January 1, 1970

Obedience Better than Sacrifice   “Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” 1 Samuel 15:22.   SAUL had been commanded to slay utterly all the Amalekites and their cattle. Instead of doing so, he preserved the king, and suffered his people to take the best of the oxen and of the …

1 Samuel:15:22

January 1, 1970

The Echo   “When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.”—Psalm 27:8.    THIS ready response to a divine call may be looked at in three ways. It may be said of it, first, that it is the natural duty of man to God, such as his responsibility to …

Psalms:27:8

January 1, 1970

Two Sorts of Hearers    “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth …

James:1:22-25

January 1, 1970

Joshua's Obedience   “Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.” Joshua 1:7.   JOSHUA was very highly favoured in the matter of promises. …

Joshua:1:7

August 1, 1889

Obedience Rewarded   “And they departed quickly from the sepulchre with fear and great joy; and did run to bring his disciples word. And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him. Then said Jesus unto them, Be not …

Matthew:28:8-10

June 13, 1889

Obeying Christ’s Orders   “His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.” — John ii. 5.   IT does not need a strong imagination to picture Mary, probably at that time the widowed mother of our Lord. She is full of love, and of a naturally kind, sympathetic disposition. She is at a marriage; …

John:2:5

January 31, 1886

The Dying Thief in a New Light   “But the other answering rebuked him, saying, Dost not thou fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this Man hath done nothing amiss. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou …

Luke:23:40-42

February 3, 1884

The Rocky Fortress and Its Inhabitant   “He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil; he shall dwell on high: his place of defence shall be the munitions …

Isaiah:33:15-16

August 21, 1881

Dressing in the Morning    “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour …

Romans:13:11-14

June 27, 1875

Abraham's Prompt Obedience to the Call of God   "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a plane which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went."—Hebrews 11:8.   One is struck with the practical character of this verse. Abraham was called, and he obeyed. There …

Hebrews:11:8