When to Work

Read:  Psalm 99 / Proverbs 31 / Genesis 30 / John 9

 

Psalm 99:9 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the LORD our God is holy.

Proverbs 31:2,8 What, the son of My vows?... Open thy mouth for the… cause of all such as are appointed to destruction.

Genesis 30:33 So shall my righteousness answer for me in time to come, when it shall come… before thy face.

John 9:4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

 

There is no time for silence now

Since God commissions us to speak

As we convey our Savior’s vow

To satisfy and save the meek. 

 

This is the time, while it is day,

To work before the setting sun.

So let us worship, watch, and pray

Until our work on earth is done. 

 

Ascended to Advocate

Read:  Psalm 98 / Proverbs 30 / Genesis 29 / John 8

 

Psalm 98:1,2 O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvelous things… The LORD hath made known his salvation: his righteousness hath he openly shewed. 

Proverbs 30:4 Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended?...  What is his name, and what is his son's name?

Genesis 29:35 She said, Now will I praise the LORD: therefore she called his name Judah. 

John 8:12 I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

 

My grateful heart with gladness sings

To Christ who purchased my salvation.

How marvelous are all these things

That God has shown to every nation!

 

For who, but Christ, for us ascended

To advocate the sinner’s case?

His light to all has been extended!

O praise our Savior for His grace! 

 

Happy in the Harvest

Read:  Psalm 97 / Proverbs 29 / Genesis 28 / John 7 

 

Psalm 97:11 Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.

Proverbs 29:18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.

Genesis 28:16 And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not.

John 7:6 Then Jesus said unto them, My time is not yet come: but your time is always ready.

 

There is a time to sow salvation 

With vision that the harvest gives.

This is our happy expectation

As we declare that Jesus lives!

 

The Lord is surely in this place,

As Jacob said when he awoke.

Our Savior now extends His grace

To labor as we bear His yoke. 

 

 

Beauty and the Bitter

Read:  Psalm 96 / Proverbs 28 / Genesis 27 / John 6 

 

Psalm 96:9 O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

Proverbs 28:13 He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Genesis 27:34 When Esau heard the words of his father, he cried with a great and exceeding bitter cry, and said unto his father, Bless me, even me also, O my father.

John 6:37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

 

Behold the beauty now reflected

In holiness that God imparts,

Disdained by those who have rejected

God’s mercy by their hardened hearts. 

 

The bitter cry that Esau gave

Did not reflect repentance then,

Yet God is merciful to save

The souls of true repentant men.  

 

 

Pretentious Praise

Read:  Psalm 95 / Proverbs 27 / Genesis 26 / John 5 

 

Psalm 95:6-8 O come, let us worship and bow down… Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart.

Proverbs 27:6 Faithful are the wounds of a friend.

Genesis 26:3,5 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee… I sware unto Abraham thy father… Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge.

John 5:42 I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you.

 

A hardened heart may well pretend

To be sincere with songs of praise,

But God, who is our faithful Friend,

Exposes our pretentious ways. 

 

Because the Lord knows who I am

As well as who I ought to be,

I'll seek to live like Abraham,

The friend of God, obediently.  

 

Seeking me in Silence

Read:  Psalm 94 / Proverbs 26 / Genesis 25 / John 4

 

Psalm 94:17 Unless the LORD had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence.

Proverbs 26:28 A lying tongue hateth those that are afflicted by it; and a flattering mouth worketh ruin.

Genesis 25:23 The LORD said…Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels.

John 4:23,24 The true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship.

 

If God had not been seeking me,

My search for Him would be in vain.

The truth alone could make me free;

I did not have it.  That was plain. 

 

The liar could not help my case. 

The mouth that flattered would not do. 

God broke the silence by His grace

And showed me that His Word was true.   

 

Humble Path that Heaven Planned

Read:  Psalm 93 / Proverbs 25 / Genesis 24 / John 3  

 

Psalm 93:2 Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting.

Proverbs 25:6 Put not forth thyself in the presence of the king.

Genesis 24:36 Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master… and unto him hath he given all that he hath.

John 3:35,36 The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.

 

Our Savior left His throne on high

To give His life for our salvation. 

The King of kings thus came to die

To rescue us from condemnation! 

 

All things were in our Savior’s hand;

He chose to walk that humble path!

What love is this which heaven planned

To save our souls from endless wrath?  

 

Root and Reward

Read:  Psalm 92 / Proverbs 24 / Genesis 23 / John 2 

 

Psalm 92:14,15 They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing; To shew that the LORD is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

Proverbs 24:14 So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off.

Genesis 23:1 And Sarah was an hundred and seven and twenty years old: these were the years of the life of Sarah.

John 2:16,25 Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise… He knew what was in man.

 

In old age let me still bear fruit

To show the greatness of my Lord.

So let His wisdom take deep root,

And let His praise be my reward.

 

My days are few upon this earth;

I know that I shall soon depart. 

How soon death follows after birth!

So may Christ daily purge my heart. 

 

Lord and Lamb

Read:  Psalm 91 / Proverbs 23 / Genesis 22 / John 1 

 

Psalm 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

Proverbs 23:17,18 Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off.

Genesis 22:7,8 Where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb.

John 1:29 John seeth Jesus coming… and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

 

In Christ the Lord and Lamb I trust;

He is my Refuge where I hide.

The mortal soon returns to dust;

What hope, therefore, can he provide?

 

I hear words of Abraham

To Isaac in their conversation:

“God will provide Himself a Lamb.”

Behold the Lord of my salvation!  

 

Beauty of the Bold

Read:  Psalm 90 / Proverbs 22 / Genesis 21 / Luke 24

 

Psalm 90:17 And let the beauty of the LORD our God be upon us: and establish thou the work of our hands upon us.

Proverbs 22:29 Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings; he shall not stand before mean men.

Genesis 21:22 And it came to pass… Abimelech… spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest.

Luke 24:46-47 Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

 

The beauty of the Lord is shown 

In those who are found diligent

To follow Christ and make Him known

In every place that they are sent. 

 

The Lord fulfilled what He foretold: 

Christ rose the third day from the dead. 

His Word is true!  Let us be bold

To preach the Gospel as He said!  

 

Justice and Judgment

Read:  Psalm 89 / Proverbs 21 / Genesis 20 / Luke 23

 

Psalm 89:14,15 Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne: mercy and truth shall go before thy face. Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance.

Proverbs 21:29 A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, he directeth his way.

Genesis 20:11 Surely the fear of God is not in this place.

Luke 23:40 Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation?

 

The law and judgment of God’s throne

Are His eternal habitation,

But grace and truth through Christ have flown

Before His face to bring salvation!

 

Though some will choose to still be hardened,

The fear of God directs us all

To flee to Christ and thus be pardoned, 

As did the thief who heard His call.  

 

Christ Commissions

Read:  Psalm 88 / Proverbs 20 / Genesis 19 / Luke 22 

 

Psalm 88:3 My life draweth nigh unto the grave.

Proverbs 20:24 Man's goings are of the LORD; how can a man then understand his own way?

Genesis 19:18 And Lot said unto them, Oh, not so, my Lord.

Luke 22:46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

 

While souls are drawing near the grave,

Let not the Gospel light grow dim,

For Christ our Savior lives to save

All those who place their trust in Him. 

 

The Lord will lead us in His way,

Unless, like Lot, we say, “Not so.”

Now let us rather rise and pray

As Christ commissions us to go! 

 

Honor of Heirs

Read:  Psalm 87 / Proverbs 19 / Genesis 18 / Luke 21

 

Psalm 87:5,6 And of Zion it shall be said, This and that man was born in her… The LORD shall count, when he writeth up the people, that this man was born there. Selah.

Proverbs 19:20,29 Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end… Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.

Genesis 18:17,18 The LORD said… that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him.

Luke 21:36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy… to stand before the Son of man.

 

Of Zion God has plainly said

That there are those within her born

Where wise men live who once were dead

And fools shall no more rise to scorn. 

 

To Abraham did God convey

A heritage, a mighty nation. 

How great our honor is to pray

And live as heirs of His salvation! 

 

Rightly Render

Read:  Psalm 86 / Proverbs 18 / Genesis 17 / Luke 20

 

Psalm 86:11 Teach me thy way, O LORD; I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name.

Proverbs 18:1 Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.

Genesis 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.

Luke 20:25 And he said unto them, Render therefore unto… God the things which be God's.

 

There is a tendency within

To stray from Jesus, to our shame. 

Let wisdom turn our heart from sin,

United now to fear His name.

 

May God instruct our heart today

To walk before Him and surrender

A heart that will not go astray

With grateful love we rightly render. 

He Has Heard

Read:  Psalm 85 / Proverbs 17 / Genesis 16 / Luke 19 

 

Psalm 85:8 I will hear what God the LORD will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn again to folly.

Proverbs 17:17 A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.

Genesis 16:11,13 The LORD hath heard thy affliction… She said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

Luke 19:5 And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy house.

 

I’ve heard what God the LORD has spoken;

I’ve seen the terms of peace He’s made. 

He sees the hearts that have been broken,

And He has heard their cry for aid. 

 

The Lord who looked on Hagar’s plight

And saw Zacchaeus in the tree,

Beheld me also on that night

On which He heard and rescued me!  

 

 

See the Seed

Read:  Psalm 84 / Proverbs 16 / Genesis 15 / Luke 18 

 

Psalm 84:11 For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.

Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is purged.

Genesis 15:5-6 Look now toward heaven, and tell [declare] the stars, if thou be able to number [declare] them: and he said unto him, So shall thy Seed be. And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Luke 18:43 Immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.

 

Behold the majesty of God

Who named each star across the skies!

As Abram read their names abroad,

The Gospel was before his eyes! 

 

Like Abram watching in the night

Who then could see the promised Seed,

The blind man who received his sight

Beheld the Christ who met his need. 

 

Delight to Dine

Read:  Psalm 83 / Proverbs 15 / Genesis 14 / Luke 17

 

Psalm 83:18 That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the most high over all the earth.

Proverbs 15:11 Hell and destruction are before the LORD: how much more then the hearts of the children of men?

Genesis 14:18 And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.

Luke 17:24-25 For as the lightning… shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. But first must he suffer… and be rejected of this generation.

 

Let us exalt the great I Am,

Whose name, JEHOVAH, is most high,

Who has descended as the Lamb

To suffer for us and to die.

Melchizedek, God’s priest and king, 

Brought forth to Abram bread and wine.

Let us delight to also bring 

Our worship as with Christ we dine.  

 

 

Like Lot

Read:  Psalm 82 / Proverbs 14 / Genesis 13 / Luke 16

 

Psalm 82:5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Genesis 13:12 Abram dwelled in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his tent toward Sodom.

Luke 16:31 If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.

 

The wicked neither choose to know,

Nor do they want to understand,

The way that God has said to go,

According to His wise command. 

 

There is a way that may seem right

To those like Lot in Sodom’s plain,

Yet in the Lord’s prophetic light,

They forfeit God’s eternal gain.  

 

Satisfied and Saved

Read:  Psalm 81 / Proverbs 13 / Genesis 12 / Luke 15

 

Psalm 81:16 He should have fed them also with the finest of the wheat: and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

Proverbs 13:25 The righteous eateth to the satisfying of his soul: but the belly of the wicked shall want.

Genesis 12:3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.

Luke 15:17 And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!

 

Our Savior would have satisfied

And saved those who had closed their hearts. 

By choice, therefore, they are denied

The satisfaction Christ imparts.

 

The blessing came from Abram’s Seed:

Behold our Savior Jesus Christ!  

He satisfied our deepest need

When He, for all, was sacrificed.