August 13 “Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst.” (Matt. 18:20) When Jesus spoke these words, He was referring to a meeting of the church convened to deal with a sinning member who refuses to repent. Other efforts to handle the offender have failed and now…
August 12 “A man that is a heretic, after the first and-second admonition, reject; knowing that he that is such is subverted, and sinneth, being condemned of himself.” (Titus 3:10, 11.) When we think of a heretic, we usually think of someone who holds and propagates views that are contrary to the great fundamental truths…
August 11 “Whether we be beside ourselves, it is to God.” (2 Cor. 5:13). God has irregulars in His army, and very often these are the ones who win the greatest victories. In their zeal for the Lord they seem eccentric. They use original methods instead of sticking to the traditional ones. They are always…
August 10 “The people said that it thundered.” (John 12:29). God had just spoken from heaven in clear, articulate tones. Some said that it thundered. They gave a naturalistic explanation for what was divine and miraculous. That is one attitude we can take toward miracles today. We can try to explain them away as nothing…
August 9 “And he left all, rose up, and followed him.” (Lu. 5:28). Picture Levi sitting at a table beside the highway, collecting taxes from those who passed by. If he was a typical tax-collector, he pocketed considerable sums of money instead of turning them in to the despised Roman government. On this particular day…
August 8 “…do good, and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your reward shall be great.” (Lu. 6:35.) These commandments of our Lord refer to our behavior toward all men, converted and unconverted, but we shall be thinking of them particularly in regard to financial dealings among individual Christians. It is sadly true that some…
August 7 “…to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.” (Isa. 61:3) In this exalted passage, the Messiah is describing some of the marvelous exchanges which He brings to those who receive Him. He gives beauty for ashes, joy for mourning,…
August 6 “Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger.” (Lam. 1:12). Sometimes as I sit at the Lord’s Supper, I have to…
August 5 “The wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God.” Games 1:20) The picture is not an unfamiliar one. A church business meeting is in progress. A decision must be made. It is not about some great doctrine of the faith, but perhaps about building an addition, or painting the kitchen, or distributing…
August 4 “The righteous Lord loveth righteousness.” (Psalm 11:7) The Lord Himself is righteous and loves to see His people acting in a righteous manner. He is pleased when believers instinctively make choices that are consistent with divine or moral law. But it is not always easy in a world such as ours. We are…