Daily Devotion: Science by James Meikle

Bible Reading: Psalm 19:1-8 KJV

Key Verse:  "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork."
- Psalm 19:1 KJV

True science is a study much commended. Where the works of nature are narrowly surveyed, they fill the mind with wonder and delight, and prove that their Creator must be God. O! says one, how the study of astronomy exalts the soul! And then he expatiates on the starry heavens, or skies filled with suns, with their dependent planets; or worlds unseen—and carries on his fruitful theme, until his lectures have filled the extension of space with spacious habitations for intelligent, though unintelligible beings.

Daily Devotion: Clothed With Fig Leaves Or Righteousness? by Wil Pounds

Bible Reading: Romans 2:11-18 KJV

Key Verse:  "In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel."
- Romans 2:16 KJV

There are no secrets with God. Adam and Eve learned that the hard way. The apostle Paul reminds us, that God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus (Rom. 2:16). The writer of Hebrews says, “Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do” (Heb. 4:13).

Daily Devotion: Verses For Comfort During Trials by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 1:1-8 KJV

Key Verse:  "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;"
- 2 Corinthians 1:3 KJV

In the midst of life’s trials and tribulations, it is easy to feel overwhelmed, uncertain and even that God has abandoned you. However, the Bible provides us with countless verses that reminds us of God’s unwavering presence and His promise to guide us through every challenge. Let’s look at some verses that we can find comfort and strength in during the trials that we face.

Daily Devotion: For The Glory Of God by Octavius Winslow

Bible Reading: John 11:1-8 KJV

Key Verse:  "When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby."
- John 11:4 KJV

The season of sickness is the schooling of the soul. More of God is unfolded then, and more of his truth is learned, than perhaps in any other circumstances. Oh, how the character, and the perfections, and the government of God become unfolded to his mind by the teachings of the Spirit of truth! 

Daily Devotion: Pray One For Another by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading: James 5:13-20 KJV

Key Verse:  "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."
- James 5:16 KJV

As an encouragement cheerfully to offer intercessory prayer, remember that such prayer is the sweetest God ever hears, for the prayer of Christ is of this character. In all the incense which our Great High Priest now puts into the golden censer—there is not a single grain for Himself. His intercession must be the most acceptable of all supplications—and the more our prayer is like Christ's, the sweeter it will be. Thus while petitions for ourselves will be accepted, our pleadings for others, having in them more of the fruits of the Spirit, more love, more faith, more brotherly kindness, will be, through the precious merits of Jesus—the sweetest oblation that we can offer to God—the very fat of our sacrifice.

Daily Devotion: Lord You Are In Our Midst by J.C. Philpot

Bible Reading: Jeremiah 14:7-14 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Why shouldest thou be as a man astonied, as a mighty man that cannot save? yet thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name; leave us not."
- Jeremiah 14:9 KJV

If the Lord has ever been in our soul to manifest there a sense of his goodness and mercy, we can then make use of this as our plea, "Yet you, O Lord, are in the midst of us." If he has ever heard your prayer he is with you; if he has ever given you a promise he is with you; if he has ever touched your heart with his finger he is with you; if he has ever favored you with a smile he is with you. And though taking the general run of your experience he may be a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turns aside to tarry for a night, or though even as it may seem, as if he were astonished at what you are--a mighty man that cannot save, still every token for good encourages you to cling, to cleave, to hang round him, to catch hold of his feet as the Shunamite caught Elisha by the feet, and would not be thrust away; for you cannot but feel that, with all that you are and have been, you dearly love him, and have a good hope, if not a clear testimony, that he loves you.

Daily Devotion: Christ Forbids Ostentation In PRAYER by Favell Lee Mortimer

Bible Reading: Matthew 6:1-8 KJV

Key Verse:  "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward."
- Matthew 6:5 KJV

Our Savior continued to expose the emptiness of the works in which the Pharisees prided themselves. One of these was giving. This has been already considered. Another was prayer. Let us now direct our attention to this subject. The customs of Judea were very different from ours. The synagogues were always open, and people resorted to them, as well as to the temple, in order to pray. There was no harm in the custom, and many people no doubt went to the synagogues to pray in sincerity, as we know one poor tax-collector went to the temple, and sincerely said, "God be merciful to me, a sinner."

Daily Devotion: The Sweet Psalmist

Bible Reading: 2 Samuel 23:1-8 KJV

Key Verse:  "Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said,"
- 2 Samuel 23:1 KJV

Think of the influence of David's psalms. Take one for example, the twenty-third. Who can count up the blessings it has left, in its wanderings through the world? How many children have learned to say it almost with their first efforts at speech! How many sick people have listened to its sweet, musical accents, as it has been read in softened tones in the hushed chamber! How many dying ones have lisped the beautiful sentences as the gloom gathered about them, especially lingering on the words: "Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for you are with me; your rod and your staff they comfort me." This precious psalm has been like a beautiful angel, flying up and down through the world, bearing its joy and gladness to hearts of young and old, of rich and poor.

Daily Devotion: The Father Glorified by John MacDuff

Bible Reading: John 15:1-8 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples."
- John 15:8 KJV

When surveying the boundless ocean of covenant mercy — every wave chiming, "God is Love!" — does the thought ever present itself, "What can I do for this great Being who has done so much for me?" Recompense, I cannot! No more can my purest services add one iota to His un-derived glory, than the tiny candle can add to the blaze of the sun at noonday, or a drop of water to the boundless ocean. Yet, wondrous thought! from this worthless soul of mine there may roll in a revenue of glory which He who loves the broken and contrite spirit will "not despise." "Herein is My Father glorified — that you bear much fruit."

Daily Devotion: People Tested By God by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: 1 Peter 4:12-19 KJV

Key Verse:  "Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:"
- 1 Peter 4:12 KJV

In the Bible, there are numerous examples of individuals who were tested by God to strengthen their faith and character. When we are going through trials, tribulations and tests, we want to know that someone else has gone through something similar, and that they successfully came through it. Let us look at some famous people in the Bible that were tested and passed the test.

Daily Devotion: Only A Rumor Heard Of The Triumphant State by James Meikle

Bible Reading: Matthew 13:41-48 KJV

Key Verse:  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field."
- Matthew 13:44 KJV

This thought is now come into my mind—that the triumphant state of glory is but little understood, even after all the divine descriptions given thereof in sacred revelation. Not that God cannot tell—but man cannot hear; for when Paul was caught up to the third heaven, and his ear opened to hear the Hosannas of the higher house, he says, he had heard ineffable things, which it was not fit, proper, or becoming for a man to reveal, because the language of eternity cannot be adapted to the dialect of time. After all the pleasing and glorious metaphors used to represent eternal felicity, still there is a deficiency, though neither from the fullness of that felicity, nor the divine Relater—but from us who hear. Were the definition too refined, the relation too sublime, we would not be able to comprehend it. Therefore, things that make up the excellences of this lower world, on which men fix their esteem, place their delight and settle their affections—are chosen to illustrate it.

Daily Devotion: Church of Christ by Wil Pounds

Bible Reading: 1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV

Key Verse:  "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."
- 1 Corinthians 12:13 KJV

All of us who are trusting in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior are members of the true church of Christ. We are members of His body. We have experienced the forgiveness of our sins, according to the riches of His grace. “We are accepted in the Beloved,” and we are “redeemed through His blood.”

Daily Devotion: He Will Rest In His Love by Octavius Winslow

Bible Reading: Zephaniah 3:13-20 KJV

Key Verse:  "The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing."
- Zephaniah 3:17 KJV

The marginal reading of the passage is exceedingly beautiful and expressive: "He will be silent because of His love." Divine wrath is silent, because love has hushed it. Divine justice is silent, because love has satisfied it. Sin is silent, because love has condemned it. Satan is silent, because love has vanquished him.

Daily Devotion: Praying Always by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading: Ephesians 6:10-18 KJV

Key Verse:  "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"
- Ephesians 6:18 KJV

What multitudes of prayers we have put up, from the first moment when we learned to pray. Our first prayer was a prayer for ourselves; we asked that God would have mercy upon us, and blot out our sin. He heard us. But when He had blotted out our countless sins—then we had more prayers for ourselves. We have had to pray for sanctifying grace, for constraining and restraining grace; we have been led to crave for a fresh assurance of faith, for the comfortable application of the promise, for deliverance in the hour of temptation, for help in the time of duty, and for succor in the day of trial. We have been compelled to go to God for our souls—as constant beggars, asking for everything.

Daily Devotion: This Is The True God And Eternal Life by J.C. Philpot

Bible Reading: 1 John 5:13-21 KJV

Key Verse:  "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life."
- 1 John 5:20 KJV

O the blessedness, which eternity itself can never exhaust, of possessing eternal life! There is something to my mind so singularly blessed in the expression "eternal life," that I cannot help dwelling upon it. How the thought, the feeling of it expands the breast! Compared with it, how poor, base, and low is our temporal life and all its concerns--the short span which God has allotted to us here below! And do observe how our eye is directed by holy John to the true God as being himself eternal life. He is not only the Giver, the Spring, the Subject, the Object of it--He himself is it all. O if he has but quickened our souls by his Spirit and grace, we carry now, even now, eternal life in our breast! for this eternal life is the precious fruit on earth of that eternal life in heaven which was with the Father and was manifested unto us (1 John 1:2).

Daily Devotion: Christ Forbids Ostentation In Giving by Favell Lee Mortimer

Bible Reading: Mark 12:38-44 KJV 

Key Verse:  "And there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing."
- Mark 12:42 KJV

Webster defines ostentation as "excessive display; vain and unnecessary show especially for the purpose of attracting attention, admiration, or envy; pretentiousness." The Lord Jesus now began to show the emptiness of the good works in which the Pharisees gloried. He had declared what false views they entertained of the law of God, and now he shows that their best actions were nothing worth, because they were done from wrong motives.

Daily Devotion: Why Does God Allow Us To Suffer Through Trials, Tribulations And Tests by J.E. Smith

Bible Reading: John 15:20-27 KJV

Key Verse:  "Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also."
- John 15:20 KJV

We will all face trials, tribulations and tests in our lives. As noted in our key verse above, if God's Only Begotten Son, Jesus, was persecuted, they will also persecute us. So, why does God allow us to suffer through Persecution, Trials, Tribulations and Tests? Let us consider four reasons why.

Daily Devotion: Solomon's Wives Turned His Heart To Other Gods by J. R. Miller

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 11:1-8 KJV 

Key Verse:  "For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father."
- 1 Kings 11:4 KJV

The Arabs have a tradition that for a long time a little worm was gnawing in the staff on which Solomon leaned, until at last the staff broke and the great king fell. It was at the king's heart—that the worm was really gnawing.

Daily Devotion: The Unveiled Dealings by John MacDuff

Bible Reading: John 13:1-8 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter."
- John 13:7 KJV

O blessed day, when the long sealed book of mystery shall be unfolded, when the "fountains of the great deep shall be broken up," "the channels of the waters seen," and all discovered to be one vast revelation of unerring wisdom and ineffable love! Here we are often baffled at the Lord's dispensations; we cannot fathom His ways — like the well of Sychar — they are deep, and we have nothing to draw with. But soon the "mystery of God will be finished;" the enigmatical "seals," with all their inner meanings, opened. When that "morning without clouds" shall break, each soul will be like the angel standing in the sun — there will be no shadow; all will be perfect day!

Daily Devotion: The Excellent Happiness Of The Blessed by James Meikle

Bible Reading: James 4:10-17 KJV 

Key Verse:  "Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away."
- James 4:14 KJV

Time is short, and eternity is long! Yet, in this short time, I must prepare for long eternity! O! what a duration is before me! But what a foolish infatuation is within me—that I should mind the trifling things of time, and forget the great concerns of eternity! Truly, when I compare eternity and time, I am astonished that eternity does not swallow up time in my concerns and meditations. With what deceptive phantasies and delusive dreams—are we entertained here—in comparison to that divine understanding, intuitive knowledge, spiritual discoveries, vigor and activity of soul, we shall be possessed of, when we awake to immortality, from all the slumbers of a transitory life!

Daily Devotion: Christianity is Christ by Wil Pounds

Bible Reading: Acts 11:23-30 KJV

Key Verse:  "And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch."
- Acts 11:26 KJV

There is no other way to say it. Christianity is Christ. Christianity is centered on the person and work of Jesus Christ. If the focus is on anything else it is not Christianity. That great truth is stated throughout the New Testament. In fact, everything in the Old Testament leads up to that great truth regarding His person and work.

Daily Devotion: He Will Guide You Into All Truth by Octavius Winslow

Bible Reading: John 16:12-19 KJV

Key Verse:  "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come."
- John 16:13 KJV

New and enlarged views of the Holy Spirit mark a regenerate mind. Having received the Holy Spirit as a quickener, he feels the need of Him now as a teacher, a sanctifier, a comforter, and a sealer.

Daily Devotion: Jesus Answered by Charles Spurgeon

Bible Reading: Matthew 11:25 KJV

Key Verse:  "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."
- Matthew 11:25 KJV

This is a singular way in which to commence a verse, "At that time, Jesus answered." If you will look at the context, you will not see that any person had asked Him a question, or that He was in conversation with any human being. Yet it is written, "Jesus answered and said, I thank You, O Father." When a man answers, he answers a person who has been speaking to him. Who, then, had spoken to Christ? His Father! Yet there is no record of it; and this should teach us that Jesus had constant fellowship with His Father, and that God spoke into His heart so often, so continually, that it was not a circumstance singular enough to be recorded. It was the habit and life of Jesus to talk with His Father.

Daily Devotion: Kabbalah by J.E. Smith

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Bible Reading: Acts 7:42-48 KJV

Key Verse:  "Yea, ye took up the tabernacle of Moloch, and the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them..."
- Acts 7:43 KJV

Practitioners of the occult within Judaism codified their beliefs in a sub-religion that became known as Kabbalah. On the surface Kabbalism appears to be Judaism in reality which is the exact opposite of Judaism. The Kabbalah offers an occult counter explanation to the revelations of the Jewish prophets and the history of the Israelites. The Kabbalah depicts Moses as an occult figure whose purpose was to initiate the Israelites back into the more enlightened and advanced teachings of Egypt. Teachings of all secret societies flow through the Kabbalah.¹

Daily Devotion: Spiritual Hunger by J.C. Philpot

Bible Reading: Psalm 107:1-9 KJV

Key Verse: "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness."
- Psalm 107:9 KJV

We find the living family of God sometimes set forth under the character of the 'hungry'. Let us see what they are hungering after. Is it pleasure, honor, promotion, respectability? O no; these toys and baubles cannot satisfy the spiritual hunger of a living soul. They cannot hunger after that on which they cannot feed. They hunger then after righteousness, as the Lord said--"Blessed are you who hunger and thirst after righteousness." They hunger after God himself in his blessed manifestations; they hunger after the bread of life which came down from heaven, that a man should eat thereof and not die.

Daily Devotion: Christ Enjoins The Forgiveness Of Enemies by Favell Lee Mortimer

Bible Reading: Matthew 5:40-48 KJV

Key Verse:  "But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"
- Matthew 5:43 KJV

It is written in Lev. 19, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." The Pharisees for many ages past had given a very imperfect explanation of this law. They had not explained the term "neighbor" aright. They had declared that it applied to those who loved us, and did not include those who hated us. But this was not true. Every human being is, in one sense, our neighbor. We are therefore commanded to love all. God had never said, "You shall hate your enemy;" for, though he had desired the Jews to form no friendships with heathen nations, he had never commanded them to hate or injure them from feelings of revenge. It was man who had added, "You shall hate your enemy." How easy it was to obey such a law! By nature we love our friends, and hate our enemies. As Christ said, "Even the publicans love those who love them." The publicans were people of very bad character, who generally defrauded in collecting the taxes, and who were therefore much despised—yet even they behaved with kindness and respect to their particular friends. The Pharisees had no reason to be proud of such righteousness as this.

Daily Devotion: Solomon's Heart by J. R. Miller

Bible Reading: 1 Kings 11:1-8 KJV

Key Verse:  "For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father."
- 1 Kings 11:4 KJV

The Arabs have a tradition that for a long time a little worm was gnawing in the staff on which Solomon leaned, until at last the staff broke and the great king fell. It was at the king's heart—that the worm was really gnawing.

Daily Devotion: The Power Of Prayer by John MacDuff

Bible Reading: John 14:13 KJV

Key Verse:  "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son."
- John 14:13 KJV

Blessed Jesus! it is You who has unlocked to Your people the gates of prayer. Without You, they must have been shut forever. It was Your atoning merit on earth that first opened them; it is Your intercessory work in Heaven that keeps them open still.

Daily Devotion: Saints Unknown, Stars Unseen by James Meikle

Bible Reading: Psalm 149:1-8 KJV

Key Verse:  "Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and his praise in the congregation of saints."
- Psalm 149:1 KJV

As there are stars in the sparkling skies of heaven of different magnitudes and glory—so there are saints of different stations in the church of God. Some like stars of the first magnitude, point out the way to bliss; while others, like stars of a second, third, and fourth magnitude, sparkle with an upright walk, and heavenly conversation, and condemn a wicked world. All these glorify God, as it were, in an active manner.

Daily Devotion: Christ Our Sanctification by Wil Pounds

Bible Reading: 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV

Key Verse:  "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
- 2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV

The cross of Jesus Christ is a demonstration of the infinite wisdom of God. Every philosophy of life is proven by what it ultimately produces in a person’s life.  God’s wisdom produces perfect righteousness. God made Jesus who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (2 Cor. 5:21).