September 20 “Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate.” (Rom. 12:16) The natural tendency is to want to hobnob with the upper crust. In every human heart there is the lust to associate with those who are prominent, wealthy and aristocratic. So Paul’s advice in Romans 12:16 really cuts across the…
September 19 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” (Rom. 5:6) Christ did not come to call the righteous nor did He die for good people. It was not for decent, respectable, refined people that He went to the Cross. He died for the ungodly. Of course,…
September 18 “Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?” (Lu. 17:17) The Lord Jesus healed ten lepers but only one returned to thank Him, and that one was a despised Samaritan. One of the valuable experiences for us in life is to encounter ingratitude, for then we can share in a small…
September 17 “And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, ofrin their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.” (Rev. 13:16,…
September 16 “Discipline your son while there is hope, and do not desire his death.” (Prov. 19:18 NASB) We live in a permissive society. Especially in the area of child-training, people listen to the advice of psychologists and sociologists rather than to the teachings of God’s Word. Many adults who were brought up by parents…
September 15 “Hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.” (Rom. 5:5) Sometimes words in the Christian vocabulary have a different meaning than they have in ordinary usage. “Hope” is one of those words. As far as the world…
September 14 “As the Lord lives, there shall no punishment come upon you for this thing.” (1 Sam. 28:10 NASB) Earlier in his reign, Saul had decreed that all mediums and spiritists should be cut off from the land. But then things went from bad to worse in his personal and public life. After Samuel’s…
September 13 “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because of his speaking with him.” (Ex. 34:29 NASB) When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments, there were two remarkable features. First of all, his face shone. He had been in the presence of…
September 12 “But they, supposing him to have been in the company, went a day’s journey.” (Luke 2:44) When Jesus was twelve, His parents and He went from Nazareth to Jerusalem to keep the Feast of the Passover. Doubtless they traveled with a large crowd of other pilgrims. It was inevitable that boys of the…
September 11 “Beware that thou forget not the Lord thy God…when all that thou hast is multiplied.” (Deut. 8:11, 13) As a general rule, God’s people cannot stand material prosperity. They thrive much better under adversity. In his parting song, Moses predicted that Israel’s prosperity would ruin them spiritually: “But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked:…