Month: December 2019

Esther 9:1-10:3; Malachi 3:7-4:6; Revelation 22:6-21

Then whose shall these things be? Luke 12:20
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be? 2 Peter 3:11

In this affluent age, even God’s dear people get caught up in amassing things. Tragically, things are destined for the flames. Today let us concentrate on, laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust corrupt (Matt. 6:19). —Arnot P. McIntee

Be sure you count the cost rightly,
Putting value where value should be.
If you put Jesus first and His glory,
All things will be added to thee. —Author Unknown

Esther 7:1-8:17; Malachi 2:10-3:6; Revelation 21:9-22:5

The blessing of the Lord is upon you; we bless you in the name of the Lord. Psalm 129:8

When Boaz visited his grain harvest, his greeting to the reapers was, “The Lord be with you” and their response was, “The Lord bless thee” (Ruth 2:4). Because we have been so blessed by the finished work of our Saviour, we are to pass that blessing on to others. How encouraging to hear someone say, “Have a blessed day!”. “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Ps. 32:1). —Wm. H. Gustafson

Make me a blessing,
Out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing,
To someone today. —Ira B. Wilson

Esther 5:1-6:14; Malachi 1:1-2:9; Revelation 20:7-21:8

Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. John 20:16

I love to watch video clips of military homecomings. In full military gear, a father surprises his daughter at a gymnastics recital. A young boy turns around at his birthday party only to find his big brother standing right there in front of him with open arms. A young bride on her sad anniversary answers the doorbell to find her husband on one knee with a bouquet of flowers. One day you and I will open the door to the Lord Jesus. One day we will look up to the sky and see Him coming in the clouds. One day we will hear Him call our name and, turning around, He will be standing right there—to be reunited with us for all time. —Shane Johnson

O Lord Jesus, how long, how long,
Ere we shout the glad song?
Christ returneth! Hallelujah!
Hallelujah! Amen. Hallelujah! Amen.—H. L. Turner

Esther 3:1-4:17; Zechariah 13:7-14:21; Revelation 19:11-20:6

Where is the promise of His coming? 2 Peter 3:4, NKJV

There are two distinct responses to this promise of the Lord’s coming. There are the scoffers (vv. 3-4) and the anticipators (vv. 11-12, 14). The former want to keep following their lustful lifestyle. They don’t really care about the coming of Christ. They just want to justify their vile lifestyle and say that, as He has not come yet, He never will. The second group, the one that we should all be a part of, are those who are looking eagerly for His return. This anticipation should affect our lifestyle. We ought to be marked by both “holy conduct and godliness” (v. 11), and be “without spot and blameless” in in all things (v. 14). Are we scoffers or anticipators? —N. C. Funston

Faithful and true, would He find us here,
If He should come today. —Lelia N. Morris

Esther 2:1-23; Zechariah 12:1-13:6; Revelation 19:1-10

To be with Christ; which is far better. Philippians 1:23

On an ancient grave in Worcester Cathedral, England, is a Latin inscription “Misserimus”. It means “most miserable”. In the catacombs, where early Christians took shelter from persecution, is a word carved into the stonework of a wall. That word is “Felicisimus” and means “most happy”. What a contrast! The apostle Paul looked forward to death with an eager anticipation as he realised that for the Christian: “To die is gain” (Phil. 1:21). Is that our hope or does the thought of death fill us with misery? —Paul Young

Afraid? Of what? To enter into Heaven’s rest,
And still to serve the Master blest, From service good to service best— Afraid—of that? —E. H. Hamilton

Esther 1:1-22; Zechariah 11:1-17; Revelation 18:1-24

And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. Luke 2:10

We have four Gospel accounts in our Bible: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Why four? The angel answers that question saying, the good tidings “shall be to all people”. The Gospels present a beautiful and complete portrait of the Saviour to all people. Matthew, written for the Jews, presents the Lord as King. Mark, written for the Romans, presents the Lord as the Servant. Luke, written for the Greeks, presents the Lord as Man. John, written for the whole World, presents the Lord as God. God’s gift of His Son is one Saviour Who is perfect for all! —Rex Trogdon

Joy to the world, the Lord is come,
Let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And heaven and nature sing,
And heaven and nature sing. —Isaac Watts

Nehemiah 13:1-31; Zechariah 9:1-10:12; Revelation 17:1-18

Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? Matt. 2:2, NKJV

Born a King? No one has ever been born a king! All are born a prince, but uniquely the Lord was born a King. He was no successor to Herod or to any other king. He was born a king and humbly we acknowledge that He died a King. Over His cross were the words, “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS” (John 19:19, NKJV). In His coming glory, He will have a name written on His robe and thigh, “KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS” (Rev. 19:16, NKJV). Supremely He will reign. He was rejected in His birth, life and death and is still by much of the world today. But may our hearts bow in worship to the newborn King. —Jim Comte

And He shall reign forever and ever,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
King of kings! And Lord of lords!
Forever and ever, Hallelujah! —George Frederick Handel

Nehemiah 12:1-47; Zechariah 8:1-23; Revelation 16:1-21

That holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. Luke 1:35

On Christmas Eve in 1906, a man played his violin to broadcast the first song ever played over the airwaves—a carol, “O Holy Night”. Certainly, the night the carol spoke of was of immense significance when “that holy thing” was born of Mary, “when the fulness of the time was come” (Gal. 4:4). But another day would come when, “in due time Christ died for the ungodly” (Rom. 5:6), when “he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21). Believe this and give glory and thanks to God. —Brian Powlesland

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour’s birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
Till He appeared and the soul felt its worth. —Placide Cappeau

Nehemiah 10:1-11:36; Zechariah 7:1-14; Revelation 15:1-8

We have seen His star. Matthew 2:2, NKJV
I, Jesus…am…the Bright and Morning Star…Surely I am coming quickly. Revelation 22:16, 20, NKJV

God guided those wise men to the Christ-child with a special star. How foolish, then, would it have been for them to take their eyes off that star. Today, God has given His people a different star to guide them, the Bright and Morning Star. This name is attached to the promise of Christ’s soon return and we are to fix our eyes upon it. It will guide us in our daily decisions and actions: “every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). May we be wise men and wise women by keeping our eyes on that Star until we are with Him at last. —Brian Cretney

He’s the Lily of the Valley, the Bright and Morning Star,
He’s the fairest of ten thousand to my soul. —Charles Fry

Nehemiah 9:1-38; Zechariah 5:1-6:15; Revelation 14:1-20

And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them. Luke 2:20

The shepherds had heard the angel’s message of joy. They had seen the Babe lying in the manger—Christ the Lord! As they headed back to their fields and flocks, their souls were filled with worship. When God is glorified, honour is ascribed to His Name. His attributes and acts are extolled and He is acknowledged for who He is! Let us today follow the example of these humble men and truly glorify our God, for all that we have “heard and seen”, concerning the Saviour who came. —Pete Smith

All glory be to God on high, and to the earth be peace;
Goodwill henceforth from heaven to men begin, and never cease. —N. Tate