Work and Watch

Read:  Psalm 84 / Proverbs 30 / Amos 1 / 1Peter 4

 

Psalm 84:5,6 ~ Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them. Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools.

Proverbs 30:5 ~ Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

Amos 1:2 ~ And he said, The LORD will roar from Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusalem; and the habitations of the shepherds shall mourn, and the top of Carmel shall wither.

1 Peter 4:3,7 ~ The time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles… But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.

 

We do not know our journey’s length

Or circumstances of tomorrow.

But this we know: we need God’s strength

To bring His joy where there is sorrow.

 

We need to trust in God our Shield;

We need to cast on Him our care.

While souls may yet be saved and healed,

We need to work and watch with prayer. 

 

Proof which we Proclaim

Read:  Psalm 83 / Proverbs 29 / Joel 3 / 1Peter 3

 

Psalm 83:1,18 ~ Keep not thou silence…hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God… That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH, art the Most High over all the earth.

Proverbs 29:1 ~ He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.

Joel 3:16,17 ~ The LORD also shall roar out of Zion, and… the LORD will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Israel. So shall ye know that I am the LORD.

1 Peter 3:15 ~ But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.

 

That men may know our God alone

Is Most High over all the earth,

The Lord has made His judgments known

And His salvation with new birth.

 

Though some refuse to fear His name

With blind and callous confidence, 

We show His proof which we proclaim

With reason and with evidence. 

 

Mocking Mercy

Read:  Psalm 82 / Proverbs 28 / Joel 2 / 1Peter 2

 

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

Proverbs 28:5,13 ~ Evil men understand not judgment: but they that seek the LORD understand all things… He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

Joel 2:13 ~ Rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness.

1 Peter 2:21-25 ~ Christ also suffered for us… by whose stripes ye are healed. For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.

 

When mockers proudly make their choice

To do and say as they have planned,

They will not heed the Savior’s voice, 

Nor will they choose to understand. 

 

Yet God is merciful and kind

To all who truly seek His face.

His ear is graciously inclined

To save the humble by His grace. 

 

Hungry Hearts

Read:  Psalm 81 / Proverbs 27 / Joel 1 / 1Peter 1

 

Psalm 81:10,16 ~ I am the LORD thy God… open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it… He should have fed them also… and with honey out of the rock should I have satisfied thee.

Proverbs 27:20 ~ Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

Joel 1:1-3 ~ The word of the LORD that came to Joel… Tell ye your children of it, and let your children tell their children, and their children another generation.

1 Peter 1:23-25 ~ Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God… And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.

 

Our Lord and Savior longs to feed

The hungry hearts unsatisfied.

He came to meet our deepest need,

And for this purpose, Jesus died.

 

We’re called to tell this generation

The Gospel while they may be reached

To trust in Christ for their salvation;

This is the Gospel we have preached. 

 

Delivered from Death

Read:  Psalm 80 / Proverbs 26 / Hosea 14 / James 5

 

Psalm 80:1,19 ~ Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock… Turn us again, O LORD God of hosts, cause thy face to shine; and we shall be saved.

Proverbs 26:2 ~ The curse causeless shall not come.

Hosea 14:8 ~ What have I to do any more with idols? I have heard him, and observed him… From me is thy fruit found.

James 5:20 ~ Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.

 

How graciously our Shepherd leads

And guards the souls He died to save! 

He satisfies our daily needs 

And gives us hope beyond the grave.

 

Let us be done with idols now,

Since He delivered us from death,

And bear the fruit He will endow

As long as He shall give us breath. 

 

Cleansing we Claim

Read:  Psalm 79 / Proverbs 25 / Hosea 13 / James 4

 

Psalm 79:9 ~ Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name… and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.

Proverbs 25:28 ~ He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls.

Hosea 13:9,10 ~ O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in Me is thine help. I will be thy King.

James 4:7,8 ~ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

 

In Christ, the God of our salvation,

We find the cleansing that we claim.

He comforts us with restoration

That we may glorify His name. 

 

When we submit to Christ our King,

The devil flees before our Savior.

Draw nigh to God, and He will bring

His gracious, purifying favor. 

 

Inclined by Integrity

Read:  Psalm 78 / Proverbs 24 / Hosea 12 / James 3

 

Psalm 78:70,72 ~ He chose David also his servant… So he fed them according to the integrity of his heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands.

Proverbs 24:27 ~ Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house.

Hosea 12:6 ~ Therefore turn thou to thy God: keep mercy and judgment, and wait on thy God continually.

James 3:17 ~ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.

 

The Lord chose David who would be

The leader who would guide His nation.

The Lord saw his integrity

And built His house on this foundation.

 

So may our Savior in us find

Integrity that guides our heart

So that we may be thus inclined

To bear the fruit He will impart. 

 

Savior in the Sanctuary

Read:  Psalm 77 / Proverbs 23 / Hosea 11 / James 2

 

Psalm 77:12-13 ~ I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary: who is so great a God as our God?

Proverbs 23:26 ~ My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways.

Hosea 11:4 ~ I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love: and I was to them as they that take off the yoke.

James 2:1 ~ My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.

 

The sanctuary is the place

Where we delight to meditate

Upon our Lord’s amazing grace

As we explore His works so great.

 

Our Savior drew us with His cords

And with His bands of boundless love.

O wondrous thought:  we are the Lord’s!

Our faith is fixed on things above. 

 

To Seek and To Sow

Read:  Psalm 76 / Proverbs 22 / Hosea 10 / James 1

 

Psalm 76:11 ~ Vow, and pay unto the LORD your God: let all…  bring presents unto him that ought to be feared.

Proverbs 22:4 ~ By humility and the fear of the LORD are riches, and honor, and life.

Hosea 10:12 ~ Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

James 1:17 ~ Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

 

There is a time when we should vow

To fear and seek our Lord our Savior. 

That time has come!  That time is now,

While He extends to us His favor.

 

We’re called to sow in righteousness 

And break up all our fallow ground

That we may reap as God will bless

With perfect gifts that shall abound. 

 

Jesus is the Judge

Read:  Psalm 75 / Proverbs 21 / Hosea 9 / Hebrews 13

 

Psalm 75:7 ~ But God is the Judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another.

Proverbs 21:2,29 ~ Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the hearts… A wicked man hardeneth his face: but as for the upright, he directeth his way.

Hosea 9:7 ~ The days of visitation are come… Israel shall know it: the prophet is a fool, the spiritual man is mad, for the multitude of thine iniquity, and the great hatred.

Hebrews 13:20,21 ~ Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep… Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight.

 

God is the Judge who is our Savior;

He died to save us by His grace. 

He sees the heart and the behavior

Of those who harden still their face.

 

The days of judgment are foretold

Which Jesus Christ shall soon fulfill.

Let us who are the Shepherd’s fold

Be swift to do our Savior’s will.  

 

Sinners and Seekers

Read:  Psalm 74 / Proverbs 20 / Hosea 8 / Hebrews 12

 

Psalm 74:22 ~ Arise, O God, plead thine own cause: remember how the foolish man reproacheth thee daily.

Proverbs 19:28,29 ~ An ungodly witness scorneth judgment: and the mouth of the wicked devoureth iniquity. Judgments are prepared for scorners, and stripes for the back of fools.

Hosea 8:12 ~ I have written to him the great things of my law, but they were counted as a strange thing.

Hebrews 12:2,3 ~ Let us run with patience the race… looking unto Jesus… that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

 

The Lord shall plead His righteous cause,

Though scorners scorn Him every day.

The absolutes of holy laws

Shall yet refute what mockers say. 

 

So let us run with patience now

And look to Jesus in this race,

For every knee to Him shall bow,

Yet sinners still may seek His face. 

 

Evil in the End

Read:  Psalm 73 / Proverbs 19 / Hosea 7 / Hebrews 11 

 

Psalm 73:16,17 ~ To know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.

Proverbs 19:20 ~ Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.

Hosea 7:2 ~ And they consider not in their hearts that I remember all their wickedness… they are before my face.

Hebrews 11:1 ~ Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

 

We see the evil who contend

And boast in their prosperity,

But now we understand their end,

For we have heard the Lord’s decree. 

 

The wicked sin before His face,

But none for them shall intervene

When they are ushered without grace

Before the Judge they have not seen.  

 

Christ shall Come

Read:  Psalm 72 / Proverbs 18 / Hosea 6 / Hebrews 10

 

Psalm 72:16 ~ There shall be an handful of corn in the earth upon the top of the mountains; the fruit thereof shall shake like Lebanon: and they… shall flourish like grass of the earth.

Proverbs 18:21 ~ Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.

Hosea 6:6 ~ For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.

Hebrews 10:37 ~ For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

 

The fruitful labor in God’s field

Which started with a very few

Shall flourish with a mighty yield

As we behold what God shall do. 

 

Though Gospel truth is mocked by some

Who scorn its message and its style,

We are assured that Christ shall come

As promised in a little while. 

 

Day one Dies

Read:  Psalm 71 / Proverbs 17 / Hosea 5 / Hebrews 9

 

Psalm 71:18 ~ Now also when I am old and gray-headed, O God, forsake me not; until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation, and thy power to everyone that is to come.

Proverbs 17:6 ~ Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.

Hosea 5:4 ~ They will not frame their doings to turn unto their God… and they have not known the LORD.

Hebrews 9:27,28 ~ And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.

 

My head is gray and I am old,

But God upholds me with salvation

So that the Gospel may be told

While I may reach this generation.

 

Though truth may be suppressed by lies

By those who yet reject the Lord,

The day draws near when each one dies

And judgment cannot be ignored. 

 

Rejoice vs. Reject

Read:  Psalm 70 / Proverbs 16 / Hosea 4 / Hebrews 8

 

Psalm 70:4 ~ Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: and let such as love thy salvation say continually, Let God be magnified.

Proverbs 16:6,8 ~ By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil… Better is a little with righteousness than great revenues without right.

Hosea 4:6 ~ My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.

Hebrews 8:6-12 ~ But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry… which was established upon better promises… for all shall know me… For I will be merciful… and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

 

Let all who seek the Lord rejoice

And say, “Let God be magnified!”  

Be thankful that He made the choice

To ransom sinners when He died.

 

Let all who yet reject the Lord

Be warned: there is no hiding place

For those who blindly have ignored

The offer of His saving grace. 

 

Pondering the Prophecies

Read:  Psalm 69 / Proverbs 15 / Hosea 3 / Hebrews 7

 

Psalm 69:9 ~ The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up; and the reproaches of them that reproached thee are fallen upon me.

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

Hosea 3:4,5 ~ For the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king… Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the LORD their God, and David their king; and shall fear the LORD and his goodness in the latter days.

Hebrews 7:25 ~ Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

 

As we are pondering the zeal

That moved our Lord to die for us,

We are convinced that hell is real

And that His love is marvelous!

 

As we are pondering as well

The prophecies of latter days,

We see the joy of Israel

When Christ shall be enthroned with praise. 

 

Cause for Consolation

Read:  Psalm 68 / Proverbs 14 / Hosea 2 / Hebrews 6

 

Psalm 68:19,20 ~ Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation… and unto GOD the Lord belong the issues from death.

Proverbs 14:27 ~ The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.

Hosea 2:23 ~ And I will sow her unto me in the earth; and I will have mercy upon her that had not obtained mercy; and I will say to them which were not my people, Thou art my people; and they shall say, Thou art my God.

Hebrews 6:18,19 ~ It was impossible for God to lie; we… have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us… as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast…which entereth into that within the veil.

 

The benefits of our salvation

Are daily piled like a mountain

Which give us cause for consolation

With joy that rises like a fountain. 

 

For we who hopelessly were lost

Are now God’s people by His grace,

For Jesus paid redemption’s cost

And made Himself our Hiding Place! 

 

His Way and His Wealth

Read:  Psalm 67 / Proverbs 13 / Hosea 1 / Hebrews 5

 

Psalm 67:1,2 ~ God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us; Selah. That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health among all nations.

Proverbs 13:8,17 ~ The ransom of a man's life are his riches: but the poor heareth not rebuke… A wicked messenger falleth into mischief: but a faithful ambassador is health.

Hosea 1:10 ~ It shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.

Hebrews 5:9,10 ~ He became the Author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him; called of God an high priest after the order of Melchisedec.

 

May God be merciful to us

And show His way and saving health

Through Christ who was victorious

And gave to us eternal wealth.

 

We now are rich, though we were poor,

For Jesus ransomed us from sin.

He makes us His ambassador

When Christ our Savior enters in. 

 

Word of Warning

Read:  Psalm 66 / Proverbs 12 / Daniel 12 / Hebrews 4

 

Psalm 66:5,16 Come and see the works of God… Come and hear… and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.

Proverbs 12:5,20 The thoughts of the righteous are right…  Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counselors of peace is joy.

Daniel 12:2-3 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And they that be wise shall shine… that turn many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.

Hebrews 4:7,12 Again, he limiteth a certain day… as it is said, Today if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts… For the word of God is… sharper than any twoedged sword.

 

We warn the lost to come and see

The works of God in all the earth,

For we can say with certainty

That death comes shortly after birth. 

 

But Christ is risen from the grave

Who sends us forth with His report

That He stands at the door to save:

Receive Him now, for life is short.