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:…
September 10 “Pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.” (Matt. 5:44) Sometimes an illustration is the best commentary on a verse. Captain Mitsuo Fuchida was the Japanese pilot who directed the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. He sent back the message, “Tora, Tora, Tora,” indicating the complete success of…
September 9 “A good man leaveth an inheritance to his children’s children.” (Prov. 13:22) When we read this verse, we should not jump to the conclusion that a financial inheritance is intended. It is far more likely that the Spirit of God is referring to a spiritual heritage. A person could have been brought up…
September 7 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.” (2 Cor. 6:17, 18) What should a Christian do when…
September 6 “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” (Gen. 2:15) Contrary to the attitude of some, work is not a curse; it is a blessing. Before sin ever entered into the world, God assigned Adam to tend the Garden…
September 5 “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his…
September 4 “Then I restored that which I took not away.” (Psa. 69:4) The speaker in Psalm 69 is the Lord Jesus. In verse 4 He is saying that in His glorious work of redemption, He made restitution to God for losses that had been caused by man’s sin. No doubt He is picturing Himself…
September 3 “But not as the offense, so also is the free gift: for if through the offense of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.” (Rom. 5:15) In Romans 5:12-21, Paul contrasts the two federal…