Daily Devotions
"I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge." Colossians 2:2-3 NLT
JULY 30
"The fruit of the Spirit is ... goodness."- Galatians 5:22
One dictionary gives the meaning for the word goodness as ‘the best part’. That is a good definition of the goodness Christians must develop the best part of themselves. Meanness, bitterness, impatience, etc., will become less and less an ingredient in their characters, as the best part increases. Ephesians 5:9
July 30
Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines. (Canticles 2:15)
MANY deal slackly with themselves in respect to little violations of their consecration vow, saying,--"What's the use of such carefulness and so different a life from that of the world in general?" Ah! there is great use in it, for victories in little things prepare for greater things and make them possible: and on the contrary, surrender to the will of the flesh in the little things means sure defeat in the warfare as a whole. We who have become "New Creatures," reckonedly, in Christ, know that we are to be tested (if our testings have not already commenced), and should realize that only as we practice self-denials in the little things of life, and mortify (deaden) the natural cravings of our flesh in respect to food, clothing, conduct, etc., will we become strong spiritually and be able to "overcome."
July 30
Who is a God like unto thee, that...retaineth not his anger forever, because he delighteth in mercy. Micah 7:18
THE heathen Gods are all vengeful. The God of the Bible alone lays claim to being a God of love "whose mercy endureth forever," as one of the Psalms repeats again and again. Alas, how terribly our God of wisdom, justice, love, and power has been misrepresented to the world, and to the church, as a God delighting in the eternal torture of the vast majority of his creatures; for if such were his provision for them, and he knew the end from the beginning, it would surely prove that he delighted in, and intended their torture. But when our eyes open to a proper interpretation of God's Word, his character becomes glorious before our eyes and commands our love and our devotion! As the apostle declares, it is the divine love which constrains us to be faithful and obedient.
Devotional Books
Exceeding Great and Precious Promises
