January 31 “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” (Matt. 7:1). People who know little else about the Bible often know this verse and use it in a most bizarre way. Even when a person is criticized for unspeakable wickedness, they piously gurgle, “Judge not, that ye be not judged.” In other words, they use…
January 30 “Freely ye have received, freely give.” (Matt. 10:8) Fritz Kreisler, one of the world’s greatest violinists said, “I was born with music in my system. I knew musical scores instinctively before I knew my ABC’s. It was a gift of Providence. I did not acquire it. So I do not even deserve thanks…
January 29 “Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.” (Matt. 11:26) In almost everyone’s life there are things which he never would have chosen, which he would like to be rid of, but which can never be changed. There is the matter of physical impairments or abnormalities. Or it may be…
January 28 “He that believeth shall not make haste.” (Isa. 28:16) In an age of supersonic travel and highspeed communications, in a culture where hurry is the watchword, it brings us up short to learn that haste is seldom used of God in a good sense in the Bible. Seldom, I say, because there is…
January 27 “Redeeming the time.” (Eph. 5:16) In a day when men of the world are becoming increasingly allergic to work, Christians must make the most of every passing moment. It is a sin to waste time. Voices from every age testify to the importance of diligent labor. The Savior Himself said, “I must work…
January 26 “Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another.” (1 John 4:11). We must not think of love as an uncontrollable, unpredictable emotion. We are commanded to love, and this would be quite impossible if love were some elusive, sporadic sensation, coming as unaccountably as a common cold. Love…
January 25 “God is love.” (I John 4:8). The coming of Christ brought a new word for love into the Greek language—agape. There was already a word for friendship (philia) and one for passionate love (eros), but there was none to express the kind of love which God showed in giving His only begotten Son…
January 24 “Don’t worry over anything whatever.” (Phil. 4:6, Phillips) There is so much that a person could worry about—the possibility of cancer, heart trouble or a multitude of other diseases; foods that are supposedly harmful, accidental death, a communist takeover, nuclear war, runaway inflation, an uncertain future, the grim outlook for children growing up…
January 23 “Seekest thou great things for thyself; seek them not.”(Jer. 45:5) There is a subtle temptation, even in Christian service, to become great, to see one’s name in the magazines or hear it over the radio. But it is a great snare. It robs Christ of glory. It robs ourselves of peace and joy.…
January 22 “He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel.” (Num. 23:21) The hireling prophet, Balaam, spoke a remarkable truth when he said that the all-seeing God could not see sin in His people, Israel. What was true of Israel then is wonderfully true of the believer today. As…