January 7
“These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full” (1 John 1:4).
When the hidden mysteries of the Word of God are revealed to us, our hearts are filled with
a joy that makes us strong. Our strength does not lie in mere Bible knowledge. When the
Lord Jesus Himself, by His Spirit, reveals to us the mysteries of His Word, then we are strong.
“I will ……shew thee great…things“ (Jer. 33:3). When our loving Saviour opens up to us His
living Word, that is strength. As God reveals Himself to us in a greater measure day by day
while we meditate upon His word, so do we find our joy increasing more and more. Day by
day He will give us something fresh as we wait upon Him, and as God’s Word becomes real
to us, it becomes our joy and strength.
daily devotional
Genuine safety
Modern psychiatrists say that one of the basic needs of man is security. In the 91st Psalm we are assured that in God we have the greatest of security, “There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” If you read and reread this beautiful Psalm, you will discover that in Him we have a permanent abode and residence, and that all of the comfort, security, and affection which the human heart craves is found in Him. Perhaps no visible angels will appear in your life and mine, but God’s promise of security is nonetheless real and certain. Those who live in the realm of God have genuine safety and security.
Recent Devotions
Master of the house
Gospel of Mark 13:35–36 (ESV)
35 Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning—
36 lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.
The great Dwight L. Moody used to say, “I never preached a sermon without thinking that possibly the Lord may come before I preach another.” Dr. G. Campbell Morgan, the distinguished British clergy-man, said, “I never begin my work in the morning without thinking that perhaps he may interrupt my work and begin His own. I am not looking for death. I am looking for Him.” That is the way a Christian should live his life—in the constant anticipation of the return of Christ! If we could live every day as though it may be the very last one before the final judgment, what a difference it would make here on earth! But we don’t like to think that way. We don’t like to think that our carefully made plans, our long range schemes may be interrupted by the trumpet of God. Too many people would rather say, “Oh, well, the end of the world hasn’t come yet, so why think about it—it’s probably a thousand years away.”
Recent Devotions
Hidden mysteries | January 6
January 6
“…thou canst do everything” (Job 42:2).
Job was a God-fearing man, honest and upright. Yet God allowed great sufferings and sorrow in his life.
Suddenly, within a period of twenty-four hours all his children died, he lost all his cattle, all his sheep and
all his camels. Soon after this his body became covered with sores. His wife mocked him for his piety and
his friends began to accuse him falsely.
In the midst of all these terrible calamities the Lord became real to Job. At times, when his sufferings were
unbearable he expressed his inability to understand why God was allowing all this to take place. But when
God appeared to Job face to face, he discovered God’s threefold purpose for him. First, God wanted to
give Job much more than he had at that time. Although he was already the wealthiest man in the East,
God wanted to give him twice as much. Secondly, through his sufferings, God wanted to give him true
wisdom. His friends counted him a fool, and they thought they were all wiser than he. When the Almighty
appeared before them, it was Job alone who recognised Him and worshipped Him. Thus theLord proved
that Job alone was wise and all his friends were foolish. God made Job wiser than he had ever been before.
Thirdly, God wanted to teach Job how to pray. He had prayed till now, only for his own family (Job 1:5).
Now he learnt to pray for others, even for his friends who had been cursing him (ch. 42:8,10).
When God allows painful experiences in your life do not be discouraged. He wants to give you a greater
blessing this year, a double portion of blessing: He wants to impart to you more wisdom; and He wants to
draw you nearer to Himself and to teach you to pray.
In the end, when Job began to understand God’s mind, he was able to say, “Lord, thou canst do
everything”. The Lord will take us through many trials and thus reveal to us many hidden mysteries, so
that in the end we also will be able to trust Him fully and say, “Lord, thou canst do everything!”
Recent Devotions
In Christ we are more than conquerors
January 6
“Ask and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full” (John 16:24).
Learn what it means to pray in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. “All Power… in heaven and
in earth” (Matt. 28:18) was His. There lies the divine secret. And that power, that authority
is to be exercised now on this earth through us. Our strength is in the Name of the Lord Jesus
Christ.
When trouble comes, or the Enemy, what ought we to do? Where lies our strength at such a
time? It is certainly not in our words, but in the exercise of the authority of the Name of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Let the enemy come in like a flood (Isa. 59:19); Let him come like a roaring
lion (1 Pet. 5:8) we shall bind him in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is our joy and
strength. In Christ we are more than conquerors.