December 31 “Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me (Rev. 3:20) Here we are at the close of another year, and still the patient Savior stands at man’s door,…
December 30 “And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Sam. 9:1) Mephibosheth was a grandson of King Saul, who had repeatedly tried to take David’s life. He therefore came from a rebel family that might have expected…
December 29 “Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be unto thee, and peace be to thine helpers; for thy God helpeth thee.” (1 Ch. 12:18) This noble expression of loyalty to David should be borrowed by all believers as an expression of their devotion to the Lord…
December 27 “My body, which is broken for you.” (1 Cor. 11:24) Amy Carmichael lists four broken things in the Bible and the results achieved by them. Broken pitchers (Judges 7:1849)—and the light shone out. Broken flask (Mark 14:3)—and the ointment was poured forth. Broken bread (Matt. 14:19)—and the hungry were fed. A broken Body…
December 28 “Like one who takes a dog by the ears is he who passes by and meddles with strife not belonging to him.” (Prov. 26:17 NASB) We should realize first of all that the dog mentioned in this verse is not the friendly, gentle, Irish setter that probably wouldn’t mind at all if you…
December 26 “And the King of Sodom said unto Abram, give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.” (Gen. 14:21) Invading armies had come to Sodom and had captured Lot, his family and great quantities of spoil. As soon as Abram heard about it, he armed his servants and pursued the invaders, finally…
December 25 “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh.” (1 Tim. 3:16) The mystery is great, not because it is very mysterious but because it is so astounding. The mystery is the amazing truth that God was manifest in the flesh. It means, for instance, that the…
December 24 “The rich, man thinks of his wealth as an impregnable defense, a high wall of safety. What a dreamer!” (Prov. 18:11 Living Bible) The rich fool in Luke’s gospel had so much wealth he didn’t know what to do with it. So he decided to tear down his barns and silos and build…
December 23 “Whosoever abideih in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.” (1 John 3:6) Yesterday we considered a passage that often proves distressing to sincere Christians. Today we will look at three verses in John’s first epistle that also disturb believers who are all too aware of their sinfulness.…
December 22 “For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” (Heb. 10:26, 27) This is one of several verses in the New Testament which proves…