Team Daily Devotions for May 2025
The Verse on the Wall
Thou God seest me. Genesis 16:13, KJV
Bible Reading
Violet Liddle was a remarkable Christian maid who served the likes of Churchill, Eisenhower, Lady Astor, and George Bernard Shaw.
Growing up, she came downstairs every day beneath a framed Bible verse on the wall, which read: “Thou God seest me.”
As a result, some of her first memories involved knowing that God watched her wherever she was.
“Still,” she wrote, “I don’t really regret this introduction to God because it did instill in me an understanding that God is always around us, and I’m glad that over the years I’ve come to recognise that the verse is a promise of God’s loving care.
”1 God’s Word was an important part of life for the people of Israel. God gave leaders, kings, and everyone else specific instructions for the ways to remember His words by placing them in places they would see each day.
Deuteronomy 6 tells us to write God’s Word “on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (verse 9).
Look around you today for places to post Scripture so it stays at the forefront of your mind. A verse on the wall may reside in your children’s minds for decades to come!
Down through the years, I turned to the Bible and found in it all that I needed. Ruth Bell Graham
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Friday, May 2
All the TimeThis Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. Joshua 1:8
Bible Reading:
If you are a young person in love, you probably think about your beloved “day and night.”
If you are facing a challenging situation at work, your focus is on finding a solution “day and night.”
In Hebrew culture, phrases like “day and night” and “east to west” serve as all-inclusive indicators.
That is, “day and night” means “all the time.”
It is natural for certain situations to consume our thoughts all the time.
But Scripture admonishes us to focus on one thing in particular: God’s Word.
When Joshua prepared to enter the Promised Land, God encouraged him to meditate on His Word continually (Joshua 1:8).
Moses said that Israel’s kings should focus on God’s Word (Deuteronomy 17:18-20).
And the psalmist promised blessedness to the one who meditates on God’s Word “day and night” (Psalm 1:1-2).
Consider how you can incorporate God’s Word into your thoughts “all the time” through reading, memorization, music, and other means.
It takes calm, thoughtful, prayerful meditation on the Word to extract its deepest nourishment. Vance Havner
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Saturday, May 3
Lessons From May Flowers: LilyI am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys. Like a lily among thorns, so is my love among the daughters. Song of Solomon 2:1-2
Bible Reading
During the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries in Europe, an unusual representation of the crucifixion of Christ arose in Christian art.
The artwork, such as used in stained-glass windows, depicted Christ being crucified not on a cross but on a lily—or Christ holding a lily.
This art has come to be known as the “lily crucifix,” appearing in paintings, statues, carvings, and church windows.
Lilies have also been associated with the virgin Mary, representing her purity.
The lily is mentioned multiple times in the Bible. Several psalms (45; 60; 69; 80) were to be sung to a tune called “Lily of the Testimony (or Covenant)”—possibly a reference to the beauty of God’s covenant.
And lilies appear eight times in the nature-rich love poem Song of Solomon, representing the beauty and purity of true love. Even today, lilies are the traditional Easter flower.
No wonder Christ used “the lilies of the field” (Matthew 6:28) to illustrate the richness and beauty of God’s provision.
Take a moment to thank God for the beauty of the lily and the beauty and purity of His Son, Jesus Christ.
Beauty is God’s handwriting. Charles Kingsley
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May 4
Wisdom from the Psalms
Psalms 55:5
Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me, and horror hath overwhelmed me.Liz sat crying in the small cafT. It looked as though she might be pregnant, and she was terrified. Her parents would yell at her, her boyfriend would probably leave her, and everyone would think she was somehow cheap and dirty; at least, that was how they would make her feel. This wasn't something she wanted or was proud of. She had made a terrible mistake. She had given in to sin. Now she was a very scared young girl, with nowhere to turn.
Sin makes us a prisoner. It takes away our freedom, and it controls us with fear and guilt. Luckily, we have a Savior who crushes the power of sin and sets us free. Jesus Christian died to let us know we are loved, and God forgives us when we fall. Nothing w do can separate us from that love, so we have nothing to fear at all.
Prayer: Lift me from the horrors of sin, Lord. Set my feet upon right paths, and lead me away from things that will harm me. Give me courage in the face of frightening situations. Amen.
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Tuesday, May 6
Wise for SalvationFrom childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:15
Bible Reading
“At the age of twelve,” wrote Pastor Paul Enns, “I was visiting my older cousin, Ernie, when he explained John 3:16 to me. I remember kneeling at the couch and praying, telling the Lord I was trusting in Jesus for salvation. And a new birth occurred!”1
No matter our age or stage in life, God’s Word has the power to change us! It’s wonderful when, like Timothy and Pastor Enns, we find the Gospel early in life. Imagine the power of a book that can forever change a four-year-old, a fourteen-year-old, or a forty-year-old!
It’s not too late to tell your children about the Holy Scriptures, which can make them wise for salvation—and it’s not too late to receive the same Gospel into your own life.
It's as simple as John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” Share this Good News with someone today!
No works are necessary for salvation; it is by faith alone—accessing God’s enormous grace. Have you availed yourself of the enormity of God’s love that gives you eternal life? Paul Enns
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Wednesday, May 7
Your Exalted KingOh, sing to the Lord a new song! Psalm 96:1
Bible Reading:
Five psalms—from Psalm 96 to Psalm 100—explicitly affirm God’s rule over all the earth. Allen Ross, in his commentary on Psalms, calls Psalm 96: “The Exalted King.” We’re to sing a new song to Him (verse 1) and “declare His glory among the nations” (verse 3).
Why? “For the Lord is great and greatly to be praised” (verse 4). He “made the heavens” (verse 5), so we should give Him glory (verse 7), bring Him an offering (verse 8), and worship Him “in the beauty of [His] holiness” (verse 9).
The joy of worshiping Him is not our privilege alone. The heavens, the earth, the seas, fields, and trees rejoice too (verses 11-12).
We praise Him for He is coming to judge the world with righteousness and truth (verse 13).
The difficulties and stresses of life can discourage our souls. But God’s Word brings joy to our hearts often through studying the book of Psalms. If you’re discouraged or anxious today, take time to read Psalm 96 and praise God for who He is.
Because the majestic Lord of creation comes to judge and rule the world, all people should worship Him in fear and praise Him in holy array for His great salvation. Allen Ross
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Thursday, May 8
Warning SignsThese things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 1 Corinthians 10:11, NIV
Bible Reading
Everywhere we go, we’re surrounded by warning signs, and some of them are a bit much! One said: “Caution! Heavy Pedestrian Traffic,” with a drawing of a rather large man.
Another said: “Free Range Chickens Drive Slowly.” One sign in a rural town said: “Touching Wires Causes Instant Death. $200 Fine.”
Most caution signs are well-intended and clearly marked, and that’s the way the Lord cautions us in Scripture. The Bible includes warnings, cautions, rebukes, and dangers to avoid.
Sometimes we’re headed down the wrong path without even knowing it. But God’s Word warns us of the dangers ahead.
In 1 Corinthians 10, for example, Paul reminds us of how the Israelites set their hearts on evil things, engaged in sexual immorality, grumbled, and indulged in too much revelry.
The Lord judged them, and they are a warning to us. As you study the Bible each day, don’t just underline the promises and sing the psalms. Highlight the warnings too, and grow in daily holiness before the Lord.
God’s holiness and purity give birth to His righteous anger when we do the things He doesn’t want us to do. God….doesn’t want us to take sin lightly. Chris Thurman
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Saturday, May 10
Lessons From May Flowers: RoseThe wilderness and the wasteland shall be glad for them, and the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose. Isaiah 35:1
Bible Reading
Corporate style consultants often advise men to include a red “power tie” in their wardrobe, and a red suit or dress for women. Why red?
Because it projects power, or said another way, passion. It’s why red roses are the most popular flower ordered on Valentine’s Day.
When Isaiah prophesied the ultimate renewal of Israel, he said, “The desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose”—a reflection of God’s faithfulness and love for His people in spite of their sins.
The most powerful example of red demonstrating God’s love was when Christ came into the “wasteland” of the world and shed His blood on the cross for our sins.
Isaiah wrote that our sins are as scarlet but that God could make them as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18).
The only thing that could cleanse our scarlet sins is the shed, red blood of Jesus.
Red is the color of love. The next time you see a red rose, thank God for the shed blood of Jesus that cleanses you from all sin.
I hear the words of love, I gaze upon the blood, I see the mighty sacrifice, and I have peace with God. Horatius Bonar
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May 11, 2025Happy Mother’s Day!
Wisdom from the Psalms
Psalms 59:9
Because of his strength will I wait upon thee: for God is my defence.The young man sat quietly in the courtroom. He trembled as he waited for the hearing to begin. He had never been to court before. His parents had rarely even taken him into town. The Amish kept pretty much to themselves. He was being asked to fight in an army that he did not believe in, and that was something he could not do. They would ask him all kinds of hard questions, but all he knew was that war and killing were wrong, and he would have no part of it, even if it meant sitting in a jail for the rest of his life. They would want excuses, but all he could say was no. God was his only defense. Nothing more was needed.
Prayer: People do not always understand why I feel the way I do or believe the things I do. Help me to accept that, Father. Help me to be secure in my faith. Let me be an example of faith in a world full of doubt. Amen.
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Monday, May 12
Fingers in the DustThe Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message. Acts 16:14, NIV
Bible Reading
Leading someone to Jesus is the most wonderful thing in the world, but we do less than one-half of one percent of the work.
Others have almost certainly come before us, planting the seed. That’s the other one-half percent. Ninety-nine percent belongs to the Lord, who opens the heart of the one who responds. Obviously, of course, He does the whole work; though, thankfully, He uses us along the way. As Paul said, “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6).
As we share God’s Word with others, we need to remember that God is the One who will work in their hearts. Our responsibility is to make sure that we are actively sharing. We want to present the Gospel as best we can, but it doesn’t depend on our knowledge or powers of persuasion. People can find Christ from as little as a verse written by a truck driver’s finger on the dust of his or her eighteen-wheeler if that’s the means God chooses to use.
Simply say a word to someone today on behalf of our Lord!
[Lydia] did not open her own heart…. Paul did not do it. the Lord Himself must open the heart…. We can get at human brains, but God alone can arouse human affections. Charles Spurgeon
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Tuesday, May 13
His 66 BooksI have restrained my feet from every evil way, that I may keep Your word. Psalm 119:101
Bible Reading
Izaak Walton (1593-1683) wrote a poem about the power of the Bible to strengthen his moral life:
Every hour
I read you, kills a sin
Or lets a virtue in
To fight against it.Reading and listening to God’s Word is the first step to understanding it, and understanding it leads to self-examination, self-correction, growth, maturity and to a wiser, stronger life.
When God’s Word takes root in our minds, it produces fruit, resulting in a change in our conduct and our conversation.
Allow the words of Scripture to penetrate your heart and mind and lead to lasting change in your words and actions.
Read the Bible actively, asking yourself, “In this passage, is there a change to make, a sin to confess, a habit to strengthen, or a weakness to correct?”
Let God shape your mind and clarify your life by an active daily engagement with His 66 books! Begin today!
By the instrument of the Scriptures, in the hands of the Holy Spirit, God cuts away the corrosion from the template of His glory. Miraculously we are thus conformed to the peculiar shape of God’s glory. John Piper
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Thursday, May 15
The Quiet TimeBut thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet. Matthew 6:6, KJV
Bible Reading:
Karol Ladd said when her mother was growing up, she took Matthew 6:6 literally. “Mom grew up in Texas, and everything in Texas is big, including the closets. When Mom wanted to be alone with God, she went into her prayer closet. Her parents knew that if they hadn’t seen her in a while, they could always find her there.”
Newer translations render the word differently: your inner room… your private room… your inner chamber…a quiet, secluded space. The idea is finding privacy to spend time with the Lord. If we only meet Him when we have time or happen to think about it, our relationship with Him will be haphazard.
In order for God’s Word to be effective in changing our lives, we must make it a daily habit and an enriching appointment. We engage in talking to Him (prayer) and listening to Him (Bible reading). Remember, your connection with God is a relationship, and good relationships require time and tending. Tend to your relationship today.
Reading and studying the Bible is a basic requirement for the Christian’s growth, and happily it can be one of his most enjoyable experiences from day to day. Irving Jensen
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Friday, May 16
Skill for LivingHowever, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. 1 Corinthians 2:6
Bible Reading:
Proverbs 9:9-12In the Old Testament, what did the weavers of priestly garments, the builders of the tabernacle, a person regarded as shrewd, a diviner who could cast spells, tiny insects, a craftsman who built idols, and the pilots of ships have in common? They were all said to have hokmah, the Hebrew word for skill. This same Hebrew word is translated “wisdom” in the Old Testament. In other words, wisdom is skill for living that comes from God.
Wisdom is also the theme of 1 Corinthians 2:6-16 where Paul contrasts God’s wisdom with worldly wisdom. If we look around in our world, we see a definite lack of the skill of living. People are trying to figure out how to live successfully apart from relying on God’s wisdom. Everyone needs wisdom, and James 1:5 encourages us to ask God for wisdom when we lack the skills to navigate life’s challenges.
If you lack the skill to solve a challenge you are facing, seek out God’s wisdom in His Word and through prayer.
There is no wisdom but that which is founded on the fear of God. John Calvin
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Saturday, May 17
HyssopPurge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
Psalm 51:7Bible Reading:
Some of the flowers mentioned in the Bible are unknown to us in the West. Hyssop is an example of a flowering plant known in the Middle East and southern Europe but unfamiliar to us.
It is a shrub-like plant up to two feet tall with woody stems which grow upright, producing leaves and small fragrant flowers in the summer.
Cutting and bundling the stems with their leaves intact produces a brush-like tool for dipping and “painting” liquids.
In Egypt, on the night of the first Passover, the Hebrew slaves were instructed to take “a bunch of hyssop,” dip it in a basin of blood from a sacrificial lamb, and spread the blood on the doorposts of their house (Exodus 12:22).
The blood would be a sign to “the destroyer” to pass over that house (verse 23).
David recalled that imagery when his own sins were found out and he needed to be cleansed: “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.”
Thank God today that Jesus is the sacrificial Lamb of God whose blood takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29).
‘Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb, who all my sorrows took. Philip Doddridge
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Wisdom from the Psalms
Sunday, May 18, 2025
Psalms 64:7
But God shall shoot at them with an arrow: suddenly shall they be wounded.Jesus stood with a group of His followers. In the distance, a crowd appeared, pushing a naked woman along in front of them. They cast her down at the Lord's feet and said, "What should we do with this adultress?"
They hoped to trap Jesus into advising sin.
Aware of the trap, Jesus gazed deeply into the eyes of the people. He stooped down and scribbled in the dust. Abruptly, He stood back up and said, "The one among you who is without sin, let him cast the first stone."
His answer struck like a bolt of lightning.
Words of pure love and power exploded their conceit, and they were forced to look at the truth of God openly and honestly.
The sin was not at issue. What mattered was forgiveness. The hateful crowd was shot through the heart by an arrow of God's goodness. Killed was the sin of unrighteousness, God will expose it for what it is.
Prayer: Turn my darkness into light, O Lord, and guide me away from things that are sinful and wrong. Teach me to love my neighbors rather than judge them. Let me cast love and peace, instead of stones. Amen.
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Monday May 19, 2025
Sword of the Spirit
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:17
Bible Reading:
Matthew 4:1-11In the New Testament, there are two primary Greek words behind the English word for “word”: logos and rhema. While both can be translated “word,” there are underlying differences in the two. In general terms, think of logosas a book or concept and rhema as a sentence or saying. Biblically, think of logos as the Bible and rhema as a saying or verse within the Bible.
When the apostle Paul referred to “the word of God” as “the sword of the Spirit,” he used the word rhema for “word of God.” He seems to be saying that we should take up a portion, a verse, or a promise in Scripture when defending ourselves in spiritual warfare. That’s what Jesus did when He defended Himself against the temptations of Satan in the wilderness. Three times He quoted verses from Deuteronomy to refute Satan’s carnal attempts (Matthew 4:1-11).
Just as Jesus quoted the Old Testament from memory in the wilderness, so must we commit Scripture to memory so it is always at hand when Satan attacks. Satan has no defense against the power of the truth of God.
Take a few moments today to begin memorizing Ephesians 6:17.
The Bible is a rock of diamonds, a chain of pearls, the sword of the Spirit. Thomas Watson
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May 20, 2025
“All” Means AllAll Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
2 Timothy 3:16Bible Reading:
Certain parts of the Bible tend to be avoided by casual Bible readers—sections like “the begats” (the Old Testament genealogies), the “pots and pans” sections of Leviticus dealing with religious rituals in the tabernacle, certain of the minor prophets (when was the last time you read Nahum?), and apocalyptic literature like the book of Revelation.
But one three-letter word invalidates all excuses for avoiding certain parts of the Bible.
And that word is “all” in 2 Timothy 3:16. There Paul says that “all” Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction.
That includes the genealogies, Leviticus, the minor prophets, and the book of Revelation—along with other portions of Scripture that tend to be among the least read.
When reading unfamiliar or challenging portions of the Bible, begin by praying with the psalmist: “Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law” (Psalm 119:18).
Consider using a year-long Bible-reading plan that takes you through the entirety of the Bible. Ask God to show you new truth from the passages with which you are most unfamiliar.
Hit-and-run Bible reading can often become hit and miss. John Blanchard
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Wednesday, May 21
Living by the SwordPut on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.
Ephesians 6:11, NIVBible Reading:
An earlier generation of Christians was raised on “sword drills” in Sunday school.
Youngsters would line up and “draw swords,” which meant they held up their Bibles. Then a reference was given—perhaps Ephesians 6:17—and they raced to see who could turn there soonest. Scripture was their sword.
The Bible is not only a sword; it is also an entire armory of swords. Sometimes we use it defensively to withstand an attack on our faith or well-being (Ephesians 6:17).
But sometimes the swords are aimed at us.
We read a verse, hear a sermon, or talk with a friend, and immediately we feel the convicting power of the Holy Spirit.
“For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).
Let the sword drill into you for your good and for God’s glory.
The word, stored in the heart, provides a mental depository for the Holy Spirit to use to mediate His grace to us, whatever our need for grace might be. Jerry Bridges
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Thursday, May 22
Scepter, Lamp, Mirror, and Breeze
Lord, keep my lamp burning…. Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path. Psalm 18:28; 119:105, NIVBible Reading:
John Blanchard read this intriguing quote from Reformer John Calvin: “The Bible is the scepter by which the heavenly King rules His people.” Blanchard agreed, but he added: “This does not mean that we are to look upon it as a rod of iron. Nor, on the other hand, is it to be treated trivially as some kind of religious toy, to be used for our spiritual entertainment. Instead, it is meant to be a constant means of enlightenment, enrichment, and encouragement, its dynamic influence bringing a deepening joy into our daily lives.”
How odd that the practice of Bible reading sometimes feels dull or dutiful. Let’s shake ourselves free from the legalism of monotonous Bible reading and learn the life-giving fascination of abiding in its words. Make up your mind to read the Bible with fresh prayers for insight and with fresh perspective. Make it a joyful experience. Try some new methods. Use your pencil or pen.
Ask God to make His Word to you as a golden scepter, a living book, a blazing fire, a heavenly breeze, a revealing mirror, a nourishing meal, and a shining lamp.
[The Bible is] the book I live with, the book I live by, the book I want to die by. N. T. Wright
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Living and Powerful
Friday, May 23For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Bible Reading:
We occasionally will hear someone say about a book they have read, “It totally changed my life!” The author of such a book may have hoped for a life-changing response from a reader, but there is no guarantee that life change will be the result. Books are not alive; the same book may change one person’s life while having no impact on another person.
There is one book, however, that is different from all the rest. Because the Bible is the Word of God, it is “living and powerful” and is able to impact us at the deepest levels.
God’s Word stands in judgment over our most secret “thoughts and intents.” God’s Word always accomplishes the purpose for which God sends it (Isaiah 55:10-11).
For example, Psalm 107:20 says, “[God] sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.”
God speaks with purpose, and His purpose is always accomplished.
Read the Bible with the expectation that God is using His words to accomplish His purposes in your life.
All of God’s work is done by God’s word.
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Lessons From May Flowers: Olive
Saturday, May 24You were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree. Romans 11:24
Bible Reading:
Jesus was well known for using agricultural metaphors in His teaching. But the apostle Paul occasionally did the same.
The most sophisticated example is his use of olive trees to illustrate the union of Jews and Gentiles into the redemptive plan of God (Romans 11:11-24).
Olive trees—wood, fruit, and oil—are mentioned nearly forty times in Scripture. Olive trees were so well known in the Mediterranean region that Paul could talk about the practice of grafting cultivated and wild trees knowing his readers would understand.
Normally a branch of a cultivated olive tree would be grafted into a wild olive trunk to produce a new, fruit-bearing tree.
In his example, a cultivated olive tree represented the Jews and the wild olive tree represented the Gentiles. “Contrary to nature,” Paul wrote, God has grafted a wild branch (Gentiles) into a cultivated tree (Jews) to extend the blessings of Abraham to all the world.
When you enjoy olive oil, remember how God has grafted Jew and Gentile together into a new “tree” of faith.
The glory of the body of Christ appears in the diversity of its members. R. B. Kuiper
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May 25
Wisdom from the PsalmsPsalms 66:20
Blessed be God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.Think of it! God is actually waiting to hear from us. It's not that God doesn't have other things to do, but that there is nothing He'd rather do than spend time with the children He loves.
It boggles the mind to realize that God loves us that much. He has made us to be like Him, and He anxiously awaits our call.
Offer your prayers to God. He will hear them, and He will send His mercy upon them.
Prayer: Hear me, O God. Though I may have nothing of much importance to say to You, I need to know that You will listen to me and respond. I love You, Lord. Amen.
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Will It Make a Difference?
Monday, May 26The living and enduring word of God…. And this is the word that was preached to you.
1 Peter 1:23-25, NIVBible Reading:
We don’t know our beginnings without Genesis, and we can’t understand the future without the book of Revelation. We learn how to worship in Psalms and how to live honestly in a dishonest world in Proverbs. Job shows us how God will bear us through suffering, and Ephesians helps us calculate our current and future blessings. Ruth shows us how to fall in love, Song of Solomon tells us how to love our spouse, and 1 John teaches us that we shouldn’t love the world or the things in it.
Esther tells us God rules over the world even when He seems absent.
In Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John we meet the greatest Person in history, and we learn He is living still and loving us despite our mistakes and missteps. Jonah reminds us we shouldn’t run away from Him, and James tells us to draw near to Him. In fact, as we become better acquainted with our Bibles, we seem to find Jesus loving us afresh on every page.
Today, think of one way the Bible has made a difference in your life.
As we go to the cradle only in order to find the Baby, so we go to the Scriptures only to find Christ. Martin Luther
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O Worship the King
Tuesday, May 27Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. Colossians 3:16
Bible Reading:
The concepts and phrases of the classic hymn “O Worship the King” are taken from various passages of Scripture about the majesty of God. We “gratefully sing his power and his love,” for He is “our shield and defender, the Ancient of Days.” We “tell of his might and sing of his grace, whose robe is the light, whose canopy space.”
When it comes to the Bible, studying should lead to singing. As we discover God’s “bountiful care,” we should lift our hearts in thanksgiving. As we realize how our King provides for us, though we are “frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,” we should glorify His matchless love that “streams from the hills…descends to the plain, and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.”
Whatever your preference in music, let your study of God’s Word inspire your worship.
Let your Bible be the tuning fork for your soul, the melody for your day, and the source of your songs.
Your mercies how tender, how firm to the end, our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend. Robert Grant
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Honor and Obey
Wednesday, May 28[The Bereans] were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Acts 17:11
Bible Reading:
Many churches have a tradition of standing as a congregation when the Word of God is read during the Sunday worship service.
This practice may be based on Nehemiah 8 when Ezra the priest read God’s Word to the assembled crowd of Israelites in Jerusalem:
“And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people, for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up” (verse 5).
The people standing for the Word of God signified two things.
First, it was an act of honor. The people had returned to Jerusalem after seventy years of exile in Babylon, and they honored God by honoring His Word (verse 6).
Second, it signified their willingness and readiness to shape their lives and practices around God’s will for them.
Their actions foreshadowed the actions of Paul’s Jewish audience in the Berean synagogue as they searched the Scriptures to verify what Paul was teaching them.When you read the Word of God, do so with honor and a readiness to obey.
Study God’s Word for the purpose of discovering God’s will. Unknown
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The Power of Salt
Thursday, May 29
You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.
Matthew 5:13Bible Reading:
A certain farmer fertilized part of his pasture with minerals gathered from an ancient, dried seabed.
When he let his cows into the pasture, they immediately gravitated toward the section that had been fertilized with the sea minerals.
They relished the taste of the grass that had absorbed the salty minerals from the seabed.
For thousands of years, salt has played a pivotal role in human civilizations. Not only does it provide flavor to food, but it preserves food as well.
In the right balance, salt is a necessary nutrient for human life. It also creates thirst in those who consume it, prompting hydration for good health.
Jesus said that His followers are “the salt of the earth.” We can only assume that He was referencing the ancient uses of salt: adding flavor, preventing decay, and creating thirst.
Those are the effects His followers are to have on the world around them.
As you read and apply the Word of God, let it make you a person who impacts your world for Christ.
Salt also irritates. Real living Christianity rubs this world the wrong way Vance Havner
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Friday, May 30
You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:14
Bible Reading:
The English Puritan leader John Winthrop delivered a message to the colonists embarking from England to establish the Massachusetts Bay Colony in Boston in 1630.
Drawing on Jesus’ words in Matthew 5:14—“A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden”—Winthrop exhorted the colonists to let their light shine in the New World.
The “city” was to be a city of light, based on Jesus’s preceding words, “You are the light of the world.” It is a powerful image.
And the citizens of the “city” are to be the followers of Jesus Christ who are to be the light of the world.
A “light of the world” implies that the world is in darkness, in need of the light of truth and salvation.
Our mission as followers of Jesus is to take that light into the world and illuminate every dark corner.
Consider the part of the world you live in—your extended family, your friendship circle, your workplace—and how you can illuminate your part of the world with the presence of Christ.
Ask God today to show you how to be His light.
The light of a holy example is the gospel’s main argument. R. L. Dabney
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Saturday, May 31
Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; and it shall be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off. Isaiah 55:13
Bible Reading:
Myrtle is a flowering tree common to the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern regions. The variety known as “common myrtle” is possibly the one mentioned a half-dozen times in the Old Testament. Its infrequent mention can be contrasted with the significance of its message in the contexts where it appears.
When the prophet Isaiah first began to speak against the sins of Israel, he said that God would turn the bountiful land into a land of briers and thorns (Isaiah 5:6; 32:13)—an obvious image of judgment. But then, as Isaiah’s message shifted to one of restoration after the Babylonian captivity, he said that the briars and thorns would be replaced by the cypress tree and the myrtle tree (Isaiah 55:13). So the myrtle became an image of peace and prosperity as God restored the land.
Let the myrtle tree remind you that God’s peace and blessing are always on the other side of restoration from sin.
Every breach of peace with God is not a breach of covenant with God. Thomas Brooks
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A Choir of Billions
Monday, June 23[The hundred and forty-four thousand] sang as it were a new song before the throne, before the four living creatures, and the elders; and no one could learn that song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who were redeemed from the earth.
Revelation 14:3Bible Reading:
The largest football stadium in the United States is at the University of Michigan: capacity 107,601.
Imagine a crowd 10 times that size. That would be the size of the largest crowd Billy Graham ever preached to—1.1 million people in Seoul, South Korea, in 1973.
Now imagine the sound of those voices singing a hymn like “How Great Thou Art” in unison.
In his vision of heaven, the apostle John heard a choir of 144,000 voices singing. He said it sounded “like the voice of many waters, and like the voice of loud thunder” (Revelation 14:2).
Those voices will be nothing compared to the sound of billions of voices of the redeemed who will gather before the throne of God and praise Him one day in heaven.
If you are in Christ today, you will be in that choir one day in the future. Prepare now by lifting your voice in praise as you worship in your church, with your family, or by yourself.
Nobody can call himself a Christian who does not worship Jesus. John R. W. Stott
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