August • 62 entries
Morning • 8/1
Ruth 2:2
Downcast and troubled Christian, come and glean today in the broad field of promise. Here is an abundance of precious promises, which exactly meet your needs. Take this one: “He will not break the bruised reed, nor quench the smoking flax.” Does that not suit your case? A reed, h…
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Evening • 8/1
Psalm 65:11
All the year round, every hour of every day, God is richly blessing us; both when we sleep and when we wake his mercy attends us. The sun may leave us a legacy of darkness, but our God never ceases to shine upon his children with beams of love. Like a river, his lovingkindness is…
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Morning • 8/2
Ephesians 1:11
Our belief in God’s wisdom supposes and necessitates that He has a settled purpose and plan in the work of salvation. What would creation have been without His design? Is there a fish in the sea, or a fowl in the air, which was left to chance for its formation? No, in every bone,…
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Evening • 8/2
Ruth 2:17
Let me learn from Ruth, the gleaner. As she went out to gather the ears of grain, so I must go out into the fields of prayer, meditation, the ordinances, and hearing the word to gather spiritual food. The gleaner gathers her portion ear by ear ; her gains are little by little, so…
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Morning • 8/3
Revelation 21:23
Quietly contemplate the Lamb as the light of heaven. Light in Scripture is the emblem of joy . The joy of the saints in heaven is found in this: Jesus chose us, loved us, bought us, cleansed us, robed us, kept us, glorified us: we are here entirely through the Lord Jesus. Each on…
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Evening • 8/3
Luke 8:42
Jesus is passing through the crowd to the house of Jairus, to raise the ruler’s dead daughter; but he is so abundant in goodness that he works another miracle while on the road. While this rod of Aaron still bears the blossom of an unaccomplished wonder, it yields the ripe almond…
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Morning • 8/4
Daniel 11:32
Every believer understands that to know God is the highest and best form of knowledge; and this spiritual knowledge is a source of strength to the Christian. It strengthens his faith . Believers are constantly spoken of in the Scriptures as being persons who are enlightened and t…
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Evening • 8/4
Haggai 2:17
How destructive hail is to the standing crops, beating out the precious grain onto the ground! How grateful we should be when the corn is spared such a terrible ruin! Let us offer thanksgiving to the Lord. Even more to be dreaded are those mysterious destroyers—smut, bunt, rust,…
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Morning • 8/5
Romans 8:28
Upon some points a believer is absolutely sure. He knows, for instance, that God sits at the helm of the vessel when it rocks most. He believes that an invisible hand is always on the world’s tiller, and that wherever the course of providence may seem to drift, Jehovah steers it.…
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Evening • 8/5
Numbers 32:6
Kinship has its obligations. The Reubenites and Gadites would have been unbrotherly if they had claimed the land which had been conquered, and had left the rest of the people to fight for their portions alone. We have received much through the efforts and sufferings of the saints…
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Morning • 8/6
Isaiah 21:11
What enemies are active ? Errors are a numerous horde, and new ones appear every hour: against what heresy am I to be on my guard? Sins creep from their lurking places when darkness reigns; I myself must mount the watchtower and watch in prayer. Our heavenly Protector foresees al…
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Evening • 8/6
Psalm 72:19
This is a large petition. To intercede for a whole city needs a stretch of faith, and there are times when a prayer for one man is enough to stagger us. But how far-reaching was the psalmist’s dying intercession! How comprehensive! How sublime! Let the whole earth be filled with…
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Morning • 8/7
Song of Solomon 1:4
Believers love Jesus with a deeper affection than they dare to give any other being. They would sooner lose father and mother than part with Christ. They hold all earthly comforts with a loose hand, but they carry Him securely locked in their bosoms. They voluntarily deny themsel…
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Evening • 8/7
1 Thessalonians 2:18
Since the first hour in which goodness came into conflict with evil, it has never ceased to be true in spiritual experience that Satan hinders us. From all points of the compass, all along the line of battle, in the vanguard and in the rear, at the dawn of day and in the midnight…
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Morning • 8/8
Isaiah 59:5
See the spider’s web, and behold in it a most suggestive picture of the hypocrite’s religion. It is meant to catch his prey : the spider fattens himself on flies, and the Pharisee has his reward. Foolish persons are easily entrapped by the loud professions of pretenders, and even…
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Evening • 8/8
Mark 9:23
Many professed Christians are always doubting and fearing, and they despondently think that this is the necessary state of believers. This is a mistake, for all things are possible to him that believeth ; and it is possible for us to rise to a state in which a doubt or a fear wil…
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Morning • 8/9
Revelation 21:23
In that better world, the inhabitants are independent of all creature comforts. They have no need of clothing; their white robes never wear out, nor will they ever be defiled. They need no medicine to heal diseases, for the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick. They need no sleep…
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Evening • 8/9
Mark 16:9
Mary of Magdala was the victim of a fearful evil . She was possessed by not only one devil, but seven. These dreadful inmates caused much pain and pollution to the poor frame in which they had found a lodging. Hers was a hopeless, horrible case. She could not help herself, nor co…
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Morning • 8/10
Colossians 3:4
Paul’s marvelously rich expression indicates that Christ is the source of our life. You he has quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins. That same voice which brought Lazarus out of the tomb raised us to newness of life. He is now the substance of our spiritual life. It is…
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Evening • 8/10
Matthew 9:6
Behold one of the great Physician’s mightiest skills: He has power to forgive sin! While He lived here below, before the ransom had been paid, before the blood had been literally sprinkled on the mercy seat, He had power to forgive sin. Does He not have power to do it now that He…
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Morning • 8/11
Job 29:2
Many Christians can view the past with pleasure but regard the present with dissatisfaction; they look back upon the days they have spent communing with the Lord as the sweetest and best they have ever known, but as for the present, it is clothed in a somber covering of gloom and…
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Evening • 8/11
2 Thessalonians 2:16
"Consolation." There is music in the word: like David’s harp, it charms away the evil spirit of melancholy. It was a distinguished honor for Barnabas to be called "the son of consolation"; indeed, it is one of the illustrious names of a greater than Barnabas, for the Lord Jesus i…
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Morning • 8/12
Psalm 97:1
There is no cause for unease as long as this blessed sentence is true. On earth , the Lord’s power as readily controls the rage of the wicked as the rage of the sea; his love as easily refreshes the poor with mercy as the earth with showers. Majesty gleams in flashes of fire amid…
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Evening • 8/12
Genesis 9:14
The rainbow, the symbol of the covenant with Noah, is typical of our Lord Jesus, who is the Lord’s witness to the people. When may we expect to see the token of the covenant ? The rainbow is only to be seen painted upon a cloud . When the sinner’s conscience is dark with clouds,…
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Morning • 8/13
Psalm 104:16
Lebanon’s cedars are emblematic of the Christian, in that they owe their planting entirely to the Lord . This is quite true of every child of God. He is not man-planted, nor self-planted, but God-planted. The mysterious hand of the divine Spirit dropped the living seed into a hea…
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Evening • 8/13
Genesis 9:15
Mark the form of the promise. God does not say, “And when you shall look upon the bow, and you shall remember my covenant, then I will not destroy the earth,” but it is gloriously put, not upon our memory, which is fickle and frail, but upon God's memory, which is infinite and im…
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Morning • 8/14
Psalm 92:4
Do you believe that your sins are forgiven, and that Christ has made a full atonement for them? Then what a joyful Christian you ought to be ! How you should live above the common trials and troubles of the world! Since sin is forgiven, can it matter what happens to you now? Luth…
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Evening • 8/14
Exodus 3:7
The child is cheered as he sings, “This my father knows;” and should we not be comforted as we perceive that our dear Friend and tender soul-husband knows all about us? He is the Physician , and if he knows all, there is no need for the patient to know. Hush, you silly, flutterin…
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Morning • 8/15
Genesis 24:63
Very admirable was his occupation . If those who spend so many hours in idle company, light reading, and useless pastimes could learn wisdom, they would find more profitable society and more interesting engagements in meditation than in the vanities which now have such charms for…
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Evening • 8/15
Ezekiel 36:26
A heart of flesh is known by its tenderness concerning sin . To have indulged a foul imagination, or to have allowed a wild desire to linger even for a moment, is quite enough to make a heart of flesh grieve before the Lord. The heart of stone calls a great iniquity nothing, but…
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Morning • 8/16
Psalm 29:2
God’s glory is the result of his nature and acts. He is glorious in his character, for there is such a store of everything that is holy, and good, and lovely in God, that he must be glorious. The actions which flow from his character are also glorious; but while he intends that t…
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Evening • 8/16
Romans 8:23
Present possession is declared. At this present moment we have the firstfruits of the Spirit. We have repentance, that gem of the first water; faith, that priceless pearl; hope, the heavenly emerald; and love, the glorious ruby. We are already made new creatures in Christ Jesus ,…
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Morning • 8/17
Psalm 52:8
Meditate a little on this mercy of the Lord. It is tender mercy . With gentle, loving touch, He heals the broken in heart, and binds up their wounds . He is as gracious in the manner of His mercy as in the matter of it. It is great mercy . There is nothing little in God; His merc…
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Evening • 8/17
John 11:4
From our Lord’s words we learn that there is a limit to sickness. Here is an “unto” within which its ultimate end is restrained, and beyond which it cannot go. Lazarus might pass through death, but death was not to be the final outcome of his sickness. In all sickness, the Lord s…
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Morning • 8/18
Jeremiah 51:51
In this account, the faces of the Lord’s people were covered with shame, for it was a terrible thing that men should intrude into the Holy Place reserved for the priests alone. Everywhere about us we see similar cause for sorrow. How many ungodly men are now studying with the int…
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Evening • 8/18
Mark 15:23
A golden truth is contained in the fact that the Savior put the myrrhed wine-cup from his lips. Long ago, on the heights of heaven, the Son of God stood, and as he looked down upon our globe, he measured the long descent to the utmost depths of human misery; he calculated the sum…
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Morning • 8/19
Micah 5:4
Christ’s reign in his Church is that of a shepherd-king . He has supremacy, but it is the superiority of a wise and tender shepherd over his needy and loving flock; he commands and receives obedience, but it is the willing obedience of the well-cared-for sheep, rendered joyfully…
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Evening • 8/19
Psalm 31:4
Our spiritual foes are of the serpent’s brood and seek to ensnare us by subtlety. The prayer before us supposes the possibility of the believer being caught like a bird. So deftly does the fowler do his work that unsuspecting ones are soon surrounded by the net. The text asks tha…
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Morning • 8/20
2 Samuel 23:1
Among all the saints whose lives are recorded in Holy Scripture, David possesses an experience of the most striking, varied, and instructive character. In his history, we encounter trials and temptations not found, as a whole, in other saints of ancient times, and therefore he is…
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Evening • 8/20
Nehemiah 3:8
Cities well fortified have broad walls, and so had Jerusalem in her glory. The New Jerusalem must, in the same way, be surrounded and preserved by a broad wall of nonconformity to the world, and separation from its customs and spirit. The tendency of these days breaks down the ho…
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Morning • 8/21
Proverbs 11:25
We are here taught the great lesson, that to get, we must give; that to accumulate, we must scatter; that to make ourselves happy, we must make others happy; and that in order to become spiritually vigorous, we must seek the spiritual good of others. In watering others, we are ou…
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Evening • 8/21
Isaiah 45:19
We may gain much solace by considering what God has not said. What He has said is inexpressibly full of comfort and delight; what He has not said is scarcely less rich in consolation. It was one of these “ said nots ” which preserved the kingdom of Israel in the days of Jeroboam…
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Morning • 8/22
Song of Solomon 5:8
Such is the language of the believer panting after present fellowship with Jesus, he is sick for his Lord . Gracious souls are never perfectly at ease unless they are in a state of nearness to Christ; for when they are away from Him, they lose their peace. The nearer to Him, the…
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Evening • 8/22
Ephesians 3:8
My Master has riches beyond the count of arithmetic, the measurement of reason, the dream of imagination, or the eloquence of words. They are unsearchable ! You may look, and study, and weigh, but Jesus is a greater Saviour than you think him to be when your thoughts are at their…
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Morning • 8/23
Isaiah 65:19
The glorified weep no more, for all outward causes of grief are gone . There are no broken friendships, nor blighted prospects in heaven. Poverty, famine, peril, persecution, and slander are unknown there. No pain distresses, no thought of death or bereavement saddens. They weep…
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Evening • 8/23
Ephesians 3:17
It is exceedingly desirable that we, as believers, should have the person of Jesus constantly before us, to inflame our love for him and to increase our knowledge of him. I wish to God that all my readers were enrolled as diligent scholars in Jesus's college, students of Corpus C…
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Morning • 8/24
Micah 2:13
Since Jesus has gone before us, things are not as they would have been if he had never passed that way. He has conquered every foe that obstructed the way. Cheer up now, you faint-hearted warrior. Not only has Christ travelled the road, but he has slain your enemies. Do you dread…
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Evening • 8/24
Exodus 22:6
But what restitution can one make who scatters the firebrands of error, or the coals of lasciviousness, and sets people's souls ablaze with the fire of hell? The guilt is beyond estimate, and the result is irretrievable. If such an offender is forgiven, what grief it will cause h…
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Morning • 8/25
Song of Solomon 2:3
Faith, in Scripture, is spoken of as an emblem of all the senses. It is sight : Look unto me and be ye saved. It is hearing : Hear, and your soul shall live. Faith is smelling : All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia; thy name is as ointment poured forth. Faith is…
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Evening • 8/25
Acts 8:37
These words may answer your concerns, devout reader, concerning the ordinances . Perhaps you say, “I should be afraid to be baptized; it is such a solemn thing to profess myself to be dead with Christ, and buried with him. I should not feel at liberty to come to the Master’s tabl…
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Morning • 8/26
Psalms 111:9
The Lord’s people delight in the covenant itself. It is an unfailing source of consolation to them as often as the Holy Spirit leads them into its banqueting house and waves its banner of love. They delight to contemplate the antiquity of that covenant, remembering that before th…
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Evening • 8/26
Mark 9:15
How great the difference between Moses and Jesus! When the prophet of Horeb had been forty days on the mountain, he underwent a kind of transfiguration, so that his countenance shone with exceeding brightness, and he put a veil over his face, for the people could not endure to lo…
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Morning • 8/27
Numbers 14:11
Strive with all diligence to keep out that monster , unbelief . It so dishonors Christ that he will withdraw his visible presence if we insult him by indulging it. It is true it is a weed, the seeds of which we can never entirely extract from the soil, but we must aim at its root…
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Evening • 8/27
Psalm 31:5
These words have been frequently used by holy men in their hour of departure. We may profitably consider them this evening. The object of the faithful man’s concern in life and death is not his body or his possessions, but his spirit; this is his choicest treasure—if this is safe…
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Morning • 8/28
Exodus 25:6
My soul, how much you need this, for your lamp will not long continue to burn without it. Your charred wick will smoke and become an offence if light is gone, and gone it will be if oil is absent. You have no oil well springing up in your human nature, and therefore you must go t…
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Evening • 8/28
Isaiah 54:1
Though we have brought forth some fruit to Christ, and have a joyful hope that we are “plants of his own right hand planting,” yet there are times when we feel very barren. Prayer is lifeless, love is cold, faith is weak; each grace in the garden of our heart languishes and droop…
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Morning • 8/29
Psalm 51:1
When Dr. Carey was suffering from a dangerous illness, the enquiry was made, “If this sickness should prove fatal, what passage would you select as the text for your funeral sermon?” He replied, “Oh, I feel that such a poor sinful creature is unworthy to have anything said about…
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Evening • 8/29
Numbers 6:4
Nazarites had taken, among other vows, one which prohibited them from the use of wine. So that they might not violate the obligation, they were forbidden to drink the vinegar of wine or strong drinks; and, to make the rule still clearer, they were not to touch the unfermented jui…
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Morning • 8/30
Psalm 27:14
It may seem an easy thing to wait, but it is one of the postures a Christian soldier learns, and not without years of teaching. Marching and quick-marching are much easier for God’s warriors than standing still. There are hours of perplexity when the most willing spirit, anxiousl…
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Evening • 8/30
Jeremiah 17:14
“I have seen his ways, and will heal him.” (Isaiah 57:18). It is the sole prerogative of God to remove spiritual disease. Natural disease may be instrumentally healed by men, but even then the honour is to be given to God who gives virtue to medicine and bestows power to the huma…
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Morning • 8/31
Isaiah 51:5
In seasons of severe trial, the Christian has nothing on earth that he can trust in, and is therefore compelled to cast himself upon his God alone. When his vessel is on its beam-ends, and no human deliverance can help, he must simply and entirely trust himself to the providence…
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Evening • 8/31
1 John 1:7
As he is in the light! Can we ever attain to this? Shall we ever be able to walk as clearly in the light as he is whom we call “Our Father,” of whom it is written, God is light, and in him is no darkness at all ? Certainly, this is the model that is set before us, for the Saviour…
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