Young Christians Calendar

May 2026

“Thy wrath lieth hard upon Me, and Thou hast afflicted Me with all Thy waves. Selah” (Psalm 88:7).

We get the account of the Lord Jesus and His sufferings on the cross in the four gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, but in some of the Psalms we read about His deeper feelings and emotions when He went through it all. Psalm 88 is one of those so-called “Messianic” psalms, and our verse for today shows how deeply He felt the wrath of God against sin. God the Father sent Him into the world to suffer for sin, and the Lord Jesus came willingly to do His Father’s will. But He felt it keenly when all of the judgment of God against sin fell upon Him.

Waves in the Bible are often a picture of judgment, for waves in the sea just seem to come one after the other, without a break. That is how it must have been to our Lord Jesus on the cross. All of God’s judgment had to fall upon Him; no part of that judgment could be left out. We cannot thank Him enough for taking all that judgment for us!

Saturday, May 30, 2026

Copy link Print

“Every man’s work shall be made manifest…If any man’s work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss” (1 Corinthians 3:13-15).

I knew a farmer once who told one of his workmen to go out and do some work for him, and to do it a certain way. But the workman thought he knew better, and did the work a different way. Needless to say, the farmer was not pleased.

It is the same with the Lord’s work. He has told us in His Word how He wants His work done, and it is important to serve the Lord in His way, not in our way. In a coming day, He will reward those who have served Him according to His Word, but if we have done His work our own way, it may have to be burned up. That will be sad, and as our verse says, we will feel the loss. It is good to ask the Lord what He wants us to do, and then to do the work His way, according to His Word.

Friday, May 29, 2026

Copy link Print

“Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24).

As I am writing this in May, 2024, there are a number of students at various universities in the world who are setting encampments of tents on university property, trying to force the university administration to support the Palestinians in Gaza. One girl said that she had given up her course at the university, and given up going home for visits, because she felt so strongly about the situation. She is willing to put her whole life “on hold,” if only something can be done for the Palestinians.

According to our verse today, the Lord expects us to deny ourselves, and to be ready to give up anything that hinders our faithfulness to Him. No, the Lord does not expect us to live in tents, and not to do our daily work. But He wants us to be ready to live our lives for Him, as we saw yesterday. Worldly people are willing to do it, sometimes for a very questionable reason. Are we willing to give up things for the Lord?

Thursday, May 28, 2026

Copy link Print

“The things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:18).

People who are not saved often tend to think that this world belongs to them, and that they may use it in any way they wish, in order to have a good time. It is true that God has given us things in this world to use for our needs, but as Christians, we know that this world is under judgment. Soon the Lord Jesus will come to call us home, and then shortly after that, He will come back in power and glory to judge this world. Everything in this world is temporary, and will pass away.

If we truly belong to the Lord Jesus, then He has left us here to honor Him, and to live for His interests in this world. This involves giving out the gospel, encouraging other believers, and living our lives for His glory. Yes, we do need things like food, clothing, a house to live in, etc., but we are not to be using whatever we have just to please ourselves. Rather, those things have been given to us to use for the Lord’s glory.

Wednesday, May 27, 2026

Copy link Print

“The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests” (Matthew 8:20).

As I look out of the window of my study today, the maple tree on our front lawn is just putting out its leaves. But if I look closely, I can see a bird’s nest on one of the branches, a nest that was built last spring. During the winter we had snowstorms, strong winds, and even freezing rain, yet that bird’s nest never came apart and fell out of the tree.

How did the bird know how to build it so well? No one taught the bird to do that; it knew how to do it by instinct. It is something that the Lord gave to that bird when He created it. Using only its beak and perhaps its feet sometimes, that bird can take bits of grass and mud, and put them together to make a strong nest in which to lay its eggs.

Some people in this world try to tell us that all this just happened by a process of evolution, but the Bible tells us God created “fowl [birds] that may fly above the earth” (Genesis 1:20). Only God could give a bird the wisdom to know how to build a nest.

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

Copy link Print

“Remember your leaders who have spoken to you the word of God; and considering the issue of their conversation [conduct, or manner of life], imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and to the ages to come” (Hebrews 13:7-8 JND).

Once again, we are reminded that the Lord Jesus never changes. God has given us leaders in Christianity, and we are reminded to imitate their faith. But what did they teach us? If they were faithful leaders, they spoke about Christ. He was “the issue of their conversation;” that is, Christ was the key to their conduct and lifestyle. They followed Him, and pointed us to Him.

Even those leaders can change. They can fail and make mistakes, and perhaps those of you who were younger notice it sometimes. But God does not want us to follow even good leaders; He wants us to imitate their faith and follow the One that they followed—Christ. He is always a perfect example for us, and He never changes.

Monday, May 25, 2026

Copy link Print

“Of old hast Thou [the Lord Jesus] founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thy hands: they shall perish, but Thou continuest; and all of them shall grow old as a garment: as a vessel shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed. But Thou art the Same, and Thy years shall have no end” (Psalm 102:25-27 JND).

Yesterday we saw how the Lord Jesus was made sin for us, and was compared to unclean birds. Today we see God the Father’s answer to all this. It was the Lord Jesus who created the world, and one day this world will perish: God will destroy it by fire, and create a new heavens and a new earth. See if you can find the verse that tells us this; it is in 2 Peter.

But the Lord Jesus has a title—“the Same.” It is one of the names of God, and it tells us that He is the ever-existing One. The Lord Jesus is God; He was there from all eternity, and He never changes. That is a wonderful thing, for here in this world everything is changing continually. Even people change, and we may be hurt or puzzled to find a friend treating us differently. But the One who suffered for our sins on Calvary’s cross is always the Same: He never changes.

Sunday, May 24, 2026

Copy link Print

“I am like a pelican of the wilderness: I am like an owl of the desert” (Psalm 102:6).

“For He [God the Father] hath made Him [the Lord Jesus] to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

In our first verse today, the Lord Jesus (prophetically) compares Himself to a pelican and an owl. The pelican catches fish in the sea, but then stores them in the pouch beneath his lower beak, and then flies away to sit alone for hours while those fish digest. Then later it feeds these partially digested fish to its young. The owl too usually avoids places where there are a lot of people.

We might wonder why the Lord Jesus compares Himself to these two birds, for both were unclean under the law. (See if you can find the place where the law tells us this; it is found in Leviticus and repeated in Deuteronomy.)

We find the answer in our second verse. The Lord Jesus was not unclean, but He was “made to be sin for us,” and took upon Himself the judgment for our sins. Our sins were laid upon Him, and in the three hours of darkness on the cross, He became like those unclean birds. These verses emphasize how much He suffered for us.

Saturday, May 23, 2026

Copy link Print

“If any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know” (1 Corinthians 8:2).

Here is one last verse about pride. True knowledge makes us humble, because the more we know, the more we realize how much we do not know. This is especially true in spiritual things, where the whole body of truth God has revealed to us is so vast that even the most knowledgeable person knows only a small part of it. Even in scientific circles, those who know the most are usually the most humble, for they realize how much they do not know.

If we are proud of our spiritual knowledge, as were some of those in Corinth, then we have not learned anything in the right way. Paul has to remind them that rather than being impressed with their own knowledge, they needed to realize that God loved them, and that He (God) knew them. When we enjoy God’s love, we are not thinking about our knowledge, or about ourselves, but about God Himself, and that He knows us.

Friday, May 22, 2026

Copy link Print

“When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom” (Proverbs 11:2).

Today we have another verse about pride, and how it eventually brings shame. Why does pride bring shame? Shame comes because a proud person does not want to admit that he/she is wrong. But no matter who we are, sometimes we are wrong. Then, when we are not willing to admit our wrong and apologize, we bring shame on ourselves. Maybe we have been boasting about ourselves and our knowledge, but then someone comes along who knows more than we do, and we are shamed in front of them.

It is much better to be humble, and to realize that none of us knows everything. When we are always ready to learn from others, we get wisdom, as our verse says.

Thursday, May 21, 2026

Copy link Print

“For who maketh thee to differ from another? And what hast thou that thou didst not receive? Now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Some people have a great deal of athletic ability. They may be very good at playing games like football and basketball, doing gymnastics, or running races. Others do better at school, and perhaps become the valedictorian for their class because they have the best grades. Others are good at working with their hands, and can paint beautiful pictures, or use tools to build things like nice pieces of furniture. Some people have very good minds, and can figure out difficult math problems.

Whenever we have a particular ability, it is tempting to be proud of it. But our verse today reminds us that God gave us that ability; we did not get it ourselves. We can be thankful for the skill that God has given us, but to be proud about it is the wrong response. Rather we should give the Lord all the glory, for it is He that created us that way.

Wednesday, May 20, 2026

Copy link Print

“He hath made everything beautiful in its time…so that man findeth not out from the beginning to the end the work that God doeth” (Ecclesiastes 3:11 JND).

I am sure that most of you have heard an insect called a cicada sing in the summer. On hot summer days its noise is very loud, rising to a higher pitch, then gradually falling off. When many of them sing at the same time, the noise tends to scare some people.

Did you know that in northern climates, those cicadas live underground for as long as 17 years before coming up above ground to fly around and sing only for a few weeks? In southern climates, they may live underground for only 13 years. In both cases they feed by attaching themselves to the roots of large trees and sucking out nutritious liquid.

But how do all those cicadas know when it is time to detach themselves from their tree roots and dig their way up to the surface? Scientists freely admit that they have no idea. But God has made those cicadas so that they count the years accurately, and then millions of them come to the surface almost at the same time.

God has indeed made everything beautiful in its time, even if it takes 17 years!

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Copy link Print

“And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able” (1 Corinthians 3:1-2).

We are all familiar with babies, and how they grow best by drinking milk. However, we would be very disappointed if that baby grew bigger, and still wanted nothing but milk. Having nothing but milk is not a balanced diet for a growing child. It needs solid food.

It is the same for us as Christians. When we are first saved, we are like babies, and need very simple spiritual food. We need first to learn the basics of Christianity. However, the Lord expects us to grow, and to be able to take in and enjoy the deeper things of the Lord. Being able to understand “the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10) makes us strong Christians, and able to walk well in this world. Sad to say, many Christians today are content to know only the simple things of Christ, and have no appetite for the deeper truths that are in God’s Word. There are many treasures in God’s Word, and we should all be willing to spend the time learning more about them.

Monday, May 18, 2026

Copy link Print

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season” (2 Timothy 4:2).

In our area we get a lot of “scam calls” on our phones. They come anytime during the day, and last night our phone even rang with a scam call at 4:00 a.m.! Although it is often the same message, they come from many different phone numbers, all over the world. Obviously, it is a good business, and they make a lot of money from unsuspecting people.

In our verse today, Paul tells Timothy to use every available opportunity to preach the word. Are we as diligent in preaching the gospel as these scammers are in trying to steal money from people? I do not mean that we should be phoning people all the time, and especially not in the middle of the night. But do we use every opportunity we have to tell others about Christ? It is something all of us Christians need to think about.

Sunday, May 17, 2026

Copy link Print

“But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery…which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:7-8).

The princes of this world—the Jewish leaders, and those like Pilate, the Roman governor—crucified the Lord Jesus, thinking they could get rid of Him that way. They did not realize that it was God’s way of bringing salvation to this world. They did not realize that He would rise again from the dead.

But suppose they had known what God was intending to do: our verse today says that they would not have crucified the Lord Jesus. But would they have released Him for the right reasons? No! Rather, their minds would have been so contrary to God’s plans, that they would have deliberately done the opposite, just to go against God’s purposes. Man’s natural heart is wicked, and another verse tells us that “the carnal [natural] mind is enmity [hatred] against God.” You can find this verse; it is in the book of Romans.

We can be thankful, on the Lord’s day, that God’s purposes were carried out, and that we can now enjoy salvation through what our Lord Jesus Christ did on the cross.

Saturday, May 16, 2026

Copy link Print

“The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14).

When we speak to those who are not saved, we should not be surprised if they do not understand what we are saying. As our verse today says, the things of the Spirit of God are foolishness to them. They are not indwelt with the Spirit of God, and cannot understand the things of God.

But does this mean that we should not tell them about Christ? Is it no use to speak to them about the things of God, when they cannot understand? No, we should speak to them about Christ, and their need of a Savior. However, we must also recognize that only the Lord can begin a work in their hearts, and give them the faith to believe the gospel. We should always be ready to tell others about Christ, for the Lord can use what we say to bring them to Christ.

Friday, May 15, 2026

Copy link Print

“For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called” (1 Corinthians 1:26).

“And Jesus looked round about, and saith unto His disciples, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God!” (Mark 10:23).

Several months ago, I was speaking to a brother in Christ who preaches the gospel in another country. He remarked to me, “We preach the gospel to everyone, but it seems that only the poor people respond and come to Christ.” Sadly, this is true, and the Bible tells us this. Many who are rich in this world are not interested in coming to Christ. They are too busy enjoying the pleasures of this world.

However, I knew one rich man who said, “I am glad for the letter ‘M’”! Why did he say that? It was because, in our first verse today, it does not say, “Not any mighty,” or “Not any noble.” It says, “Not many.” We can be thankful that there are some who are mighty, noble and rich in this world, who come to Christ.

Thursday, May 14, 2026

Copy link Print

“I would have you wise unto that which is good, and simple concerning evil” (Romans 16:19).

Here in the last chapter of Romans we have some advice that is good for every one of us. Since we still have an old sinful nature, even as Christians, it is easy for us to want to know all the details of the evil in this world. When someone has sinned, even a fellow believer, sometimes we want to know all about it. We can even say that we want to know so that we can pray about it more intelligently!

However, it is much better to be occupied with good, and to be simple about evil. Yes, sometimes we do know details of evil, and sometimes the evil is so evident that we cannot help knowing about it. However, our minds should, if possible, be thinking about what is good, and not about evil. The Holy Spirit never occupies our minds with evil unless it is absolutely necessary, and even then, we must remember that evil does not feed our souls with Christ. Our minds, our conversation, and our outlook in life should always be about something good, if it is possible.

Wednesday, May 13, 2026

Copy link Print

“And there accompanied him [the Apostle Paul] into Asia…Aristarchus and Secundus” (Acts 20:4).

“I Tertius, who wrote this epistle, salute you in the Lord” (Rom. 16:22).

“Erastus the chamberlain of the city saluteth you, and Quartus a brother” (Rom. 16:23).

In these verses we have three men mentioned, all brothers in Christ—Secundus, Tertius, and Quartus. Those are Latin names, and they mean second, third and fourth. Probably those brothers were slaves, or had been slaves, and their masters had not bothered to give them proper names, but had simply named them second, third and fourth. But their names are recorded in the Word of God, for having come to Christ, they were now beloved brethren, whatever their background.

However, we do not read anywhere in the New Testament of a brother named Primus, which means first. I would suggest that the first place was reserved for the Lord Jesus, for we know that He too “took the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:7). The word used here for “servant” means a slave, for the Lord Jesus became like a slave, submitting to His Father’s will entirely. It is a privilege to follow Him in that way, but He must have the first place. He alone displayed that perfect submission and humility that the Father’s will demanded.

Tuesday, May 12, 2026

Copy link Print

“Think on me when it shall be well with thee” (Genesis 40:14).

These words were spoken by Joseph when he had interpreted the dreams for the butler and the baker while they were in prison. We know the story well. And the sad part is that only a few verses later in the chapter we find that Joseph was not remembered or thought about.

Here is one more interesting fact about Churchill and his escape. When the war finally ended and he was safely back in England, it is recorded that Winston Churchill bought 8 gold watches and had each of them engraved with a message of thanks. He sent them back to the little mining village in South Africa where the people had been so kind in saving his life when he was being hunted. I am sure that they were appreciated and valued! Perhaps they were even passed on through generations with the story they told.

Gratefulness is a wonderful trait to cultivate, most of all when it applies to remembering what the Lord Jesus has done for us. No one lost their life protecting Churchill, but the Lord of Glory laid His life down for us!

Monday, May 11, 2026

Copy link Print

“Lo, I am with you alway” (Matthew 28:20).

Let’s continue with our story about Winston Churchill. He climbed over a fence at night when the guards were not looking and began an adventure that would take him east across South Africa to the country that is now Mozambique. There he would be able to get help from the British embassy. He was not prepared. No compass or maps; only some fast-melting chocolate in his pocket! But after stowing away on a passing train, and being hidden for several days by sympathizers at the bottom of a mine shaft, his friends were able to put him on a train heading to his destination.

The escape was still dangerous, as he was hidden in a boxcar among huge bales of wool. It was hot and uncomfortable, but also dangerous as the wool was likely to be inspected along the way. But the owner of the wool shipment risked his own life to ride the train and hurry its progress through every port of inspection. Churchill did not realize until later the care that was being taken of him all along the route.

It is the same with us today. The Lord has promised to bring us safely home, but He not only does this by His power. He is with us every step of the way!

Sunday, May 10, 2026

Copy link Print

“Then the band and the captains and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound Him” (John 18:12).

The time had come when the Lord Jesus was taken prisoner. How many people were sent to make sure He did not get away…the band, the captains, and the officers! But Jesus was doing what His Father had for Him in submitting to the cross. He would not escape because of His commitment to doing the will of His Father, and because of His great love for you and me. A terrible death on the cross and hardest of all, the punishment from God for our sins, was ahead of Him.

On this, another Lord’s day, let us especially think about and remember what our Savior suffered for us both at the hands of the men who hated Him, and from the hand of God who laid our sins upon Him in those hours of darkness.

Saturday, May 9, 2026

Copy link Print

“Therefore they [the Jewish leaders] sought again to take Him [Jesus]: but He escaped out of their hands” (John 10:39).

Recently my wife and I have been reading a most interesting account of Sir Winston Churchill’s escape from prison during the Boer War in South Africa (1899). I imagine any of you who have studied history have heard of Churchill. He was Prime Minister of England and a famous leader during WW2. Churchill was in South Africa as a war correspondent in 1899 at the young age of 23 when he was captured and imprisoned in Pretoria. He attempted and succeeded in escaping. Later in his life he said that those weeks in the prison were the worst time of his life!

Our Lord Jesus was often sought by the Jewish leaders who would have liked to have killed Him. In our verse today, it says that He escaped. It was in His power, as God, just to escape when His enemies came to get Him. At times He simply walked through the midst of His enemies, and His divine power prevented them from taking Him. But we know that He always did His Father’s will, and there came a time when He did not escape.

Friday, May 8, 2026

Copy link Print

“Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: and every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God” (1 John 4:2-3).

The Apostle John wrote his epistles later than any of the other New Testament writers, and by the time he wrote, bad teaching was already starting to come into the profession of Christianity. Among other things, the truth that Jesus Christ is God and man in one Person was being attacked.

John points out that this is the work of Satan, and the spirit of antichrist. We are to be on guard against the work of evil spirits.

An unbeliever cannot confess Jesus Christ as Lord, for he or she is not indwelt by the Spirit of God. It is only by the Spirit of God that we can submit to Christ as our Lord. Once again, all this emphasizes the importance of confessing Christ after we are saved. In addition, it will give you a special joy in your heart to confess Christ to others!

Thursday, May 7, 2026

Copy link Print

“With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation” (Romans 10:10).

This verse might seem confusing to us at first, especially to those of us who are saved. Is it not enough simply to believe on the Lord Jesus? Why then does our verse say that it is important to confess the Lord Jesus with our mouth?

Yes, it is true that simple belief in our hearts is all that is necessary to save us. The Lord knows our hearts, and He knows whether we have really put our trust in Him.

However, the proof that we have really done so is when we confess Him as Lord. I remember giving the gospel to a man who was not saved, and His answer was, “Well, I believe that.” But he would never confess Jesus as Lord, and soon afterward, he again made fun of the gospel. He was definitely not truly saved.

On another occasion I gave the gospel to a good friend of mine, but he wanted this world and all its pleasures. Later in life he did accept Christ, and when he telephoned me, his first words were, “Jesus Christ is now my Lord and Savior.” His faith was real; he had confessed Jesus as Lord. If you are truly saved, have you confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior to others?

Wednesday, May 6, 2026

Copy link Print

“Ye know not what shall be on the morrow…for that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that” (James 4:14-15).

Once again, we see in today’s verses that it is all right to make some plans, but we should do so in the fear of the Lord, and with the realization that it is He that is in control of our lives. The Lord is the only One who knows the future before it happens, and knows what we may be able to do. How many times have our circumstances changed from one day to the next, and perhaps made us change our plans!

If we make our plans before the Lord, we will seek His mind about what we plan to do, again realizing that our whole responsibility in this world is to look after Christ’s interests, and to live to please Him. If we think like this, we will not be boasting about what we expect to do, but rather make plans with the Lord before us. Then we will always say, “If the Lord will, we will do this or that.”

Tuesday, May 5, 2026

Copy link Print

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

If we listen to the words of people in the world today, there are many who are boasting of what they will do tomorrow, or the next day, or next week, or next month, etc. Many people today have a “bucket list” of all the things they wish to do, or the places they plan to visit, before they die.

Our verse today tells us not to boast like this, because we do not know what may happen tomorrow, or at some other time in the future. It is all right to make reasonable plans in our life, for we do need to have some idea of what we may do in the future. The key word in our verse today is “boast.” When we are so certain of our plans that we boast about them, then God reminds us that as creatures, we do not know what may happen in the future. Tomorrow we will see the proper attitude toward the future.

Monday, May 4, 2026

Copy link Print

“For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that shall be revealed in us” (Romans 8:18).

I have always found this to be an amazing verse. In this life, we may sometimes go through a difficult time in order to get something we value. We may, for example, work very hard for something, but then afterwards say, “It was worth it, for I got what I really wanted.” We compare the hardship involved to what we have obtained, and are satisfied.

But today’s verse says that all the sufferings we may go through as Christians in this world are not worthy even to be compared to the glory that we will share in a coming day. The suffering will seem so insignificant that we will not even think about it.

Our hearts cannot imagine what that coming glory will be like. Paul had been caught up to the third heaven, and thus had experienced something of that glory. In a coming day we will experience it too!

Sunday, May 3, 2026

Copy link Print

“An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing of the wicked, is sin” (Proverbs 21:4).

Here we find the reason why God cannot accept the good deeds of the natural man. He may do something good or nice, but it is always done from the wrong motive. When an unsaved person does something good, usually he or she is proud of it. Pride in man is always wrong, for it takes away glory that belongs to God, and gives it to man.

Even if it is only something like plowing a field, an unsaved person does it without reference to God’s claims. There is nothing wrong with plowing, but if I do not recognize that this world belongs to God as its Creator, then I am taking a place of ownership that does not belong to me.

The natural man disposes of this world as if it were his own, while God tells us in His Word that “the earth is the Lord’s and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein” (Psalm 24:1). Not only did God create this world; He created us too, but man often forgets this, and acts as if he had no responsibility toward God.

When we come to Christ, we recognize God’s claims over us, and recognize, too, that we are sinners before God. Then we find that God is willing to forgive ours sins through the Lord Jesus Christ, His beloved Son.

Saturday, May 2, 2026

Copy link Print

“The carnal mind is enmity [hatred] against God…so then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (Romans 8:7-8).

These verses are speaking about someone who is not saved. They have a “carnal” mind—a mind that enjoys natural things. They are looked upon as being “in the flesh;” that is, they operate only with their sinful fallen nature; they do not have a new life in Christ.

While these people may sometimes have a nice personality, and even do what are commonly called “nice things,” yet none of this is pleasing to God. We might wonder why this is so. Why cannot God accept good things that are done by people who are not saved? Today many who are not true believers may give money to help the poor, or may help someone out who is in trouble. Last summer my neighbor (who is not saved) offered to come over and mow my lawn for me. Tomorrow we will see why God cannot accept this as a good deed that will help toward his salvation.

Friday, May 1, 2026

Copy link Print

“Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof” (Romans 6:12).

Many years ago I had a friend who I believe was a true Christian. Yet, in speaking about himself once, he said, “I don’t think I have two natures. When I want to do something, it is just me, and I decide to do it.” Was it really true that he did not have two natures?

No, it was not true; he certainly did have an old sinful nature, and I believe he also had a new life in Christ. However, he was living so far away from the Lord that his sinful nature had taken over his life. He was doing what our verse today tells us NOT to do. He was allowing sin to reign in his life, and he did not even realize that he had a new nature that wanted to please the Lord.

This can happen to any one of us, if we allow sin in our lives, and do not confess it to the Lord. Then we become hardened to sin, and we are often worse than an unbeliever. Other verses in Romans 6 tell us that we are to consider ourselves dead to sin, and to allow the new nature to govern our life and our conduct.