Young Christians Calendar

July 2025

“For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36).

There are many in this world who are spending most of their time and energy in order to have more of the things this world has to offer. They may not always want material things, for some people want fame, or power, or just simply pleasure. Yet often those people do not think of eternity, and what it will mean to lose their own souls.

Steve Jobs was the cofounder of the Apple computer company, and became a very wealthy man. At the time of his death in 2011, he was worth 7 billion dollars.

When he was dying of pancreatic cancer at the age of 56, someone congratulated him on his success and his wealth. His response was, “There is no advantage to being the richest man in the cemetery.” That is certainly true. We do not know whether Steve Jobs ever accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his Savior, but if he did not, then he has indeed lost his own soul. How important it is for us to look beyond this world, and live our lives in view of eternity!

Wednesday, July 30, 2025

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“As thy days, so shall thy strength be” (Deuteronomy 33:25).

Yesterday we saw that the Lord gave Moses special physical health, so that he could lead the children of Israel through the wilderness for forty years. You and I do not have that kind of strength, and especially when we are eighty years old!

However, in the same chapter of Deuteronomy that tells us about Moses’ good health, the Lord tells us that “as thy days, so shall thy strength be.” This does not mean that we will always be as strong and healthy as when we were young, but it does mean that as long as the Lord leaves us here, He will give us something to do for Him, and He will give us the strength for it.

Sometimes we hear believers say, “I would like to do this or that for the Lord, but I do not know whether I have the strength for it.” But another well-taught believer once gave good advice—“Don’t ask whether you have the strength to do something for the Lord; just ask Him if it is His will or not.” If it is His will, we can depend on Him to give us the strength for it, and to give us the necessary resources to do it too, such as the money, time, etc.

Tuesday, July 29, 2025

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“The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labor and sorrow” (Psalm 90:10).

“And Moses was an hundred and twenty years oldwhen he died: his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated” (Deuteronomy 34:7).

It was Moses that wrote the 90th Psalm, yet it is obvious that he wrote it by inspiration, and not from personal experience. He records that normally we live to be about seventy years old, and if we live to be eighty, our bodies experience increasing weakness and pain during that ten-year period. We may be able to function all right, but our strength certainly begins to fail.

Moses, on the other hand, lived to be one hundred and twenty, and Scripture records that his eyes were still very good, and that his strength was the same as when he was young. They did not have eyeglasses in those days, yet Moses could see as well as a young man. This was amazing, and only the Lord could keep him in such good health.

The Lord allows some people to feel quite good when they are eighty years of age, but no one at that age has the same strength as when they were young. Also, they cannot see as well as when they were young. But the Lord preserved Moses in a special way, to do the work He had given him to do.

Monday, July 28, 2025

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“Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath” (Ephesians 4:26).

I would suggest that in this verse we find the answer to our question about whether it is right for a Christian to be angry sometimes. According to this verse, the answer is yes. When things are done that are a dishonor to the Lord, and when this world turns it back on God and His Word, then it is right for us to be angry. But let us be sure that we are angry for the Lord’s sake, and not for our own sake. We must admit that much of the time, when we get angry, it is because we are offended or disrespected. Rather, we should be angry because the Lord is disrespected.

But there is also a warning here. When we get angry, we are not to sin. That is, we are not to be out of control, and lose our temper. It is very easy for us to allow righteous anger to turn to sin. We are not to harbor anger in our hearts, but rather think about something better. The Lord was like that. He was angry when His Father was insulted, but He never got angry because He Himself was insulted. He was a good example for us.

Sunday, July 27, 2025

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“Pilate therefore said unto Him, Art Thou a King then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a King. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice. Pilate saith unto Him, What is truth?” (John 18:37-38).

Pilate was the Roman governor, and he began to question the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus answered his question, telling Pilate, “What you say is true,” for the Lord Jesus was a King. But then the Lord Jesus reached his conscience by mentioning the truth, and pointing out that all who were of the truth would gladly hear what the He had to say. He told the truth about everything—who God was, what man was, how sinful man was, what man needed in order to be saved, etc. The Lord Jesus made everything clear.

But Pilate did not want to hear. He dismissed the Lord Jesus by saying, “What is truth?” He did not really want to know the truth, and eventually he condemned an innocent man to death. This world has not changed, and if the Lord Jesus were to come to this world today in the same way, this world would again find some way to get rid of Him. But all who will come to Him as lost sinners can be saved.

Saturday, July 26, 2025

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“And when He had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, He saith unto the man, Stretch forth thine hand” (Mark 3:5).

“Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice” (Ephesians 4:31).

Sometimes people ask the question, Is it ever right for a Christian to be angry? The two verses we have today would seem to contradict one another. The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 4 that we are to put away all wrath and anger, yet in the verse in Mark 3, we find that the Lord Jesus looked around on some of the Jews with anger. On another occasion we know that He made a scourge of small cords, and drove all the animals out of the temple, as well as their owners. He also overturned the tables of the money changers, and the seats of them that sold doves. While the word anger does not appear in the accounts of all this, yet it is certainly reasonable to think that the Lord Jesus was angry with all those people. So, if the Lord Jesus was angry on some occasions, does that mean it is all right for us to be angry sometimes?

On Monday we will look at the answer to this seeming contradiction. Perhaps you can think about it for a day or two, and see if you can think of a verse that might answer the question.

Friday, July 25, 2025

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“And Jesus said unto her…It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto Him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children’s crumbs” (Mark 7:27-28).

If you read the whole story of what happened here (Mark 7:24-30), you will find that this woman who approached the Lord Jesus was a Gentile. To some of us, the way the Lord Jesus spoke to her might seem rather insulting. But the Lord Jesus had been sent to the nation of Israel, and the Gentiles had no right to approach Him and claim His healing power.

However, when the woman admitted who she was, and took her place as a little dog who did not have the same rights as the children, then the Lord readily granted her request.

This incident points out the truth that none of us really has any special claim on the Lord Jesus. He came and offered Himself to the Jews as their rightful King, but they rejected Him. Now the Lord Jesus is offering salvation to whosoever will, but we must come as lost, guilty sinners, asking to be saved only because of the mercy of God. When we come in that way, the Lord will always receive us.

Thursday, July 24, 2025

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“Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him [the Lord Jesus], Why walk not Thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?” (Mark 7:5).

“There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man” (Mark 7:15).

It is certainly a good thing to wash our hands before eating, especially after we have been to town, or to the store, etc. But the Jewish leaders were using this tradition as if it were part of the law of Moses, while at the same time they were using other traditions that actually went against the law of Moses.

The Lord Jesus did not say that it was wrong to wash your hands before eating, but He pointed out that it was not what we eat that defiles us, but what we say and do. It is our wicked hearts that defile us by our sins, and not what we eat.

It was true that in the Old Testament the Israelites were not to eat certain birds and animals, for they were unclean according to the law, but all of this had a typical meaning. The Lord Jesus always kept the law, but He pointed out that real sin came from the heart, and not from what we eat.

Wednesday, July 23, 2025

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“Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man” (Ecclesiastes 12:13).

“What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent” (John 6:28-29).

At the end of the book of Ecclesiastes Solomon reminds his readers that their responsibility was to fear God, and keep His commandments. Later, when the Lord Jesus became a man and came into this world, those who heard Him asked Him what God wanted them to do. In the Old Testament the nation of Israel was used to doing things to please the Lord. But the Lord Jesus’ answer was plain; the most important thing they could do was to believe on Him.

Sadly, most people did not believe on the Lord Jesus when He was here on earth, although many wanted to do something to please God. It is much the same today. Many people want to do something to earn their salvation, but God’s way of salvation is for us to believe on the Lord Jesus.

Yes, we can do good works for God after we are saved, but we cannot do anything to please God with a sinful nature. First of all we must come to the Lord Jesus, and believe on Him.

Tuesday, July 22, 2025

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“Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them” (Ecclesiastes 12:1).

In the book of Ecclesiastes, written by King Solomon, we have a lot of wisdom imparted to us by a very wise man. God had given him a lot of wisdom, but he had also learned things through his own experience. In our verse for today he reminds young people to remember their Creator before they get old.

When we are young, we tend to think that we will have our fun first, and then think about eternal matters when we get older. But it is a fact that most people get saved when they are young. When they get old, they do not find much pleasure in natural things anymore, and later in this chapter (Ecclesiastes 12:3-7) there is a description of what happens when we get old and our bodies and minds begin to fail.

However, if we are not saved, when we get old we often do not have much interest in spiritual things either. Very few people get saved when they are old. If you are not saved, now is the time to accept the Lord Jesus as your Savior.

Monday, July 21, 2025

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“But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).

Several days ago, my wife was standing in an airport, waiting to pick up some people who had come to visit us. She saw an advertisement on the wall for the Subaru car company, showing a four-wheel drive vehicle driving through a river. The slogan underneath was “Grow through what you go through.” They meant that it would be an enriching experience to drive a Subaru, for you would be able to go through rough places where other cars could not go. Of course, their main motive was to sell more Subaru cars, but I thought it was a good slogan for a Christian too.

The Lord does not want us merely to go through various experiences in our Christian life, but wants us to grow spiritually through them all. He allows all the things that we go through, and allows them for our good. We can learn lessons from these experiences that will last forever. Most important, we can learn more of God’s grace, and how much He has done for us. Let us learn to value the experiences God puts us through, and ask the Lord what we are to learn from them.

Sunday, July 20, 2025

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“I looked for some to take pity, but there was none; and for comforters, but I found none” (Psalm 69:20).

When the Lord Jesus went to the cross, there were none that took pity on Him, or wanted to comfort Him. His own nation, the Jews, had rejected Him, and they asked the Roman governor, Pilate, to crucify Him. Then the Roman soldiers used the chance to mock Him and torture Him further. His own disciples forsook Him, and one of them (Peter) denied Him with oaths and curses. This is what man did to the Son of God, and we are all guilty.

Yet He went ahead with what the Father had given Him to do, and did not turn back because of man’s sinful heart. He looked ahead to the time when you and I would be saved, and now He says, “It was worth it all!” What a wonderful Savior we have! How our hearts should want to praise Him, and love Him, for all He has done for us!

Saturday, July 19, 2025

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“And He called unto Him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two…and commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, save a staff only; no scrip, no bread, no money in their purse” (Mark 6:7-8).

On this occasion, the Lord Jesus sent His disciples out to preach, to cast out devils, and to heal people. As God, He was able to give them this power. They were not to take anything with them for support, but were to go in faith, trusting the Lord to provide what they needed. Later on, we find that they did not lack anything; the Lord saw to it that they were provided for.

Some of you may wonder what a scrip is, as many people do not understand what it was. It was a small pouch or satchel made from the skin of the kid of a goat, and was generally used to carry small amounts of food for a journey. But the disciples were not to take even this, for the Lord would provide for them.

Today you and I are privileged to serve the Lord too, and if He calls us, we can depend on Him to supply what we need in order to serve Him.

Friday, July 18, 2025

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“And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent…for the plague thereof was exceeding great” (Revelation 16:21).

In our verse for today, we see another aspect of God’s judgment on sinful man. This time it is not simply a warning; it is direct judgment from God, because man has not repented of His sin. If you are truly saved, you will not be here on the earth when this awful judgment comes.

This time God will use hail, and hail that is large enough to do tremendous damage. The Hebrew talent weighed at least 75 pounds, and some estimate it to have weighed up to 100 pounds. Can you imagine chunks of ice that large coming down as hail? They would easily smash to pieces houses, trees, and many other things, as well as killing anyone who was hit by one.

I remember being in an area of the state of Iowa, U.S.A. a few days after hail the size of small apples had come down, and it did a lot of damage. But that would be nothing compared to hail weighing 75-100 pounds.

Again, if you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior, you will not be here to fall under this judgment from. Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior?

Thursday, July 17, 2025

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“The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked: the Lord hath His way in the whirlwind and in the storm, and the clouds are the dust of His feet” (Nahum 1:3).

Yesterday a warning came suddenly on my cell phone, saying that there was a danger of a tornado striking our area. It said that if we heard another warning, we were immediately to take cover. A tornado is a very frightening thing, and man is powerless against it. We do not get them very often in our area, but they can do a lot of damage in a short time.

No tornado came near us, but near the city of Ottawa, Canada, about an hour from where we live, a tornado did damage a few homes. No one was hurt, for which we were very thankful.

In our verse today, we see that God has “His way in the whirlwind,” and a whirlwind is just what a tornado consists of. God allows such events in this world to warn us of coming judgment, for as our verse also says, the Lord will “not at all acquit the wicked.” To acquit someone is to find them not guilty. But man is guilty before God, and God cannot just forget about it, because of His holy nature. You can pray that people will pay attention to these warnings, and that they will realize that God is speaking to them.

Wednesday, July 16, 2025

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“And when He was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed Him that he might be with Him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee” (Mark 5:18-19).

As we noted yesterday, here in this account in Mark’s gospel, only one man is mentioned as being possessed with demons. I believe there were actually two men, as we see in Matthew, but only one of them was really attached to the Lord Jesus. He was very thankful for what the Lord had done for him, and wanted to be with Him. The Lord Jesus wanted to use that kind of a man.

The book of Mark is the record of the Lord Jesus as the perfect servant, and He wants others, like you and me, to serve Him too. But only those who appreciate Him, and want to be with Him, can serve Him properly. It does not say anything in Mark about the other man, but probably he went away, happy to be released from Satan’s power, but not particularly caring about being with the Lord Jesus. The one who wanted to be with Him was told to go and tell others about the Lord Jesus.

What kind of Christian are you? Are you one who enjoys having your sins forgiven, but does not care much about the Lord Jesus, or are you one who wants to be with Him?

Tuesday, July 15, 2025

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“And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes…immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit…He [Jesus] said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit” (Mark 5:1-2,8).

“And when He was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs” (Matthew 8:28).

If you read these two accounts in Mark 5 and Matthew 8, you will see that they are the same incident. In both cases the devils (demons) were cast out, and in both accounts the devils were allowed by the Lord Jesus to go into the pigs (swine). It was a wonderful day for those two men, but the people who lived in that area were not happy that the Lord Jesus did this. In Mark it says that they were afraid, for they did not trust the Lord Jesus, even though He came to release them from Satan’s power. They did not realize that they were all under Satan’s power, even if they were not indwelt with a devil. They asked Him to leave their area.

It is the same today in this world. People would rather be under the power of Satan, or see someone else under His power, than accept the Lord Jesus. As we know, eventually this world crucified the Lord Jesus, for they wanted to get rid of Him.

But some of you may have a question. Perhaps you ask, Why are two men mentioned in Matthew, and only one in Mark? We will look at this question tomorrow.

Monday, July 14, 2025

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“And the same day, when the even was come, He [the Lord Jesus] saith unto them, Let us pass over unto the other side” (Mark 4:35).

It was the Lord Jesus who said to His disciples, “Let us pass over unto the other side.” However, in the next few verses, we find that a terrific storm arose on the lake, and water was washing into the boat. Yet the Lord Jesus was asleep. His disciples woke Him up, asking Him if He did not care that they were perishing. The Lord immediately rebuked the storm, and it stopped.

But was there any real need for the disciples to be upset? The Lord Himself had said that they would go over to the other side. Could the boat sink when the Lord was in it? Of course not! When the Lord said they would go to the other side of the lake, then they would surely get there.

It is often the same in our lives. Difficult circumstances and problems may make us wonder if the Lord really cares about us. But He has said that He is going to bring us safely home to Himself. There may be storms along the way, but our boat will never sink!

Sunday, July 13, 2025

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“Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? And in Thy name have cast out devils? And in Thy name done many wonderful works? And then I will profess unto them, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:22-23).

Here the Lord shows us that in a coming day—the day of judgment, there will be those who will address the Lord Jesus as Lord, and who will remind Him that they have done wonderful works in His name. They will even have used His name to cast out demons. Yet He will have to say to them, “I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity.”

They may outwardly have done some good things, but to do them without really believing on the Lord Jesus is very serious. God calls those good things “iniquity,” for the word “iniquity” really means having our own way, and wanting our own will. Many people today want to have a relationship with God, but they want it on their own terms. God cannot allow this. To have a proper relationship with God means that we must come to Him as lost sinners, and accept Christ as our Savior.

Saturday, July 12, 2025

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“And He [the Lord Jesus] ordained twelve…and Judas Iscariot, which also betrayed Him” (Mark 3:14,19).

Because He is God, the Lord Jesus knew very well what kind of a man Judas Iscariot was, and He knew that Judas would eventually betray Him. Why then would Jesus pick a man like that for one of His disciples? If we knew that someone was going to play a very mean trick on us later, would we choose that person as our friend? Not likely! Apparently Judas knew how to say the right things, and do the right things, so that none of the other disciples suspected that he would betray the Lord Jesus.

I believe that the Lord Jesus chose Judas to show how far a person could go in pretending to be a real believer, when there was no real faith in his heart. He probably performed miracles, preached to people, and acted in every way like a true disciple. Yet in the end he went into a lost eternity.

In a coming day, there will be others who will have acted like Judas, and who will expect to be admitted into heaven. But the Lord Jesus will have to say, “I never knew you.” Tomorrow we will see how this will happen.

Friday, July 11, 2025

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“And He goeth up into a mountain, and calleth unto Him whom He would…and He ordained twelve, that they should be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach, and to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils…and Judas Iscariot” (Mark 3:13-15,19).

The Lord Jesus was very careful about whom He chose to accompany Him during His ministry for 3 ½ years in this world. Evidently the Lord Jesus called a number of his followers up into a mountain, and then chose twelve. Notice what the Lord Jesus wanted of them.

First of all, they were to be with Him; this is of real importance. To be with the Lord Jesus, and to enjoy His company, is more important than anything we might actually do for Him. But then, the Lord was going to send them forth to preach. This is the right order for all of us; first of all to be with the Lord, and then to go out and preach to others.

But if the Lord Jesus was careful about whom He picked for His disciples, why did He pick a man like Judas Iscariot? We will talk more about this tomorrow.

Thursday, July 10, 2025

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“Above it stood the seraphims…and one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts…and the house was filled with smoke” (Isaiah 6:2-4).

In this account in Isaiah, he saw a vision of the Lord on His throne, with angels round Him, crying out, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts.” At the same time the temple of God was filled with smoke. Why was this?

We have a saying in English that “where there is smoke, there is fire,” and this is true. As I write this in June, 2023, my throat is a little irritated, and the air is hazy outside because of the smoke from wildfires that are burning near Ottawa, Ontario, and also in the neighboring province of Quebec. When we smell the smoke we know that somewhere there is a fire burning. But sometimes the wind carries the smoke a long distance.

Smoke is a warning of fire, and the smoke in God’s temple is a warning of His holiness, and the judgment that will fall on those who dare to come into His temple with sin on them. Isaiah recognized this, and confessed his sinfulness before the Lord. But the Lord cleansed him with a coal of fire from the altar. The altar speaks of the cross of Christ, and as a result, Isaiah could come into the Lord’s presence, although he had sinned. In the same way we can now come into God’s presence, because of the work of Christ on the cross.

Wednesday, July 9, 2025

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“Now is My soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify Thy name” (John 12:27-28).

Here we find the Lord Jesus just before He went to the cross, and when He thought of what that meant for Him, His soul was troubled. On the one hand, He could say, “Father, save Me from this hour.” On the other hand, He had come into the world in order to settle the whole matter of sin. That could be done only if He suffered for sin.

One thought answered the question—“Father, glorify Thy name.” The Father’s name would be glorified only if He went to the cross, and so He went forward to the suffering and shame of death on the cross.

We cannot follow the Lord Jesus into His suffering for sin, but if we wonder what to do sometimes, in a difficult situation, let us remember that phrase—“Father, glorify Thy name.” It would settle many questions in our lives if we simply asked ourselves, “What would glorify the Father’s name?”

Tuesday, July 8, 2025

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“All the people came near…and said unto Jeremiah the prophet…pray for us unto the Lord thy God…that the Lord thy God may shew us the way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do” (Jeremiah 42:1-3).

“And it came to pass, that when Jeremiah had made an end of speaking unto all the people all the words of the Lord their God…then spake…all the proud men, saying unto Jeremiah, Thou speakest falsely: the Lord our God hath not sent thee” (Jeremiah 43:1-2).

After Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, had conquered Judah, those that were left in the land came to Jeremiah, asking Him to pray to the Lord, and to tell them what the Lord wanted them to do. Jeremiah readily told them the mind of the Lord, and that they should not go down into Egypt.

However, the people had already made up their minds to go to Egypt, and were of course hoping that Jeremiah would tell them the same thing. But when he told them that the Lord had said not to go, they simply said that Jeremiah was speaking falsely, and that what he had told them was not the Lord’s will. Then they proceeded to go to Egypt.

It is very sad when we set our own will against God, and are determined to have our own way. It never works out for blessing in our lives.

Monday, July 7, 2025

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“If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine [teaching]” (John 7:17).

I have heard many believers complain that it is hard to know the Lord’s will for their lives, yet this verse clearly says that God is willing to make His will known. But notice that it does NOT say, “If any man will KNOW His will:” rather it says, “If any man will DO His will.” I have some close friends, and if I asked one of them to do me a favor, he would immediately say, “Of course; just tell me what it is.” I have other friends, and if I asked them to do something for me, they would cautiously ask, “What is it?” They want to know what I want them to do before deciding whether to do it or not.

The Lord wants us to be like the first type of friend, who are willing to do His will, whatever it is. He does not reveal His will to those who want to know what He wants, and then reserve the right to say yes or no. He wants to have the first place in our lives, and if we give Him that first place, He will readily show us His will for our lives.

Tomorrow we will see an example of those who wanted to hear the will of the Lord, but then would not do it.

Sunday, July 6, 2025

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“And when the hour was come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him” (Luke 22:14).

In this chapter, the Lord Jesus told Peter and John where to prepare the Passover, but after they had eaten the Passover, the Lord Jesus instituted the remembrance of the Lord. No longer was there any need to keep the Passover, for the Lord Jesus, who was the true Passover, was giving His life for us, as the Lamb of God.

Here we read that when the time came for them to eat the Passover, the twelve apostles were there, with the Lord Jesus. When we read this verse, we are impressed with the fact that they were all on time. The Lord Jesus did not have to wait because someone was late.

Are you and I careful to be at meetings on time? Do we specially consider the remembrance of the Lord important enough to be there in plenty of time? Yes, sometimes we cannot avoid being late, if something suddenly delays us over which we have no control. It is better to be late than not to go at all. But all too often, believers are late simply because they have not gotten up early enough to get ready and get to the meeting on time. Let us remember that the Lord is there, and that we are going to meet Him. Let us not be late!

Saturday, July 5, 2025

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“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53).

“And one of them smote the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear. And Jesus answered and said, Suffer ye thus far. And He touched his ear, and healed him” (Luke 22:50-51).

When Judas and the servants of the high priest came to arrest the Lord Jesus, Peter took a sword and tried to defend Him. But the Lord Jesus reminded Peter that He could ask the Father for twelve legions (many thousands) of angels to defend Him, if necessary. But the Lord Jesus did not do this, for He willingly submitted to the Father’s will, and that will was that He should go to the cross.

However, the Lord Jesus used His power in a different way. Rather than defend Himself, He chose to heal the ear of the high priest’s servant. Peter had used his sword to cut off the ear of the servant, and the Lord healed him. What a wonderful way to use His divine power under such circumstances! We do not hear about this servant anymore, although we are told in John’s gospel that his name was Malchus. But Malchus must have remembered this all his life. The One whom they had come to arrest had actually healed him! It was a powerful testimony as to who the Lord Jesus was.

Friday, July 4, 2025

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“The Son of Man [the Lord Jesus] came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28).

The Lord Jesus came into this world as a man, and He was the rightful King of Israel. Yet He was not received as a king, and in His life down here, He was a servant. He did not come to be treated like royalty, but rather to go about in grace, serving others, and then at the end to go to the cross and give His life so that many could be saved.

In this way, the Lord Jesus has given us an example to follow. Of course, we could never follow Him into His sufferings for sin, but we can be ready to use our time, energy, and money to be a help to others, and to encourage other believers. The Lord Jesus always did what pleased His Father, and for the blessing of man; He never did anything to please Himself.

Another has said, “Self likes to be served, and thinks itself great; love serves, and is great.”

Thursday, July 3, 2025

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“Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth” (Proverbs 27:1).

More than 13 million people travel by train every day in India, and as I write this in June, 2023, a large number of people boarded several trains yesterday on the main north/south line on the east side of the country. Probably none of them thought about what might happen, but a terrible wreck occurred, involving three trains. Nearly 300 people were killed and hundreds of others were injured. I know those trains well, for I have often ridden on those exact trains, on that exact line, many times when I have visited India.

Our verse today reminds us that we never know what a day may bring forth. No doubt many got on those trains yesterday, expecting to visit friends or relatives, or perhaps to go somewhere for work-related reasons. None of them got to their destination that day, and many are now in eternity. All this emphasizes the importance of knowing Christ as our Savior, and being ready if the Lord should allow us suddenly to be taken into eternity. I did not, of course, know anyone who was on those trains, but I trust that at least some of those who died knew the Lord Jesus.

Wednesday, July 2, 2025

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“Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more” (Isaiah 2:4).

As we saw yesterday, today many nations of the world are anxious for power and influence. Sometimes they wage war with one another using weapons, while at other times they use economic methods to force other nations to do what they want them to do. Certain commodities such as oil, wheat, coffee, uranium, lithium, etc. have all influenced relationships between various countries. As I write this in 2023, the present war between the Ukraine and Russia is having a strong influence on trade and commerce worldwide.

However, there is a day coming, in the millennium, when all this will come to an end. Nations will still exist during that time, but they will not go to war with one another. The Lord will reign from Jerusalem in righteousness, and there will be peace for the entire 1000 years. You and I, if we know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, will be in heaven with the Lord, but what a wonderful time it will be for this world!

Tuesday, July 1, 2025

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“He increaseth the nations, and destroyeth them: He enlargeth the nations, and straiteneth them again” (Job 12:23).

I live in Canada, and today is Canada Day—the day Canada became a sovereign nation in the year 1967. There are many nations in the world today, far more than there were a few years ago. For example, in the year 1900, there were about 50 sovereign nations in the world. In the year 1962, the year I started university, there were about 121 nations in the world. Today there are at least 195 countries, and perhaps over 200 if you include some that are disputed. All of them are jostling with one another for influence and power.

However, as we see in our verse, it is God Himself who allows certain countries to rise to power, and then be destroyed. It is God who enlarges some countries, and then allows them to lose their influence. We must recognize this, and also recognize that if we belong to Christ, we have a citizenship that is higher than any nation in this world. Our heavenly home will never become “straitened,” nor will it ever by destroyed.

Yes, we must live and move as citizens of different nations now, but when we are with the Lord, our earthly nationality will not matter any more. We will all be part of that heavenly company!