Daily Devotion: Avoid Being Unequally Yoked by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 22:44-51 KJV

Key Verse:  "Jehoshaphat made ships of Tharshish to go to Ophir for gold: but they went not; for the ships were broken at Eziongeber."
- 1 Kings 22:48 KJV

Solomon's ships had returned in safety—but Jehoshaphat's vessels never reached the land of gold. Providence prospers one, and frustrates the desires of another, in the same business and at the same spot—yet the Great Ruler is as good and wise at one time as another. May we have grace today, in the remembrance of this text, to bless the Lord for ships broken at Ezion-geber, as well as for vessels freighted with temporal blessings. Let us not envy the more successful, nor murmur at our losses as though we were singularly and specially tried. Like Jehoshaphat, we may be precious in the Lord's sight, although our schemes end in disappointment.

Daily Devotion: Renew Our Days by J.C. Philpot

Bible Reading: Lamentations 5:15-22 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Turn thou us unto thee, O Lord, and we shall be turned; renew our days as of old."
- Lamentations 5:21 KJV

Are you not often destitute of the power to repent, and confess your sins before God? Does not conscience often bring to view a melancholy retrospect of carnal thoughts, wicked desires, vain imaginations, foolish words, frivolous speeches, and all that catalogue of evils, that huge bill which godly fear sometimes files in the court within, as seen in all our departures from the life of God? But are you able to repent? are you able to feel cut to the very heart? are you able to mourn and sigh because conscience brings against you this long indictment? Can you always feel your soul melted down with sorrow on account of it? Are you always able to feel contrition because you are proud, worldly, covetous, everything that is evil, everything that is hateful in God's sight?

Daily Devotion: Not Everyone Is Saved That Says They Are by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: Matthew 7:21-28 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."
- Matthew 7:21 KJV

It seems like everyone you talk to about Jesus is saved and going to heaven. However, this doesn't align with scripture. Matthew 22:14 tells us "For many are called, but few are chosen." Matthew 7:14 says "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Very few people will make it into heaven, and many will be surprised when they don't. Why is it so difficult?

Daily Devotion: God Hears Our Prayers by J. R. Miller

Bible Reading: Ephesians 3:14-21 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,"
- Ephesians 3:20 KJV

God often does better for us—than we ask.

We go to Him—with our little requests.

We are in need—and ask for temporal relief.

We are suffering—and ask that our pain may cease.

We are poor—and ask Him for more money.

Daily Devotion: Wondrous Comfort by John MacDuff

Bible Reading: Hebrews 8:6-13 KJV 

Key Verse:  "For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."
- Hebrews 8:12 KJV

No thought can be more precious than this — God's thought of mercy to the unrighteous and undeserving. The consciousness of past sin lies like a cold avalanche on many a heart. "How can man be just with God?" "If You, Lord, should mark iniquities — O Lord, who shall stand?" "What then shall I do when God rises up? And when He confronts me — what shall I answer Him?" These are the solemn questions which, despite of all efforts to silence or evade them, are ever and always confronting the most indifferent and unconcerned. Blessed be God, He has not left them unanswered. He can bestow pardon on the unrighteous, and bury the remembrance of sin in the depths of oblivion!

Daily Devotion: Jesus Is... by James Meikle

Bible Reading: John 1:10-17 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace."
- John 1:16 KJV

All plenitude is in Christ, to answer all the needs of His people. In Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, that out of His fullness I may receive all spiritual blessings!

Have I destroyed myself by sin? I have deliverance from Him who is mighty to save from sin and wrath!

Is my foolish mind darkened? Am I a guilty, polluted, and ruined wretch? Jesus is my wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption!

Daily Devotion: Are You a Saint? by Wil Pounds

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 1:1-8 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both their's and our's:"
- 1 Corinthians 1:2 KJV

In His great priestly prayer Jesus was praying for His disciples, present and future. He said to His Father, “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth” (John 17:19 KJV).

Did Jesus mean that He wished to become holier? Was He praying for sinless perfection? Of course, not, that would have been impossible for the infinitely holy One to become holier. He was already perfectly holy.

Daily Devotion: Consider Jesus – In The Avoidance Of Offence by Octavius Winslow

Bible Reading: Matthew 17:20-27 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Notwithstanding, lest we should offend them, go thou to the sea, and cast an hook, and take up the fish that first cometh up; and when thou hast opened his mouth, thou shalt find a piece of money: that take, and give unto them for me and thee."
- Matthew 17:27 KJV

How truly was our Lord Jesus 'harmless' because He was 'undefiled.' In Him was no sin. That His Gospel should have been an offence to the scribes and Pharisees, and that His cross was an offence to the world, is no marvel. It was so then, it is so now, and it will be so to the end. But our Lord never, in any one instance, gave NEEDLESS offence. His heart was too tender, His disposition too kind, His nature too holy, maliciously and thoughtlessly to wound the feelings or offend the 'innocent sentiments' of others. Maligned by His enemies, misunderstood and neglected by His friends, yet on no occasion did He retort, revile, or wound; but, with the harmlessness of the dove and the innocence of the lamb. He opened not His mouth. Let us learn of Him in this holy feature of His character, study it closely, and imitate it faithfully.

Daily Devotion: A Candle On A Candlestick by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading: Job 36:1-8 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Suffer me a little, and I will shew thee that I have yet to speak on God's behalf."
- Job 36:2 KJV

We ought not to court publicity for our virtue, or notoriety for our zeal; but, at the same time, it is a sin to be always seeking to hide that which God has bestowed upon us for the good of others. A Christian is not to be a village in a valley—but "a city set upon a hill;" he is not to be a candle under a bushel—but a candle on a candlestick, giving light to all. Retirement may be lovely in its season, and to hide one's self is doubtless modest—but the hiding of Christ in us can never be justified, and the keeping back of truth which is precious to ourselves, is a sin against others, and an offence against God.

Daily Devotion: Salvation Starts With The Holy Spirit by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:1-8 KJV

Key Verse:  "Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."
- 1 Corinthians 12:3 KJV

Many lost people wander through life believing that one day before they die that they will repent and accept Jesus as their savior and avoid eternal damnation. They believe if they do it today that they would have to change things in their life and miss out on the "fun" sins of this world. There are so many things wrong with this thought process.

Daily Devotion: Joseph's Return by Favell Lee Mortimer

Bible Reading: Matthew 2:16-23 KJV 

Key Verse:  "But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,"
- Matthew 2:19 KJV

What an important charge was committed to Joseph! The care of the infant Savior and of his mother. How honorable was the post he occupied! He was a shield from the darts of the enemy to the blessed child. God did not leave him without assistance in performing his allotted work. Joseph knew not how to protect his little family; he knew not when dangers awaited them, or when those dangers were removed.

Daily Devotion: You Are My Friend by J. R. Miller

Bible Reading: John 15:12-19 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."
- John 15:15 KJV

One of the marks of a noble nature, is open-heartedness. Jesus gave it as the chief privilege of friendship with him that he would make known to his friends—all that his Father had taught him. That is, full, trusting confidence is the deepest, truest thing—in the highest and best possible friendship. Soul and soul should be thoroughly united in two friends.

Daily Devotion: Wondrous Comfort by John MacDuff

Bible Reading: Isaiah 51:9-16 KJV 

Key Verse:  "I, even I, am he that comforteth you: who art thou, that thou shouldest be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man which shall be made as grass;"
- Isaiah 51:12 KJV

How soothing the thought for the weary head to lean upon, that in the midst of our bitterest trials, we have the great God of Heaven for our comforter! "Dry your tears!"

Daily Devotion: Private Experience by James Meikle

Bible Reading: Isaiah 40:10-17 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance?"
- Isaiah 40:12 KJV

O the wonderful condescension of God! If he looks into heaven, among thrones and dominions, seraphim and cherubim—it is humility, stupendous humility. How much more when he casts his caring eyes on this inferior world of ours! But still most of all, when he hears the cries, and answers the requests, of one who is infinitely less than the least of all his mercies! "You have heard, and I am revived; you have answered me, and I am confirmed in my belief of your love towards me. Lord! henceforth let all my love be yours and on you let all my faith depend."

Daily Devotion: Are You the Christ, the Son of God? by Wil Pounds

Bible Reading: Matthew 27:1-8 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor."
- Matthew 27:2 KJV

At the Jewish trial of Jesus, the high priest Caiaphas found himself in a dilemma. He was losing his case before the Roman governor Pilate. The evidence did not add up. The false witnesses did not agree with one another (Mark 14:59; Matt. 26:59-62).

Daily Devotion: Consider Jesus - In the Exercise of Praise by Octavius Winslow

Bible Reading: Hebrews 2:9-16 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee."
- Hebrews 2:12 KJV

These are the words of Jesus quoted by the apostle from a prophetical psalm concerning Him. We have considered Him as teaching us by His example to pray; it may promote our personal holiness by considering Him as teaching us to PRAISE. Praise is an element of the gospel. It entered essentially, if not prominently, into our Lord's personal life. "A man of sorrow," though He was--oftener seen to weep than to smile--yet there were moments when gleams of joy shone upon His soul, and strains of praise breathed from His lips.

Daily Devotion: Salvation Overview by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:8-15 KJV 

Key Verse:  "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"
- Ephesians 2:8 KJV

One day we all will stand before God to be judged. There are two groups of people that will be judged 1) the saved (redeemed) and 2) the lost. The saved are judged to determine their rewards (crowns) while the eternal destiny of those that are lost has already been determined. It is Hell and the Lake of Fire.

Daily Devotion: I Shall Be Safe by J.C. Philpot

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:113-121 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe: and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually."
- Psalm 119:117 KJV

We are surrounded with snares; temptations lie spread every moment in our path. These snares and temptations are so suitable to the lusts of our flesh, that we shall infallibly fall into them, and be overcome by them but for the restraining providence or the preserving grace of God. The Christian sees this; the Christian feels this. He has had, it may be, a bitter experience of the past. He has seen how, from lack of walking in godly fear, for lack of circumspection and standing upon his watch-tower, he has been entangled in times past in the snares of death. He has regretted the consequences, felt the misery of having slipped and fallen; the iron has entered into his soul; he has been in the prison house, in bondage, in darkness, and death. In consequence of his transgressions he has been "the fool" described in Psalm 108, as "afflicted because of his iniquity."

Daily Devotion: The Slaughter of the Babies by Favell Lee Mortimer

Bible Reading: Matthew 2:16-22 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men."
- Matthew 2:16 KJV

Everyone who reads this passage must shudder at the dreadful cruelty of Herod. There was a singular barbarity in ordering the babies to be slaughtered; little creatures who could not have offended him, and were unable to resist him. Who can bear to think of the anguish of the mothers in that terrible day! When the firstborn of Egypt were slain by the destroying angel, the cry was terrible. Can it have been less terrible when the youngest son of many a mother was murdered by the pitiless executioner? We know that the mother's heart clings closely to her helpless infant. Tears and entreaties were all in vain—not only the babies of Bethlehem were slaughtered, but the babies in all the places round about.

Daily Devotion: They Know But Do Not Do by J. R. Miller

Bible Reading: Luke 10:22-29 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live."
- Luke 10:28 KJV

That is just the trouble with a great many people—they can answer correctly. They know all about their duty. They can repeat with glib tongue, text after text of Scripture. They can recite catechism and creed without missing a word, and like to boast of their thorough familiarity with these sacred formularies. But it is the doing that they fall short in.

Daily Devotion: Everlasting Espousals by John MacDuff

Bible Reading: Hosea 2:16-23 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And I will betroth thee unto me for ever; yea, I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in lovingkindness, and in mercies."
- Hosea 2:19 KJV

The most endearing as well as the most exalted relationships of earth are employed to illustrate and symbolize God's love to His people. He is represented as: comforting as a mother; pitying as a father; sympathizing as a friend; healing as a physician; bestowing as a king.

Daily Devotion: Affliction the Lot of Saints Below by James Meikle

Bible Reading: Psalm 119:75-82 KJV 

Key Verse:  "I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me."
- Psalm 119:75 KJV

While I am mortal, I must taste of the waters of Mara; drink of the cup of adversity; and swim the tempestuous ocean. It is the perfection of angels, that they could never experience the pain of mental disquiet, or the pangs of anguish. And it is the happiness of departed saints, to obtain joy for mourning, a crown for crosses; and to forget their misery, if not wholly, yet to remember it as waters, once swelled to a dreadful flood—but which now have forever flown away. It is, then the misery of the sons of men, only while here, to be, as it were, a mark set up for the arrows of tribulation, and to be engaged in constant war, and in perpetual broils. But it is the privileges of the Christian soldier to wear the shield of faith, with which he shall be able to quench the fiery darts of Satan, and to ward off the sling-stones of tribulation which pelt him from every quarter. How, then, may I triumph under all my afflictions? Consider,

Daily Devotion: Appropriating Christ Daily by Wil Pounds

Bible Reading: Romans 8:28-35 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?"
- Romans 8:35 KJV

Just as it was the supreme mission of Jesus to give eternal life, so it is the supreme responsibility of the believer to appropriate that life.

God contemplates the believer even now in the image of Christ. We can rejoice as those who are already justified.

Daily Devotion: Salvation Test 10 of 10: In Christ Alone by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: John 14:1-8 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."
- John 14:6 KJV

Are you trusting in the finished work of Jesus Christ alone? John 14:6 states, "... I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." It is through His death, burial and resurrection that salvation is available for all those that will receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is through the gift of grace that our Lord makes this available to anyone who will receive it by faith.

Daily Devotion: You are Christ's by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's."
- 1 Corinthians 3:23 KJV

"You are Christ's." You are His by donation—for the Father gave you to the Son. You are His by His bloody purchase—for He paid the price for your redemption. You are His by dedication—for you have consecrated yourself to Him. You are His by relation—for you are named by his name, and made one of His brethren and joint-heirs.

Daily Devotion: Do You Have Ears To Hear? by J.C. Philpot

Bible Reading: Proverbs 20:23-30 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way?"
- Proverbs 20:24 KJV

Does not your heart sometimes quake with fear lest you have nothing but a nominal profession, lest the god of this world is blinding you, and lest your conscience be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin? It is good to have such fears. He who fears not, who has no solemn apprehensions, no anxious inquiries, who is never exercised with some internal trepidation of soul, it is much to be feared has never known what it is to have "the candle of the Lord searching the inward parts of the belly."

Daily Devotion: The Heavenly Warnings by Favell Lee Mortimer

Bible Reading: Matthew 2:7-14 KJV

Key Verse:  "And being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way."
- Matthew 2:12 KJV

Twice in a very little space God sent messages to his faithful servants in the dreams of the night. One dream was to warn the wise men not to inform Herod that they had found the infant King; the other was, to warn Joseph not to remain in Bethlehem. We perceive how easily God can defeat the plans of the wicked, as it is written in the fifth chapter of Job—"He disappoints the devices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their plans." There is a beautiful prayer in the liturgy, entreating God to exercise this power in our behalf. "Graciously hear us, that those evils which the craft, or subtlety of the devil or man, works against us may be brought to nothing, and, by the providence of your goodness, may be dissolved." We see how God dispersed those evils which Satan and Herod were working against the Son of God. Satan still stirs up wicked men to form plans against the children of God; and still the Lord, by his gracious providence, disperses these evils. Are we distressed at the thought of any malicious plan being formed against us, either by Satan or by our fellow-creatures? Let us pray to the Lord to defend us. No one can harm us, if we are followers of that which is good.

Daily Devotion: I Call You My Friends by J. R. Miller

Bible Reading: John 15:12-19 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you."
- John 15:15 KJV

If we ask, "What is the best that Christ's friendship can be to any soul?" We may answer, "It is shelter, comfort, rest, inmost refreshment, guidance, and far more. Christ is an atmosphere about us—an atmosphere of love, warm with all tender influences, all healthful inspirations, all holy impulses. Christ comes into all our life—as our friend—so really, so fully, that he becomes "an unconscious part of every true beat of our heart." As the summer sunbeams enter into the flowers, and reappear in their lovely hues and sweet fragrance—so does Christ enter into the lives of his people, and permeate and transform them, until they become like him in spirit, in character, in disposition, in every feature. "Christ, who is our life." Colossians 3:4. "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27. "Until Christ is formed in you." Galatians 4:19

Daily Devotion: Thought Upon Thought by John MacDuff

Bible Reading: Isaiah 43:1-8 KJV 

Key Verse:  "For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee."
- Isaiah 43:3 KJV

What a library of "precious thoughts!" What an unlocking of the full heart of God do these verses contain! In reading them, we may say indeed with the Psalmist, "Many, O Lord my God, are Your thoughts into us." Each clause is in itself a volume! Well may the Divine speaker begin with the words, "Do not be afraid!" These tender thoughts and tender assertions remind us of the gush of parental affection when a child is in danger or is afraid, and when its most loving earthly friend heaps assurance on assurance to quiet and lull its misgivings.

Daily Devotion: The Soul's Enlargement On High by James Meikle

Bible Reading: Ecclesiastes 1:11-18 KJV 

Key Verse:  "I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and, behold, all is vanity and vexation of spirit."
- Ecclesiastes 1:14 KJV

Here the soul, confined to to its clay tenement, is like a royal personage in prison, whose grand attendance is not seen, because he cannot come abroad. While this heaven-born excellency is here below, wisdom differs but a little from folly: understanding is but a few degrees removed from ignorance: and all the mental powers are feeble. But O the enlargement of the soul in heaven! This map of future glories, now folded up in flesh, shall be extended in breadth and length above. How penetrating then shall wisdom be! how active every power! how vigorous the flame of love! how enlarged the understanding! and how beautiful in the heights of glory shall the whole soul appear!

Daily Devotion: Salvation Test 9 of 10: God Disciplines His Children by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: Hebrews 12:5-12 KJV 

Key Verse:  "But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons."
- Hebrews 12:8 KJV

When you sin, is there remorse, regret or a dark cloud hanging over you? When you continue in the same sin do bad things happen to you? Hebrews 12:8 tells us "But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons." God will not let his children live in sin. Often you will get gentle warnings in the form of remorse and regret, but if you continue in sin. God will ramp up the chastisement.