March 16 “For I say unto you, that unto every one which hath shall be given; and from him that hath not, even that he hath shall be taken away from him.” (Lu. 19:26) The word “hath” at the beginning of this verse means more than mere possession. It includes the idea of obeying what…
March 15 “For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.” (Lu. 9:24) Basically there are two attitudes we believers can take toward our life. We can try to save it or we can purposefully lose it for Christ’s sake. The…
March 14 “Take heed therefore how ye hear.” (Lu. 8:18) In the Christian life it is a question not only of what we hear but also of how we hear. It is possible to hear the Word of God with an attitude of indifference. We can read the Bible as we would read any other…
March 13 “Take heed what ye hear.” (Mk. 4:24) The Lord Jesus cautions us to be careful what we hear. We are responsible to control what enters through the eargate, and equally responsible to put what we do hear to proper use. We should not listen to what is blatantly false. The cults are spewing…
March 12 “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” (Mt. 25:40) Here is both a rewarding encouragement and a warning that should bring us up short. Whatever we do to Christ’s brethren is reckoned as being done unto Himself. We can…
March 11 “Make friends quickly with your opponent at law while you are with him on the way; in order that your opponent may not deliver you to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you be thrown into prison” (Mt. 5:25 NASB) One of the surface lessons we learn from this passage…
March 10 “The fruit of the Spirit is…temperance…” (Gal. 5:23) The preferred rendering of this last fruit of the Spirit is self-control. Temperance has become associated particularly with restraint in the use of intoxicating drinks. Self-control carries the thought of moderation or abstinence in every area of life. By the power of the Holy Spirit,…
March 9 “The fruit of the Spirit is…meekness…” (Gal. 5:23) When we think of meekness, we are apt to think of Caspar Milquetoast, the comic strip character who was the embodiment of timidity and weakness. But this fruit of the Spirit is something very different. It comes from supernatural power, not from weakness. It refers…
March 8 “The fruit of the Spirit is…faith…” (Gal. 5:22) This fruit of the Spirit is generally understood as being faithfulness. It is not the faith that saves, or the trust we exercise in God day by day (although it may include that). Rather it is our fidelity and dependability in our dealings with the…
March 7 “The fruit of the Spirit is…goodness…” (Gal. 5:22) Goodness means excellence of character. Someone has defined it as “virtue equipped at every point,” which simply means that the person possessing it is kind, virtuous and righteous in every area of life. Goodness is the opposite of badness. A bad man may be deceitful,…