuted, and had to take refuge in caves and dens. Back in the time of Samuel and King Saul, the Israelites were so afraid of the Philistines at one point that they left their houses and went to live in caves. It says that “the people did hide themselves in caves, and in thickets, and in rocks, and in high places, and in pits” (1 Samuel 13:6). This must have happened at other times too, for it is recorded in the book of Hebrews, as we see in our verse for today.
We know that this also happened later, in the history of the church. During the days of the Roman Empire, it is evident that Christians dug complicated tunnels underground outside the city of Rome, where they could live out of reach of their persecutors. These tunnels sometimes opened into larger rooms, where a number of Christians could meet together. The tunnels and rooms were so complicated that no one dared to go down there unless they knew their way, for it was easy to get lost. But it was not a very comfortable way to live! When we were in Rome some years ago, we were able to visit one of these catacombs, as they were called, and see how Christians lived in those days. Many dear believers were buried there too, and their bodies are waiting for the resurrection day, when the Lord comes to take us home.
Much later, in Scottish history, in the latter part of the 17th century, many Christian leaders and guides among the people lived in caves, and those who knew them and loved them brought them food secretly. The king of England at that time tried to force them to be part of the Church of England, and they resisted. Sometimes, of course, they were caught, and usually suffered martyrdom as a result. But many escaped detection, and were able to live for the Lord, and preach His Word. Alexander Peden was one of these men, and when he was dying at the age of sixty, he remarked that this was the first real bed on which he had slept for twenty-eight years! We were able to visit his grave when we were in Scotland some years ago.
These dear people were faithful to the Lord, often at great cost to themselves. We can be thankful for the liberty that most of us have today, but let us remember that there are still many in this world who are suffering for Christ, and giving up their lives for Him.

Monday, May 5, 2025

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“And there accompanied him into Asia … of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus” (Acts 20:4).
“I, Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Romans 16:22).
“Erastus … saluteth you, and Quartus a brother” (Romans 16:23).
Names that are recorded for us in the Bible often have real significance, for in most cases those names have meanings. Here we have three names that are not directly connected with each other, yet have a meaning for us.
The three names that I would like to notice here are Secundus, Tertius, and Quartus. These names may not mean much to you, but they are Latin, or Roman, names. I doubt if any of you have studied Latin at school, but when my wife and I attended high school, Latin was offered as a subject for us to study, and both of us decided to take it as an option. (We did not really know each other back then, so we did not make this decision together!) We have both been glad that we took Latin, for about 50% of the English language is derived from Latin words.
The word “Secundus” means second, the word “Tertius” means third, and the word “Quartus” means fourth. Why would people have been given names like this?
It is probable that all these men were originally slaves, although at least Secundus must have obtained his liberty at some time. Otherwise he would not have been able to travel with the Apostle Paul. But when these men were slaves, their masters probably did not bother to give them interesting names, but simply called them second, third, or fourth, perhaps as they were acquired as slaves.
How wonderful that these three men had heard the gospel, accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior, and are now recorded in the Word of God! Each one receives special mention. Their names were written in the book of life, and they served the Lord in whatever way they could. Tertius was even used to write the epistle to the Romans. He must have been an educated man, and could take dictation from Paul, and write it down.
However, there is something else interesting here. We have the names which mean second, third, and fourth, but no name that means “first.” If there had been a slave with the name which means “first,” it would have been “Primus.” But we do not find any such name recorded in the Bible. It is quite possible that a slave was named “Primus” at some point, and perhaps even one that was saved, but if so, his name is not recorded. Could it be that the Lord wanted only the name of the Lord Jesus Christ to be first? Surely He must have the highest place, and there can be none greater than He. I am sure that this is the reason that there is no “Primus.” The Spirit of God, that inspired the Holy Scriptures, carefully guards the Person of Christ, and gives Him the first place.

Sunday, May 4, 2025

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“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
This verse is worth memorizing, as it will help us live to please the Lord Jesus. When we were saved, we realized that we could not do anything to save ourselves, but that “the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin” (1 John 1:7). Our sins were forever put away when we put our trust in the Lord Jesus and accepted Him as our Savior.
Here in today’s verse we have a further step in our Christian life. The Lord Jesus not only shed His blood to wash away our sins, but He died so that we could be free from our old sinful nature. The Lord Jesus died, was buried, and then rose the third day. In His death and burial, God saw our old sinful condition as being buried too. Then, when He rose again, it is like the new life we have in Christ. Baptism is a picture of this, for we go down under the water, which is a picture of death, and then we come up again, which is a picture of resurrection.
God looks upon every believer as having died with Christ, and risen again. Now He wants us to display that new life He has given us. That is why our verse speaks of our having been “crucified with Christ,” yet we live, because we now have a resurrection life with Him. Baptism is the outward sign that we have practically taken this position.
If you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, have you been baptized? It is important, for that identifies us as Christians before this world. We have taken our place with Christ in resurrection and want to walk in the power of that new life we have.
This does not mean that we never sin, for we still have the sinful nature and sometimes, sad to say, it will act up. Then we have to come to the Lord and confess the sin. But God never assumes that we are going to sin, for there is power in our death with Christ and having his resurrection life to keep us from sin. Be sure to add this verse to your memory work!

Saturday, May 3, 2025

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“Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1).
“By the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life” (Romans 5:18).
It is a wonderful thing to be justified, and especially to be justified before God. In this world, people are sometimes taken to court and accused of a crime, but when the evidence is presented, it is clear that the person who is accused did not commit the crime. Then they are justified by the court, and of course they are greatly relieved. But in the case of you and me, and every individual in this world, we are all guilty before God. “All have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But we can be justified, because the Lord Jesus has satisfied all the claims of a holy God. For those who are saved, He has borne the judgment of God against our sins, and taken our place. Now God can forgive our sins, and “all that believe are justified from all things” (Acts 13:39).
God has not had to forget His holiness in order to justify us, for the Lord Jesus has paid our debt for us, “that He (God) might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus” (Romans 3:26). Every believer stands justified before God.
However, this is only one side of justification. If we are justified FROM all things, this is the negative side. No charge can be laid against us regarding our sins, for God has justified us. But the Bible also speaks of “justification of life.” What does this mean?
It means that not only can we not be accused of anything before God regarding our sins, but that also we have been given a new life in Christ. If God had simply justified us FROM all things, but then left us with only our sinful nature, we would keep on sinning, over and over again. But now God has given us a new life that wants to please Him. We do not have to keep on sinning. Yes, we still have the old sinful nature, but we also have a new life that cannot sin. God wants us to let the new nature display itself in our walk in this world, and this is “justification of life.”
God has brought us into a wonderful place of privilege, and given us everything to help us please Him.

Friday, May 2, 2025

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“Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? … And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus” (1 Corinthians 6:9, 11).
Here again we have the word “sanctification” that we considered a little yesterday. It means to “set apart” from something else. We gave an illustration in yesterday’s meditation, using clean dishes and dirty dishes.
In today’s verses, we read that we cannot be part of God’s kingdom when we are unrighteous, and that we were like that before we were saved. We did many wrong things, but now, since we are saved, everything is different. We have a new life in Christ, and among other things, it says that we are sanctified.
This is our position before God; we are set apart from this world because we belong to Christ. It is just as if He put a mark upon us, and now we belong to Him. This is our position before God, and it never changes.
However, there is another side to sanctification that the Bible shows us. We are set apart positionally, once and for all. However, in a practical way in our lives, we are also expected to become “more sanctified” as we come to know the Lord more fully, and learn more of Him. For example, we read in 1 Thessalonians 5:23, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly (completely).” This is not speaking about our position in Christ, for those believers in Thessalonica were already saved. But Paul had spent only a short time with them, and they needed to learn more, and be drawn closer to the Lord. So Paul expresses a wish that they would be completely sanctified. He wanted them to be totally “out and out for the Lord” in their lives as Christians. This takes time, and includes reading God’s Word, private prayer, and meditation on His Word. The result will be what we get in the rest of the verse — “I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23). This should be our desire too!

Thursday, May 1, 2025

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“Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth” (John 17:17).
The word “sanctify” means to set apart, and we will speak a little more about this word tomorrow. But it simply means that something is put separately from other things. For example, sometimes we have dirty dishes that have been used at the table, and clean dishes that have not been used. We keep the clean dishes separate from the dirty dishes, for we do not want the clean ones to get dirty.
The Word of God sanctifies us as Christians, for it tells us how to remain separate from this world, so that we do not become contaminated by it. We must live and move in this world, but we are not to be a part of it morally and spiritually. Again, we will speak more about this tomorrow.
However, it is a precious thing to realize that God’s Word is truth. It gives us the truth about every moral and spiritual subject, according to the mind of God. It is a wonderful thing to have this Word in our hands, in our own language, but it is also a serious thing. If we have the Word of God, it is given to all of us directly from God Himself, and we are responsible to pay attention to it. If it gives us the truth about every moral and spiritual subject, then we are responsible to live and walk in this truth. If we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we have a new life that wants to do this, but we also still have an old sinful nature that rebels against it. Sometimes, when we read the truth of God, our old sinful nature does not like it, and then we may try to reason our way around it, because we do not want to follow it.
But here in this verse, the Lord Jesus was praying for us, asking God the Father to set us apart through the truth, which is found in the Word of God. As we have remarked before in these meditations, walking in the truth and in fellowship with the Lord is a happy way to live.
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