April • 60 entries
Morning • 4/1
Song of Solomon 1:2
For several days we have been dwelling upon the Saviour’s passion, and for some little time to come we shall linger there. In beginning a new month, let us seek the same desires after our Lord as those which glowed in the heart of the elect spouse. See how she leaps at once to hi…
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Evening • 4/1
Hosea 10:12
This month of April is said to derive its name from the Latin verb aperio , which signifies to open , because all the buds and blossoms are now opening, and we have arrived at the gates of the flowery year. Reader, if you are still unsaved, may your heart, in accord with the univ…
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Morning • 4/2
Matthew 27:14
He had never been slow of speech when he could bless the sons of men, but he would not say a single word for himself. “Never man spake like this man,” and never man was silent like him. Was this singular silence the index of his perfect self-sacrifice ? Did it show that he would…
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Evening • 4/2
Isaiah 53:10
Plead for the speedy fulfillment of this promise, all you who love the Lord. It is easy work to pray when our desires are grounded and founded upon God’s own promise. How can he who gave the word refuse to keep it? Immutable veracity cannot demean itself by a lie, and eternal fai…
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Morning • 4/3
John 19:16
He had been all night in agony; he had spent the early morning at the hall of Caiaphas; he had been hurried from Caiaphas to Pilate, from Pilate to Herod, and from Herod back again to Pilate. He had, therefore, very little strength left, and yet neither refreshment nor rest was p…
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Evening • 4/3
Isaiah 53:6
Here is a confession of sin common to all the elect people of God. They have all fallen, and therefore, in common chorus, they all say, from the first who entered heaven to the last who shall enter there, All we like sheep have gone astray . The confession, while thus unanimous,…
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Morning • 4/4
2 Corinthians 5:21
Mourning Christian! why do you weep? Are you mourning over your own corruptions? Look to your perfect Lord, and remember, you are complete in Him ; you are in God’s sight as perfect as if you had never sinned. No, more than that, the Lord our Righteousness has put a divine garmen…
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Evening • 4/4
Isaiah 2:3
It is exceedingly beneficial to our souls to mount above this present evil world to something nobler and better. The cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches tend to choke everything good within us, and we grow fretful, desponding, perhaps proud and carnal. It is good…
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Morning • 4/5
Luke 23:26
We see in Simon’s carrying the cross a picture of the work of the Church throughout all generations; she is the cross-bearer after Jesus. Observe then, Christian, Jesus does not suffer so as to exclude your suffering. He bears a cross, not that you may escape it, but that you may…
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Evening • 4/5
Proverbs 15:33
Humiliation of soul always brings a positive blessing with it . If we empty our hearts of self, God will fill them with his love. The one who desires close communion with Christ should remember the word of the Lord: To this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contr…
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Morning • 4/6
Hebrews 13:13
Jesus, bearing his cross, went forth to suffer without the gate. The Christian’s reason for leaving the camp of the world’s sin and religion is not because he loves to be singular, but because Jesus did so ; and the disciple must follow his Master. Christ was not of the world : h…
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Evening • 4/6
Psalm 118:12
Our Lord Jesus, by His death, did not purchase a right to only a part of us, but to the entire person. He contemplated in His passion the sanctification of us wholly—spirit, soul, and body—that in this triple kingdom He Himself might reign supreme without a rival. It is the busin…
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Morning • 4/7
Psalm 4:2
An instructive writer has made a mournful list of the honors that the blinded people of Israel awarded to their long-expected King. They gave him a procession of honor , in which Roman legionaries, Jewish priests, men, and women took part, he himself bearing his cross. This is th…
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Evening • 4/7
Psalm 51:14
In this solemn confession , it is pleasing to observe that David plainly names his sin. He does not call it manslaughter, nor speak of it as an imprudence by which an unfortunate accident occurred to a worthy man, but he calls it by its true name, bloodguiltiness. He did not actu…
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Morning • 4/8
Luke 23:31
Among other interpretations of this suggestive question, the following is full of teaching: “If the innocent substitute for sinners suffers thus, what will be done when the sinner himself—the dry tree—will fall into the hands of an angry God?” When God saw Jesus in the sinner’s p…
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Evening • 4/8
Psalm 23:4
Behold, how independent of outward circumstances the Holy Spirit can make the Christian! What a bright light may shine within us when it is all dark around us! How firm, how happy, how calm, how peaceful we may be, when the world shakes to and fro, and the pillars of the earth ar…
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Morning • 4/9
Luke 23:27
Amid the mob that hounded the Redeemer to his doom, there were some gracious souls whose bitter anguish sought an outlet in wailing and lamentations—fitting music to accompany that procession of sorrow. When my soul can, in imagination, see the Savior bearing his cross to Calvary…
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Evening • 4/9
Psalm 18:35
The words are capable of being translated, “Your goodness has made me great.” David gratefully ascribed all his greatness not to his own goodness, but to the goodness of God. “Your providence ,” is another reading; and providence is nothing more than goodness in action. Goodness…
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Morning • 4/10
Luke 23:33
The hill of comfort is the hill of Calvary; the house of consolation is built with the wood of the cross; the temple of heavenly blessing is founded upon the split rock—split by the spear which pierced his side. No scene in sacred history ever gladdens the soul like Calvary’s tra…
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Evening • 4/10
Acts 27:23
Tempest and long darkness, coupled with the imminent risk of shipwreck, had brought the crew of the vessel into a dire situation; one man alone among them remained perfectly calm, and by his word, the rest were reassured. Paul was the only man who had courage enough to say, “Sirs…
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Morning • 4/11
Psalm 22:14
Did earth or heaven ever behold a sadder spectacle of woe! In soul and body, our Lord felt Himself to be weak as water poured upon the ground. The placing of the cross in its socket had shaken Him with great violence, had strained all the ligaments, pained every nerve, and more o…
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Evening • 4/11
Psalm 25:18
It is well for us when prayers about our sorrows are linked with pleas concerning our sins—when, being under God’s hand, we are not wholly taken up with our pain, but remember our offenses against God. It is well, also, to take both sorrow and sin to the same place. It was to God…
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Morning • 4/12
Psalm 22:14
Our blessed Lord experienced a terrible sinking and melting of soul. The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity, but a wounded spirit who can bear? Deep depression of spirit is the most grievous of all trials; all besides is as nothing. Well might the suffering Saviour cry to…
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Evening • 4/12
Nehemiah 3:15
Mention of the king’s garden by Nehemiah brings to mind the paradise which the King of kings prepared for Adam. Sin has utterly ruined that fair abode of all delights, and driven out the children of men to till the ground, which yields thorns and briers to them. My soul, remember…
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Morning • 4/13
Song of Solomon 1:13
Myrrh may well be chosen as the type of Jesus on account of its preciousness, its perfume, its pleasantness, its healing, preserving, disinfecting qualities, and its connection with sacrifice . But why is He compared to “a bundle of myrrh”? First, for plenty . He is not a drop of…
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Evening • 4/13
Leviticus 1:4
Our Lord’s being made “sin for us” is set forth here by the very significant transfer of sin to the bullock, which was made by the elders of the people. The laying of the hand was not a mere touch of contact, for in some other places of Scripture the original word has the meaning…
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Morning • 4/14
Psalm 22:7
Mockery was a great ingredient in our Lord’s suffering. Judas mocked him in the garden; the chief priests and scribes scorned him; Herod treated him with contempt; the servants and the soldiers jeered at him, and brutally insulted him; Pilate and his guards ridiculed his royalty;…
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Evening • 4/14
Isaiah 3:10
It is well with the righteous always . If it had said, “ Say ye to the righteous, that it is well with him in his prosperity, ” we must have been thankful for so great a blessing, for prosperity is an hour of peril, and it is a gift from heaven to be secured from its snares: or i…
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Morning • 4/15
Psalm 22:1
Here we behold the Savior in the depth of his sorrows. No other place so well shows the griefs of Christ as Calvary, and no other moment at Calvary is so full of agony as that in which his cry rends the air— My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? At this moment physical weakn…
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Evening • 4/15
Psalm 28:9
God’s people need lifting up . They are very heavy by nature. They have no wings, or, if they have, they are like the dove of old which lay among the pots; and they need divine grace to make them mount on wings covered with silver, and with feathers of yellow gold. By nature spar…
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Morning • 4/16
1 Peter 1:19
Standing at the foot of the cross, we see hands, and feet, and side, all distilling crimson streams of precious blood. It is “precious” because of its redeeming and atoning efficacy . By it the sins of Christ’s people are atoned for; they are redeemed from under the law; they are…
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Evening • 4/16
Exodus 17:12
So mighty was the prayer of Moses, that all depended upon it. The petitions of Moses defeated the enemy more than the fighting of Joshua. Yet both were needed. So, in the soul’s conflict, force and fervor, decision and devotion, valor and vehemence, must join their forces, and al…
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Morning • 4/17
Hebrews 12:24
Reader, have you come to the blood of sprinkling? The question is not whether you have come to a knowledge of doctrine, or an observance of ceremonies, or to a certain form of experience, but have you come to the blood of Jesus ? The blood of Jesus is the life of all vital godlin…
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Evening • 4/17
John 12:21
Always the worldly person's cry is, “Who will show us any good?” He seeks satisfaction in earthly comforts, enjoyments, and riches. But the awakened sinner knows of only one good. “O that I knew where I might find Him !” When he is truly awakened to feel his guilt, if you could p…
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Morning • 4/18
Joshua 2:21
Rahab depended for her preservation on the promise of the spies, whom she looked upon as the representatives of the God of Israel. Her faith was simple and firm, but it was very obedient. Tying the scarlet line in the window was a very trivial act in itself, but she dared not ris…
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Evening • 4/18
Genesis 32:12
When Jacob was on the other side of the brook Jabbok, and Esau was coming with armed men, he earnestly sought God’s protection. As a primary reason, he pleaded, “And thou saidst, I will surely do thee good.” Oh, the force of that plea! He was holding God to his word— “Thou saidst…
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Morning • 4/19
Matthew 27:51
A significant miracle was performed in the tearing of so strong and thick a veil; but it was not intended merely as a display of power—many lessons were taught us in this. The old law of ordinances was put away , and like a worn-out garment, torn and laid aside. When Jesus died,…
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Evening • 4/19
Revelation 3:14
The word Amen solemnly confirms what went before; and Jesus is the great Confirmer; immutable, forever He is “the Amen” in all His promises . Sinner , I would comfort you with this reflection. Jesus Christ said, “Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will giv…
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Morning • 4/20
Hebrews 2:14
O child of God, death has lost its sting, because the devil’s power over it is destroyed. Then cease to fear dying. Ask grace from God the Holy Spirit, that by an intimate knowledge and a firm belief of your Redeemer’s death, you may be strengthened for that dread hour. Living ne…
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Evening • 4/20
1 Samuel 18:17
The sacramental host of God’s elect is still warring on earth, Jesus Christ being the Captain of their salvation. He has said, Lo! I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Listen to the shouts of war! Now let the people of God stand fast in their ranks, and let no one…
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Morning • 4/21
Job 19:25
The marrow of Job’s comfort lies in that little word “My”—“My Redeemer,” and in the fact that the Redeemer lives. Oh! to get hold of a living Christ. We must have a personal possession of him before we can enjoy him. What is gold in the mine to me? Men are beggars in Peru, and be…
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Evening • 4/21
Romans 8:34
He who was once despised and rejected of men, now occupies the honourable position of a beloved and honoured Son. The right hand of God is the place of majesty and favour . Our Lord Jesus is his people’s representative. When he died for them, they had rest; he rose again for them…
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Morning • 4/22
Acts 5:31
Jesus, our Lord, once crucified, dead and buried, now sits upon the throne of glory. The highest place that heaven affords is His by undisputed right. It is sweet to remember that the exaltation of Christ in heaven is a representative exaltation . He is exalted at the Father’s ri…
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Evening • 4/22
Psalm 91:5
What is this terror? It may be the cry of fire, the noise of thieves, imagined appearances, or the shriek of sudden sickness or death. We live in a world of death and sorrow; therefore, we may expect troubles both in the night watches and beneath the glare of the broiling sun. No…
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Morning • 4/23
Romans 8:37
We go to Christ for forgiveness, and then too often look to the law for power to fight our sins. Paul thus rebukes us: “O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth? This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law,…
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Evening • 4/23
Revelation 5:6
Why should our exalted Lord appear in His wounds in glory? The wounds of Jesus are His glories, His jewels, His sacred ornaments. To the eye of the believer, Jesus is surpassingly beautiful because He is “white and ruddy”: white with innocence, and ruddy with His own blood. We se…
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Morning • 4/24
Nehemiah 9:38
There are many occasions in our experience when we may very rightly, and with benefit, renew our covenant with God. After recovery from sickness , when, like Hezekiah, we have had a new term of years added to our life, we may fittingly do it. After any deliverance from trouble ,…
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Evening • 4/24
Song of Solomon 2:12
Sweet is the season of spring: the long and dreary winter helps us to appreciate its genial warmth, and its promise of summer enhances its present delights. After periods of spiritual depression, it is delightful to behold again the light of the Sun of Righteousness; then our slu…
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Morning • 4/25
Song of Solomon 2:10
Behold, I hear the voice of my Beloved! He speaks to me ! Fair weather is smiling upon the face of the earth, and He does not want me spiritually asleep while nature is all around me awakening from her winter’s rest. He tells me, Rise up, and well He may, for I have long enough b…
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Evening • 4/25
Revelation 3:20
What is your desire this evening? Is it set upon heavenly things? Do you long to enjoy the high doctrine of eternal love? Do you desire liberty in very close communion with God? Do you aspire to know the heights, and depths, and lengths, and breadths? Then you must draw near to J…
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Morning • 4/26
1 Corinthians 11:24
It seems, then, that Christians may forget Christ! There could be no need for this loving exhortation if there were not a fearful supposition that our memories might prove treacherous. Nor is this a mere supposition; alas, it is too well confirmed in our experience, not as a poss…
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Evening • 4/26
Revelation 16:15
“We die daily,” said the apostle. This was the life of the early Christians; they went everywhere with their lives in their hands. We are not in this day called to pass through the same fearful persecutions: if we were, the Lord would give us grace to bear the test; but the tests…
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Morning • 4/27
Psalm 67:6
It is strange how little use we make of the spiritual blessings which God gives us, but it is stranger still how little use we make of God himself. Though he is “our own God,” we apply ourselves so little to him, and ask so little of him. How seldom do we ask counsel from the Lor…
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Evening • 4/27
Psalm 10:16
Jesus Christ is no despotic claimant of divine right , but he is really and truly the Lord’s anointed! It hath pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell. God has given to him all power and all authority. As the Son of man, he is now head over all things to his churc…
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Morning • 4/28
Psalm 119:49
Whatever your especial need may be, you may readily find some promise in the Bible suited to it. Are you faint and feeble because your way is rough and you are weary? Here is the promise— He giveth power to the faint. When you read such a promise, take it back to the great Promis…
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Evening • 4/28
Ezekiel 3:7
Are there no exceptions? No, not one. Even the favoured race are thus described. Are the best so bad?—then what must the worst be? Come, my heart, consider how far you have a share in this universal accusation, and while considering, be ready to take shame to yourself in which yo…
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Morning • 4/29
Jeremiah 17:17
The path of the Christian is not always bright with sunshine; he has his seasons of darkness and of storm. True, it is written in God's Word, Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace; and it is a great truth, that religion is calculated to give a man happine…
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Evening • 4/29
Psalm 149:4
How comprehensive is the love of Jesus! There is no part of His people’s interests which He does not consider, and there is nothing which concerns their welfare which is not important to Him. He does not merely think of you, believer, as an immortal being, but as a mortal being t…
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Morning • 4/30
Numbers 14:2
There are murmurers among Christians now, as there were in the camp of Israel of old. There are those who, when the rod falls, cry out against the afflictive dispensation. They ask, “Why am I so afflicted? What have I done to be chastened in this manner?” A word with you, O murmu…
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Evening • 4/30
Psalm 139:17
Divine omniscience affords no comfort to the ungodly mind, but to the child of God it overflows with consolation. God is always thinking of us, never turns His mind away from us, and keeps us always before His eyes; and this is precisely as we would want it, for it would be dread…
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