Devotional Hours Within the Bible

James 2:14-16

James was a practical man. He wanted a religion of deeds. "What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?" That is, faith without works, faith which is only of the intellect, having no influence on the life. We are saved by faith, because the faith unites us to Christ. There is no...

A great deal is said in the Bible about FAITH. We live by faith - when we believe in things we cannot see, and then act as if the things were true. That is what the first verse teaches us. "Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see." We hope that God loves us. If we become so assured of this...

The Epistle to the Hebrews was written to those who felt that in giving up Judaism for Christianity, they had lost much that was dear to them. The writer showed them that while the outward form was gone, Christianity had given them instead realities which were incalculably better and more glorious than what they had parted with. In this passage, Hebrew Christians are shown that in place of the human priesthood, they...

Here we have special words of exhortation addressed to five different classes of people - aged men, aged women, young women, young men and servants.

"You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine." Titus was exhorted to think carefully what he should speak as a minister, so that his words should be fitting. It is serious work to teach others. Paul exhorts another young preacher to handle aright the word...

2 Timothy 3:14 to 2 Timothy 4:5

This letter to Timothy, the last product of Paul's pen - was written from the prison at Rome. In his desire to encourage the young evangelist, he gave him much counsel - counsel which is as valuable for the Christian today as it was for Timothy.

1 Thessalonians 5:14-28

The Bible touches life at every point. While its great principles cover all moral acts in a general way, it descends to particulars in many cases, giving special instructions of great value. The passage noted above contains golden counsels for the common days, and for the common experiences of life.

Colossians 3:1-15

Paul said to The Colossians what to many must have seemed surprising: "If then you were raised together with Christ." How could these Colossian Christians have been raised with Christ? Of course, it was a spiritual rising. The people really had been spiritually dead, and they were now living a new spiritual life. Everyone who truly...

Philippians 2:1-11

"Make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose." The people at Philippi had Paul's happiness in their keeping. They could give pain to his heart - or they could give him gladness. We all carry in our hands, in greater or less measure, the happiness of others. Children have power...

Ephesians 6:10-20

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power." A great many times in the Bible, we are urged to be strong. It is not mere strength of body that is meant. Of course, we should develop our body, and so obey the laws of nature, as to keep well and be physically as strong as possible. But Goliath was not God's ideal of manly...

Ephesians 5:11-21

This chapter is a call to Christ like living. "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children" is its keynote. This means that sin is to be avoided. There are vices that are not even to be named by those who belong to Christ; they are so vile, so loathsome. It is a black list, indeed, that is given in the fifth verse - people who have no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of...

Ephesians 4:20-30

The Christian is to learn Christ. He is to go to school, where the pupils are Christ's followers. The textbook is Christ Himself. What a wonderful Book it is we have to study! How can we study it? We can study the life of Christ as we have it portrayed in the gospel. We can see how He lived, what kind of boy He was, how He treated His mother, how He treated His heavenly Father; what...

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...