JULY 25 He left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house. (Genesis 39:12) In contending with certain sins there remains no mode of victory but by flight. The ancient naturalists wrote much of basilisks, whose eyes fascinated their victims and rendered them easy victims; so the mere gaze of…

JULY 24 Stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord. Exodus 14:13 These words contain God’s command to the believer when he is reduced to great straits and brought into extraordinary difficulties. He cannot retreat; he cannot go forward; he is shut up on the right hand and on the left; what is he…

July 23 The blood of Jesus his son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7) “Cleanses,” says the text—not “shall cleanse.” There are multitudes who think that as a dying hope they may look forward to pardon. Oh, how infinitely better to have cleansing now than to depend on the bare possibility of forgiveness when…

JULY 21 She wags her head behind you— the daughter of Jerusalem. (Isaiah 37:22) Reassured by the Word of the Lord, the poor trembling citizens of Zion grew bold and shook their heads at Sennacherib’s boastful threats. Strong faith enables the servants of God to look with calm contempt upon their most haughty foes. We know…

JULY 20 The guarantee of our inheritance. (Ephesians 1:14) Oh, what enlightenment, what joys, what consolation, what delight of heart is experienced by that man who has learned to feed on Jesus, and on Jesus alone. Yet the realization that we have of Christ’s preciousness is, in this life, imperfect at best. As an old…

JULY 19 The Lord our God has shown us his glory. (Deuteronomy 5:24) God’s great design in all His works is the manifestation of His own glory. Any aim less than this would be unworthy of Himself. But how shall the glory of God be manifested to such fallen creatures as we are? Man’s eye…

JULY 16 Morning by morning they gathered it. (Exodus 16:21) Work hard to maintain a sense of your entire dependence upon the Lord’s good will and pleasure for the continuance of your richest enjoyments. Never try to live on the old manna, nor seek to find help in Egypt. All must come from Jesus or…

JULY 14 If you wield your tool on it you profane it. (Exodus 20:25) God’s altar was to be built of unhewn stones, that no trace of human skill or labor might be seen upon it. Human wisdom delights to trim and arrange the doctrines of the cross into a system more artificial and more…

JULY 13 God said to Jonah, Do you do well to be angry … ? (Jonah 4:9) Anger is not always or necessarily sinful, but it has such a tendency to run wild that whenever it displays itself, we should be quick to question its character, with this inquiry, “Do you do well to be…

Beloved in God the Father… . Sanctified in Christ Jesus… . In the sanctification of the Spirit. Sanctified in Christ Jesus. Through sanctification of the Spirit (Jude 1:1; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 1 Peter 1:2) Consider the union of the three Divine Persons in all their gracious acts. How unwisely do those believers talk who make…