Daily Devotional Readings: Year Three - September

1st September: Proverbs 23:19-35

'Keep your heart on the right path' (19). How are we to do this? We must seek 'truth, wisdom, instruction and understanding' (23). We must give our hearts to Christ. He is 'the Truth' (John 14:6). We must open our hearts to Christ. He is 'our Wisdom' (1 Corinthians 1:30). Opening our hearts will mean opening our Bibles. Giving our hearts to Christ will mean giving time to reading God's Word. As we read 'the Scriptures', we will receive 'instruction'. We will learn about 'salvation through faith in Christ Jesus'. We will receive 'instruction for right living' (2 Timothy 3:14-17). As we read God's Word, we must pray that the Holy Spirit will give us 'understanding' (1 Corinthians 2:9-13). 'Be filled with the Spirit'. 'Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly' (Ephesians 5:18; Colossians 3:16).

2nd September: Ezekiel 21:1-32

We read here about 'the time of final punishment' (25,29). God's Word speaks to us about 'eternal punishment' as well as 'eternal life': 'Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not have life, but will remain under God's punishment' (Matthew 25:46; John 3:36). God loves us. He sent His Son to be our Saviour. He calls us to put our faith in Christ (John 3:16-18). He speaks to us His Word of promise - 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved' - and His Word of warning - 'How shall we escape if we ignore such a great salvation?' (Hebrews 2:3). God is calling us to 'flee from the wrath to come' (Luke 3:7). We must turn from sin - 'Turn away from your sins and live' - and turn to Him - 'Turn to Me and be saved' (18:32; Isaiah 45:22).

3rd September: Ezekiel 22:1-31

'I looked for a man..., but I found none' (30). God is looking for people who will be faithful in prayer. What happens when God's people refuse to pray? God's Word leaves us in no doubt - 'I will pour out My anger on them..., bringing down on their own heads all they have done' (31). What a tragedy! The people refused to pray - and there was no blessing from the Lord: 'You do not have, because you do not ask God' (James 4:2). Things could have been so different: 'If My people, who are called by My Name, will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land' (2 Chronicles 7:14). God wants to bless us. We must pray for His blessing. 'Ask and it will be given to you...' (Matthew 7:7-8).

4th September: Ezekiel 23:1-49

'Because you have forgotten Me and turned your back on Me, you will be punished for all your sin' (35). We are to remember the Lord. We must not forget Him. We must not let the Word of God 'go in one ear and out the other'. We must be 'doers of the Word' as well as 'hearers of the Word' (James 1:22-25). Let's put the past behind us and make a new beginning with God: 'Return to Me, and I will return to you' (Malachi 3:7). 'Have mercy on me, O God... Cleanse me from my sin...Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation' (Psalm 51:1-2,10-12). Let this be the prayer of your heart and the blessing of God will flow into your life.

5th September: 1 John 3:19-4:21

'God is greater than our hearts'. When you are deeply aware of your sinfulness, remember - God loves you. God's Word is brutally honest - about us: 'The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?' God's Word is wonderfully encouraging - about His love for us. He 'knows everything' about us - and He still loves us: 'God shows His love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us' (3:20; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 5:8). What a great Saviour we have. He is 'without sin' - yet He is the Friend of sinners. He 'receives sinners'. He 'came into the world to save sinners' (Hebrews 4:15; Luke 15:2; 1 Timothy 1:15). Whenever we start getting too full of ourselves, too full of our own importance, we must remember: 'He first loved us' (4:19) - before we ever thought of loving Him!

6th September: Ezekiel 24:1-27

'I will punish you because of the way you lived' (14). God is calling us to think about the way we are living. He wants us to leave behind the old, self-centred way of living. He wants us to begin a new life, a life that is centred on Him. Real change comes from God. We must pray that He will change us - 'Change my heart, O God. Make it ever true. Change my heart, O God. May I be like You'. We must pray for a deep work of the Spirit of God in our hearts - 'Spirit of the living God, fall afresh on me...Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me...'. We must pray that we will become more like Jesus - 'Let the beauty of Jesus be seen in me, all His wondrous compassion and purity. Oh, Thou Spririt divine, all my nature refine, till the beauty of Jesus be seen in me' (Mission Praise, 69,613,410).

7th September: Ezekiel 25:1-17

We read here about God's judgment upon sinful nations - Ammon (1-7), Moab (8-11), Edom (12-14) and Philistia (15-17). God speaks to us. He says to us, 'You will know that I am the Lord' (5,7,11,17). He speaks to us as our Judge. He speaks to us about 'sin, righteousness and judgment' (John 16:8-11). We are sinners. God is righteous. There will be a Judgment. This is God's way of showing us how much we need His love. He shows us how much we need to be saved so that we might learn to be truly thankful to Him for the Good News of His love, the Gospel of our salvation - 'God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...'; 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'; 'Christ died for our sins' (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 1:15; 1 Corinthians 15:3). Let us 'rejoice in God our Saviour' (Luke 2:47).

8th September: Ezekiel 26:1-21

'I am against you, O Tyre...You will be no more...You will never again be found...' (3,21). God's Word is spoken against us: 'There is no-one righteous...All have turned away...There is no-one who does good...All have sinned...' (Romans 3:10,12.23). God speaks His Word against us 'so that every mouth may be silenced' (Romans 3:19). He wants us to to stop making excuses for ourselves. He wants us to start listening to what He has to say to us. For the city of Tyre, the situation was hopeleess. For us, there is a Word of hope. Jesus Christ has come 'to seek and to save the lost'. Jesus Christ has 'died for our sins' (Luke 19:10; 1 Peter 3:18). 'Through faith in Jesus Christ', we hear God's Word of forgiveness: 'I will remember their sins no more' (Romans 3:22; Hebrews 8:12; 10:17).

9th September: Psalm 132:1-18

'Let us go to the Lord's House; let us worship before His throne' (7). God is calling us to worship Him. We are to gather together as His worshipping people. As we gather for worship, we remember that 'the Lord is King'. We do not only give Him the praise of our lips. We give Him the praise of our lives. We do not only sing to Him. We live for Him. We come 'before His throne' with this prayer, 'Take my heart - it is Thine own; It shall be Thy royal throne'. God hears and answers our prayer. He gives us His strength. We rise to His challenge: 'Rise up, O Church of God! Have done with lesser things; Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of kings' (Church Hymnary, 36,462,477). The service of worship comes to an end. Let our service of living begin - and never end!

10th September: Ezekiel 27:1-36

'Your wealth...will sink into the heart of the sea on the day of your shipwreck' (27). We will sink if we don't 'keep our eyes fixed on Jesus'. We must not allow ourselves to get weighed down. We must not become 'entangled' in the world's way of living. We must 'throw off everything that hinders' our spiritual growth. Jesus is 'the sure and strong Anchor for our lives'. He will keep us from sinking. Let us look to Him and learn from Him: 'Do not lay up treasures on earth...Lay up treasures in heaven' (Hebrews 12:1-2; 6:19; 2 Timothy 2:4; Matthew 6:19-20). 'Will your anchor hold in the storms of life...? We have an Anchor that keeps the soul , steadfast and sure while the billows roll, fastened to the Rock which cannot move, grounded firm and deep in the Saviour's love!' (Church Hymnary, 412).

11th September: Ezekiel 28:1-26

'You were on the holy mount of God...You were blameless in your ways...You sinned...I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God' (14-16). This is much more than the 'long time ago' story of 'the king of Tyre' (12). Here, we catch a glimpse of 'the spiritual forces in the heavenly realms'. We read about 'war in heaven'. We read about the downfall of 'Satan'. God's Word is warning us: 'Our struggle is not against flesh and blood'. We face a much more poweful 'enemy' - 'Satan'. He 'disguises himself as an angel of light'. We must not be fooled. He is no 'angel of light'. He is 'a roaring lion'. He is 'prowling about, looking for someone to devour'. We shall overcome him 'by the blood of the Lamb...' (Ephesians 6:12; Revelation 12:7-9,11; 2 Corinthians 11:14; 1 Peter 5:8).

12th September: Ezekiel 29:1-21

In God's dealings with Egypt, we see both His wrath - 'Egypt will become a desolate wasteland' - and His mercy - 'At the end of forty years...I will restore the fortunes of Egypt' (9,13-14). God's wrath is His response to Egypt's pride - 'Because you said, "The Nile is mine; I made it", therefore I am against you' (9-10). In His merciful restoration, God places His restraint on Egypt's pride - 'It shall be the most lowly of the kingdoms, and will never again exalt itself above the other nations' (15). We come to God as sinners. We confess our sins, praying, 'In wrath, remember mercy'. He saves us by 'His mercy'. His way of salvation - 'through Jesus Christ our Saviour' - is a constant rebuke to our pride: 'This is not your own doing. It is the gift of God' (Habakkuk 3:2; Titus 3:4-6; Ephesians 2:8).

13th September: 1 John 5:1-21

What a great blessing we receive through faith in Christ - 'Every one who believes that Jesus is the Christ is a child of God' (1). Our life as God's children is not a life of tranquility. We face conflict, real conflict - a battle. In this spiritual warfare, we have God's promise of victory. In verse 5, we have a question: 'Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus Christ is the Son of God?'. The answer is contained in the question. Our victory is in Christ. We are not victorious because our faith is so strong that we couldn't possibly fail. Many times, we fail. We take our eyes off Christ - and we are defeated. What are we to do? - when temptations seem to be so many and so powerful. When you feel so weak, let Christ be your Strength. 'With Christ within, the fight we'll win'.

14th September: Psalms 133:1-134:3

God sends 'His blessing' when His people gather together for worship: 'How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!' (133:1,3). Many people like to think of themselves as 'believers', yet they show no interest in worshipping together with God's people. What does God's Word say about this? - 'Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another...' (Hebrews 10:25). 'Praise the Lord, all you servants of the Lord who minister by night in the House of the Lord' (133:1; 134:1). Some people never miss a Sunday morning service - but they always miss the Sunday evening services! They are missing out on so much of God's blessing. 'May the Lord...bless you...' on Sunday evenings as well as Sunday mornings (134:2)!

15th September: Psalm 135:1-21

'Praise the Lord' (1-3,19-21). 'The Lord is good...The Lord is great' (3,5). In our worship, we focus on both God's greatness and His goodness. God is great in power: 'Great is our Lord and mighty in power' (147:5). He is also great in love: 'How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!' (1 John 3:1). When we praise the Lord, singing of His greatness, let us not think only of the greatness of His power: 'I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder, Thy power throughout the universe displayed'. Let us think also of His goodness, the greatness of His love: 'And when I think that God His Son not sparing, sent Him to die - I scarce can take it in, that on the Cross my burden gladly bearing, He bled and died to take away my sin' (Mission Praise, 506).

16th September: Psalm 136:1-26

'His love endures for ever'. This is the great message contained in every single verse of this Psalm. It's a message worth repeating - over and over again! God's love is an everlasting love - 'I have loved you with an everlasting love' (Jeremiah 31:3). God's love is an unfailing love - 'My unfailing love for you will not be shaken' (Isaiah 54:10). Let us 'give thanks' to God for His love (1-3,26). In His love, the Lord has provided for us 'an everlasting salvation'. His 'salvation will last for ever' (Isaiah 45:17; 51:6). We must not be like those who refuse to love the Lord - 'Pharaoh...great kings...mighty kings ...' (15,17-20). Those who reject God's love will not receive 'eternal life'. Their future will be very different - the 'raging fire that will consume the enemies of God' (John 3:16-18; Hebrews 10:26-27).

17th September: Psalms 137:1-138:8

'How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land?' (137:4). It is not easy to keep on worshipping the Lord when so many show no interest in worshipping Him. What are we to do when our faith seems so weak and we are on the verge of giving up? 'Ask the Saviour to help you, comfort, strengthen and keep you'. What will we find when we come to the Lord, looking to Him for strength? 'He is willing to aid you. He will carry you through'. God gives us strength - 'You answered me when I called to You. With Your strength, You strengthened me' (138:3). "To him that o'ercometh, God giveth a crown. Through faith we shall conquer, though often cast down. He who is our Saviour, our strength will renew. Look ever to Jesus. He will carry you through' (Church Hymnary, 482).

18th September: Ezekiel 30:1-26

'The day of the Lord is near...A sword will come against Egypt...The day of Egypt's doom is sure to come' (3-4,9). We must not take God lightly. We can't do what we like and get away with it. We must not 'trample the Son of God under foot'. We must not 'treat Christ's blood as an unholy thing'. We must not 'insult the Spirit of grace'. We must not forget: 'It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God'. God is speaking to us concerning 'the Day of the Lord', the Return of Christ: 'He who is coming will come...'. He speaks His Word of warning: 'Those who shrink back are destroyed'. He speaks His Word of promise: 'Those who believe are saved' (Hebrews 10:29,31,37-39). 'When Christ comes, will He find faith...?'. 'Search my heart, O God...' (Luke 18:8; Psalm 139:23-24).

19th September: Ezekiel 31:1-18

'Pharaoh, king of Egypt' had the appearance of 'majesty' - 'Who can be compared with you in majesty?' - yet he was 'brought down' (2,18). There is one Majesty who will never be brought down - Our Lord Jesus Christ. He is 'the same yesterday and today and for ever'. He will receive 'glory for ever and ever'. To Him alone, the Father says, 'Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever' (Hebrews 13:8,21; 1:8). This is real Majesty! 'Majesty, worship His Majesty. Unto Jesus be glory, honour and praise. Majesty, Kingdom authority, flows from His throne unto His own. His anthem raise. So exalt, lift up on high the Name of Jesus. Magnify, come glorify, Christ Jesus the King. Majesty, worship His Majesty, Jesus who died, now glorified, King of all kings' (Mission Praise, 454).

20th September: Ezekiel 32:1-32

'Pride goes before destruction' (Proverbs 16:18). 'Pharaoh, king of Egypt' was arrogant and ruthless: 'You are like a lion among the nations;you are like a monster in the seas, thrashing about in your streams, churning the water with your feet and muddying the streams' (2). Soon, it would be 'the day of his downfall': 'The sword of Babylon will come against you...Pharaoh and all his hordes will be killed by the sword' (10-11,32). Don't be like the rich fool - 'You have plenty of good things laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry'. He couldn't have been more wrong! - 'God said to him, 'You fool! I will demand your life from you tonight!"' God is warning us: 'This is how it will be with anyone who stores up things for himself but is not rich towards God' (Luke 12:19-21).

21st September: 2 John

'Look to yourselves, that you may not lose what you have worked for, but may win a full reward' (8). Don't let things slip. Build on the work that has already been done. This will not be easy - 'many deceivers have already gone out into the world'. Such people do nothing but harm. They are wreckers. They will destroy the work of God - and think nothing of it. They are 'antichrist'. They are doing 'wicked work' (7,10). When God's work and God's glory are at stake, we dare not be too 'easy-going'. The 'anything goes' attitude will undermine the work of God - if we're not careful. 'A charge to keep I have, a God to glorify...To serve the present age, my calling to fulfil...Arm me with jealous care, as in Thy sight to live; and O, Thy servant, Lord, prepare, a strict account to give' (Revised Church Hymnary, 518).

22nd September: Proverbs 24:1-14

'Wisdom is sweet to your soul. If you find it, there is a future hope for you' (14). How do we find wisdom? We read the written Word of God, seeking God's promised blessing: 'The law of the Lord is perfect and revives the soul. The Lord's instruction never fails. and makes the simple wise'. As we read God's written Word, keeping our eyes fixed on Christ, the living 'Word' of God, we discover that He is the 'Wisdom' which is 'sweeter than honey'and we rejoice in Him, our 'Hope of glory' - 'You believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls' (John 1:1-2,14; 1 Corinthians 1:30; Psalm 19:7,10; Colossians 1:27; 1 Peter 1:8). 'Ask God' for 'wisdom'.'Seek and you will find' (James 1:5-8; Matthew 7:7).

23rd September: Proverbs 24:15-34

'Though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again' (15). We are 'kept by the power of God'. We do not raise ourselves. It is the Lord who is 'able to keep us from falling'. He 'knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations' (1 Peter 1:5; Jude 24; 2 Peter 2:9). When our 'faith' is 'tested by fire', we must pray that God will give us His victory: 'Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace' (1 Peter 1:6-7;Daniel 3:17). When our strength is almost gone, the Lord comes with His Word: 'My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness' (2 Corinthians 12:9), 'Amazing grace!...Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have already come. 'Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home' (Mission Praise, 31).

24th September: Ezekiel 33:1-33

Ezekiel was to be 'a watchman for the house of Israel': 'whenever you hear a Word from My mouth, you shall give them warning from Me'. He was to 'warn the wicked to turn from his way' (7-9). This is the warning of love. God loves us. It is because He loves that He 'has no pleasure in the death of the wicked'. In His love, He shows us our sin so that we might come to Him with a real confession of sin: 'Our sins are upon us'. In His love, He creates in us a desire for His salvation: 'How then can we live?'. In His love, He calls us to return to Him: 'Turn back from your evil ways'. He loves us. He does not want us to 'die': 'Why will you die?' (10-11). In love, God shows us our sin - 'The wages of sin is death' - and calls us to receive His 'free gift' - 'eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Romans 6:23).

25th September: Ezekiel 34:1-31

God speaks to us in love. He says, 'I Myself will be the Shepherd of My sheep' (15). We rejoice in His love. We say, 'The Lord is my Shepherd' (Psalm 23:1). Jesus is our Shepherd. He is 'the good Shepherd'. He laid down His life for us that we might receive the forgiveness of our sins. 'Christ died for our sins'. He - 'the Righteous' - died for us - 'the unrighteous' - 'to bring us to God' (John 10:11; 1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 3:18). He is 'the great Shepherd'. He was 'raised' from the dead'. Through His resurrection, we receive eternal life. He says to us, 'Because I live you will live also' (Hebrews 13:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:4; John 14:19). He is 'the chief Shepherd'. He will come again with 'the unfading crown of glory' for His 'good and faithful servants' (1 Peter 5:4; Matthew 25:21).

26th September: Ezekiel 35:1-15

'You will be desolate, O Mount Seir, you and all of Edom. Then they will know that I am the Lord' (15). The people of Edom knew the Lord as their Judge. There is a much better way of knowing the Lord. We can know Him as our Saviour. Those who refuse to come to Jesus Christ, trusting in Him as Saviour, place themselves under God's judgment. They are 'condemned already because they have not believed in the Name of God's one and only Son'. They will know the Lord as their Judge - but they could have known Him as their Saviour if they had submitted to God's saving purpose for their lives: 'God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him' (John 3:17-18). Each of us must choose. Do you know Christ as Saviour, or will you face Him as Judge?

27th September: Ezekiel 36:1-38

'I will look on you with favour' (9). Through Christ our Saviour, God looks upon us with favour. Here are some words which will help you to rejoice in the 'wonderful grace of Jesus' which is 'greater than all my sin', the 'wonderful grace of Jesus' which 'reaches me'. 'Let me introduce you to a friend called Grace. Doesn't care about your past or your many mistakes. He'll cover your sins in a warm embrace. Let me introduce to a friend called Grace'. 'His grace reaches lower than your worst mistake and His love will run further than you can run away'. 'He believes in lost causes when common sense would just give up. He believes in lost causes and changes people with His love. There's nobody too far gone, no one beyond His reach. He believes in lost causes 'cause He believed in me'. Let Jesus be your Joy!

28th September: Ezekiel 37:1-28

It was 'a valley of dry bones' (1-2). Then, the Lord changed everything - 'I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live' (5). What a difference the Lord makes! 'Breathe on me, Breath of God. Fill me with life anew' (Church Hymnary, 103). What happens when the Spirt of the Lord breathes new life into the Church of God? - 'The Church that seemed in slumber has now risen from its knees and dry bones are responding with the fruits of new birth'. 'Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Let the breeze of Your presence flow that Your children here might truly know how to move in the Spirit's flow...Holy Spirit, we welcome You. Please accomplish in us today some new work of loving grace, we pray. Unreservedly, have Your way. Holy Spirit, we welcome You' (Mission Praise, 274,241).

29th September: Psalm 139:1-24

Through Christ our Saviour, we are led 'in the way everlasting': 'God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son' (24; 1 John 5:11). God's great pupose of eternal salvation seems 'too wonderful' - 'too good to be true'! 'It is a thing most wonderful, almost too wonderful to be, that God's own Son should come from heaven and die to save a child like me, and yet I know that it is true...' (6; Church Hymnary, 385). God has a glorious future planned for us. We can hardly even begin to take it in: 'Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain'. We know that 'no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him' yet we rejoice in this: 'God has revealed it to us by His Spirit' (6; 1 Corinthians 2:9-10). 'Lead me in the way everlasting!'(24).

30th September: 3 John

Some people do a lot of good. Others do a great deal of harm. Diotrephes thought he was a big 'star'. He 'loves to be first'. He 'likes to put himself first'. He wasn't a star. He was a disaster! He took 'nothing to do with' God's servants. He did 'not acknowledge' the authority' of Christ's apostle. He was 'gossiping maliciosly about' God's servants. He did not make people feel 'welcome'. He drove people 'out of the church' (9-10). Demetrius was very different. He was 'well spoken of by eveeryone - and even by the truth itself'. He wasn't just popular. He was real, genuine, true. There was a ring of truth about him. These were no empty words of flattery. God's 'true' servants said, 'We also speak well of him' (12). What kind of person are you?

Daily Devotional Readings: Year Three - October

1st October: Ezekiel 38:1-23

We read here of God's judgment upon 'Gog from the land of Magog': 'When Gog attacks the land of Israel, My hot anger will be aroused...I will execute judgment upon him...' (1,18,22). The names 'Gog and Magog' are also found in Revelation 20:7-10. There, we read of rebellion against God - 'They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God's people...' - and God's judgment - 'Fire came down from heaven and consumed them'. In this divine judgment upon 'Gog and Magog', we see the Lord's final triumph over 'Satan': 'The devil who had deceived Gog and Magog was thrown into the lake of fire and sulphur' to be 'tormented day and night for ever and ever'. 'Hallelujah! Our Lord God Almighty reigns' (Revelation 19:6).

2nd October: Ezekiel 39:1-29

Gog's defeat points forward to Satan's final defeat (1-6; Revelation 20:10). We look ahead to God's final victory over Satan. While we're here on earth, we must never forget that Satan is a very powerful enemy. He will do all that he can to make us sin against the Lord. We see this in the life of God's people, Israel. They allowed Satan to get the upper hand - and God was not pleased with them: 'The nations shall know that the people of Israel went into captivity for their sin, because they were unfaithful to Me'(23). God's Word assures us that - even when Satan has gained the upper hand - , we can be 'brought back' to the place of blessing. God will 'have mercy' on us. He will 'pour out His Spirit' upon us (25,29). 'Restore us, O God...' (Psalm 85:4).

3rd October: Psalm 140:1-13

When we are threatened by 'men of violence', we must must put our trust in the Lord, our 'strong Deliverer'. We must pray that the 'men of violence' will not succeed in their 'evil plans': 'Do not let their plans succeed...May disaster hunt down the men of violence' (1-2,7-8,11). The 'men of violence' may seem to be getting things all their own way. We must not allow ourselves to be brought down to their level. In our battle against the 'men of violence', we must use God's 'weapons': 'truth...righteousness...peace...faith ...salvation...prayer'. These 'weapons' have 'divine power to demolish the strongholds' of Satan (Ephesians 6:13-18; 2 Corinthians 10:4). Never forget this: 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord' (Romans 12:19).

4th October: Psalms 141:1-142:7

The Psalmist continues to emphasize the importance of 'prayer' in our battle against 'evildoers': 'My prayer is ever against the deeds of evildoers' (141:5). We pray that their 'wicked deeds' will not succeed. We pray that they will see 'the error of their way', returning to the Lord and being 'led in the paths of righteousness for His Name's sake' (141:5; 23:3; James 5:19-20). We may feel that our 'persecutors' are 'too strong' for us. We must never think that 'no one cares'. We must bring our fear to God, praying, 'Set me free from my prison, that I may praise Your Name'. Faced with powerful enemies, we must remember this: The Lord is our 'portion in the land of the living'. In the face of fierce opposition, we must learn to say, 'Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the House of the Lord for ever' (142:4-7; 23:6).

5th October: Ezekiel 40:1-49

God was revealing Himself to Ezekiel. 'The hand of the Lord was upon' him. He received 'visions of God' (1-2). Ezekiel was not to keep this revelation to himself: 'Tell the house of Israel everything you see' (4). We are to learn from 'the prophets who spoke in the Name of the Lord'. Like them, we are to seek to bring 'sinners' back to the Lord, showing them 'the error of their ways' and pointing them to God's way of salvation. This work is to be done prayerfully, never forgetting that 'the prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective' (James 5:10,16,19-20). God promises great blessing to those who are faithful in this work of winning others for Him: 'Those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars for ever and ever' (Daniel 12:3).

6th October: Ezekiel 41:1-42:20

'This is the Most Holy Place' (41:4). Here, God is speaking about the Temple. The Temple was the place where God's people were to gather together to worship Him. There is another 'holy place', another place where God is to be glorified: 'Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit ...Glorify God in your body' (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). We worship God when we are in the place of worship. That is only a part of our worship. Our heart is to be a 'holy place' where God alone is worshipped. We are to worship Him in everything we do: 'Be holy in all you do'. At the heart of our worship, there is thanksgiving for God's love. At the heart of the holy life, there is love. We 'obey the truth' when we 'love one another deeply from the heart' (1 Peter 1:15-16,22).

7th October: Ezekiel 43:1-27

This is not only about the glory of the Temple. It's about 'the glory of the God of Israel'. This is the greater glory - 'the glory of the Lord filled the Temple' (1,5). God is not only concerned about the creation of a beautiful place of worship. He wants our lives to be 'radiant with His glory'. This happens when 'the Spirit lifts us up' and brings us close to God - 'into the inner court' (2,5). We pray that the glory of the Lord will fill the place of worship: 'May the fragrance of Jesus fill this place'. We pray that 'the glory of Jesus' will 'fill His Church'. We are not only praying for God's glory in the place of worship. We are praying for His glory in our lives: 'May the beauty of Jesus fill my life...Fill my thoughts, my words, my deeds' (Mission Praise, 462).

8th October: Jude

The wrong kind of people had come among God's people: 'certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you...godless men...' (4). Such people do not like to hear the words, 'The Lord rebuke you'. They 'speak abusively against' those who speak the Word of the Lord to them (9-10). God's Word warns us against such people: 'In the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own ungodly desires. These are the men who divide you, who follow mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit' (18-19). With people like this around - life gets like a 'minefield'. You never know where the next "explosion' is going to come from! How can we 'stand tall' and not be dragged down by this kind of thing? 'Keep yourselves in the love of God' - He 'is able to keep you from falling' (21,24).

9th October: Ezekiel 44:1-31

'I looked and saw the glory of the Lord filling the Temple of the Lord...' (4). We look to the Lord and, catching a glimpse of His glory, 'we become more and more like Him'. He is leading us out of our life of sin, a life that 'falls short of His glory', and into His life of salvation, a life of 'being transformed into His likeness with ever-increasing glory' (2 Corinthians 3:18; Romans 3:23). We have not yet arrived at our full deliverance from sin: 'When He appears, we shall be like Him' (1 John 3:2). As we await our Lord's return, let us keep on praying: 'Change my heart, O God ...May I be like You'.'Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look full on His wonderful face and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace'. (Mission Praise, 69,712).

10th October: Ezekiel 45:1-25

We read here of 'the sin offerings, cereal offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement for the house of Israel' (17). All of this points forward to the single Sacrifice for sin made by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ: 'Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring us to God' (1 Peter 3:18). 'We have been forgiven and made clean through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all' (Hebrews 10:10). This is what we must see here. We must learn to look beyond the many sacrifices to the one Sacrifice: 'Christ has offered one Sacrifice for sins, an offering that is effective for ever'. Let us rejoice in our Saviour: 'He is able for all time to save those who draw near to God through Him' (Hebrews 10:12; 7:25).

11th October: Psalm 143:1-12

The Psalmist prays, 'Rescue me from my enemies, O Lord' (9). He is not concerned only about his own welfare. He is concerned about the glory of God: 'For Your Name's sake, O Lord, preserve my life' (11). How does God lead us in victory? How is He glorified in our lives? He brings to us the teaching of His Word - 'Let the morning bring me Word of Your unfailing love' (8). He gives to us the strength of His Spirit - 'May Your good Spirit lead me in good paths' (10). Through His Word and Spirit, God shows us His 'unfailing love'. He enables us to say, 'You are my God', 'I have put my trust in You' and 'I am Your servant'. He 'shows us the way we should go'. He 'teaches us to do His will'. He gives us victory over our 'enemies' (8,10,12).

12th October: Ezekiel 46:1-24

We read here about the 'offering' of 'a lamb without defect'. This was to happen 'morning by morning' (13). From these offerings , we look on to another Offering, 'a single Offfering', the 'once for all' Offering of Jesus Christ as 'the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world'. Jesus Christ - the Lamb of God - has 'offered for all time a single Sacrifice for sins' (John 1:29; Hebrews 10:10,12,14). As we read about the many lambs, we hear God's voice calling out to us, directing our attention to our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 'Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world' (John 1:36). 'Christ' is 'our Passover Lamb'. He 'has been sacrificed' for us. Through His 'precious blood', we are 'redeemed' (1 Corinthians 5:7; 1 Peter 1:18-19).

13th October: Ezekiel 47:1-23

Here, we see the rising of the 'river' of God's blessing - 'ankle-deep...knee-deep...up to the waist ...deep enough to swim in - a river that no-one could cross' (3-5). This is the river of 'life' - 'a great number of trees ....Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows...large numbers of fish because...where the river flows everything will live' (7-9). 'The Spirit' brings 'rivers of living water' into our lives (John 7:38-39). Don't settle for a shallow experience of God's blessing - 'ankle-deep', 'knee-deep'. 'Deep calls to deep'. Let 'the Spirit' lead you into 'the deep things of God'. 'Launch out into the deep'. 'Swim' in God's mighty 'river' of blessing. 'Be filled with the Spirit' (3-5; Psalm 42:7; Luke 5:4; 1 Corinthians 2:10; Ephesians 5:18).

14th October: Ezekiel 48:1-35

'The Lord is there' (35). He is with us when we gather for worship: 'Where two or three are gathered together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them' (Matthew 18:20). He loves to be among us when we are worshipping Him: 'He looks down upon us, delight in His face, enjoying His children's love, enthralled by our praise'. We are to come into the Lord's presence with joyful praise - 'The King is among us. His Spirit is near. Let's draw near and worship. Let songs fill the air!' - and reverent fear - 'Be still, for the presence of the Lord, the Holy One, is here. Come bow before Him now with reverence and fear' (Mission Praise, 650,50). When we leave the place of worship, let us take His promise with us: 'I am with you always' (Matthew 28:20).

15th October: Revelation 1:1-20

This is 'the revelation of Jesus Christ' (1). It comes from Him and it speaks of Him. Christ 'loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood' (5). We rejoice in Him. Christ is 'coming with the clouds' (7). We must get ready for Him. 'The revelation of Jesus Christ' calls for our response. It is not 'for information only'. We are to 'pay attention to what is written in it'. We are to 'take it to heart'. We are to 'do what it says' (3). Christ reveals Himself to us. Is it for our benefit only? Is it just to make us 'feel good'? No! We are to share with others what the Lord is teaching us. Christ said to John, 'Write what you see' (19). Don't keep it to yourself. Share Christ. Tell others about Him. Tell them what the Lord has done for you. Speak His words of love: 'Come...and learn from Me' (Matthew 11:28-30).

16th October:Daniel 1:1-2:16

'Daniel resolved not to defile himself' (8). Daniel was devoted to the Lord. It was not easy to live as the Lord's faithful servant. His dedication to the Lord was put to the test - 'Test your servants' (12). Our faith is put to the test. We 'suffer many trials'. Why does God allow our faith to be tested by 'all kinds of trials? - 'The testing of your faith produces steadfastness'.'These have come so that your faith, which is much more precious than gold, may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed' (1 Peter 1:6-7; James 1:2-3). Knowing that 'every trial falls from above, traced upon our dial by the Sun of Love', may we learn to 'trust God fully' and 'find Him wholly true' (Mission Praise, 421).

17th October: Daniel 2:17-49

'In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom that will never be destroyed' (44). There is only one Kingdom which stands forever - the Kingdom of God. His Kingdom is eternal. Through Christ, 'the Kingdom of God has come near to us' (Luke 10:9). Christ is the 'King of kings' (Revelation 17:14;19:16). 'His throne will last for ever and ever'. 'His Kingdom will never end'. 'He will reign for ever and ever' (Hebrews 1:8; Luke 1:33; Revelation 11:15). Christ is 'triumphant...ever reigning...enthroned for ever': 'Sin and death and hell shall never stifle hymns of love. So, our hearts and voices raising through the ages long...this shall be our song: Yours the glory and the crown...' (Mission Praise, 77).

18th October: Daniel 3:1-30

'We want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up' (18). We have no other king but the Lord. He alone is King. He alone is to be worshipped. We are to 'have no other gods before Him'. We are 'not to make for ourselves an idol' which takes the place of the Lord (Exodus 20:3-4). The Lord must come first in our lives. He is to be our 'first love' - 'the love of our heart: 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart...' (Revelation 2:4; Mark 12:30). Jesus asks us, 'Do you love me?'. He waits for our reply: 'I love You' (John 21:15-17). 'I love the Name of Jesus. King of my heart, He is everything to me'. 'I love You, O Lord, You alone...my God who shall have all my praise'. (Mission Praise, 285,286).

19th October: Daniel 4:1-37

'His Kingdom is an eternal Kingdom; His dominion endures from generation to generation' (3). The generations rise and fall - 'You sweep men away in the sleep of death; they are like the new grass of the morning...by evening it is dry and withered'; 'As for man, his days are like grass ...the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more' (Psalms 90:5-6; 103-15-16). The Lord is 'the everlasting God': 'From everlasting to everlasting You are God'. His love is an 'everlasting' love: 'From everlasting to everlasting the Lord's love is with those who fear Him'. The Lord 'has established His throne in heaven, and His Kingdom rules over all'. He is 'our dwelling-place throughout all generations' (Isaiah 40:28; Psalms 90:1-2; 103:17,19).

20th October: Daniel 5:1-31

We are not to 'praise the gods of gold and silver...' (4). Material possessions must never take the place of God. Seeking material prosperity is not to be the most important thing in our lives. We are to 'seek first His Kingdom...'. We are to 'grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ' (Matthew 6:33; 2 Peter 3:18). 'I'd rather have Jesus than silver or gold, I'd rather be His than have riches untold...I'd rather have Jesus...than to be the king of a vast domain and be held in sin's dread sway. I'd rather have Jesus than anything this world affords today. I'd rather have Jesus than men's applause, I'd rather be faithful to His dear cause; I'd rather have Jesus than world-wide fame, I'd rather be true to His holy Name' (Mission Praise, 319).

21st October: Daniel 6:1-28

'He is the living God and He endures for ever; His Kingdom will not be destroyed, His dominion will never end' (26). He is the living God. He is also the loving God - 'His love endures forever' (Psalm 136). He is the King. He is a very special kind of king. He is 'the King of Love'. The coming of God's Kingdom will be the victory of His love: 'Kingdoms of the world become the kingdoms of the Lord: Love has the victory for ever!'. We enjoy the victory of His love as we lift our hearts to Him in worship: 'Who can see Your greatest Gift and fail to worship You?'. We enjoy the victory of His love as we give our lives to Him in service: 'Let us labour for the Master ...Let us talk of all His wondrous love...' (Church Hymnary, 388; Mission Praise, 86,759).

22nd October: Proverbs 25:1-28

'The Lord will reward you' (22). The work done by God's servants is tested by fire: 'the fire will test what sort of work each one has done'. There is work of real 'quality' - 'gold, silver, precious stones'. There is work which has no real value - 'wood, hay, straw'. God wants us to think about the work we do in His Name. We are to 'remove the dross from the silver' (4). We are not to be content with superficial work which does not lead to changed lives. Our words are to be 'apples of gold in a setting of silver'. They are to be words of wisdom, words which are 'better than fine gold', words which 'surpass choice silver' (11; 8:19). We are to bring God's Word -'good news' - and God's Spirit -'rivers of living water' - to our hearers (25; 1 Peter 1:12,23-25; John 7:37-39).

23rd October: Daniel 7:1-28

'There before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven...His Kingdom is one that will never be destroyed' (13-14). These words point us to Christ's description of His Second Coming, the Coming of His Kingdom: 'They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory' (Matthew 24:30). In Revelation 1:7, we have another echo of Daniel's 'vision': 'Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him'. 'Lo! He comes, with clouds descending...Yea, Amen! let all adore Thee, high on Thine eternal throne; Saviour, take the power and glory, claim the Kingdom for Thine own. O come quickly! O come quickly! O come quickly! Alleluia! Come, Lord, come!' (Church Hymnary, 316).

24th October: Daniel 8:1-27

Here, we have a 'vision' concerning 'the distant future', 'the time of the end' (26,17). Here, we catch a glimpse of Satan, the very powerful enemy of God's people. Satan's power is very frightening - 'His power shall be great, and he shall cause fearful destruction...'. It was the power of Satan which lay behind the 'stern-faced king': 'He will become very strong, but not by his own power' (23-24). Satan's power will be broken. Satan faces certain defeat - 'He will be defeated'. How will he be defeated? We will not defeat him - 'He will not be destroyed by human power'. There is only one Power able to destroy the power of Satan: 'He shall be broken by the hand of God'. 'Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ' (1 Corinthians 15:57).

25th October: Revelation 2:1-29

Every church in every nation and every generation has so much to learn from 'what the Spirit says to the churches' (7,11,17,29). Christ is to be our 'first love'. We are not to 'abandon' Him. We are to 'keep right on to the end of the road' - 'faithful until death' (4,10). We are to 'remain true' to Christ, pressing on with Him to a life of real spiritual growth (13,19). Living for Christ will not be easy. There are always those who make things difficult for God's people (14-15,20). Let your commitment to Christ be very definite: 'I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back. The world behind me, the Cross before me. No turning back. Tho' none go with me, I still will follow. No turning back'. 'Will you decide now to follow Jesus?': Say 'Yes' - and let there be 'no turning back' (Mission Praise, 272).

26th October: Daniel 9:1-27

'O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act!' (19). How do we know God will hear and answer our prayer as we look to Him for salvation? - 'The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against Him' (9). We come to God with our sin - We are 'dead in our sins and wickedness'. He comes to us with His grace - 'By grace you have been saved through faith'. We come to God, deeply conscious of our sin. We know in our hearts that we can do nothing to save ourselves. The way of salvation can never begin with the word, 'I'. It always begins with God. It begins with His love - 'His great love for us': 'God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in our sins' (Ephesians 2:1,4-5,8).

27th October: Daniel 10:1-11:13

Daniel came to God in great weakness - 'I am helpless...My strength is gone...' (16-17). From the Lord, Daniel received great strength - 'The One who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength...When He spoke to me, I was strengthened...'. Daniel's strength came from the love of God and the peace of God. God assured Daniel of His love for him. He called Daniel a 'man greatly beloved'. God spoke His Word of peace to Daniel: 'Peace be with you'. As God revealed His love and peace to him, Daniel came to realize that there was no need to be afraid. He could 'be strong' in the Lord (18-19). When we are weak, let us come to God and receive His strength - 'His grace is sufficient for us. His strength is made perfect in weakness' (2 Corinthians 12:9).

28th October: Proverbs 26:1-28

'There is a lion in the road, a fierce lion roaming the streets!' (13). This is the voice of fear speaking. We need to speak with the voice of faith - 'I believed, and so I spoke' (2 Corinthians 4:13). We know that 'the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour'. The devil can fill us with fear. We must not let him do this. We must face him with faith - 'Resist him, standing firm in the faith' (1 Peter 5:8-9). When we 'resist the devil', standing firm in the faith, 'he will flee from us' (James 4:7). Let us face the 'roaring lion' with faith in an even more powerful 'Lion'. Jesus Christ - 'the Lion of Judah' - 'has conquered' Satan. He 'has triumphed' over him (Revelation 5:5). May Christ's 'perfect love drive out our fear' (1 John 4:18).

29th October: Daniel 11:14-45

We are to live for God - 'The people who know their God shall be strong and do great things'. We are to stand against Satan - 'The people who know their God will firmly resist him' (32). Living for God and standing against Satan, we must 'put on the whole armour of God'. 'Strong in the Lord', we 'take our stand against the devil's schemes' (Ephesians 6:10-11). 'Soldiers of Christ, arise and put your armour on, strong in the strength which God supplies through His eternal Son...From strength to strength go on, wrestle and fight and pray, tread all the powers of darkness down and win the well-fought day that, having all things done and all your conflicts past, ye may o'ercome through Christ alone and stand complete at last' (Church Hymnary, 441).

30th October: Daniel 12:1-13

We read of two very different futures - 'everlasting life' and 'everlasting contempt' (2). We receive 'eternal life' through 'believing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God'. Through faith in Him, we 'know that we have eternal life'. God gives us His promise: 'He who has the Son has life'. To those who 'overcome', through 'believing that Jesus is the Son of God', God gives this promise: 'I will never blot his name out of the Book of Life'. Alongside His promise, there is His warning: 'He who does not have the Son of God does not have life'. To those who refuse to come to Christ for salvation, God gives this warning: 'If anyone's name was not written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire' (John 20:31; 1 John 5:5,11-13; Revelation 3:5; 20:15).

31st October: Proverbs 27:1-27

'Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring' (1). God speaks to us about today. He says, 'Now is the day of salvation'. Today, we are in 'the valley of decision'. We must make up our mind about Jesus Christ. Today may be your last opportunity to act on God's precious promise: 'Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved' (Joel 3:14; 2:32; Acts 2:21). Tomorrow may be too late. Your life may be over before tomorrow comes. Tomorrow, you may hear God's Word of judgment: 'I never knew you. Depart from Me, you evildoers!'. Tomorrow, you may face 'eternal punishment' (Matthew 7:23; 25:46). Tomorrow need not be a day of judgment. Choose Christ today. Let today be your 'day of salvation'.

Daily Devotional Readings: Year Three - November

1st November: Hosea 1:1-3:5

'Hosea' means 'salvation'. Married to 'an adulterous wife', Hosea spoke with great compassion to 'the land' which was 'guilty of the vilest adultery in departing from the Lord' (1:2). He brought God's Word of love to the people: 'I will show My love to the one I called, "Not My loved one"'. He spoke to them of the life-changing power of God's love: 'I will say to those called, "Not My people", and they will say, "You are My God"' (2:23). He brought a Word of hope to God's people: 'The Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God...They will come trembling to the Lord and to His blessings in the last days' (3:5). His words of hope point us to our Saviour, Jesus Christ - 'In these last days, God has spoken to us by His Son' (Hebrews 1:2).

2nd November: Hosea 4:1-5:14

We read here of Israel's rebellion against God: 'A spirit of prostitution leads them astray. They are unfaithful to their God...A spirit of prostitution is in their heart. They do not acknowledge the Lord' (4:12; 5:4). God is not pleased with them. He speaks His Word of 'judgment against' them (5:1). We must look closely at our lives. What kind of people are we becoming? Are we becoming 'slaves of sin'? God is calling us to be changed by His love and power: 'Now that you have been set free from sin, and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap is holiness, and the result is eternal life' (Romans 6:16,22). Let His love show you that He has not abandoned you because of your sin. Let His power assure you that He can make you 'a new person' (2 Corinthians 5:17).

3rd November: Hosea 5:15-7:16

We are to leave the old way of sinful disobedience and follow the new way of faith and obedience: 'Come, let us return to the Lord...Let us press on to know the Lord'. As we return to the Lord, pressing on to know Him, His blessing returns to us. He leads us in the way of fruitfulness: 'He will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth' (6:1,3). We must not be like those who react to God's Word with 'pride': 'They do not return to the Lord their God'. God longs to 'redeem' them, yet they 'rebel against' Him: 'They do not turn to the Most High God' (7:10,13,16). Our 'love' for God is not to be 'like the early dew that disappears'. Let us 'acknowledge our guilt and seek His face'. Let us love Him with a 'steadfast love' (5:15; 6:4,6).

4th November: Hosea 8:1-9:17

'Israel' had 'forgotten' and 'forsaken' the Lord (8:14). We have not remembered the Lord. We have turned away from Him. We have forgotten Him. We have been 'unfaithful' to Him. This is the sad story of our life - a story of forgetting and forsaking the Lord. God is very different from us. He has not forgotten us. He has not forsaken us. He has 'remembered' us. He has been 'faithful' to us. He has shown us His 'salvation' (Psalm 98:3). How do we know that God remembers us? How do we know that God is faithful to us? - 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'; 'While we were still sinners, Christ died for us' (1 Timothy 1:15; Romans 5:8). 'If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot be false to Himself' (2 Timothy 2:13).

5th November: Hosea 10:1-12:9

God's love for us is much greater than our love for Him. So often, we are like 'Israel' - 'they did not fear the Lord'. Our love for God grows weak. His love for us remains strong. He refuses to give up on us. We wander away from the Lord. He calls us back to Himself - 'It is time to seek the Lord'; 'You must return to your God' (10:3,12; 11:1,8; 12:6). When we return to the Lord, He leads us in the way of His 'love'. He teaches us to 'walk in the Spirit'. He produces in us 'the fruit of the Spirit' (10:1; 11:3-4; Galatians 5:16-18,22-25). God will help us to grow strong in our love for Him - 'the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We must 'not quench the Spirit'. We must 'not grieve the Holy Spirit of God' (Romans 8:26; 1 Thessalonians 5:19; Ephesians 4:30).

6th November: Hosea 12:10-14:9

The Lord loves us. He invites us to come to 'know' Him as our 'Saviour'. We are to 'return' to Him and receive the blessings of His salvation. He 'forgives all our sins'. He leads us in the way of 'fruitfulness'. He gives us eternal life - 'I will ransom them from the power of the grave. I will redeem them from death ...' (13:4,14; 14:1-2,4,8). The call to receive salvation from the Lord is a call to choose which way we will live. We must choose to be 'righteous' rather than 'rebellious'. We are to acknowledge that 'the ways of the Lord are right'. We are to choose the way of 'the righteous' who 'walk in the Lord's ways'. We are to reject the way of 'the rebellious' who 'stumble over the Lord's ways'. Let us walk in the light of the Lord' (14:9; Isaiah 2:5).

7th November: Psalm 144:1-15

'Praise be to the Lord my Rock, who trains my hands for war, my fingers for battle'(1). The Lord is 'the One who gives victory' to His people (10). What a great God we have! He is 'our loving God, our Fortress, our Stronghold, our Deliverer, our Shield' (2). What great blessing the Lord sends into our lives! He fights for us (Exodus 14:14; Deuteronomy 1:30; 3: 22; Nehemiah 4:20). He is 'our Strength' (28:7-8; 59:17). 'With God we shall gain the victory' (60:12). Let us pray that God will pour out His blessing upon us: 'Part Your heavens, O Lord, and come down... Reach down Your hand from on high...' (5,7). Let us think of how much the Lord has blessed us. Let us sing our song of praise to Him: 'I will sing a new song to You, O God' (9).

8th November: Joel 1:1-2:17

'Joel' means 'the Lord is God'. The Lord is our God. He is 'gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love...'. Let us 'return to the Lord our God'. Let us 'return to Him with all our heart'. Let us look to Him for His 'blessing' (2:12-14). Alongside God's promise of blessing for those who return to Him, there is His Word of warning for those who take no notice of Him and pay no attention to His Word: 'The Day of the Lord is near. It will come like destruction from the Almighty...Let all who live in the land tremble, for the Day of the Lord is coming. It is close at hand - a Day of darkness and gloom...'(1:15; 2:1-2). God wants to bless us. Let us 'cry out' to Him for His blessing: 'To You, O Lord, I call' (1:14,19).

9th November: Joel 2:18-3:21

Each of us is 'in the valley of decision'. We must make sure that we are prepared for 'the coming of the great and dreadful Day of the Lord'. God has given us His promise: 'Everyone who calls on the Name of the Lord will be saved' (2:31-32; 3:14). The Lord promises great blessing to those who call upon Him. He 'will pour out His Spirit'upon us. He will do 'great things' for us. He will be our 'Refuge' and 'Stronghold'. He will fill us with 'joy and gladness'. He will fill our hearts with 'praise' (2:20-21,23,26,28-29; 3:16). Make sure that you 'call on the Name of the Lord'. Make sure that you do not miss out on the great blessings the Lord gives to those who call on His Name. Make your decision now - 'I will call on the Name of the Lord' (1 Kings 18:24).

10th November: Amos 1:1-2:16

'The Lord roars'. 'The Lord thunders' (1:2). God's Word comes to us from above - 'The Lord will roar from on high'. He speaks to us from heaven - 'He will thunder from His holy dwelling'. We dare not ignore the Word of the Lord. His Word comes to us as a Word of warning - 'He will shout against all who live on the earth' - and a Word of judgment - 'He will bring judgment on all mankind'. God is calling for our attention: 'Look! Disaster is spreading from nation to nation; a mighty storm is rising from the ends of the earth'. God speaks to us about His 'fierce anger'. He calls us to turn from our sin. Let us return to the Lord and hear His Word of salvation: 'I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more (Jeremiah 25:30-32,37; 31:34).

11th November: Amos 3:1-5:5

'You only have I chosen...therefore I will punish you for all your sins' (3:2). Along with the privilege of being 'chosen' to belong to the Lord comes the responsibility of living as the servants of the Lord. God's Word is not to be taken lightly - 'The lion has roared - who will not fear?' (3:8). God speaks to us very directly about the way we are living - 'You have not returned to Me' (4:6,8-11). We must take Him seriously: 'Prepare to meet your God' (4:12). God calls us to 'seek Him and live': 'Seek the Lord while He may be found; call on Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake His way and the evil man his thoughts, Let him turn to the Lord, and He will have mercy on him, and to our God, for He will freely pardon' (5:4; Isaiah 55:6-7).

12th November: Amos 5:6-6:14

'Seek the Lord and live'. 'Seek good, not evil...' (5:6,14). Those who truly seek the Lord are to live a godly life. God sees right through hypocritical religion. He is not pleased with it: 'I hate your show and pretence - your hypocrisy of 'honouring' Me with your religious feasts and solemn assemblies...Away with your hymns of praise - they are mere noise to My ears. I will not listen to your music, no matter how lovely it is' (21,23). God is looking for true obedience: 'a mighty flood of justice - a torrent of doing good' - 'Let justice flow like a river and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream' (24). God speaks to us about our sins - 'Many and great are your sins. I know them so well' - so that we might learn to 'hate evil' and 'love good' (5:12,15).

13th November: Revelation 3:1-22

There are some doors which the Lord must open - 'I have placed before you an open door that no-one can shut' (8). There is a door which we must open - 'Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone opens the door, I will come in...' (20). Christ is waiting for you to open the door of your heart to Him. He waits with great patience. He keeps on knocking. He waits to hear your prayer: 'Come into my heart, Lord Jesus. Come in today. Come in to stay'. This must be your own prayer. No one else can pray this prayer for you. Open your heart to the Lord, and remember where your prayer really came from: 'The Lord opened my heart...' (Acts 16:14). Open your heart to the Lord. He will open new doors: 'a great door for effective work has opened to me' (1 Corinthians 16:19).

14th November: Amos 7:1-9:15

'That's enough, prophet! Go back to Judah and do your preaching there...Don't prophesy here at Bethel any more' (7:12-13). Amos was a faithful preacher of God's Word - but his hearers wanted to get rid of him! This was the beginning of a time of great darkness: 'The days are coming when I will send a famine through the land - not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the Lord. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the Word of the Lord, but they will not find it' (8:11-12). There were dark times ahead - but God was looking beyond them to a brighter future: 'I will restore the fortunes of My people Israel' (9:14). 'Restore us again, O God of our salvation...' (Psalm 85:4-7).

15th November: Obadiah

'The Kingdom will be the Lord's' (21). When God's Kingdom comes, there will be both salvation - 'The house of Jacob will possess its inheritance' - and judgment - 'There will be no survivors from the house of Esau' (17-18). 'Not by works but by Him who calls' - This is the great contrast between 'Jacob' and 'Esau'. We have not been saved 'because of any good deeds that we have done'. We have been saved 'by grace'. We can never be saved 'by works'. We can never receive His grace 'by works'. We receive His grace 'by faith'. We look away from ourselves to the Lord and say, 'He saved us'. 'It is by grace that you have been saved through faith...not by works, so that no-one can boast' (Romans 9:10-13, 30-32; 11:6; Titus 3:4-7; Ephesians 2:8-9).

16th November: Jonah 1:1-2:10

'Salvation comes from the Lord' (2:9). We can never save ourselves. We can only be saved - by the Lord. Left to our own devices, we 'flee from the presence of the Lord'. We 'run away from the Lord' (1:3). Sin - This is the story of our life. Salvation - This is the story of what the Lord has done for us. We are sinners. We need to be saved. How can our life be turned around? How can we turn from the way of sin and seek the way of salvation? We cannot change ourselves. We need to be changed by God. We cannot forgive our own sins. We need to to be forgiven by the Lord. Where does the desire for forgiveness and change come from? Does it come from ourselves? No! It comes from the Lord: 'He drew me, and I followed on...' (Mission Praise, 499).

17th November: Jonah 3:1-4:11

The people of Nineveh 'believed God' and 'turned from their evil ways'. God had shown Himself to be 'a gracious and compassionate God...'. How did Jonah react? Was he rejoicing in the Lord? No! He was complaining - 'Jonah was greatly displeased and became angry'. Jonah was a proud Jew. He despised the Ninevites. He didn't want them to be saved. That's why he was 'so quick to flee to Tarshish' (3:5,10; 4:1-2). What does God's Word say about Jonah's attitude? - 'You have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else'. We must not 'show contempt for the riches of His kindness'. We must not say, 'God, I thank You that I am not like other men'. We must pray, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner' (Romans 2:1,4; Luke 18:11-14).

18th November: Psalm 145:1-21

'Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised. His greatness is beyond understanding'. Let us worship our great God: 'I will exalt You, my God the King. I will praise Your Name for ever and ever. Every day I will praise You and extol Your Name for ever and ever' (1-3). The God whom we worship is so much greater than the worship we bring to Him. Our worship is to be a 'joyful celebration'. We celebrate His great love: 'The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love'. We rejoice in His great faithfulness: 'The Lord is faithful to all His promises'. Here on earth, we have only begun to worship our great God. Our worship will continue in His 'everlasting Kingdom'. There, we will 'praise His Name for ever and ever' (7-8, 13,21).

19th November: Micah 1:1-2:13

Micah was a fearless preacher of God's Word. His message was not popular: 'Let the Lord God be a witness against you'. He was a forthright preacher of God's Word. He knew that the people wouldn't want to hear what he had to say to them. He demanded that they listen to him. This wasn't only Micah's word. It was the Word of the Lord. That's why Micah said, 'Hear, O peoples, all of you. Listen, O earth and all who are in it' (2:2). We cannot afford to ignore the Word of the Lord. We must listen to His Word. He speaks His Word against us. He says, 'You cannot save yourselves' (2:3). He speaks His Word against us so that we might learn to rejoice in His Word of salvation: 'I will bring you together like sheep returning to the fold' (2:12).

20th November: Micah 3:1-5:1

Micah speaks to those 'who hate good and love evil' (3:2). He calls upon them to change their way of living. He calls upon them to worship the Lord - 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord' - and walk with Him - 'We will walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever and ever'. How do we learn to 'walk in His paths'? We come to His 'House'. We listen to His 'Word'. We pray that His Word will come to us 'with power'. We ask Him to 'teach us His ways'. We pray that we will be 'filled with the Spirit of the Lord' (4:2,5; 3:8). We worship the Lord in His House. Gathered in His House for worship, we 'receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on us'. Through His power, we are equipped for witness: 'you will be My witnesses...' (Acts 1:8).

21st November: Micah 5:2-6:16

In 5:2, we have a prophecy concerning the birth of Jesus at 'Bethlehem'. This prophecy invites us to 'go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about'. At 'Bethlehem', we see 'shepherds, glorifying and praising God' (Luke 2:15,20). We also see Jesus our Shepherd. He is the One whom the shepherds worshipped. He is the One who 'will stand and shepherd His flock in the strength of the Lord...'. He is 'the Good Shepherd'. He 'laid down His life' for us. He is 'the Great Shepherd'. He 'was raised from the dead' for us. He is 'the Chief Shepherd'. He will 'come' again for us (5:4; John 10:14; Hebrews 13:20; 1 Peter 5:4). Jesus our 'Shepherd' gives us 'strength' to 'do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with our God' (6:8).

22nd November: Micah 7:1-20

'Who is a God like You? You forgive sin...You love to be merciful.You will again have compassion on us...You will throw all our sins into the depths of the ocean!...You will bless us...You will set Your love upon us...' (7:18-20) - 'I stand amazed in the presence of Jesus the Nazarene and wonder how He could love me, a sinner, condemned, unclean. He took my sins and my sorrows. He made them His very own. He bore the burden to Calvary, and suffered and died alone. When with the ransomed in glory His face I at last shall see, 'twill be my joy through the ages to sing of His love for me. How marvellous, how wonderful, and my song shall ever be: How marvellous, how wonderful is my Saviour's love for me!' (Mission Praise, 296).

23rd November: Revelation 4:1-5:14

'In heaven', there's 'an open door' (4:1). Who has opened heaven's door for us? - Jesus Christ: 'He only could unlock the gate of heaven, and let us in', 'Jesus loves me! He who died heaven's gate to open wide; He will wash away my sin, let His little child come in' (Church Hymnary, 241,418). From heaven's open door, we hear the voice of love. Jesus calls us - 'Come up here' (4:2). What happens when we respond to Christ's call? - 'At once I was in the Spirit': 'God sends the Spirit into our hearts' (4:2; Galatians 4:6). The Spirit fills our hearts with worship: 'You are worthy, our Lord and God...'. 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain...' (4:11; 5:12). Jesus invites us to catch a glimpse of heaven, to catch the Spirit of worship, to be filled with the 'glory' of God (4:8,11; 5:12-13).

24th November: Nahum 1:1-2:9

'Fulfil your vows' (1:15). God is calling us to be faithful to Him. We are to be faithful in worship. We are to be faithful in reading His Word. We are to be faithful in prayer. We are to be faithful in giving. We are to be faithful in witness. Our faith is to be real. Our faith is to make a difference. It's to change the way we live. It's not to be a case of 'faith without works'. That kind of 'faith' is 'dead' (James 2:17). Our whole life is to be a life of faith. It is to be a life of 'love'. We are to live 'for the glory of God' (Romans 14:23; 1 Corinthians 16:14; 10:31). 'Fill Thou our life, O Lord our God, in every part with praise...Not for the lip of praise alone, nor even the praising heart we ask, but for a life made up of praise in every part' (Church Hymnary, 457).

25th November: Nahum 2:10-3:19

To those who refuse to live in obedience to Him, God speaks His Word of judgment: 'I am against you' (2:13; 3:5). Those who refuse to listen to God's Word of salvation - 'The Lord is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in Him' - will hear a very different Word from the Lord. It will be a Word of judgment. God's Word will come like 'an overwhelming flood': 'He will pursue His foes into darkness' (1:7-8). None of us needs to face this 'overwhelming flood' and hear the words, 'I am against you'. Each of us can come to Christ and hear His Word of 'overwhelming victory': 'If God is for us, who can be against us?...Nothing wiIl be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord' (Romans 8:31,37-39).

26th November: Habakkuk 1:1-2:14

'How long, O Lord, must I call for help, but You do not listen?' (1:2). There are times when it seems that God is not listening to us. What are we to do when we feel like this? Are we to give up on God? Are we to stop praying? No! We must wait patiently for the Lord's answer - 'I will look to see what He will say to me'. We must not forget His promise: 'The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul that seeks Him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord' (2:1; Lamentations 3:25-26). 'The vision awaits its time...If it seems slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay'. Let us 'live by faith', awaiting the Day when 'the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea' (2:3-4,14).

27th November: Habakkuk 2:15-3:19

We are to 'be silent' before God. We are to 'stand in awe' of Him. In his holy presence, we become deeply conscious of our sin which separates us from Him: 'Your eyes are too pure to look on evil'. Confessing our sin to God, we pray that 'in wrath' He will 'remember mercy'. We pray that He will 'renew' us with His blessing. God answers our prayer. He sends His 'glory' into our lives. He fills our hearts with His 'praise': 'I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Saviour. The Lord God is my Strength. He makes my feet like the feet of the deer. He enables me to go on the heights'. 'Those who wait on the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles...' (2:20; 3:2; 1:13; 3:18-19; Isaiah 40:31).

28th November: Zephaniah 1:1-2:7

'The great Day of the Lord is near - near and coming quickly...That Day will be a Day of wrath...I will bring distress upon the people ...because they have sinned against the Lord' (1:14-17). This is God's Word of warning. He is calling us back to Himself: 'Seek the Lord - before the fierce anger of the Lord comes upon you, before the Day of the Lord's wrath comes upon you'. We are to seek the Lord in 'righteousness' and 'humility'. This is the way of being 'sheltered on the Day of the Lord's anger' (2:2-3). God is calling us to 'worship Him in Spirit and in truth': 'Offer yourselves as a living sacrifice to God, dedicated to His service and pleasing to Him. This is the true worship that you should offer' (John 4:24; Romans 12:1).

29th November: Zephaniah 2:8-3:20

Here, we have a story of sin - Woe to the city of oppressors, rebellious and defiled! She has not obeyed His voice. She has not accepted correction. She has not trusted in the Lord. She has not drawn near to her God' - and a story of salvation - 'Sing, O Daughter of Zion; shout aloud, O Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, O Daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away your punishment. He has turned back your enemy...The Lord your God is with you. He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you. He will renew you in His love. He will rejoice over you with singing' (3:1-2,14-17). The story of our sin is full of sadness. The story of God's salvation fills us with gladness - 'Rejoice and be glad! The Redeemer has come' (Mission Praise, 573).

30th November: Proverbs 28:1-28

'Blessed is the one who always fears the Lord. If you harden your heart, you will be ruined' (14). The blessing of God comes to us through the Gospel of Jesus Christ our Saviour: 'The Gospel is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes'. To those who refuse to come to Christ and receive His salvation, God issues His solemn warning: 'Because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the Day of God's wrath, when His righteous judgment will be revealed' (Romans 1:16; 2:5). We receive 'salvation' through faith in Christ, 'the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world'. Those who reject Christ and His salvation must face 'the wrath of the Lamb' (John 1:29; Revelation 7:10; 6:16).

Daily Devotional Readings: Year Three - December

1st December: Haggai 1:1-15

'"Why is everyone saying it is not the right time for rebuilding My Temple?" asks the Lord. His reply to them is this: "Is it then the right time for you to live in luxurious homes, when the Temple lies in ruins?"' (2-4). God's people had forgotten about God. They were pleasing themselves - but they were not pleasing God! God is challenging us to think about our way of living - 'Consider your way of life' (5,7). We are to 'obey the voice of the Lord our God'. We are to change our way of thinking - 'the people feared the Lord' - and living - 'They came and began work on the House of the Lord Almighty, their God'. Let us obey God's voice. Let us trust in His promise - 'I am with you'(12-14).

2nd December: Haggai 2:1-23

'"Be strong , all you people of the land", declares the Lord, "and work. For I am with you", declares the Lord Almighty' (4). We are to work for God. When we commit ourselves to serving Him, the Lord promises His blessing: 'From this day on I will bless you' (19). To His faithful servants, God promises great blessing: 'I will fill this House with glory' (7). 'Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that, in the Lord, your labour is not in vain' (1 Corinthians 15:58). 'Who is on the Lord's side? Who will serve the King?...We are on the Lord's side, Saviour, we are Thine...Always on the Lord's side, Saviour, always Thine' (Church Hymnary, 479).

3rd December: Revelation 6:1-7:17

Christ invites us to 'come' (6:1,3,5,7) - and look at things through His eyes. With Him, we look at earth. With Him, we look at heaven. Troubled world, tremendous worship - These are the things we see when we look through the eyes of our Lord jesus Christ. Our world is deeply troubled. Heaven's worship is absolutely tremendous. Of all our many 'troubles', the greatest is this: We are sinners, and none of us 'can stand' before 'the face of Him who sits on the throne'. Our earthly 'troubles' are nothing compared with this! There is hope. There is a way of 'salvation'. We can be saved through 'the blood of the Lamb'. If, however, we turn from Him - 'the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' - there will be no hope. We will face 'the wrath of the Lamb' (4:16-17; 5:10,14; John 1:29). Will you be saved - or lost?

4th December: Zechariah 1:1-2:13

God promises to bless His faithful people: 'I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there My House will be rebuilt' (16). God looks upon His House, and He sees His glory - 'I will be the glory within it' (2:5). He sees the glory of His presence - 'I will live among you' (2:10). We read here about the Temple at Jerusalem. We read about its glory. God's Word speaks about another 'temple' and another 'glory'. Through 'faith' in 'Christ', we have become 'a holy temple in the Lord' - 'a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit' (Ephesians 2:21-22; 3:16-17). To every believer, God says, 'Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you...Glorify God in your body' (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

5th December: Zechariah 3:1-4:14

'"Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit", says the Lord Almighty' (4:6). There is only one Power by which the work of the Lord can be done. It is the power of the Holy Spirit. We must not try to do God's work in our own strength. We must exchange our weakness for His strength. We must 'wait for the promise of the Father' - 'You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you'. Great things happen when God's people are 'filled with the Holy Spirit' - 'About three thousand were added to their number that day...The Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved'! Let us pray that God will 'pour out' His Spirit upon us (Acts 1:4,8; 2:4,17-18,41,47).

6th December: Zechariah 5:1-6:15

'Here is the Man whose Name is the Branch...It is He who will build the Temple of the Lord...' (12-13). These words point us to our Lord Jesus Christ: 'I will build My Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it' (Matthew 16:18). How does Christ build His Church? He sends His blessing when His people are obedient to Him: 'Those who are far away will come and help to build the Temple of the Lord...This will happen if you diligently obey the Lord your God'(15). Christ is 'building a people of power'. He calls us to 'move through this land by His Spirit and glorify His precious Name'. Let us pray, 'Here I am, wholly available - as for me, I will serve the Lord' (Mission Praise, 151,229).

7th December: Proverbs 29:1-27

'The righteous care about justice for the poor, but the wicked have no such concern'. So many people have a 'couldn't care less' attitude. They have stopped listening to God's Word and they have lost interest in living God's way - 'Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint'. For those who are ignoring God, refusing to listen to His Word and turning away from the pathway of obedience, God has a stern Word of warning: 'If you get more stubborn every time you are corrected, one day you will be crushed and never recover'. God is calling us to leave the pathway of disobedience and disaster and walk in the way of obedience and blessing: 'Blessed is he who keeps the law' (7,1,18).

8th December: Revelation 8:1-9:21

Real gold and fool's gold - What a difference there is between the two! In 8:3, we read about real gold. In 9:7, we read about something which 'looked like crowns of gold'. There is a difference between the real thing and the counterfeit. There is a challenge for us here - in connection with both salvation and service. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus warns us, 'Not everyone who says to Me, "Lord, Lord", will enter the Kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven'. In 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, Paul invites us to think seriously about the 'quality' of the 'work' we're doing for Christ. Is it work which will prove to be of real, lasting value? - 'gold, silver, costly stones'. Is our work superficial? Does it lack any real depth? - 'wood, hay, straw'? Build on Christ: 'Be careful how you build on Him'.

9th December: Zechariah 7:1-8:23

When people stop listening to God's Word, their life becomes 'a desolate wasteland' (7:11-14). What are we to do when we see this happening? - 'Do not be afraid...Be strong'. We must keep on believing God's promise: 'I will save you, and you will be a blessing'. We must keep on praying that our faithful witness will bring others to the Lord: 'Let us go with you, because we have heard that God is with you' (8:13,23). We must pray that 'the Spirit will be poured upon us from on high and the desert will become a fertile field'. 'Don't hide your light! Let it shine for all; let your good deeds glow for all to see, so that they will praise your heavenly Father' (Isaiah 32:15; Matthew 5:15-16).

10th December: Zechariah 9:1-10:12

'...See your King comes to you...gentle and riding on a donkey...' (9:9). These words point us to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Jesus is our King. Jesus comes to us. How are we to welcome our King? We are to welcome Him with joyful praise - 'Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord' (Matthew 21:1-9; John 12:12-16). Jesus our King has come to us from God the Father: 'When the time had fully come, God sent His Son...'. Jesus our King has come to us to be our Saviour: 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners' (Galatians 4:4; 1 Timothy 1:15). Christ will come again - 'with power and great glory'. 'Come, Lord Jesus' (Matthew 24:30; Revelation 22:20).

11th December: Proverbs 30:1-33

In verse 5, we learn about God's Word. His Word is 'true'. His Word is 'pure'. His Word is full of blessing for those who 'put their trust in Him'. Trusting in Him , we learn that 'His Word is truth'. God's Word is full of blessing for those who 'live according to His Word'. Living in obedience to His Word, we find that His Word makes us 'pure'. Through His Word of truth, God leads us in the pathway of holiness, Jesus prays for us: 'Make them pure and holy through teaching them Your Words of truth'. God's Word is 'more precious than gold'.May God help us to 'hide His Word in our hearts that we might not sin against Him' (John 17:17; Psalms 19:10; 119:9,11).

12th December: Revelation 10:1-11:19

'Take the little scroll and eat it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will be as sweet as honey' (10:9). We are to feed on God's Word - the difficult parts as well as those passages which make us feel good. God's Word speaks about judgment as well as salvation. Before we can rejoice in 'the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ', we must hear about His 'wrath': 'The time has come for judging the dead' (15,18). 'Sweet and sour': We need both for a balanced diet of God's Word. We need the 'sour' - 'It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God' - as well as the 'sweet' - 'God so loved the world...' (Hebrews 10:31; John 3:16). The 'sour' - 'Flee from the wrath to come' - creates a hunger for the 'sweet' - 'the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world' (Matthew 3:7; John 1:29).

13th December: Zechariah 11:1-12:14

'They will look on Him whom they have pierced...' (12:10). These words point us to Christ's crucifixion. In Psalm 22:1, we read Christ's prayer from the Cross: 'My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?' (Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34). In the same Psalm, we read these words: 'They have pierced My hands and My feet' (16). In Isaiah 53:5, we learn that Christ 'was pierced for our sins' (53:5). In Revelation 1:7, the words of Zechariah 12:10 form part of a prophecy concerning Christ's Return: 'Look, He is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see Him, even those who pierced Him ...'. In His heavenly glory, Christ will always be 'the Lamb' who was 'slain' (Revelation 5:6,9).

14th December: Zechariah 13:1-14:21

We 'call on the Lord's Name'. He 'answers' our prayer - 'I will say, "They are My people", and they will say, "The Lord is our God' (13:9). We confess our faith in 'the Lord'. He is 'Lord of lords'. The Lord is King. He is 'King of kings'. 'His Name is 'the only Name' of our salvation. His Name is 'the Name that is above every name' (14:9; Revelation 19:16; Acts 4:12; Philippians 2:9-11). We 'worship the King, the Lord Almighty'. We sing 'Holy to the Lord': 'Holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come! Worthy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come! Glory to the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come! (16,20; Mission Praise, 239).

15th December: Malachi 1:1-2:17

God looks upon us in our sin. What does He see? He sees 'the Wicked Land. He sees 'a people always under the wrath of the Lord' (1:4). He looks at what Christ has done for us - 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners'; 'While we were still sinners, Christ died for us'; 'Christ died for our sins' (1 Timothy 1:15; Romans 5:8; 1 Corinthians 15:3). God looks upon us in Christ - and everything is so very different: 'God made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God' (2 Corinthians 5:21). There, at the Cross of Christ, we hear God's Word of love - 'I have loved you'; 'I have loved you with an everlasting love' (1:2; Jeremiah 31:3).

16th December: Malachi 3:1-4:6

God calls us to be His faithful people. He says, 'Return to Me'. He promises to bless those who return to Him: 'I will return to you'. God calls us to honour Him with our 'tithes and offerings: 'Bring the whole tithe (tenth) into the storehouse...'. When we honour the Lord, He has promised that He will honour us: 'Those who honour Me, I will honour'. When we honour the Lord with our obedience, He promises that He will honour us with His blessing. He promises to 'open the windows of heaven and pour down for us an overflowing blessing'. Satan - 'the devourer' - will be defeated. We will 'serve God'. He will take 'delight' in us. We will be His 'treasured possession' (3:8-12,17-19; 1 Samuel 2:30).

17th December: Revelation 12:1-13:18

In Genesis 3:1, we read of 'the serpent'. Here he is again - 'that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan'. He is a powerful enemy. He 'leads the whole world astray'. He is a determined enemy. 'Day and night', he is busy, accusing God's children. He is a defeated enemy. 'They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb...'. This is not only Christ's victory over Satan. This is our victory in Christ, the victory Christ has won for us. Why is Satan so busy? It's because 'he knows his time is short' (12:9-12). How are we to take our stand against Satan? We must listen to the Word of God: 'He who has an ear, let him hear'. We must obey the Word of God: 'This calls for patient endurance and faithfulness...' (13:9). Christ has won the victory for us. Let us claim His victory by faith.

18th December: Revelation 14:1-15:8

With 'patient endurance', we are to 'obey God's commandments and remain faithful to Jesus' (12), This will not be easy. Satan will do all that he can to defeat us. How can we be 'victorious' over him? We must rejoice in all that God has done for His people, Israel. He delivered them from their bondage in Egypt. We sing 'the song of Moses'. Beyond the great event of the Exodus, there is something even more wonderful. We rejoice in what God has done for us - 'In Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself'. We sing 'the song of the Lamb' (15:2-3; Deuteronomy 7:7-8; 2 Corinthians 5:19). we hear God's call - 'Fear God and give Him glory'. We consider His 'great and marvellous deeds'. In our hearts, we say, 'Who will not fear You, O Lord, and bring glory to Your Name' (14:7; 15:3-4).

19th December: Psalm 146:1-10 

'I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live' (2). Praising the Lord our God: This is a lifelong commitment. We cannot maintain this lifelong commitment in our own strength. We need the Lord's help. We must never forget this: 'Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labour in vain' (127:1). We are not expected to maintain this lifelong commitment in our own strength. We have the Lord's help. We must always remember this: 'Our help is in the Name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth' (124:8). 'Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea and all that is in them, the Lord who remains faithful for ever' (5-6).

20th December: Psalm 147:1-20

'The Lord builds up Jerusalem. He gathers the exiles of Israel. he heals the broken-hearted and binds up their wounds' (2-3). This is much more than the building of the city of Jerusalem with bricks and mortar. This is God building up His people in their 'most holy faith' (Jude 20). This is God blessing His people as they gather together to worship Him. In Christ, we are 'being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit' (Ephesians 2:22). The Lord draws us to Himself. He brings us into fellowship with His people. He calls us to worship Him: 'Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving'. He 'blesses' us through 'His Word'. He 'blesses' us in 'the Spirit': 'He sends His Word...and the waters flow' (7,12-13,18; John 7:37-39).

21st December: John 1:1-34

Jesus Christ is the Word of God. He is the Beginning. He is also the End (1-3; Revelation 21:6). He is 'the Word...made flesh. 'We have seen His glory' (14). This is only the beginning. When He returns, we shall see His glory - 'we shall see Him as He is' (1 John 3:2). From Him, there is creation (1-3). From Him, there is salvation (12-13). In Him, we receive the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (29,32-34). He is the Word of God, the Lamb of God and the Son of God (1,29,34). When we look at Jesus Christ, we see God - 'the Word was God' (1), 'No one has ever seen God; the only Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has made Him known' (18). Do you want to know what God is like? - Look at Jesus (14:9). What do we see when we look at Him? - 'the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world' (29).

22nd December: Matthew 1:18-25

The birth of Christ is a fulfilment of prophecy: 'The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call Him Immanuel' (23; Isaiah 7:14). Christ is 'God with us'. He was born through the power of the Holy Spirit (18,20). He is still 'God with us', when we are 'born of the Spirit' (John 3:5). Some people do not believe what the Bible says here. They do not like the idea of a 'virgin birth'. The Bible gives no encouragement to such unbelief. Matthew simply says, 'This is the way it happened' (18). In view of the amazing thing God was doing - sending His Son to be the Saviour of the world - why should we doubt that God took things out of man's hands and worked in His own miraculous way? We rejoice not only in the miracle but also in its saving purpose: 'He will save His people from their sins' (21).

23rd December: Matthew 2:1-6

We think of this chapter as 'the story of the wise men'. It is not so much about the wise men. It is about Jesus. He is the central Character. We are not told how many wise men there were. The word, 'three', does not appear (1). We are not told their names. We wre not told exactly where they came from - just, they came 'from the East' (1). The important thing is that they made their journey. They came, seeking Jesus: 'Where is He...?'. They came 'to worship Him' (2). The wise men were led to Jesus by 'His star' (2). They were also led by the Scriptures. When asked where the Child was to be born, they answered by quoting from the Scriptures. Reading the Scriptures, we become wise for salvation as we find Christ who is 'our Wisdom' (2 Timothy 3:15; 1 Corinthians 1:30).

24th December: Matthew 2:7-12

Bethlehem was a 'little town'. Humanly speaking, it did not have any great importance. Its importance is derived from the fact that it was the birth place of our Saviour. when we think of Bethlehem, we do not think so much of the place as the Saviour who was born there. Herod says that he wants to go to Bethlehem to worship Jesus (8). Satan was speaking through Herod. Satan 'comes only to steal and kill and destroy'. Christ comes to give 'life...to the full' (John 10:10). As the story unfolds, it becomes clear that Herod was not a worshipper of Christ but a servant of Satan. The wise men worship Jesus, then they return to their own country. Their whole purpose was to point away from themselves to Jesus.

25th December: Luke 2:1-20

God is in control! Jesus was born at Bethlehem - Long before it happened, God had it planned (1-7; Micah 5:2-3). As we approach Christ's Return, God still has His plan. He is still in control. The birth of Christ is not merely an event from the past. It is also a message for the future. We look back so that we can move forward. We are fearful about many things. 'What's the world coming to?', we ask. God turns our question on its head: 'Christ is coming to the world'. From His first coming, we look on to His Second Coming - He 'will come to all the people' (10): 'Every eye will see Him' (Revelation 1:7). His Return invites us to ask another question: 'When the Son of man comes, will He find faith on earth?' (18:8). For you, is it still 'before Christ'? Let the 'new age' begin: Let Christ be 'born this day' (11) - in your heart!

26th December: Proverbs 31:1-31

'A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies...Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised' (10,30). We are to seek 'treasures in heaven' rather than 'treasures on earth' (Matthew 6:19-21). The riches of this world will not last for ever: 'All your riches and splendour have vanished, never to be recovered... "Woe! Woe, O great city, dressed in fine linen, purple and scarlet, and glittering with gold, precious stones and pearls! In one hour such great wealth has been brought to ruin!"'. There is one treasure which lasts forever - the treasure of salvation. Let us praise our Saviour: 'Hallelujah! Salvation and power and glory belong to our God' (Revelation 18:14-17; 19:1).

27th December: Revelation 16:1-17:8

We live in an unbelieving and rebellious world - 'they refused to repent and glorify Him'. In an increasingly hostile environment, we must seek to maintain our faithful'testimony'. There are many who take delight in sin. They rebel against God. They take pleasure in persecuting the people of God: 'They will make war against the Lamb'. What are we to do when we face such determined opposition? - We must remind our enemies that they will be defeated by Christ: 'the Lamb will overcome them because He is Lord of lords and King of kings'. We must remind them that Christ has given us the victory: 'with Him will be His called, chosen and faithful followers'. 'We are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Nothing will be able to separate us from' His love (16:9,11; 17:5-6,14; Romans 8:37-39).

28th December: Revelation 18:1-19:10

We read of the fall of Babylon (18:2,10,16-17,19,21). We live in a time of sinful rebellion against God. This will be followed by the time of God's holy judgment. What is God saying to His own people at this time? - 'Come out of her, My people, so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues' (18:4). God is calling us to be 'holy', 'a people belonging to Him'. Why does He call us to be holy? Does He want us to go around, feeling 'superior' - better than the rest? No! - He wants us to 'declare the praises of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvellous light' (1 Peter 1:15-16; 2:9-10). We look away from ourselves. We look to the Lord, and we say, 'Hallelujah!' (19:1,3,4,6). 'Let us rejoice and be glad and give Him glory' (19:7).

29th December: Revelation 19:11-21:8

Our Saviour is 'Faithful and True'. He is 'the Word of God'. He is our 'Lord' and 'King' (19:11,13,16). We are invited to 'come' to Him. The invitation - 'Come, gather together for the great supper of God' - is a call to come to Christ (19:17). We come to Christ so that we might 'reign with Him' (20:6). Coming to Christ is only the beginning. God is preparing us for something even better - reigning with Him. This is a great future - 'no more death or mourning or crying or pain' (21:4). There is, however, a Word of warning for those who refuse to come to Christ for salvation - 'If anyone's name was not found written in the Book of Life, he was thrown into the lake of fire'; 'Their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulphur' (20:15; 21:8). 'Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved' (Acts 16:31).

30th December: Revelation 21:9-22:21

God has given us a glimpse of a future which is heavenly, eternal and glorious: 'the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God - It shone with the glory of God'. Is this 'eternal life' for everyone? Will all people 'dwell in the House of the Lord for ever'? Will everyone be saved. Is this what the Word of God teaches? 'God wants everyone to be saved'. He wants everyone to 'come to the knowledge of the truth', to 'come to repentance'. Sadly, there are many who 'refuse to love the truth and so be saved' (21:10-11; John 3:16; Psalm 23:6; 1 Timothy 2:3-4; 2 Peter 3:9; 2 Thessalonians 2:10). Who will be saved? - 'only those, whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life'. 'Come' to Christ - 'Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they...may go through the gates into the city' (27; 22:17,14).

31st December: Psalms 148:1-150:6

'Praise the Lord'. Psalms 146 and 147 began and ended with these words. Now, we find the same beginning and ending in each of these three Psalms - 'Praise the Lord'. Our personal song of praise to God - 'Praise be to the Lord my Rock...I will sing a new song to You, O God...I will exalt You, my God the King; I will praise Your Name for ever and ever; Every day I will praise You...My mouth will speak in praise of the Lord...I will praise the Lord all my life; I will sing praise to my God as long as I live' (144:1,9; 145:1-2,21; 146:2) - is just a small part of something so much richer and fuller - 'Let everything that has breath praise the Lord' (150:6). May these great Psalms of praise inspire us to praise the Lord more truly and more fully.