DAY 294    Read Matthew 20; Mark 10:32-52; Luke 18:31 through 19:28.

Today's reading:  Tremendous truths shine out from these pages, each one of great value to us.  In His commendation of Zacchaeus, Jesus stated the purpose of His mission--the words of our memory gem.

Memory gem:  "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost"  (Luke 19:10).

Thought for today:
A picture program was being held in a little church in central England several years ago.  All the children in the neighborhood were there on the front seats, listening to the speaker who was showing the Bible pictures.  Someone came to the door and passed a note up to the minister, who stopped to read it and then said, "A report has just come to us that Mary Jones is lost.  Her parents don't know where she is, and her father and the policemen are out hunting for her all over town."  Well, no Mary Jones responded, and they went on with the service.

After it was over and they turned on the lights, there was Mary Jones on the front seat.  A lady said, "Why, Mary, didn't you hear the announcement that you were lost and that your parents were looking for you?  Why didn't you speak up?"

Mary answered, "I wasn't lost.  I knew where I was all the time.  I was right here in church."

You know, friend, there are many people today who don't know that they are lost.  There are thousands of people lost right in church, sometimes on the front seat.  Sometimes some of us preachers get lost--in the winding paths of modern speculation.  We get lost in the philosophic subtleties of our supposed modern superiority.  Some of us are just plain lost in sin.

We need to be found by somebody, somebody who is our seeking the lost for Jesus.  Oh, my friend, you may not know that you are lost; but if you do come to the realization that you are lost from the fold of Christ, I pray that something in this book may help you back to the fold of the true Shepherd, the only place where you will find peace and confidence and hope and rest.

DAY 294    Read Matthew 20; Mark 10:32-52; Luke 18:31 through 19:28.

Today's reading:  Tremendous truths shine out from these pages, each one of great value to us.  In His commendation of Zacchaeus, Jesus stated the purpose of His mission--the words of our memory gem.

Memory gem:  "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost"  (Luke 19:10).

Thought for today:
A picture program was being held in a little church in central England several years ago.  All the children in the neighborhood were there on the front seats, listening to the speaker who was showing the Bible pictures.  Someone came to the door and passed a note up to the minister, who stopped to read it and then said, "A report has just come to us that Mary Jones is lost.  Her parents don't know where she is, and her father and the policemen are out hunting for her all over town."  Well, no Mary Jones responded, and they went on with the service.

After it was over and they turned on the lights, there was Mary Jones on the front seat.  A lady said, "Why, Mary, didn't you hear the announcement that you were lost and that your parents were looking for you?  Why didn't you speak up?"

Mary answered, "I wasn't lost.  I knew where I was all the time.  I was right here in church."

You know, friend, there are many people today who don't know that they are lost.  There are thousands of people lost right in church, sometimes on the front seat.  Sometimes some of us preachers get lost--in the winding paths of modern speculation.  We get lost in the philosophic subtleties of our supposed modern superiority.  Some of us are just plain lost in sin.

We need to be found by somebody, somebody who is our seeking the lost for Jesus.  Oh, my friend, you may not know that you are lost; but if you do come to the realization that you are lost from the fold of Christ, I pray that something in this book may help you back to the fold of the true Shepherd, the only place where you will find peace and confidence and hope and rest.

DAY 294    Read Matthew 20; Mark 10:32-52; Luke 18:31 through 19:28.

Today's reading:  Tremendous truths shine out from these pages, each one of great value to us.  In His commendation of Zacchaeus, Jesus stated the purpose of His mission--the words of our memory gem.

Memory gem:  "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost"  (Luke 19:10).

Thought for today:
A picture program was being held in a little church in central England several years ago.  All the children in the neighborhood were there on the front seats, listening to the speaker who was showing the Bible pictures.  Someone came to the door and passed a note up to the minister, who stopped to read it and then said, "A report has just come to us that Mary Jones is lost.  Her parents don't know where she is, and her father and the policemen are out hunting for her all over town."  Well, no Mary Jones responded, and they went on with the service.

After it was over and they turned on the lights, there was Mary Jones on the front seat.  A lady said, "Why, Mary, didn't you hear the announcement that you were lost and that your parents were looking for you?  Why didn't you speak up?"

Mary answered, "I wasn't lost.  I knew where I was all the time.  I was right here in church."

You know, friend, there are many people today who don't know that they are lost.  There are thousands of people lost right in church, sometimes on the front seat.  Sometimes some of us preachers get lost--in the winding paths of modern speculation.  We get lost in the philosophic subtleties of our supposed modern superiority.  Some of us are just plain lost in sin.

We need to be found by somebody, somebody who is our seeking the lost for Jesus.  Oh, my friend, you may not know that you are lost; but if you do come to the realization that you are lost from the fold of Christ, I pray that something in this book may help you back to the fold of the true Shepherd, the only place where you will find peace and confidence and hope and rest.

DAY 293    Read Matthew 19:3-30; Mark 10:2-31; Luke 18:1-30.

Today's reading:  For the last time Jesus leaves His beloved Galilee and sets out for Jerusalem, knowing full well the fate that awaits Him there.  Tucked in among other teachings, we find a story about two men and their prayers.

Memory gem:  "The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me a sinner"  (Luke 18:13).

Thought for today:
Do you find that your prayers fall short of what you really want to say?  Do you ever feel a deep heart longing to speak to God, but just can't find the words?  It has always comforted me to know that God has made provision for us even in this.  Sometimes we do not know what to pray for as we ought to, and we may say things that God knows are not the things we meant to say.  And there is His good Word: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is in the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God"  (Romans 8:26, 27).

Think of it!  Our poor, stammering, human prayers are translated by the Spirit into the very language of heaven and presented according to the will of God!  Prayers are heard that come up before the Lord according to His will.  Oh, how we need the wonderful ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives every day!  We all should feel as earnest about our need as did Isaac Watts when he wrote his great hymn:
        Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove
          With all Thy quickening powers;
            Kindle a flame of sacred love
              In these cold hearts of ours.

God loves us.  John 3:16 proves it.  Christ loves us.  The Holy Spirit loves (see Romans 15:30).  Why should we not respond to this triple love and give our hearts to the Lord?

----------------
Difficult or obscure words:
Luke 18:3.  "Avenge me"--better: Do me justice.

DAY 293    Read Matthew 19:3-30; Mark 10:2-31; Luke 18:1-30.

Today's reading:  For the last time Jesus leaves His beloved Galilee and sets out for Jerusalem, knowing full well the fate that awaits Him there.  Tucked in among other teachings, we find a story about two men and their prayers.

Memory gem:  "The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me a sinner"  (Luke 18:13).

Thought for today:
Do you find that your prayers fall short of what you really want to say?  Do you ever feel a deep heart longing to speak to God, but just can't find the words?  It has always comforted me to know that God has made provision for us even in this.  Sometimes we do not know what to pray for as we ought to, and we may say things that God knows are not the things we meant to say.  And there is His good Word: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is in the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God"  (Romans 8:26, 27).

Think of it!  Our poor, stammering, human prayers are translated by the Spirit into the very language of heaven and presented according to the will of God!  Prayers are heard that come up before the Lord according to His will.  Oh, how we need the wonderful ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives every day!  We all should feel as earnest about our need as did Isaac Watts when he wrote his great hymn:
        Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove
          With all Thy quickening powers;
            Kindle a flame of sacred love
              In these cold hearts of ours.

God loves us.  John 3:16 proves it.  Christ loves us.  The Holy Spirit loves (see Romans 15:30).  Why should we not respond to this triple love and give our hearts to the Lord?

----------------
Difficult or obscure words:
Luke 18:3.  "Avenge me"--better: Do me justice.

DAY 293    Read Matthew 19:3-30; Mark 10:2-31; Luke 18:1-30.

Today's reading:  For the last time Jesus leaves His beloved Galilee and sets out for Jerusalem, knowing full well the fate that awaits Him there.  Tucked in among other teachings, we find a story about two men and their prayers.

Memory gem:  "The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me a sinner"  (Luke 18:13).

Thought for today:
Do you find that your prayers fall short of what you really want to say?  Do you ever feel a deep heart longing to speak to God, but just can't find the words?  It has always comforted me to know that God has made provision for us even in this.  Sometimes we do not know what to pray for as we ought to, and we may say things that God knows are not the things we meant to say.  And there is His good Word: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is in the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God"  (Romans 8:26, 27).

Think of it!  Our poor, stammering, human prayers are translated by the Spirit into the very language of heaven and presented according to the will of God!  Prayers are heard that come up before the Lord according to His will.  Oh, how we need the wonderful ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives every day!  We all should feel as earnest about our need as did Isaac Watts when he wrote his great hymn:
        Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove
          With all Thy quickening powers;
            Kindle a flame of sacred love
              In these cold hearts of ours.

God loves us.  John 3:16 proves it.  Christ loves us.  The Holy Spirit loves (see Romans 15:30).  Why should we not respond to this triple love and give our hearts to the Lord?

----------------
Difficult or obscure words:
Luke 18:3.  "Avenge me"--better: Do me justice.

DAY 293    Read Matthew 19:3-30; Mark 10:2-31; Luke 18:1-30.

Today's reading:  For the last time Jesus leaves His beloved Galilee and sets out for Jerusalem, knowing full well the fate that awaits Him there.  Tucked in among other teachings, we find a story about two men and their prayers.

Memory gem:  "The publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast saying, God be merciful to me a sinner"  (Luke 18:13).

Thought for today:
Do you find that your prayers fall short of what you really want to say?  Do you ever feel a deep heart longing to speak to God, but just can't find the words?  It has always comforted me to know that God has made provision for us even in this.  Sometimes we do not know what to pray for as we ought to, and we may say things that God knows are not the things we meant to say.  And there is His good Word: "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is in the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God"  (Romans 8:26, 27).

Think of it!  Our poor, stammering, human prayers are translated by the Spirit into the very language of heaven and presented according to the will of God!  Prayers are heard that come up before the Lord according to His will.  Oh, how we need the wonderful ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives every day!  We all should feel as earnest about our need as did Isaac Watts when he wrote his great hymn:
        Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove
          With all Thy quickening powers;
            Kindle a flame of sacred love
              In these cold hearts of ours.

God loves us.  John 3:16 proves it.  Christ loves us.  The Holy Spirit loves (see Romans 15:30).  Why should we not respond to this triple love and give our hearts to the Lord?

----------------
Difficult or obscure words:
Luke 18:3.  "Avenge me"--better: Do me justice.

DAY 292    Read Luke 17:1-10; John 11; Luke 17:11-37.

Today's reading:  Without doubt the greatest single miracle performed by Jesus was that of restoring to life a man who had been dead four days.  The story gives us confidence in His promise to raise all who die with their hope anchored in Him.

Memory gem:  "If we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him"  (1 Thessalonians 4:14).

Thought for today:
Jesus Christ called death a sleep, but His disciples could not understand this.  They believed that there was no hope once a person had died, but they were to learn that in Jesus Christ there is hope beyond the tomb.

Previous to this raising of Lazarus from the dead, it was hard for the followers of Jesus to realize what He meant when He said, "I am the resurrection, and the life."  Death is a cessation of life.  Humanly speaking, there is no hope after death.  But the great hope of the Christian is the resurrection.  Jesus Christ is the resurrection and the life.

This change will take place at the second coming of Christ.  Those who have faith in Him; those who believe in His death, burial, and resurrection; those who receive His power in their life day by day will be a part of that resurrection.

It is with this hope that we can face with confidence and courage the few years of life here on this earth.  This is really the only hope that you or I have--hope in Christ, hope in His second coming, hope in the resurrection.

You can have the assurance of life beyond the grave.  You can have the assurance of meeting your loved ones again.  What a privilege, what a joy, to be sons of God and children of the resurrection!

----------------
Difficult or obscure words:
Luke 17:6.  "Sycamine"--the black mulberry.
Luke 17:7.  "By and by"--at once.
Luke 17:37.  "Eagles"--rather: vultures.  Jesus here quoted a Jewish proverb common at that time.

DAY 291    Read Luke 15 and 16.

Today's reading:  Three parables represent three kinds of lost sinners: the lost sheep--knowing it is lost but not knowing how to return; the lost coin--totally unaware of its situation; the lost son--fully conscious of his condition and painfully aware of his own responsibility.

Memory gem:  "When he came to himself, he said,...I will arise and go to my father"  (Luke 15:17, 18).

Thought for today:
The universal struggle in which people in all walks of life find themselves involved is the struggle to be somebody, to achieve a sense of personal significance.

One of the interesting Bible narratives tells about a young man in an Eastern country who was dissatisfied with his lot in life.  He wanted to leave home and become somebody.

Here was a young man who had the means with which to enjoy the good things of life.  He was all by himself now, with no one to curtail his movements or actions.  But the influence of godless companions soon deprived him of his substance, and he found himself without either friends or money.

Friend, if you want to be a "somebody," you must first realize that without God you are a "nobody," for whoever attempts to live apart from Him is a nobody.  If you have chosen such a life, you are spending money for that which is not bread, and labor for that which satisfieth not  (see Isaiah 55:2).


The story of the prodigal son is a story of you, a story of me.  As we have strayed away from the Father, we have wanted to live life on our own terms.  We have wanted to make our own goals.  We have wanted to leave God out of our reckoning.  Then finally, in desperation, we have turned to Him.  There the Lord is waiting for us, Just as the father was waiting for his prodigal son to return.

Are you willing to return to the Lord Jesus?  It means complete surrender.  That's the price of the Christian life.  It may not always be the easiest life, but it will always be the happiest one.  Life will take on a new meaning.  My prayer is that you will open your heart's door to the loving Saviour, realizing your great need of forgiveness, your great need of a new life, a new goal, a new outlook.  You may have all this today.  Yes, you can be changed from a nobody to a somebody.