Devotional Hours Within the Bible

Galatians 5:16-26

Paul states a great principle in spiritual ethics, when he says, "Walk by the Spirit - and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh." He prescribes here the true rule of spiritual culture. The way to cure ourselves of bad tendencies, is to cultivate the good. It was on these words that Dr. Chalmers preached his famous sermon, "The Expulsive Power of a New Affection ." The way to become...

2 Corinthians 8:1-15

Paul wanted to stimulate the Corinthian church to give generously, and he told them what other churches had been doing. Giving merely not to be behind other people, is not good giving. At the same time we should be desirous of imitating every good thing we see in others, for its own sake, because it is beautiful and like Christ.

The early Christian givers were poor - but they gave liberally, and "Out of the most...

1 Corinthians 15:3-28

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance : that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." There are "first things" in the gospel, things that not only come first - but are first in importance. Not all truths are of equal value. There are some we must know in order to be...

Paul was speaking of the spiritual gifts, which were conferred upon Christians, and there flashed upon his mind a vision of something far better, than any power of healing or miracle working or speaking with tongues. This more excellent way is the way of love .

Love is better than eloquence. "If I speak with the tongues...

1 Corinthians 11:20-34

We ought to have true and right views of the Lord's Supper. It is a sacred ordinance. It leads us to think of the death of our dearest Friend, and we are always reverent in the presence of death, or when thinking of death. It is the death of the Son of God of which this memorial leads us to think, and that was the most wonderful...

1 Corinthians 10:23-33

Drunkenness is a sore peril. We cannot at once remove the evil from the land - but we may put into the hearts and minds of young people such principles and such motives that they may be able to resist the temptation about them and keep themselves pure and safe, clean and unspotted. Our Lord's prayer for His disciples was not that they should be taken out of the world, away from its...

"Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up - but love builds up." When Paul said to the Corinthians that "knowledge puffs up," he did not mean to depreciate knowledge, nor was he glorifying ignorance. Knowledge builds up, too. He who is content to be ignorant in this world while the stores of knowledge are accessible, fails to grasp the meaning of life. Knowledge makes one's life broader...

Romans 13:8-14

Christian teachings deal with life. To begin with, here is a word about debt-paying. "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another." We should never fail to pay a debt when it falls due. The person to whom we owe it expects the money at that time, and bases his own engagements upon the receiving of it. If we do not pay him, he in...

Romans 12:9-21

Our love should be sincere, "without hypocrisy," as Paul says. A hypocrite is an actor. He pretends to be what he is not. We are not to live in this way - merely pretending to love people, speaking to them kindly words - while bitterness is in our heart. Our life must be as good as our speech, our heart as...

Romans 8:1-14

Someone says that if the Bible is compared to a ring, and the Epistle to the Romans be it precious stone, the eighth chapter would be the sparkling point of the jewel. It is one of the most precious chapters in all the Scriptures. It begins with no condemnation, and ends with no separation...

Romans 5:1-11

Justification by faith is the starting point in the Christian life. There can be no tree without a root ; no stream without a fountain. The careless, unsaved ones may read about the blessings of redemption, as we have them here in our lesson, and may say, "Yes, they are very...

Paul had been eager to go to Rome. His eagerness was not that of a tourist or explorer - but that of one constrained by the love of Christ, desiring to carry the gospel to the world's great capital. At last his longing is being realized. He is going to Rome - but in a strange way. He is going as a prisoner. The remarkable providence in this, is that he is carried on his great missionary errand - at the cost of Rome itself!

Paul was the only...

Acts 26:1-30

Acts 15:1-5 Acts 15:22-29

It is easy to start quarrels. There are some people who make trouble wherever they go. They seem always to be watching for something to find fault with. Instead of being peacemakers, seeking ever to allay strife and bring together those who are in danger of falling apart - they go about sowing seeds of dissension and starting quarrels.

We have an illustration...