A Daily Devotional

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The Proverbial Tongue

“In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise” (Proverbs 10:19).

The book of Proverbs has much wise counsel concerning the use of the tongue. It contains, for example, no less than 27 sober warnings against speaking lies! There are also at least eight condemnations of gossiping. For example: “A talebearer revealeth secrets: but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter” (Proverbs 11:13).

Then there are warnings against using the tongue to criticize, or to slander, or to hurt. A good example is in 12:18: “There is that speaketh like the piercings of a sword: but the tongue of the wise is health,” and also in 18:8: “The words of a talebearer are as wounds, and they go down into the innermost parts of the belly.”

Too much talking is also dangerous, as our text for the day points out. In this connection, one of the most picturesque proverbs is the following: “A continual dropping in a very rainy day and a contentious woman are alike” (27:15). The virtues of silence are graphically pointed out in 17:27,28: “He that hath knowledge spareth his words: . . . Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace, is counted wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.”

Similarly, there are many promised blessings to those who speak carefully and graciously: “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver” (25:11). “The wise in heart shall be called prudent: and the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning” (16:21). “A wholesome tongue is a tree of life” (15:4). “The tongue of the just is as choice silver” (10:20). “A soft answer turneth away wrath” (15:1). “A word spoken in due season, how good is it!” (15:23).

May we, indeed, learn to make our speech like choice silver, apples of gold, and a tree of life!

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The Oracles Of God

“Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God. For what if some did not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?” (Romans 3:2,3).

This striking synonym for the Scriptures (“the oracles of God”) occurs just three times in the Bible. In our text, Paul is emphasizing the great privilege and responsibility that was committed to the Jews when God gave His “oracles” to them, a word implying “divinely inspired utterances.”

Then the author of Hebrews rebuked those Hebrew Christians who had still not learned the very “first principles of the oracles of God,” despite having been professing Christians for a long time (Hebrews 5:12). Finally the apostle Peter urged his readers: “If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God” (I Peter 4:11). That is, anyone who presumes to speak for the Lord must “preach the word” (II Timothy 4:2). It is not our words, but His words that are “quick and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12). In fact, Stephen called them “the lively [or ‘living’] oracles” (Acts 7:38).

In all these references, it is clear that these “oracles of God”—that is, the Holy Scriptures—constitute the very utterances of the living God. They were given to and through believing Jews and are preserved for us now in our Bibles. They obviously should be believed, studied, obeyed, and proclaimed by all who consider themselves to be Christians.

The fact that many people reject the Bible, even claiming it is wrong in what it teaches, is irrelevant. Such claims merely display human arrogance. God’s word has been “for ever . . . settled in heaven” and “is true from the beginning” (Psalm 119:89,160). It will endure even after this present world has passed away (Matthew 24:35) and will finally be the criterion by which its detractors will be judged in the last day (Revelation 20:12; 22:18,19).

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His Workmanship

“For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Ephesians 2:10).

The two more familiar verses immediately preceding our text for the day emphasize the fact that we are not saved by works, but rather by grace, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians 2:8,9).

Ephesians 2:10, however, explains a major reason for God’s saving us—that we would do those good works which He ordained beforehand. The Greek word translated “before ordained” is used only one other time in the New Testament (Romans 9:23), where it is translated “afore prepared.” The idea here is the amazing fact that those good works have been prepared beforehand for us to do, probably even before we were born. God evidently had specific purposes in mind for each one of us, both creating us and then re-creating us in Christ to accomplish these plans.

Some day, we Christians all must stand before the judgment seat of Christ (Romans 14:10), where “every one of us shall give account of himself to God” (v.12) regarding our work here on Earth. If God has plans for us, having prepared beforehand good works that we should carry out, it is sobering to contemplate what our response will be when we stand before Him to account for our activities.

In order to avoid displeasing Him, it is necessary that we, as those who have been saved through faith and who desire to please Him, be obedient to His Word and sensitive to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, so that we may be faithful in carrying out those good works which God has prepared in advance for us to do.

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The Secret Things

“The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law” (Deuteronomy 29:29).

This portion of Scripture follows a lengthy re-statement of the Covenant of God with His people, Israel. In this chapter, Moses reminded the people of the works that God had wrought on their behalf in their deliverance from Pharaoh, in His provision for them in the wilderness, and in His protection on the battlefield (vv.2–8). In this final address, he encouraged them to “keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may prosper in all that ye do” (v.9), and stated the various blessings that would be theirs if they would do so. Lastly, he described, in graphic and burning words, the results of breaking the covenant (vv.18–27). “And the LORD rooted them out of their land in anger, and in wrath, and in great indignation, and cast them into another land, as it is this day” (v.28).

In recognition of the limitations of humankind, Moses wrote in our text that there are certain things known only to God, which He has veiled—things which cannot be understood by the human mind—things which He simply chooses to keep to Himself. But he goes on to say that He has revealed certain things to us, and these things we must obey. Consequently, our text consists of a great principle of life: We must do what we know to do. We don’t know everything, but we must act responsibly and properly to that which He has told us, leaving the “secret things” and their consequences to God. Elsewhere, He promises that even the secret things will “work together for good to them that love God” (Romans 8:28)—in His sovereign plan. We must obey, doing what we know to do, and leave the results with Him.

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Playing The Fool

“Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly” (I Samuel 26:21).

Saul became jealous because of David’s military success (I Samuel 18:7–9, etc.). As a result, Saul sought to kill David. Our text comes after a pursuit of David to the hill of Hachilah. With the help of the Lord, who caused a deep sleep to fall on Saul and his men, David sneaked into camp and stole Saul’s spear and cruse of water. At a safe distance, David called to Saul and displayed the spear and cruse to prove he could easily have killed Saul, but chose not to do so.

This episode overlays a deeper principle of our obligation to those in authority over us who are God’s anointed. We are not to take things into our own hands to change God’s plan, because we serve a living God who is still in control—“This thing is not good that thou hast done. [Speaking to Abner, Saul’s general and bodyguard.] As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolster” (I Samuel 26:16).

The problem was that Saul was chasing David without cause (v.18). After David made known his intention not to cause any harm to Saul, Saul realized he had been a fool, lacking understanding in the matter.

Contrast Saul’s playing the fool with David’s acting in wisdom. David knew God, understood the principle of respect for God’s anointed, and practiced wisdom by teaching others about God’s plan. Perhaps we all play the fool at times, but we ought to be wary lest our foolishness degrade into wickedness. May God make us wise, rather, through meditation on His word.

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Demonic Discouragement

“Behold, He put no trust in His servants; and His angels He charged with folly: How much less in them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth?” (Job 4:18,19).

This was the strange message delivered to Eliphaz, the first of the three friends who proved such “miserable comforters” to Job in his sufferings, by “a spirit” that “stood still, . . . an image . . . before mine eyes” (Job 4:15,16). This “thing was secretly [literally ‘stealthily’] brought to me,” said Eliphaz (Job 4:12), and there is little doubt that its original source was Satan himself, in his efforts to discredit and destroy Job. The “spirit” who instructed Eliphaz was not sent from God, as he may have thought, but was one of those angelic servants who had been “charged with folly,” when they followed Lucifer in his primeval rebellion.

Still smarting with wounded pride that God would make His angels mere “ministering spirits” (Hebrews 1:14) to Adam and his children, whose own bodies were mere “houses of clay,” built out of the dust of the earth, these demonic rebels hate human beings—especially those who love and serve God—with great passion. If Satan could not destroy Job by tempting him into moral wickedness or rebellion against an “unjust” God, perhaps he could lead him into discouragement, using his self-righteous “friends” to cause him to lose faith in God’s love and care.

But he failed! Job said: “Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him,” and “I know that my Redeemer liveth” (Job 13:15; 19:25).

Such defeatism is one of Satan’s most effective weapons. When he strikes with it, we must, like Job, “resist steadfast in the faith” (I Peter 5:9), knowing “the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy” (James 5:11).

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Death By Sin

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).

This very important verse conveys several vital truths. First of all, death came into the world only when sin came into the world. Suffering and death of conscious life, whether animal or human, were not a part of God’s finished and “very good” creation (Genesis 1:31–2:3). There was an abundance of food and all other provisions for both people and animals. There was certainly no “struggle for existence” or “survival of the fittest,” for every creature was created “fit” for its own environment.

When Adam sinned, however, it became necessary for God to bring the curse of decay and death not only upon Adam but also upon all his dominion (Genesis 3:17–20; see also Romans 8:20–22; I Corinthians 15:21,22).

Furthermore, there remains no warrant for the notion that “Adam” is simply a generic term representing the human race. He was “one man.” In fact, he was “the first man” (I Corinthians 15:45), and Eve was “the mother of all living” (Genesis 3:20). There was certainly no population of evolving hominids becoming “Adam.” In fact, Christ Himself made it clear that Adam and Eve were there “from the beginning of the creation” (Mark 10:6, quoting Genesis 1:27).

The entire argument here in Romans 5:12–21 becomes irrelevant if the Genesis record of the creation and fall of Adam did not happen precisely as recorded in Genesis 1–3, and this would mean that there is no reality in the saving work of Christ, either.

Such a rejection of the Christian faith is hardly warranted by the fragmentary fossils that have been alleged to support the notion of human evolution. No one should stake his eternal soul on such a will-o-the-wisp as that!

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Can God?

“Yea, they spake against God; they said, Can God furnish a table in the wilderness?” (Psalm 78:19).

The Bible dramatically states that God can do anything. “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37). “Is anything too hard for the LORD?” (Genesis 18:14). “Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee” (Jeremiah 32:17).

Yet, in spite of the fact that God is omnipotent and can do anything, the children of Israel constantly questioned God’s power to supply their daily needs. Their complete lack of trust was evidenced in three questions: “Can God furnish a table in the wilderness? Can He give bread also? Can He provide flesh for His people?” (Psalm 78:19,20). They trusted God for the big thing (deliverance from the land of Egypt) but had a terrible time believing God for the smaller things (their daily provisions). Are we not exactly like this at times? Having trusted God for the big thing (salvation), we then turn around and doubt that He will supply our daily bread.

Is there any need too great for God to supply or any obstacle He cannot overcome? Are we tempted to say, “Can God supply a table in my wilderness experience?”

The wonderful promise still stands true: “But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19). He “is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we [could ever] ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20).

God’s people “turned back and tempted God, and limited the Holy One of Israel” (Psalm 78:41). May we never do that, but rather, may we be strong in faith, taking God at His word. Instead of saying, “Can God?” why don’t we turn the phrase around and say, “God can!”

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Evolution Prophesied In The

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables” (II Timothy 4:3,4).

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come” (II Timothy 3:1), when “they will not endure sound doctrine,” as our text verse indicates.

The Bible predicts a worldwide departure in the last days, from Christianity and the Bible to “cunningly devised fables” (II Peter 1:16).

Men will be “ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth” (II Timothy 3:7). We think of our great universities with their brilliant professors and scientists, many of whom fall into this category. A great many in our apostate age feel they do not need God, and that man does live by bread alone. Furthermore, some modern theologians think of their relationship with God as a democracy, wherein men can cooperate, but definitely not submit.

Many of these intellectuals do not believe in either God or the Bible, but refer to Jesus merely as a good man. Logically, then, must they not conclude that the Savior is a product of evolution? Darwinian evolution is one of the tremendous fabrications used to discount special creation and deify science—“science falsely so called” (I Timothy 6:20). What a poor substitute! Scientists cannot produce life, even at the lowest level, nor can they produce genuine evidence that evolution has ever occurred.

Let us put our trust in the Biblical record. Earnest study and commitment to Christ as Savior and Lord will solve problems and provide answers in our hypocritical age of apostasy

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Watchman Of Our Words

“Set a watch, O LORD, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties” (Psalm 141:3,4).

The psalmist prayed the Lord would “set a watch,” or a guard upon his mouth and heart. It is not that we are to be “guarded” into silence, but rather, that the “Watchman” would allow only those things to pass our lips that are pleasing to His hearing.

Prayer is one of these things, as seen in the verse preceding our text: “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice” (v.2). As sinners, how is He pleased with our prayers? When we follow David’s example in Psalm 32:5: “I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin,” we can be sure our prayer pleases the “sentry” of our words, for “the prayer of the upright is His delight” (Proverbs 15:.

In addition to prayer, praise also meets with His approval. We can say as David, “O LORD, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise” (Psalm 51:15). “Let my mouth be filled with thy praise” (Psalm 71:, “for it is good to sing praises unto our God” (Psalm 147:1). “My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes” (Psalm 119:171).

As we meditate upon God’s Word, our speech becomes increasingly “seasoned with salt” (Colossians 4:6). It is not the quantity of our words that is effective, but the quality of their content, as they reflect the wisdom of God found in the Word of God. “The lips of the righteous feed many” (Proverbs 10:21). “The mouth of the righteous man is a well of life” (Proverbs 10:11).

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The Message Of The Old Testament


“Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else” (Isaiah 45:22).

Ever since sin entered into God’s created world, His message to all people of all ages has been the same. At the time of the curse, God prophesied that there soon would be a coming Redeemer—the Seed of the woman who would crush the head of the serpent, although the Redeemer Himself would be made to suffer in order to do away with the effects of sin (Genesis 3:15). “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul” (Leviticus 17:11).

God repeatedly warned the people of His hatred of sin and wickedness (see for example Psalm 5:4–6; Proverbs 6:16–19), but He recognized that humankind was totally incapable of measuring up to His standard of perfection. That great statement of righteous requirements, the Ten Commandments, demonstrated the utter impossibility of complete compliance (Exodus 20; Psalm 14, etc.) Conversely, God repeatedly extended His invitation to be rescued from sin and its effects and its necessary judgment by confidence in His plan for mankind. In our text, we see that “all the ends of the earth” have the opportunity to be “saved.” “Surely,” shall one say, “in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to Him shall men come” (Isaiah 45:24).

This plan of God focuses on the promised Redeemer who would come to buy back humanity from its enslavement to sin. “A virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel” (Isaiah 7:14). “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: . . . and the LORD hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5,6).

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Paths Of The Seas

“Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee” (Job 12:.

Matthew Maury served as a U.S. naval officer before suffering an injury which forced his retirement. He was then placed in charge of the Depot of Charts and Instruments of the Hydrographic Office of the Navy from 1841 to 1861. He was a Christian who loved the Word of God. One day, while reading Psalm 8, he was struck by an important truth in the 8th verse. There he read that God had given man dominion over “the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas.” He immediately saw the great practical significance of that verse, recognizing that there must be currents of water in the oceans, just like vast rivers, as well as in the atmosphere (Ecclesiastes 1:6).

With confidence in the accuracy of the Bible, Maury determined to discover the paths in the seas and the wind circuits, utilizing the charts and log books he had at his disposal. He did discover and plot many of the wind circuits and currents, such as the great Gulf Current, 40 miles wide and 2,000 feet deep that comes out of the Gulf of Mexico into the Atlantic; the Japanese Current, the California Current, and others. Utilizing this information, the sailing ships of his day plied these currents and wind circuits, reducing by as much as three weeks the time required to cross the oceans.

On a monument erected by the state of Virginia to his memory is found a plaque that reads as follows: “Matthew Fontaine Maury, Pathfinder of the Seas, the genius who first snatched from the oceans and atmosphere the secret of their laws. His inspiration, Holy Writ, Psalm 8:8; Ecclesiastes 1:6.” A genius? No. Just a simple Bible-believing Christian who trusted the inerrancy of the Word of God.

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Even As Christ


"Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave Himself for it" (Ephesians 5:25).

Much has been said in recent years regarding family roles and responsibilities. Suffice it to say that many either misapply or ignore what the Bible has to say. Perhaps the clearest passage on this subject is that surrounding our text (vv.21-33). Here we see, in a setting of "Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God" (v.21), that the primary role of the wife is that of submission to her husband's headship (v.22), and that of the husband is self-sacrificial love for his wife (v.25). Here we have the only formula for a marriage fulfilling to both.

Family relationships were given special attention at the time of the universal curse on mankind (Genesis 3:16); thus the God-given family roles, while not impossible to achieve, run contrary to our natures. Obviously, we can't succeed on our own.

The key to adhering to these principles is noting the example of Christ and His church. The wife is to submit to her husband's headship (v.22). "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and He is the savior of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing" (vv.23-24). The church, the Bride of Christ, has no legitimate function except under the headship of Christ.

Likewise, we see that Christ gave Himself for the church that He might "sanctify and cleanse it . . . That He might present it to Himself a glorious church . . . holy and without blemish" (vv.26-27). Even now He nourishes and cherishes the church (v.29). Wives are to submit, as though submitting unto the Lord (v.22) in everything (v.24), and husbands are to love as Christ loved us, for "while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:.

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How Can Things Invisible Be


“For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

This powerful verse introduces Paul’s burning description of the descent of ancient human societies that once “knew God” (Romans 1:21) into evolutionary paganism, idolatry, and wickedness. This deterioration was willful and inexcusable, for they had abundant evidence of God’s nature and power in the very creation which they had chosen to worship instead of the Creator (Romans 1:25).

Even though God Himself was invisible (being omnipresent), they could easily see the evidence of His existence and His grace in creating and sustaining all things, “for God hath showed it unto them” (Romans 1:19). “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork” (Psalm 19:1).

Since these things were “clearly seen” and “understood” by men “from the creation of the world” (that is, from the time the world was created), it is obvious that there have been men and women there to see and understand these things ever since they were created. This assures us that the creation did not take place billions of years before men appeared on earth, as our theistic evolutionists and progressive creationists would like to believe. Men and women have been on earth ever since its very beginning (see also Mark 10:6; Acts 3:21), and all should have recognized and worshiped the true Creator God.

That being true, how much more inexcusable are our modern evolutionists—whether atheistic, pantheistic, or polytheistic—who not only reject the testimony of God in creation, but also His far more complete testimony in Scripture, and in the person and work of Jesus Christ.

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The Outward Appearance

“Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ’s, even so are we Christ’s” (II Corinthians 10:7).

In a time of movie stars and sports heroes, with television in every home and the glamorizing of physical attractiveness all but universal, even Christians have come to expect their own “stars” of the pulpit and the media to be men and women of great charisma and outward appeal. In this modern scene, the apostle Paul would surely be out of place. Even in the first century, he was criticized, both for his poor physique and pulpit technique (II Corinthians 10:10).

But, as Paul noted in our text, God’s calling is not based on one’s outward appearance. Long ago, when God chose David over the imposing presence of King Saul, He said that “the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (I Samuel 16:7).

Paul would also rebuke our modern obsession with physical fitness, reminding young Timothy that “bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things” (I Timothy 4:. Peter had this to say to Christian women about their appearance: “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price” (I Peter 3:3,4).

One’s appearance should be neat and modest, of course, for our purpose is to cause men and women to see Jesus Christ, not to look at ourselves. As Christ Himself exhorted: “Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment” (John 7:24).