Daily Devotion: Jordan Crossed By Faith by J. R. Miller

Bible Reading: Joshua 3:10-17 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And it shall come to pass, as soon as the soles of the feet of the priests that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, shall rest in the waters of Jordan, that the waters of Jordan shall be cut off from the waters that come down from above; and they shall stand upon an heap."
- Joshua 3:13 KJV

There must be faith first. The priests must take up the ark and walk with it down into the flowing stream—before the waters would be cut off. They did not see a path across the river before they started. They broke up their camps and began their march while there was no sign of any crossing-place. If they had walked down to the edge, and then stopped to wait for the path to be opened, it would not have been opened. If they had lifted their feet and held them over the water, waiting for its flow to cease, they would have waited in vain. They must take one step into the water—before the current would be cut off. They must move on as if the way were open, believing that it would be open.

Daily Devotion: Contrasted Dealings by John MacDuff

Bible Reading: Isaiah 55:6-13 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon."
- Isaiah 55:7 KJV

The precious thought of this verse is "the exceeding riches of God's grace;" the contrast between His judgments — and His kindnesses. The forsaking is "for a small moment," the gathering is "with great mercies." The hidden face is "but for a moment," and "in a little wrath" — the "mercy" is accompanied "with everlasting kindness." Judgment is His strange work. Strong to smite — He is stronger still to save.

Daily Devotion: Love In Saints by James Meikle

Bible Reading: 1 John 4:6-13 KJV 

Key Verse:  "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love."
- 1 John 4:8 KJV

Love is a passion planted in the human bosom, which once was wholly a holy seed—but is now turned into the degenerate plant of a corrupted vine. Before sin entered into the world, love wholly centered on God; then the fire burnt purely, and the soul ascended in the sacred flame to God. Then there was sweet fellowship between heaven and earth, and man maintained communion with his Maker. Admiring the beauties of creation, his soul with pleasure ascended up the streams of created excellencies, to the fountain of uncreated glory and ravished with the view, he saw his interest in his Maker to be of a nobler kind than the lower world could claim. This was bliss, and it was this which made paradise so near akin to heaven. This, and not the blooming flowers; this, and not the verdant groves; this, and not the spreading streams; this, and not the fragrant oils; this, and not the bending boughs; this, and not the warbling birds; this, and not a cloudless sky; this, and not the sight of angels; this, and not their mutual love—made our first parents happy in their first abode.

Daily Devotion: Fundamentals Of The Faith by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: Acts 2:40-47 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And all that believed were together, and had all things common;"
- Acts 2:44 KJV

Satan has intentionally divided Christians, by giving each (individually and in groups) a little truth and a little lie. In many instances Christians will pointlessly argue positions that have no eternal value. In this case, Satan has won and we have been distracted from what is meaningful. Often we will infer ignorance on the the person due to their different position and not listen to valid points brought up. At the same time, we should not listen to heretical teaching, but where do we draw the line?

Daily Devotion: Consider Jesus - In Bereavement by Octavius Winslow

Bible Reading: John 11:31-38 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
- John 11:35 KJV

With what baptism of suffering was not Jesus baptized? What cup of sorrow did not He drink? Well may He ask, "Are you able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" "Yes, Lord," every believing saint may reply, "by Your grace I AM ABLE; for, while without You I can do nothing, with You strengthening me I can do all things." Jesus replies, "You shall, indeed, drink of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; for all My members shall be conformed to Me, their Head." "Dear Lord," responds the believing soul, "if affliction, temptation, and sorrow but mold me into Your image, and conform me to Your life, do with me as seems good in Your sight."

Daily Devotion: Short Prayers Are Long Enough by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading: Matthew 14:26-33 KJV 

Key Verse:  "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me."
- Matthew 14:30 KJV

Sinking times are praying times with the Lord's servants. Peter neglected prayer at starting upon his venturous journey—but when he began to sink—his danger made him a suppliant, and his cry though late—was not too late. In our hours of bodily pain and mental anguish—we find ourselves as naturally driven to prayer, as the wreck is driven upon the shore by the waves. The fox flees to its hole for protection; the bird flies to the woods for shelter; and even so the tried believer hastens to the mercy seat for safety. Heaven's great harbor of refuge is All-prayer; thousands of weather beaten vessels have found a haven there, and the moment a storm comes on, it is wise for us to make for it with all sail.

Daily Devotion: Sit Together in Heavenly Places by J.C. Philpot

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:3-10 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:"
- Ephesians 2:6 KJV

There is a distinction between being quickened together with Christ and being raised up together with him. Is not this true in the experience of God's people? To be quickened into divine life, to be convinced of sin, to have the fear of God planted deeply in the soul, is the commencement of a work of grace. But this is not a deliverance, not a being raised up out of darkness, bondage, doubt, guilt, and fear. This is not a knowledge of Christ, and the power of his resurrection; this is not a full coming out of the dark and silent tomb into the glorious light and warmth of day.

Daily Devotion: John Warns the Pharisees and Sadducees by Favell Lee Mortimer

Bible Reading: Matthew 3:5-12 KJV 

Key Verse:  "But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?"
- Matthew 3:7 KJV

Among the people who came to hear John preach in the wilderness, were many of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. Curiosity drew them to hear that famous preacher. It will be well to stop a moment to inquire into the character of these men. They were called Pharisees and Sadducees, not because they belonged to foreign nations, (as we call some people French and some English,) but because they had particular opinions on religious subjects; they belonged to two sects among the Jews.

Daily Devotion: Cloud and Fire by J. R. Miller

Bible Reading: Exodus 14:19-26 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them:"
- Exodus 14:19. KJV

This angel was revealed in the form of cloud and fire. It was wonderful guidance which God gave to his people in their marches. By day the pillar of cloud sheltered them—and then by night the same cloud was light. By day it was shelter—by night it was light. And always it was guidance. When they were to move, it lifted and went in advance, to lead them. When they were to halt and rest, it settled down, thus giving them the signal to pitch their tents.

Daily Devotion: Death Vanquished by John MacDuff

Bible Reading: Psalm 116:12-19 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints."
- Psalm 116:15 KJV

In the first of these "precious thoughts," God is represented in a past eternity as looking down the vista of the future. He sees a captive world doomed to destruction; its perishing millions laden with fetters moving onwards to death and the grave. He hears their cry. It stirs the thoughts and longings of His divine heart. "I will ransom them," He exclaims, "from the power of the grave, I will redeem them from death!" Nor was this a mere passing thought, a transient emotion, akin to the human pity which is evoked for the moment by some spectacle of pain or distress. Many generous and benevolent 'thoughts of man' have never been embodied in deed. Many noble resolves die away with the hour which gave them birth, "that very day his thoughts perish."

Daily Devotion: Final Steps After Salvation by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: Hebrews 10:18-25 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."
- Hebrews 10:25 KJV

Salvation is more than saying a simple, one-time, sinner's prayer. A person truly saved will surrender his or her life to the Lordship of Jesus. Many do not do this and that is why only a few are truly saved. We must submit our lives to the Holy Spirit to create within us a clean heart; one only worthy of our new King, Jesus.

Daily Devotion: Are You Saved? by Wil Pounds

Bible Reading: Romans 10:9-17 KJV 

Key Verse:  "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
- Romans 10:13 KJV

Have you been saved?  Have you come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ?  It is a question that is almost exclusive to Christianity. The word saved in the Bible had three tenses. We were saved from the penalty of sin the very moment we put our trust in Christ Jesus as our savior. We are now being saved from the power of sin by the process of progressive sanctification. Moreover, we shall be saved from the presence of sin at the coming of our Lord in His glory.

Daily Devotion: In Intercessory Prayer by Octavius Winslow

Bible Reading: John 17:9-16 KJV 

Key Verse:  "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine."
- John 17:9 KJV

There is no part of Christ's Priestly office more soothing to the sick, tried, and suffering believer, than His intercessory supplication on their behalf. To know that we are borne upon the prayerful hearts of our fellow-Christians, in times when providences are trying, and our hearts are breaking, is unspeakably soothing. How much more so is the thought that Jesus, our merciful High Priest, Friend and Brother born for adversity, is praying for us in heaven--our names worn upon His heart, our woes and needs, sins and sorrows entwined with His prayers before the throne; that, His intercession for us is not a past, nor even an anticipatory intercession alone; but, that it is a present intercession, an intercession moment by moment, "NOW appearing in the presence of God for us."

Daily Devotion: Mighty To Save by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading: Isaiah 63:1-8 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of his strength? I that speak in righteousness, mighty to save."
- Isaiah 63:1 KJV

By the words "to save" we understand the whole of the great work of salvation, from the first holy desire—onward to complete sanctification. Indeed, here is all mercy in one word. Christ is not only "mighty to save" those who repent—but He is able to make men repent. He will carry those who believe those to heaven; but He is, moreover, mighty to give men new hearts and to work faith in them. He is mighty to make the man who hates holiness—love it; and to constrain the despiser of His name—to bend the knee before Him.

Daily Devotion: Death In Sin by J.C. Philpot

Bible Reading: Ephesians 2:1-8 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins;"
- Ephesians 2:1 KJV

Death in sin is of course a figure, and must be interpreted as such; for moral death is its meaning, and by moral death we understand the utter absence of everything holy, heavenly, spiritual, and divine--the entire lack of participation in, and conformity to the life which God lives as essentially and eternally holy, pure, wise, and good, and forever dwelling in the glorious light of his own infinite perfections. To be dead, then, is to have no present part or lot with God; no knowledge of him, no faith, no trust, no hope in him; no sense of his presence, no reverence of his awesome Majesty; no desire after him or inclination toward him; no trembling at his word, no reliance on his promise, no longing for his grace, no care or concern for his glory.

Daily Devotion: John Preaches In The Wilderness by Favell Lee Mortimer

Bible Reading: Matthew 3:1-8 KJV 

Key Verse:  "In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,"
- Matthew 3:1 KJV

We hear nothing of John the Baptist during his youth, excepting that he was pious, and lived much in the deserts. When he was about thirty years old, he began to preach. He did not, however, go to the cities, but remained in the wilderness.

Daily Devotion: How To Be Happy by J. R. Miller

Bible Reading: Proverbs 3:13-20 KJV

Key Verse:  "Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth understanding."
- Proverbs 3:13 KJV

It is worth our while to study what the Bible says about happiness, and how to get it. All people want to be happy—but most miss the mark.

Daily Devotion: How A Person Can Be Genuinely Saved (2 of 2) by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: John 3:29-36 KJV 

Key Verse:  "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."
- John 3:36 KJV

God determined the price of sin, which was a perfect, sinless sacrifice. God then gave us His own Son to pay the price that we couldn't pay. Jesus paid the price for your sin when He shed his blood, died on the cross and arose on the third day.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died FOR US." - Romans 5:8
"BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved." - Acts 16:31
"He that BELIEVETH on him is not condemned." - John 3:18
"He that BELIEVETH on the Son HATH everlasting life." - John 3:36

Daily Devotion: On A Blind Beggar by James Meikle

Bible Reading: Luke 18:35-43 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And it came to pass, that as he was come nigh unto Jericho, a certain blind man sat by the way side begging:"
- Luke 18:35 KJV

Poor man! you walk in darkness, though presented on every side with noon-day beams. You must commit yourself to your fellow-creatures, and by them be led from door to door. Who can but sympathize with your condition, and pity you? Poison unknown to you may be poured into your cup. You may fall into the fire or the water, or a ditch. You may dash your foot against every stone, and have the naked sword brandished at your bosom, while ignorant of your danger.

Daily Devotion: Are You One of the Elect of God? by Wil Pounds

Bible Reading: John 6:34-41KJV 

Key Verse:  "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
- John 6:37 KJV

The answer to the question, are you one of the elect of God, is answered by another question: Have you believed on Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? If you have responded to His free grace, and have believed on Him alone for salvation, you should know that you are one who was given to Jesus before the foundation of the world.

Daily Devotion: Consider Jesus - In The Anticipation of Death by Octavius Winslow

Bible Reading: John 12:26-33 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour."
- John 12:27 KJV

There were some expressions of feeling in our Lord's life which can only be accounted for on the ground of His perfect humanity. Such, for example, as His apparent shrinking from suffering and death. And this, in its turn, can only find a solution in the fact that, He was not suffering as a common sufferer, but as the Sin-Bearer of His Church. We read of martyrs going to the stake displaying, apparently, much more fortitude than Jesus did in view of His death. The reason is obvious. In the case of the Christian martyr there was no burden of sin, no mental anguish increasing the tortures through which they passed to glory. The sense of God's forgiving love, and of acceptance in Christ, transformed the fiery chariot in which they ascended to heaven into a 'chariot of love'.

Daily Devotion: The Axe-Head Shall Float by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading: 2 Kings 6:5-6 KJV 

Key Verse:  "But as one was felling a beam, the axe head fell into the water: and he cried, and said, Alas, master! for it was borrowed."
- 2 Kings 6:5 KJV

The axe-head seemed hopelessly lost, and as it was borrowed, the honor of the prophetic band was likely to be imperilled, and so the name of their God to be compromised. Contrary to all expectation, the iron was made to mount from the depth of the stream and to float; for things impossible with man are possible with God.

Daily Devotion: He Taught Them Many Things By Parables by J.C. Philpot

Bible Reading: Mark 4:1-9 KJV

Key Verse:  "And he taught them many things by parables, and said unto them in his doctrine,"
- Mark 4:2 KJV

The Scripture employs two beautiful figures to illustrate the reception of the divine testimony. One is the committing of the seed to the ground, as in the parable of the sower. The husbandman scatters the seed in the bosom of the earth, and the ground having been previously ploughed and reduced to a beautiful tillage, opens its bosom to receive the grain. After a little time the seed begins to germinate, to strike a root downward, and shoot a germ upward; as the Lord speaks, "First the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear."

Daily Devotion: Christ Among the Teachers by Favell Lee Mortimer

Bible Reading: Luke 2:41-52 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions."
- Luke 2:46 KJV

We only hear one story of our Savior in his childhood. We would like to hear many particulars concerning him in early life, but the Holy Spirit has caused us to know the things the most necessary, and it is more necessary that we should know what Christ said and did when he was a minister—than when he was a child.

Daily Devotion: How A Person Can Be Genuinely Saved (1 of 2) by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: Isaiah 53:1-8 KJV 

Key Verse:  "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all."
- Isaiah 53:6 KJV

First you must acknowledge that you are a lost sinner in need of a savior. 

"If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are LOST." - 2 Corinthians 4:3
"All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." - Romans 3:23
"The wages of sin is death." - Romans 6:23
"There is none righteous, no not one: There is none that seeketh after God." - Romans 3:10,11
"All we like sheep have gone astray." - Isaiah 53:6

Daily Devotion: More Than Parental Love by John MacDuff

Bible Reading: Isaiah 49:14-21 KJV

Key Verse:  "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."
- Isaiah 49:15 KJV

There are seasons in the experience of many of God's people, when, by reason of outward trials or inward troubles, they feel desolate and desponding. Spiritual comforts are gone. They have little of the hallowed communion they once enjoyed with their heavenly Father — little fervor or filial nearness in prayer — little pleasure in reading the Word or attending the Sanctuary. A chilling blight has passed over their spiritual being. In the bitterness of conscious estrangement from the God of their life, they are led to harbor the secret thought, 'The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me!'

Daily Devotion: Prayer and Praise by James Meikle

Bible Reading: Psalm 72:11-18 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And he shall live, and to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba: prayer also shall be made for him continually; and daily shall he be praised."
- Psalm 72:15 KJV

Prayer and praise is the employment of the two families of earth and heaven—the church-militant and the church-triumphant. Prayer is the native breathings of the heaven-born soul, the lispings of the child of grace, who when grown to the stature of a perfect man in Christ Jesus, and taken home to his higher house—breaks forth into melodious strains of praise. Prayer suits the state below, and praise the state above. Here I am vexed with sin and temptation, with needs and infirmities—therefore I pray. But there I shall be blessed with the removal of sin and temptation, of needs and infirmities—therefore I shall praise.

Daily Devotion: Are You in Adam or in Christ? by Wil Pounds

Bible Reading: Romans 5:14-21 KJV 

Key Verse:  "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)"
- Romans 5:17 KJV

Charles Hodge asked a crucial question: “If God requires one thing, and we present another, how can we be saved? If He has revealed a method in which He can be just and yet justify the sinner, and if we reject that method and insist upon pursuing a different way, how can we hope to be accepted?”

Daily Devotion: Consider Jesus - in Sickness by Octavius Winslow

Bible Reading: Matthew 8:16-23 KJV 

Key Verse:  "That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses."
- Matthew 8:17 KJV

How closely and tenderly is Jesus one with His Church! Take the subject of the present meditation as an illustration. There is not a chamber of pining sickness, nor a couch of suffering languor, at which His presence may not be experienced in all the divine power and human sympathy of His nature. The careful reader of His life must have been deeply impressed with the frequency with which His personal contact with bodily infirmity and disease is recorded, and with what promptness and skill He addressed Himself to the task of alleviation and cure. "And He healed people who had every kind of sickness and disease." And still His power and skill are needed, and still are the same. Into the shaded chamber of how many a sick one whom Jesus loves will these pages come, breathing, it is humbly prayed, the soothing fragrance of His Name around the restless pillow! "He Himself took our infirmities, and bore our sicknesses." Let us consider IN WHAT WAY Jesus did this.