Daily Devotionals for December 21, 2026

The church occupies a place of tremendous importance in the mind of Christ, and it should be extremely important in our estimation as well.

We sense its importance by the prominent space it occupies in the New Testament. Also it claimed a significant place in the ministry of the apostles. Paul, for instance, spoke of his twofold ministry - to preach the Gospel and to declare the truth of the church (Ephesians 3:8-9). The apostles spoke of...

To him that worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Rom. 4:5).

When our testimony concerning His gift of freedom from the power of sin is as valid as our testimony to His gift of freedom from the penalty of sin, we will have matured. So long as there...

How encouraging is the thought of the Redeemer's never- ceasing intercession for us. When we pray, he pleads for us; and when we are not praying, he is advocating our cause, and by his supplications shielding us from unseen dangers. Notice the word of comfort addressed to Peter-"Simon, Simon, Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat; but"-what? "But go and pray for yourself." That would be good advice, but it is not so written. Neither does he say, "But I will keep you...

"He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea." Micah 7:19

God never turns from His love, but He soon turns from His wrath. His love to His chosen is according to His nature; His anger is only according to His office. He loves because He is love; He frowns because it is necessary for our good. He will come back to the place in...

While many are busy trying to set forth satisfactory definitions of the word "faith," we do well to simply consider that believing is directing the heart's attention to Jesus! It is lifting the mind to "behold the Lamb of God," and never ceasing that beholding for the rest of our lives. At first this may be difficult, but it becomes easier as we look steadily at His wondrous Person, quietly and without strain. Distractions may hinder, but once the heart is committed to Him the attention will...

" Let little children come unto me," said Christ, and says it still. God delighteth in mercy; and delights in the hearts of little children because there is a greater readiness in them to receive his mercy than in adults. There are fewer hindrances; less to repel the Spirit of God; less of the world. The world is indeed there, and it developed itself with an astonishing rapidity, oh, then, how great the responsibility of those who have the direction of the young. How knowest thou, parent,...

My soul, examine thyself this morning by the light of this text. Thou hast received the word with joy; thy feelings have been stirred and a lively impression has been made; but, remember, that to receive the word in the ear is one thing, and to receive Jesus into thy very soul is quite another; superficial feeling is often joined to inward hardness of heart, and a lively impression of the word is not always a lasting one. In the parable, the seed in one case fell upon ground having a rocky...

For Reading and Meditation:     Psalm 76:1-12

We touched yesterday on the truth that the reason why the ungodly are set in eminent places is because God arranges it. The psalmist goes on to say that not only does God raise up the ungodly, but He also brings them down: "You cast them down to ruin. How suddenly are they destroyed –" (

The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you all things, even as the green herbs. § While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, winter and summer, and day and night shall not cease.The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knows those who trust in Him. § God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to...

In the world you will have tribulation. § The whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. § We who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed, but further clothed, that mortality may be swallowed up by life.These are the ones who come out of the great...

Matthew 13:1-9; Matthew 18-23

Jesus was always teaching. On this particular day His pulpit was a fishing boat, from which He spoke to the multitudes standing on the shore. Perhaps there was a sower somewhere in sight, walking on his field, carrying his bag of grain and slinging his seed broadcast. The sight may have suggested the parable.

Waiting for the Lord, supposes that we want Him to do something for us, bestow something on us, or fill some relation to us. It implies that we have sought Him, that He has promised, but that He delays to answer our request. It proves that no substitute can be found.

This promise SUGGESTS that there may be fears, lest He should not come; lest after all we should be disappointed. This supposes, that there may be temptations to distrust the love, faithfulness, and goodness of God; to...

"If a burden is laid on my back and another immediately takes it off and carries it himself," said Meister Eckhart, "it can make no difference to me whether it is one or a hundred pounds."

In the Scriptures, there would seem to be three kinds of burdens recognized. First, the burden of loving help which we are admonished to give to others: "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2)....