1st August: 1 Chronicles 1:1-54
What are we to make of this long list of names? - A waste of space? Are we wasting our time looking for God's Word here? No! God has a very important message for us! Do you ever feel insignificant - just one among so many? Here`s God's Word for you - You are important. A lot of people are named here - God considered every single one of them important enough to be included in this list! Do you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ? To every believer, Jesus says, 'Rejoice' - 'Your name is written in heaven' (Luke 10:20). 'Rejoice' - Your name is included in 'the Lamb`s book of life' (Revelation 21:27). Jesus calls us 'by name', He gives us His Name - 'the Name above every name', the Name of our salvation. 'Believing in His Name', we become 'sons of the living God' (John 10:3; 20:31; Philippians 2:9; Acts 4:12; Romans 9:26).
2nd August: 1 Chronicles 2:1-55
More names - lots of them! It's great to have a name! You have a name. You're not just a nameless
person of unknown identity. It's even greater to have the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, given to us for our salvation. In His Name, we have God`s promise of salvation - 'every one who calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved' (Romans 10:13). God calls us to have faith in His Son, Jesus Christ. God does not speak to us of salvation without calling us to have faith in Christ. He does not say, 'Everyone will be saved'. That's what we might like to hear, but it's not what God has said. This is what His Word says to us, 'every one who calls upon the Name of the Lord will be saved'. Call upon the Name of the Lord. Let Him fulfil His promise: 'The Name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe' (Proverbs 18:10).
3rd August: 1 Chronicles 3:1-4:23
God answers prayer - 'Jabez called upon the God of Israel, "Oh that You would bless me...". And God
granted his request' (4:10). Behind the name, 'Israel', there are many other names, many faces, many people, many prayers rising up to the God of Israel, many believers calling upon the Name of the Lord, looking to Him for His blessing. The story of 'Israel' is a story of 'disobedience' and 'mercy' (Romans 11:25-32). This is the story of our life. We have been disobedient to God. He has been merciful to us. How are we to receive the blessing of God? Pray to God for His mercy: 'Have mercy on me, O God, a sinner' (Luke 18:13). Come to Him with this earnest prayer: 'Oh that You would bless me...'. How much does the blessing of God matter to you? How much do you really want to be blessed by the Lord? Make it the most important thing: 'Oh that You would bless me...'.
4th August: Psalm 30:1-12
'I will exalt You, O Lord' (1). God is not exalted because we exalt Him. We exalt Him because He is exalted: 'He is exalted, for ever exalted, and I will praise His Name' (Mission Praise, 217). How do we come to the point where we say, 'I will exalt You, O Lord'? We realize our need of Him - 'when You hid Your face, I was dismayed' (7). We look to Him for mercy - 'To You, O Lord, I called; to the Lord, I cried for mercy' (8). God hears and answers our prayer - 'You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy' (11). God calls us to worship Him - 'Sing praises to the Lord, O you His saints, and give thanks to His holy Name' (4). 'The joy of the Lord', His 'unutterable and exalted joy', gives us 'strength' (Nehemiah 8:10; 1 Peter 1:8). We worship God: 'O Lord my God, I will give thanks to You forever' (12).
5th August: Proverbs 12:15-28
What harm can be done by 'reckless words' (18). We need to take care how we speak. As those who belong to Christ, we have a special responsibility. We are to 'witness' for Him. We are to give our 'testimony', declaring what He has done for us. We are to speak of the 'one thing' that is more important than anything else - what the Lord has done for us: 'I used to be blind, but now I can see' (John 9:25). This is what the Lord has done for us - 'He has called us out of darkness into His marvellous light' (1 Peter 2:9). There is a better way than the way of 'lying lips' (22). When the 'lying tongue' has no more to say for itself, there will be one confession of faith which will remain forevermore: 'Jesus Christ is Lord'. This cofession brings 'glory' to 'God the Father'. Let it be your confession of faith: 'Jesus Christ is Lord' (19; Philippians 2:11).
6th August: Psalm 31:1-24
'Into Thy hand, I commit my spirit' (5). These words were spoken by Christ as, in death, He gave Himself for our sins (Luke 23:46). For Christ, there was suffering - 'I am the scorn of all my adversaries' (11). His suffering was followed by rejoicing, the joy of the resurrection - 'I will be glad and rejoice in Your love, for You saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. You have not handed me over to the enemy but have set my feet in a spacious place' (7-8). God answered the prayer of His Son - He brought Him into the 'spacious place' of the resurrection, the 'spacious place' which is, for us, 'eternal salvation' (Hebrews 5:7-9). We look to the crucified Christ and we say, 'Praise be to the Lord, for He showed His wonderful love to me' (21). In the risen Christ, we are 'strong and our hearts take courage' (24).
7th August: 1 Chronicles 4:24-5:26
God wants to lead us in the way of victory (5:22). We dare not take His victory for granted if we are not willing to walk in the pathway of discipleship. As well as the promise of victory, there is also the warning against disobedience. If we are disobedient, we will be defeated (5:25-26). God doesn't want us to be disobedient and defeated. He wants us to be obedient and victorious. With the promise of victory - 'From victory to victory His army He shall lead' - comes the call to discipleship - 'Stand up! Stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the Cross!' (Church Hymnary, 481). God is calling us to be faithful. He is warning us - 'Do not love the world...If any one loves the world, love for the Father is not in him'. The Lord`s way is better than the world's way - 'Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind' (1 John 2:15; Romans 12:2).
8th August: 1 Chronicles 6:1-60
The names tell a story - the story of what God is doing among His people. They speak of the faithfulness of God. He loves every one of these people. He loves every one of us. We forget the names. God doesn't. Everyone is important to Him. We rejoice in 'the great love of God'. We rejoice in Christ 'who came to this earth to redeem every one'. In the many names, forgotten by us yet remembered by God, we hear the message, 'God is love'. Among the many names, we read of those who 'ministered with song'. We read of 'the service of song in the house of the Lord'. God is calling us to worship Him: 'Sing aloud, loud, loud! Sing aloud, loud, loud! God is good! God is truth! God is beauty! Praise Him!' (31-32; Church Hymnary, 415-416).
9th August: 1 Chronicles 6:61-7:40
Is there no end of names? - The more names we read, the more we wonder at the amazing scope of God's love: 'God so loved the world...' (John 3:16). We read of 'the cities of refuge' (67-70). We take refuge in the Lord. He is 'our Refuge and Strength, a very present help in trouble' (Psalm 46:1). We have Christ as our Saviour: 'Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need' (Hebrews 4:16). When 'evil' threatens to overwhelm us (23), we must come to God with this confidence: 'the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin'. We must ask God to strengthen our faith in Christ: 'This is the victory that overcomes the world. Who is it that overcomes the world but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?' (1 John 1:7; 4:4-5).
10th August: Psalm 32:1-11
The forgiveness of sins - what a tremendous blessing this is (1-2). We receive God's forgiveness when we confess our sins to Him. This is the Psalmist's testimony: 'I made my sins known to You, and I did not cover up my guilt. I decided to confess them to You, O Lord. Then You forgave all my sins' (5). This is the promise of God: 'If we confess our sins, God is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness' (1 John 1:9). Knowing that our sins have been forgiven by God, we can face our many trying times with confidence in Him: 'You are my hiding place. You always fill my heart with songs of deliverance whenever I am afraid. I will trust in You, I will trust in You. Let the weak say, "I am strong in the strength of my God"' (7; Mission Praise, 793).
11th August: Proverbs 13:1-11
'The light of the righteous rejoices' (9). Jesus is our Light. He is 'the Light of the world'. In Him we rejoice. Through Him, 'we have now received recociliation'. We are no longer walking in darkness. We are walking in the light with Him, giving thanks to God that 'the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin' (John 8:12; Romans 5:11; 1 John 1:7). What a wonderful thing God has done for us in Christ. He has 'called us out of darkness into His marvellous light'. Let us 'declare His praises', rejoicing in His great love, His rich mercy and His saving grace (1 Peter 2:9; Ephesians 2:4-5). Keep on rejoicing! There is light at the end of the tunnel - even when you have 'to suffer grief in all kinds of trials'. Don`t lose sight of 'the goal of your faith' - 'the salvation of your souls' (1 Peter 1:6-9).
12th August: Psalm 33:1-22
'Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous' (1). We have plenty of good reasons for rejoicing in the Lord.
He opens His heart to us, making known 'the thoughts of His heart to all generations' (11). In His heart, there is love for us - 'the earth is full of the steadfast love of the Lord' (5). He speaks to us of His love. Listening to His voice of love, our joy increases as we learn to trust in His Word - 'the Word of the Lord is right and true' - and rest in His faithfulness - 'He is faithful in all He does' (4). We have good cause to say, 'Our heart is glad in Him' (20). Think of God's love - His heart of love, His purpose of love, His Word of love. Let His love touch your heart and change your life. May His love cause each of us to pray from the heart: 'May Your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord' (22).
13th August: 1 Chronicles 8:1-40
.How sad it is to find the name of Baal, the god worshipped by the Canaanites, appearing in this list of those who professed to be the people of God! The name 'Esh-Baal' (33) means 'man of Baal' or 'man of shame'. It is a 'shameful thing' that those who are called to be the people of God should lose sight of their high calling and become servants of Baal. The name 'Merib-Baal' (34) highlights the sadness of those who lose their way in life. Originally meaning 'opponent of Baal', this name came to mean 'loved by Baal' or 'my lord is Baal'. God's Word warns us against the danger of becoming a 'double-minded man' (James 1:8). Trying to live with one eye on the Lord and the other eye on the world is a sure recipe for disaster. Satan will be be quick to welcome us if we take our eyes off Jesus. 'Let us fix our eyes on Jesus' (Hebrews 12:2).
14th August: 1 Chronicles 9:1-44
In verse 13, we read of 'very able men for the work of the service of the house of God'. Some have been called by God to preach His Gospel and teach His Word. All of us have been called to serve the Lord. It may not be preaching and teaching. It will be something you can do for Him. In this chapter, we read of some who were 'chosen to be gatekeepers', some who were 'assigned to take care of the furnishings and all the other articles of the sanctuary...', some who were 'entrusted with the responsibility for baking...' and others who were 'singers' or 'musicians' (22,29,31,33). There's something for everybody: 'There`s a work for Jesus ready at your hand, `Tis a task the Master just for you has planned. Haste to do His bidding, yield Him service true; There`s a work for Jesus none but you can do' (Redemption Hymnal, 570)
15th August: Philippians 1:1-2:11
Do you feel like you can`t go on? Do you feel like giving up? Here`s God`s Word of encouragement for you: 'He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the Day of Jesus Christ' (1:6). God finishes what He starts - 'He didn`t bring us this far to leave us. He didn`t teach us to swim to let us drown. He didn`t build His home in us to move away. He didn`t lift us up to let us down'. In all the changes of life, we must remember this: God is faithful. His love is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. We don`t keep going because we are strong. We are 'kept by the power of God' (1 Peter 1:5). In 'humility' let us live 'to the glory and praise of God' (2:3; 1:11). 'Jesus Christ is Lord' (2:11) - He will give you the strength to keep going when you feel like giving up.
16th August: Philippians 2:12-3:11
God's command - 'Work out your own salvation' - must never be separated from His promise - 'God is at work in you' (12-13). We do not save ourselves - We 'put no confidence in the flesh'. We are saved by the Lord - We 'glory in Christ Jesus' (3). We are to 'shine as lights in the world', directing attention away from ourselves to Him who is 'the Light of the world; - our Lord Jesus Christ (15; John 8:12). We have this testimony: "I have 'no righteousness of my own'. 'Through faith in Christ', I have received 'this rtighteousness from God'" (9). We are living in difficult times. This is 'a crooked and perverse generation' (15). We are called to 'hold fast the Word of life' (16). It will not be easy. We will face many difficulties. We must take encouragement from this: 'God is at work in you' (13).
17th August: Philippians 3:12-4:23
'Christ Jesus has made me His own' (3:12). In Paul`s words, we hear an echo of Jesus` words, 'You did not choose Me...I chose you' (John 15:16). Christ has claimed us for Himself. He has laid claim to every part of our life. We are to 'rejoice in the Lord always' (4). We are to bring 'everything' to Him in prayer (6). We are to be 'content in all circumstances' (4:11-12). We are to face every challenge with confidence in His strength - 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me' (4:13). We are to trust Him to 'supply' our 'every need' (4:19). In every situation, we can come to the Lord, trusting in His promise: 'the peace of God, which passes all understanding, will keep your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus' (7). Whatever is happening, take it to the Lord in prayer and let Him give you His peace.
18th August: 1 Chronicles 10:1-11:19
Saul's life can be summed up in one word - 'unfaithfulness': 'he was unfaithful to the Lord'. This is a warning: Don`t become like Saul who 'did not keep the command of the Lord...and did not seek guidance from the Lord' (10:13-14). David was quite different from Saul. He became king 'according to the Word of the Lord'. He grew in strength because 'the Lord of hosts was with him' (11:3,9). David was helped greatly by his 'mighty men, who gave him strong support in his kingdom, together with all Israel' (11:10). These things were 'written for our instruction' (Romans 15:4). Praise God for what He has done in the past - 'Blessed be the Lord for ever!' (Psalm 89:52). Pray for more of His blessing in the future - 'O that some one would give me to drink from the well of Bethlehem' (11:17; Revelation 22:17; John 7:37-39).
19th August: 1 Chronicles 11:20-12:7
Here, we read of 'the mighty men of the armies' (26), 'the mighty men who helped him in war' (1). What are we to learn from this list of names? We must look on from here to 2 Corinthians 10:3-6 where we learn some vitally important lessons regarding spiritual warfare. We learn what our war is not and what our weapons are not: 'we are not carrying on a worldly war, for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly'. We learn where our strength comes from and what it is to be used for: 'the weapons of our warfare...have divine power to destroy strongholds'. We learn about the goal of our warfare: 'We...take every thought captive to obey Christ' pressing on toward an 'obedience' which 'is complete'. Make this your prayer, "Lord, help me to be 'valiant..., a doer of good deeds' (22).
20th August: 1 Chronicles 12:8-13:14
'The kingdom of Saul was turned over to David according to the Word of the Lord' (23). What was God's purpose in giving the kingdom to David? 'In the days of Saul', there had been spiritual neglect. Now, God was calling His people to return to Him - 'let us bring again the ark of our God to us' (3). The people returned to the Lord (4). They rejoiced in Him (13:8). Sadly, their joy was short-lived. Failure to do God's will lead to the withdrawal of God's blessing (13:9-10). Where the Word of God remains among God's people - honoured and given its rightful place - , there will be blessing (13:14). How are we to honour God's Word? - 'Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only'. Pray that you will not be a 'hearer who forgets'. Pray that you will be 'a doer of God's Word' -obedient to God and blessed by God (James 1:22,25).
21st August: Psalm 34:1-22
Looking to the Lord, we are 'radiant' He has 'delivered' us. He has 'saved' us (4-6). Rejoicing in God's salvation, we say, 'I will bless the Lord at all times' (1). We call upon others to worship the Lord with us - 'O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His Name together!' (3). We invite them to trust in the Lord and come to know the joy of His salvation - 'O taste and see that the Lord is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!' (8). We encourage them to keep on hearing the Word of the Lord so that they may learn to walk with God - 'Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord' (11). We seek to lead people on to spiritual maturity. We say to them, 'Depart from evil, and do good', praying that they will become 'mature', 'trained by practice to know the difference between good and evil' (14; Hebrews 5:14).
Tues. 22nd August: Proverbs 13:12-25
What do you do with the Word of God? How do you respond to the Word of God? What a difference there is between those who respect God's Word and those who despise His Word. We have here a word of warning - 'He who despises the Word brings destruction on himself' - and a word of promise - 'he who respects the commandment will be rewarded' (13). Those who keep on ignoring God's Word are putting themselves in great danger - 'He who is often reproved, yet stiffens his neck will suddenly be broken beyond healing' (29:1). Those who take God's Word seriously will find 'great reward' - God's Word 'revives the soul', 'makes wise the simple', 'rejoices the heart' and 'enlightens the eyes'. May your heart often meditate on His Word. May your mouth often speak His Word (Psalm 19:11,7-8,14).
23rd August: Psalm 35:1-28
The Psalmist prays, 'Contend, O Lord, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me!' (1). Jesus says, 'In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world' (John 16:33). Paul rejoices in the Lord`s victory - 'If God be for us, who can be against us?' (Romans 8:31). How do we know that God is for us? How do we know that the victory is ours in Christ? We read the words of John 3:16 - 'God so loved the world that He gave His only Son...' - and we say, with the Psalmist, 'Then my soul shall rejoice in the Lord, exulting in His deliverance' (9). We read the words of 1 Corinthians 15:57 - 'Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ' - and we say, with the Psalmist, 'I will thank Thee...I will praise Thee...all the day long' (18,2,8).
24th August: 1 Chronicles 14:1-15:15
David recognized that it was 'the Lord' who 'had established him king over Israel' (14:1). David sought to honour the Lord in everything. We see this in his battles with the Philistines - (a) He 'inquired of God' (10,14); (b) He 'did as God commanded him' (16,10-11); (c) He gave all the glory to God - 'God has broken through...the Lord brought the fear of him upon all nations' (11,17). We must learn from David - Seek the will of God; Do the will of God; Give all the glory to God. David was not only a political leader - a king. He was also a spiritual leader, a leader of worship. He calls us to be sanctified, set apart for the Lord. We will not be blessed by the Lord unless we honour Him in our hearts. Let's be sure to hear and heed this call to live our lives 'according to the Word of the Lord' (15:11-15).
25th August: 1 Chronicles 15:16-16:6
David called God's people to worship. They were 'to raise sounds of joy', praising the Lord with 'loud music'. David did not leave it others. He gave the lead. Along with all the others, he was there, 'dancing and making merry'. He was a true spiritual leader. He 'blessed the people in the Name of the Lord'. He called upon the people to 'praise the Lord' (16,28-29,2,4). God calls us to worship Him continually' (6). May God help us to be the kind of people who take 'delight in the Word of the Lord, meditating on His Word day and night' (Psalm 1:2). Our meditation on God's Word is to be accompanied by obedience to His Word - 'be careful to do according to all that is written in it' (Joshua 1:8). This is the true 'spiritual worship' God is looking for - the dedication of our lives to Him (Romans 12:1).
26th August: 1 Chronicles 16:7-36
Here, we are called to worship - 'O give thanks to the Lord...Sing praises to Him...Glory in His holy Name...Seek His presence continually' (8-11). We are to 'remember the wonderful works that He has done'. We are to call on others to worship Him - 'Sing to the Lord , all the earth!'. We 'worship the Lord' and, filled with heavenly joy, we say to those around us - 'Let the earth rejoice... "The Lord reigns!"' (12,23,29,31). In a book of so many names, this marvellous song of praise stands out. It is a high point. Everything else seems so commonplace. Treasure God's special high points of praise and worship. Don't despise the ordinariness of everyday life. Why does God give us His high points? - He wants us to return to our everyday life with renewed strength. 'Wait on the Lord and renew your strength' (Isaiah 40:31).
27th August: Psalm 36:1-12
Read about God's 'steadfast love' and rejoice in Him: 'Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens...How precious is Your steadfast love, O God!...O continue Your steadfast love to those who know You...' (5,7,10). Rejoicing in the Lord's 'steadfast love' is quite different from taking His love for granted. We dare not say, "God loves me. I can do what I like". We must not become like the wicked - 'there is no fear of God before his eyes' (1). Where there is true rejoicing in God's 'steadfast love', there will also be 'the fear of the Lord' which 'is the beginning of wisdom' (111:10). A real appreciation of God's 'steadfast love' brings with it a real awareness of our own sinfulness. Knowing how much God loves us leads us to pray, 'Let not the foot of arrogance come upon me, nor the hand of the wicked drive me away' (11).
28th August: 1 Chronicles 16:37-17:27
Sometimes, God's "No" means "Not now. Later". David wanted to build a Temple for the Lord. God said, "No" - 'You shall not build Me a House to dwell in' (1-4). This was not God's last Word on the matter - 'one of your own sons...shall build a House for Me' (11-12). One ministry comes to an end. Another ministry begins. We wonder, 'Has God said, "No"?'. Has He said, "There will be no blessing"?'. God's "No" may mean "Not yet". The blessing will come - but not yet. The "No" was spoken to David, yet still, there was the promise of God: 'the Lord will build you a House' (10). The true servant of the Lord does not say, "The blessing must come in my time"! God's servant rejoices in the "not yet" blessing of God - 'still the vision awaits its time...If it seem slow, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay' (25-27; Habakkuk 2:3).
29th August: Proverbs 14:1-19
'A perverse man will be filled with the fruit of his ways, and a good man with the fruit of his deeds' (14). Jesus speaks to us about 'good fruit' and 'bad fruit'. He warns us not to be deceived by those who have no real love for Him: 'You will know them by their fruits' (Matthew 7:15-20). How does good fruit grow in the 'tree' of our lives? - 'Blessed is the man...whose delight is in the law of the Lord...He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season' (Psalm 1:1-3). There is good fruit to be enjoyed when we take delight in the Word of the Lord. There is bad fruit to be thrown away. Let's throw away the bad fruit - '...strife, jealousy, anger, selfishness...' - and enjoy the good fruit - 'love, joy, peace...'. Let 'the fruit of the Spirit'grow in you - 'be filled with the Spirit' (Galatians 5:19-24; Ephesians 5:18).
30th August: 1 Chronicles 18:1-20:8
Victory belongs to God. Victory is given by God. This is the great lesson of David's victories - 'the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went' (18:6,13). There are no 'giants' able to stand in the presence of God (20:8). Every 'giant' must be brought to the ground. There are 'giants' standing in the way of our spiritual growth. The 'giants' of unbelief, disobedience, spiritual pride and self-righteousness must not be allowed to hinder our growth in grace. We must fight our spiritual battles in the strength of the Lord, confident that , through His 'divine power', 'every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God' will be brought to nothing (2 Corinthians 10:4-5). Let the 'giants' come tumbling down. 'Grow in the grace and knowledge our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ'. Give all the 'glory' to Him (2 Peter 3:18).
31st August: Psalm 37:1-40
Those who 'trust in the Lord...will dwell in the land'. Those who turn from Him will 'perish' (3,20). Through faith in Christ, we look ahead to 'a heavenly country', 'better' than anything we will know on earth (Hebrews 11:16; Philippians 3:20). We have caught sight of 'a happy land, far, far away, where saints in glory stand, bright, bright as day'. We have heard the sound of their song - 'O how they sweetly sing, "Worthy is our Saviour King!"'. We lift our voices to the Lord - 'Loud let His praises ring, praise, praise for aye'. Still, some are perishing. They have not come to Christ for salvation. To them, we say, 'Come to this happy land, come, come away; Why will ye doubting stand? Why, still delay?' (Revised Church Hymnary, 587). Trust in the Lord now and look forward to being with Him in heaven.
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