Devotions (Page 4)

Such As I Have They have no need to go away; give ye them to eat. Matthew 14:16 Spiritual poverty and spiritual straitness are two of the greatest problems in the Church. Too many Christians are so poor they have not sufficient for their own needs. Alas for any who go to them for help! But poverty is effect, not cause, and straitness is effect, not cause. The cause of poverty and of straitness is a lack of the Spirit’s…

A Frog In My Throat O sing to the Lord a new song,For He has done marvelous and wonderful things;His right hand and His holy arm have gained the victory for Him. The Lord has made known His salvation;He has [openly] revealed His righteousness in the sight of the nations. He has [graciously] remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel;All the ends of the earth have witnessed the salvation of our God. Shout joyfully to the…

True Worship By faith Abraham, being tried, offered up Isaac; yea, he that gladly received the promises was offering up his only begotten son; even he of whom it was said, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. Hebrews 11: 17 We can appreciate what Abraham might have said. He might have argued that, whereas he could understand the command to expel Ishmael, this new order, not merely to expel but to slay Issac, was quite incomprehensible. Ishmael had been…

The Lord Reigns….Does He? The Lord reigns, let the earth rejoice;Let the many islands and coastlands be glad. Clouds and thick darkness surround Him [as at Sinai];Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Fire goes before HimAnd burns up His adversaries on all sides. His lightnings have illuminated the world;The earth has seen and trembled. The mountains melted like wax at the presence of the Lord,At the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare…

I Sanctify Myself For their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. John 17:19 One thing is certain, that while there is anything between you and the Lord you can not weaken others. You cannot uplift them. When they are low, you will bring them lower. When they feel heavy, your coming will only add to their heaviness. Instead of being an asset in the fellowship of God’s people you will contribute nothing, but…

Skylight For The Heart O sing to the Lord a new song;Sing to the Lord, all the earth! Sing to the Lord, bless His name;Proclaim good news of His salvation from day to day. Declare His glory among the nations,His marvelous works and wonderful deeds among all the peoples. For great is the Lord and greatly to be praised;He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are [worthless, lifeless] idols,But the Lord made…

What Is Truth? Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:32 We must avoid over spiritualizing what we read in the Word of God. John’s new heaven and earth, for example, are as truly real as the risen Lord is real. To spiritualize away divine things is the expedient of people who do not themselves know that reality. Many of us amass spiritual truth, only, I fear, to build for ourselves with it a…

The Spirit of Slap O Lord God, You to whom vengeance belongs,O God, You to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth [in judgment]! Rise up, O Judge of the earth;Give to the proud a fitting compensation. O Lord, how long will the wicked,How long will the wicked rejoice in triumph? They pour out words, speaking arrogant things;All who do evil boast proudly. They crush Your people, O Lord,And afflict and abuse Your heritage. They kill the widow and the alienAnd murder…

Learning By Watching Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning. Romans 15:4 Christianity is built not on precepts alone but on concrete examples. One of God’s methods of instruction is through history. It tells us how men knew and did his will, so that by observing their lives we may not only discover that will for ourselves, but learn also how we too may do it. His hand in their lives produced his desire in them, and…

Resting, Reflecting It is a good and delightful thing to give thanks to the Lord,To sing praises to Your name, O Most High, To declare Your lovingkindness in the morningAnd Your faithfulness by night, With an instrument of ten strings and with the harp,With a solemn sound on the lyre. For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works;At the works of Your hands I joyfully sing. How great are Your works, O Lord!Your thoughts are very deep…