Days of Praise

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October 9, 2025
Delivered, Translated, Forgiven
“...who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: in whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins.” (Colossians 1:13-14)

The central message of the gospel lies in Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection. There is much more, of course, to our salvation. The immediate result is described in the two short verses of our text.

We have been delivered “from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts 26:18). We have been delivered “from unreasonable and wicked men” (2 Thessalonians 3:2) and “from every evil work” and are preserved “unto his heavenly kingdom” (2 Timothy 4:18). Ultimately, we have been delivered “from the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

We have also been “translated” into the eternal kingdom of the Lord Jesus. We will “not come into condemnation” but have been turned “from death unto life” (John 5:24). Our life prior to salvation was darkness, but we have been made “light in the Lord” (Ephesians 5:8). No longer are we aliens outside of God’s family, but we have been “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6).

Furthermore, all of our sins have been forgiven, and we are “justified freely by his grace” (Romans 3:24). That forgiveness and justification seal us “unto the day of redemption” (Ephesians 4:30). And since this is an eternal transaction brought about by the transcendent Creator, we have been raised “up together, and made [to] sit together in heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6). Already we have the “earnest of our inheritance” (Ephesians 1:14) and the assurance that we will “obtain a better resurrection” (Hebrews 11:35).

In this life we may struggle with human rejection, but we can remember David’s comment: “I am as a wonder unto many; but thou art my strong refuge” (Psalm 71:7). HMM III

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October 16, 2025
Confidence in the God of Truth
“My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that I will not lie unto David.” (Psalm 89:34-35)

In Greek, Roman, and more modern false religions, lying and deception are common behaviors among their gods. Not so with the Lord of the Bible! And we are glad of that. What confidence can be built on an unstable foundation? As Proverbs instructs us, “Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth, and a foot out of joint” (25:19).

Our God is not untrustworthy, prone to deception and wavering, but the God of truth. “God is not a man, that he should lie” (Numbers 23:19). God’s truthfulness is unchangeable: “It was impossible for God to lie” (Hebrews 6:18). If we don’t have confidence in God to reliably relay to us the truth, how likely are we to step out in faith in times of doubt? We must fall back on the assurance that the God of the Bible is the God of truth, and we know we can rely on Him “to keep you from falling” (Jude 1:24-25).

God also expects that same truthfulness from those made “in his own image” (Genesis 1:27) who aspire to be His holy children (1 Peter 1:15-16). So we should strive to be of the same mind as God when it comes to the truth. “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour” (Ephesians 4:25).

Our God sets the standard and example of consistent truth-loving and truth-telling for us to follow. This may seem like a tall mountain to climb, but we should not lose heart. God is for us! He is willing and able to help us, for “God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts” (Galatians 4:6). DWR

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October 17, 2025
Watchful Sobriety
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)

Several words are used in Scripture to imply spiritual watchfulness, and each has a slightly different meaning. Only as we compare and combine these words do we get the full force of the Scripture exhortations to watchfulness.

One such word is the Greek word agrupneo, translated “watch.” In Mark 13:33 we read, “Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.” The word literally means to be sleepless and comes from two Greek words meaning “to chase” and “sleep.” It implies a purposeful and active state of awareness.

The term more commonly used is gregoreo. It is a stronger word meaning to arouse oneself and shake off lethargy, implying activity on the part of one who is fully awake. “Watch ye, stand fast in the faith” (1 Corinthians 16:13), and “continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2). “Watch ye, therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh” (Mark 13:35).

A third word is nepho, which literally means to abstain from drink that would produce stupor, as well as sleep, and therefore conveys the additional idea of sobriety. By combining the teaching of these three words, we are instructed not only to keep awake but to keep active and to avoid the intoxication of this world’s seductive pleasures.

In our text, we see that we are not only to be sober (nepho) and vigilant (gregoreo), but we also see the reason why. Our “adversary the devil” is a vicious opponent. He stalks us both day and night with brutal cunning. We dare not underestimate him by figuratively closing our eyes in sleep or dulling our senses with intoxicants. “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober” (1 Peter 1:13). JDM

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October 18, 2025
The Wisdom Mine
“Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding?” (Job 28:20)

In one of his monologues, Job compares his search for spiritual understanding to human explorations for metals and precious stones. “There is a vein for the silver,” he said, “and a place for gold....Iron is taken out of the earth, and brass is molten out of the stone” (vv. 1-2).

These all are easier to find than true wisdom. “It cannot be valued with the gold of Ophir, with the precious onyx, or the sapphire. The gold and the crystal cannot equal it: and the exchange of it shall not be for jewels of fine gold. No mention shall be made of coral, or of pearls: for the price of wisdom is above rubies. The topaz of Ethiopia shall not equal it, neither shall it be valued with pure gold” (vv. 16-19).

Neither have animals discovered it: “nor the fierce lion passed by it...it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air” (vv. 8, 21). “The depth saith, It is not in me: and the sea saith, It is not with me” (v. 14).

“But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding?” (v. 12). Job is driven to ask where one must go to find and mine the vein of true wisdom.

It is certainly “not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought” (1 Corinthians 2:6). The mine of evolutionary humanism that dominates modern education and scholarship will yield only the fool’s gold of “science falsely so called” (1 Timothy 6:20).

Job found true wisdom only through God, and so must we, for only “God understandeth the way thereof...unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the LORD, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding” (Job 28:23, 28). The Lord Jesus Christ is the ever-productive mine “in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3). HMM

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October 22, 2025
Filling the Earth
“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 9:1).

This was the first command God gave to mankind in the new world after the Flood. Actually, it simply renewed the first command given to Adam and Eve in the primeval world. “And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:28). The Old English word “replenish” means simply “fill,” and the same is true of the Hebrew word (mala) from which it is translated. In fact, of its 220 occurrences, the King James translators rendered it “replenish” only seven times. Almost always they translated it as “fill,” or the equivalent.

Thus, God’s first command to men and women was to multiply until the earth was filled. Despite our latter-day concerns about exploding populations, this goal is far from accomplishment today. “Filling,” of course, would imply filling only to the optimum capacity for productive human stewardship of the earth under God.

The pre-Flood earth was filled in only 1,656 years, but it was “filled with violence through them,” and God finally had to “destroy them with the earth” (Genesis 6:13).

In spite of man’s failures, the Lord has given a gracious promise: “And the LORD said,...as truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the LORD” (Numbers 14:20-21). This will not be man’s doing, however. When Christ returns in power and great glory as the destroying Stone, then “the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:35). The new earth will finally be filled with an innumerable multitude of the redeemed (Revelation 7:9), and “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14). HMM

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October 27, 2025
The Scripture Job Esteemed
“Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips; I have esteemed the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.” (Job 23:12)

What was one of the Lord’s earliest commands to man? “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it” (Genesis 2:16-17). But Adam disobeyed this command and, in his shame, tried to hide from the Lord. Job was likely familiar with this narrative, even though he lived centuries before Moses, since he said, “If I covered my transgressions as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom…” (Job 31:33).

So these words would have been among the “words of [God’s] mouth” that Job treasured and held in high regard. He tells his accusers that, unlike Adam, he follows God’s commands closely and has a higher esteem for God’s words than even the physical necessities of life. He valued his spiritual wellbeing and relationship with God over his physical wellbeing, “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).

How would you rate your esteem of “the commandment of his lips”? King David shared Job’s attitude, saying, “Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments” (Psalm 119:6). Indeed, Jesus went 40 days without His “necessary food” before He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3 to the devil, saying, “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4). May we share their esteem for God’s words. BDT

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October 30, 2025
Blotted Out
“...blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross; and having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” (Colossians 2:14-15)

The old ordinances have been “blotted out” by Christ, having “broken down the middle wall of partition between us; having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; and that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby” (Ephesians 2:14-16).

The Law’s requirements were our “adversary” and had to be eliminated before we could be “circumcised” by Christ (Colossians 2:11). The omnipotent Lord Jesus was the only One who could do this. The principalities (Greek arche) and authorities (exousia) were disarmed. Jesus Christ has “gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him” (1 Peter 3:22). He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

There is not much direct information in the Scriptures about the events in the heavens at the time of the Lord’s crucifixion. Bracketed by the agonizing plea of abandonment, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46), and the three hours of darkness (Luke 23:44), there are a few insights that help us grasp the wonder of His victory cry, “It is finished!”

“When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive...he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth” (Ephesians 4:8-9). Whatever took place in those awful hours, all of heaven now knows that Jesus sits “on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool” (Hebrews 10:12-13). HMM III

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November 3, 2025
Risen with Christ
“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” (Colossians 3:1)

Christians have been raised with Christ, and the “new man” is effectively positioned with Christ in glory. We have been made alive “together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5) and in the eternal reality of our Creator, who “made us sit together in heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6).

Thus, the command to seek the “above” realities is not merely a theological idea but rather a profound order to embrace the reality of our new empowerment to walk with Christ in a new life (Romans 6:4). Indeed, we have been newly created by the Creator in “righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4:24). Therefore, since we are God’s workmanship, it is not possible for God to create His children for any other purpose than “good works” (Ephesians 2:10).

Obviously, our Lord knows that we are still in “earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7). That is precisely why He promised to provide all of our earthly needs if we would but “seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (Matthew 6:33)—including our necessary “patient continuance in well doing” (Romans 2:7). Remember, “God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

The environment of the world constantly opposes the reality of “above.” Even the wisdom of above seems counterintuitive; it is “first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (James 3:17). Yet we are still expected to seek to live like we are above because “the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20). HMM III

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November 10, 2025
Four Marks of Life Done Well
“I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” (John 17:4)

Our Lord Jesus describes in John 17 four summaries of how He stewarded His life before His crucifixion. Each one offers an example for us.

First, He glorified the Father. Do we give God the Father glory, or credit, throughout the day, out loud, and even in our hearts? After all, He made us and loves us.

Second, Jesus finished the work that the Father had given Him to do. One of the main works Jesus did was to love His disciples until the end. He made them the pillars of the church. Praise the Father that He gave His Son that work to do! Praise the Son who finished it so that we could hear the gospel in order to be saved from our sins and so we could have fellowship with other believers! Are we faithfully finishing the work He has given us?

Third, Jesus said, “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world” (v. 6). “Manifest” here is translated from phaneróo. It means to make visible or real. Jesus made His Father’s name visible to His disciples by obeying the Father every moment. Do we manifest His name by submitting our time, talent, and desires to the Father?

Last, “I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me” (v. 8). “Words” here does not necessarily mean Bible verses but words fitly spoken (aloud) for His disciples’ growth. For example, “let your speech be always with grace” (Colossians 4:6). May it be said of us who prayerfully glorify the Father, finish His work, manifest His name, and speak His words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25:21). BDT

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November 16, 2025
Drawn to Jesus
“Today shalt thou be with me in paradise.” (Luke 23:43)

Picture the scene. Jesus hangs on a cross between two criminals—all three aware they are dying. One scoffs, “If thou be Christ, save thyself and us” (Luke 23:39). The other thief counters, “Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly…but this man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise” (vv. 40-43). The scoffing thief wanted an earthly miracle—the second sought a heavenly miracle.

Jesus didn’t try to convert the second thief but waited for the man to turn to Him. No one explained the gospel to the thief; he was simply drawn to Jesus. The man knew Jesus had committed no crime. He hung there for another reason. Jesus was more than a miracle-working rabbi; He was a king and had a kingdom. And despite the man’s great sin, Jesus heard his cry and fully accepted him. The worst thing that had ever happened to the thief became the best thing—a great reversal!

As Jesus hung there dying for countless people, He specifically cared for one particular person at that moment—the thief beside him. We are like him, condemned and dying. May we also be drawn to the Son of God. “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” (John 12:32).

Jesus waits for us to turn to Him as He sits enthroned next to His Father. “It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God” (Romans 8:34). Jesus’ love draws us to Him. “The goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance” (Romans 2:4), and He will never reject His children! MJS

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December 6, 2025
Eight Rivals
“Wilt thou not revive us again: that thy people may rejoice in thee?” (Psalm 85:6)

The number seven is known to be the number of fullness and rest, with the seven-day week used ever since the week of creation; “eight” seems commonly to be associated in the Bible with a new beginning, new life, resurrection, or renewal. The Lord Jesus Himself was resurrected, never to die again, on the eighth day—that is, the first day—of the week.

It is perhaps significant, therefore, that eight great spiritual revivals are described in the Old Testament—one each under Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Asa, Hezekiah, Josiah, Ezra, and Nehemiah. It is even more significant, however, that each revival was centered around the Word of God. The first, for example, was based on the giving of the law at Sinai. “And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient” (Exodus 24:7). Then, much later when “Samuel was established to be a prophet of the LORD.... And the word of Samuel came to all Israel,” eventually “all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD” (1 Samuel 3:20; 4:1; 7:2).

Analysis of all of the other revivals will reveal that they also were based on reception and acceptance of God’s Word. The last was under Nehemiah. “And they stood up in their place, and read in the book of the law of the LORD their God one fourth part of the day; and another fourth part they confessed, and worshipped the LORD their God” (Nehemiah 9:3).

There were other ingredients in these revivals, but the Word of God was always the foundation, and there can be no true and lasting revival without it. This is why it is so important in our day, when the need for revival is so desperate, that we first get back to a serious study of the Holy Scriptures, believing and obeying as best we can all that is written therein. HMM

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December 15, 2025 The First Stone “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” (John 8:7) The scribes and Pharisees often plotted against Jesus. They sought to use the law of Moses to trap Him in a “no win” situation. On one such occasion, He was teaching at the crowded temple, and they brought to Him a woman who’d been caught in the act of adultery. The law of Moses commanded she be stoned to death. Testing Him, they demanded that Jesus advise whether or not she should be stoned. If yes, then He’d appear cruel and unmerciful; if no, then He’d be contrary to the law. But the scribes and Pharisees were dealing with the Son of God—the Savior of the world! “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” (John 3:17). Jesus answered them saying, “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (our text). They had no counter to this surprising answer. The accusers left the scene one by one until Jesus was left alone with the woman. He said to her, “Woman, where are those thine accusers? Hath no man condemned thee?” She answered, “No man, Lord.” With merciful kindness Jesus replied, “Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more” (8:11). Consider this. When Jesus said, “He that is without sin among you,” He was referring to Himself! Only He had the right to stone the woman. Only He had the right to execute judgment on her, but He set that right aside and replaced it with mercy and forgiveness. On the cross, Jesus was executed instead; the Lamb took her place. The One “that is without sin” took the full brunt of the law for her and for us. Jesus didn’t come to throw rocks at us. His goal is to save, not to condemn. MJS

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January 3, 2026 Salvation in the Spirit “Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.” (John 3:5) Nicodemus was confused the night when Jesus first spoke of the necessity of the new birth and then equated it with the symbol of baptism. Christ then indicated that the reality in both was the supernatural work of God, the Holy Spirit. “Except a man be born of water [that is, the Spirit], he cannot enter into the kingdom of God [with ‘and’ understood as ‘even’].” The miracle of regeneration is thus a work of the Spirit, and just as “the wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit” (John 3:8). It is not some soul-winning methodology but the Holy Spirit who does the work, and He (like the invisible wind) may work in a great variety of different ways. This work of the Holy Spirit in bringing salvation to the unsaved is so great and so complex that it must be described in a variety of figures to convey the whole reality. In the first place, He must bring conviction of sin and the need of salvation. “When he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment” (John 16:8). Then, as the sinner repents and believes on Christ, the Spirit baptizes him into Christ. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body” (1 Corinthians 12:13). As a member of Christ’s body, he is made a partaker of His resurrection life. Simultaneously, “after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise” (Ephesians 1:13), and “the Spirit of God dwelleth in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16). All of this becomes the mighty miracle of spiritual birth. “According to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost” (Titus 3:5). HMM

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January 13, 2026 The Righteous Word “Righteous art thou, O LORD, and upright are thy judgments. Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful.” (Psalm 119:137–138) The writer of the book of Hebrews called God’s Word “the word of righteousness” (Hebrews 5:13). Nehemiah declared that God had “performed thy words; for thou art righteous” (Nehemiah 9:8). Those two concepts merge in the beauty of the Word. “For the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth” (Psalm 33:4). The written Word is righteous; the cause of the Word is righteous. That theme pervades this stanza of Psalm 119. Several synonyms describe this characteristic of the Scriptures. The Lord is righteous, and therefore His judgments are upright. “Good and upright is the LORD: therefore will he teach sinners in the way” (Psalm 25:8). God’s Word is very pure (Psalm 119:140), like refined gold. “The words of the LORD are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (Psalm 12:6). Because the righteous acts of the Lord have everlasting consequences, the “law is the truth” (Psalm 119:142)—“the righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting” (v. 144). Since the psalmist dedicated his heart and life to the clarity of God’s Word, righteous jealousy consumed him on behalf of God because the enemies of the Lord forgot His Word (v. 139). Furthermore, even though he felt “small and despised” (v. 141) and trouble and anguish surrounded him, he still delighted in understanding God’s righteous commandments (v. 143). May the Lord God strengthen our resolve this day to be “doers of the word, and not hearers only” (James 1:22). HMM III

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January 26, 2026 Four Crowns: Crown of Glory “And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.” (1 Peter 5:4) New Testament epistles point to crowns that Christ’s followers should prize and strive for. Peter introduced a “crown of glory.” The context implies church elders can receive such crowns: “The elders which are among you I exhort” (1 Peter 5:1). “Elder” and “bishop” describe the same positions in Acts 20:17, 28 and in Titus 1:5, 7. What characteristics describe these men, and which of them can expect a crown of glory? Titus 1:7–9 specifies, “For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre; but a lover of hospitality, a lover of good men, sober, just, holy, temperate; holding fast the faithful word as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.” Elders have experience. They “by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). They show an ever-increasing understanding of the Scriptures. They regularly apply those Scriptures to all life’s areas and decisions. Can such a man suffer a character collapse? Of course! One bad step can wreck a lifetime of faithfulness. Peter therefore urges elders toward faithfulness. “Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God’s heritage, but being examples to the flock” (1 Peter 5:2–3). Thus, elders who remain examples to the Christians under their care, shepherding or tending them until the end, will receive this wonderful crown of glory. What a worthy goal. BDT

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February 1, 2026 The Wonderful Angel “And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is secret?” (Judges 13:18) This intriguing encounter occurred during one of Israel’s periods of apostasy and servitude, when the people had been ruled for 40 years by the pagan Philistines. There was one godly couple in the tribe of Dan, however, who evidently had long been praying for a son, and God finally answered their prayers. “The angel of the LORD” came to give the good news to Manoah and his wife. The remarkable son who was to come was mighty Samson, who later would free his people. But it is the angel Himself who is most intriguing here. His name was “secret,” meaning “too marvelous even to comprehend.” The same word is translated “wonderful” in Isaiah 9:6, where it is cited as a name of the coming divine Son, whose name would also be “mighty God” and “everlasting Father.” This “angel of the LORD” was thus none other than God the Son in one of His rare preincarnate appearances, or theophanies, when the invisible God manifested Himself visibly to man. There are many created angels (Hebrews 12:22), or “messengers,” of God, but on certain occasions, this One who is called “the angel of the LORD” (also “the angel of his presence,” as in Isaiah 63:9, and “the Angel which redeemed me,” as in Genesis 48:16) is clearly none other than God Himself. In such cases, it could only have been the preincarnate Christ, for the Bible says, “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him” (John 1:18). God had already revealed Himself in this way to great men of God and now even to an unknown couple. Eventually this Angel, whose name is Wonderful, “was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14) and will one day dwell with His people forever (Revelation 21:3). HMM

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February 6, 2026
I Will Carry You
“Hearken unto me, O house of Jacob, and all the remnant of the house of Israel, which are borne by me from the belly, which are carried from the womb: and even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you.” (Isaiah 46:3–4)

When we are young, concern for the future may be the furthest thing from our thoughts, but as we age we become more cognizant of our diminishing strength and declining health. While these changes become our new reality and may occupy our thoughts and discourage us, they come as no surprise to the God who made us and sustains us.

In Psalm 71, the author begins by proclaiming God as his “rock,” “hope,” and “refuge:” “For thou art my hope, O Lord GOD: thou art my trust from my youth” (v. 5). However, along with these declarations of trust, he then lifts prayers to the Lord expressing many of the same aging concerns we experience today: “Cast me not off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth” (v. 9); “now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, forsake me not” (v. 18).

These cares are nothing to be ashamed of but are just the kind of concerns that God wants us to lift up to Him: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (1 Peter 5:7); “cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee” (Psalm 55:22). If you find similar worries crowding your mind, hold fast to God’s assurance of His faithfulness to His beloved children (37:28). All the way from the womb to the tomb, He will carry you! DWR

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February 11, 2026 The Living and the Written Word “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1) The holy Scriptures and the person of our Lord Jesus Christ are so inseparably bound together that whatever calls into question the integrity and authority of one correspondingly casts aspersions on the other. Let us not be guilty of saying that the written Word and the incarnate Word are in all aspects the same, but the Bible does clearly reveal Christ as “the Word . . . made flesh, [who] dwelt among us” (John 1:14). “And his name is called The Word of God” (Revelation 19:13). In carefully worded arguments, Christ time and again called attention to the fact that the teachings of the Old Testament Scriptures were actually teaching about Him. “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. . . . For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me; for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?” (John 5:39, 46–47). “If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead” (Luke 16:31). Therefore, those who diligently search the Scriptures find in them sufficient testimony to Christ, and where there is faith in the witness of Scripture, there will be faith in Christ and His words. But if men reject the testimony of Scripture, they will not even be convinced by His miraculous resurrection from the dead. Christ claimed that all of Scripture pointed to Him. On the road to Emmaus, He taught that all three popular divisions of the Old Testament traced one progressive Messianic revelation. To understand the New Testament, we must know the Old, for both tell the same story, each amplifying the other. They are forever inseparable. JDM

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February 23, 2026
Explain, Expound, Expect
“And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of God, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening.” (Acts 28:23)

In this final scene of Paul’s spiritually intense life, he convinced the Jewish leaders in Rome to visit him while he was under unjust house arrest. How did he handle them? Three actions set an example for those who wish to live for Jesus.

First, he explained Jesus from the Scriptures. Perhaps Paul pointed to Isaiah 53, even as the Lord Himself did, saying, “For I say unto you, that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, and he was reckoned among the transgressors: for the things concerning me have an end” (Luke 22:37). Paul may have explained why Jesus is indeed that “seed” promised to arise from “the woman” who would deal the devil a death blow (Genesis 3:15). Are we ready to explain how Jesus fulfilled specific Scriptures?

Not satisfied with mere academics, Paul expounded on what the Lord Jesus had done in his life when he “testified the kingdom of God.” For example, Paul told King Agrippa, “I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?” (Acts 26:14). Are we likewise prepared to tell just how Jesus has woven us into His kingdom?

Last, Paul offered expectations. Do we communicate what we expect hearers to do with this good news? “Repent therefore of this thy wickedness, and pray God, if perhaps the thought of thine heart may be forgiven thee” (Acts 8:22). After he explained, expounded, and expected, “some believed” (Acts 28:24). May every Christian follow Paul’s three-step approach of evangelism modeled in our text. BDT

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March 5, 2026
I Have Overcome

“In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)

Jesus clearly said, “I have overcome”—not “I will overcome.” The Greek word that is translated “I have overcome” (nenikeka) occurs only once in the New Testament and denotes a past action. The victory is complete; the conquest is in the past and continues into the present and future.

But when Jesus said “I have overcome” in John 16, He had yet to endure the cross and rise from the dead. He could make such a statement before dying and rising because He and His redemptive work could not be stopped. “I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it” (Isaiah 46:11).

That which God declares shall be accomplished! “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

“I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending,” saith the Lord, “which is, and which was, and which is to come” (Revelation 1:8). Before creation, Jesus was. Likewise, before redemption was accomplished in time, our Redeemer had already overcome. Only Christ Jesus can claim, “I have overcome,” because He is the beginning and the end.

We cannot fully understand His unsearchable work. His ways and thoughts are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:9). But He has clearly revealed Himself as our Creator, Redeemer, and overcoming King.

These verses profoundly comfort the believer. The victory is won—we possess eternal life now! What could prevent Jesus from dying on the cross and rising from the dead? Nothing. Who can derail the Lamb’s plan of salvation? No one. Christ’s accomplishment is forever, and it will stand for all time! MJS

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March 15, 2026
God’s Tear Bottle
“Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” (Psalm 56:8)

This is a remarkable insight into the tender heart of our heavenly Father. He has a tear bottle—perhaps a tear bottle for each of His wandering children.

Ancient tear bottles (or wineskins) have actually been excavated by archaeologists in Israel. These vessels were used to catch and preserve the owner’s tears during times of grief or extreme pressure. This psalm was actually written by David when he was being pursued by Saul on one side and surrounded by Philistines in the city of Goliath on the other. David apparently not only had his own tear bottle but also believed that God somehow was also storing up David’s personal tears in His own heavenly bottle of tears.

There is a touching story in the earthly ministry of Jesus that provides another example: “Behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment, and stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears . . . and anointed them with the ointment” (Luke 7:37-38).

The ointment was obviously not the same as the tears but followed the washing by tears. Some scholars think these tears came from her bottle, which was emptied on His feet and used to wash them. Others think that those tear bottles that have been found actually contained the collected tears of mourners at a burial site.

In any case, God does know all our wanderings, sorrows and tears and stores them up somewhere. Perhaps it is also a metaphor for His “book of remembrance,” which is being “written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name” (Malachi 3:16). HMM

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March 16, 2026
What the Creator Requires
“And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul?” (Deuteronomy 10:12)

In the final weeks before his death, Moses gathered the people of Israel together for a final look back at God’s miraculous provision for the nation and a restatement of the law. He repeated the Ten Commandments and reminded them of their supernatural origin (chapter 5). He charged them to remember the law and to pass it on to their children, for God Himself had entrusted it to them (chapter 6). He insisted that they utterly destroy the enemies of God in the land, for their holy and special status as the people of God would be in jeopardy if they didn’t (chapter 7). The longest section of the speech consisted of a command to remember their unique history: how God had supernaturally intervened for them on so many occasions (8:1–10:11).

Finally, Moses brought them to a time of commitment, charging them in our text to fear, obey, love, and serve the “LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul.” Even the commandments were for their good (v. 13); they were not merely petty or malicious. In fact, throughout the lengthy lecture, Moses had several times adjured the people to love their Lord with their entire being (see 6:5; 7:9; 10:20; 11:1, 13, 22).

And why not? “Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the LORD’s thy God, the earth also, with all that therein is” (10:14). The God who placed His sovereign mark on Israel (v. 15) deserved their total devotion, obedience, and service.

Does not the Creator God, who has done so much more for us than He had done even for Israel, deserve our total devotion, obedience, and service? JDM

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March 17, 2026
No Fear in the Days of Evil
“Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?” (Psalm 49:5)

This enigmatic question should be a real concern to elderly unbelievers—or of unbelievers of any age, for that matter. The “days of evil” seem specifically to refer to old age, as in Ecclesiastes 12:1, which exhorted young people to “remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them.”

Those who have not “remembered their Creator” while young may one day come to realize that the iniquities that had been accumulating against their record day by day through a long lifetime had actually involved the venom of that old serpent, which God long ago had warned would bruise the heels of Eve’s children (see Genesis 3:15). Their sins, which will eventually become so numerous as to “compass them about,” might even destroy them both now and eternally. After all, the devil will have “the power of death” (Hebrews 2:14) until that day when the true seed of the woman, the Lord Jesus Christ (even though His own “heel” has been viciously “bruised” by Satan when the sins of the whole world were placed upon Him), will “crush the head” of that wicked one forever.

But because of Christ’s great victory over Satan—when He both died for our sins and then defeated death by His resurrection—we need no longer fear death, even when the evil days draw nigh.

Though it is far better to accept His gift of salvation from sin and death while we are young, it is never too late as long as we live. So, “wherefore should I fear in the days of evil?” “We have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and . . . perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:16, 18). HMM

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March 29, 2026
In Need of the Colt of an Ass
“And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them, and straightway he will send them.” (Matthew 21:3)

In His humanity, the Lord Jesus no doubt had the same physical needs shared by all humans: food, clothing, shelter, etc. Interestingly enough, however, it appears He only expressed one need in a recorded, verbal conversation. He needed a little donkey colt to ride on as He made His triumphal entry into Jerusalem the week before His bitterly cruel death.

For over three years He walked all over Galilee and Judaea—even Samaria. Why would He suddenly need to ride now? Matthew tells us why: “All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass” (Matthew 21:4-5). Amazingly, this event had been prophesied four centuries earlier (Zechariah 9:9), and the time had finally come for Jesus to see that the prophecy was fulfilled. As He entered the city, the people rejoiced and took “branches of palm trees [hence the name Palm Sunday] . . . and cried, Hosanna: blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord” (John 12:13). However, just a few days later these same crowds turned on Him and cried out, “Crucify him” (Luke 23:21).

We often celebrate Palm Sunday as the final blasts of a bitter winter are beginning to give way to a beautiful and fruitful spring. So this terrible Passion Week, beginning so meekly and proceeding so cruelly, would shortly be overcome by the glorious resurrection of Jesus and everlasting life. HMM

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April 1, 2026
Signs Divide, Signs Reveal
“Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to put him to death.” (John 11:53)

The Jewish leaders sought to kill Jesus after He raised Lazarus from the dead. Why? They knew Lazarus’ resurrection was a well-established fact. And the profound miracle took place in Bethany, a village near Jerusalem, with crowds watching.

Rather than recognizing this sign that Jesus was the Messiah and inspiring belief in Him, these leaders viewed the miracle as a threat to their authority. They feared Jesus’ popularity could lead to the loss of their positions and social standing. But more than that, their hearts were not open to the Word of God standing right in front of them in human flesh (John 1:14). Their hearts were hard and remained so. This made them blind to the very Messiah they were awaiting!

We also see this in the Old Testament. When Moses demanded that Pharaoh free the Israelites, Pharaoh continued to harden his heart. Even after he saw miracle after miracle, and even as the 10 plagues directly challenged the Egyptian gods, Pharaoh refused to concede (Exodus 9:12, 10:27).

Rather than forcing their hearts to believe, God allowed the Jewish leaders and Pharaoh to willfully harden their own hearts against the great miracles they witnessed.

But to the softened heart, Jesus’ identity was undeniable, being clearly revealed by the seven signs described in the gospel of John. The seventh sign was the raising of Lazarus. It foreshadowed the greatest miracle of all: Jesus’ defeat of death and sin on the cross and His resurrection Easter morning! “I am the resurrection and the life.” (John 11:25).

Jesus performed these signs to reveal to the Israelites the power of Yahweh, the great I Am. And the signs revealed who Jesus was—the Son of God in their midst! May our hearts be ready to recognize and praise Him for what He has done. MJS