Christian Daily Devotionals

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon. Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer.
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"To him be the glory forever! Amen." Romans 11:36

"To him be the glory forever!" This should be the single desire of all Christians. All other wishes must be come second to this one. The Christian may wish for prosperity in their business, but only insofar as it may help us to promote this--"To him be the glory forever!" We may desire to attain more gifts and more graces, but it should only be that "To him be the glory forever!"

You are not acting as you ought to do when you are moved by any other motive than to give glory to your Lord. As a Christian, if you are "of God, and through God," then live "to God." Let nothing ever set your heart beating so mightily as love to Him. Let this ambition fire your soul; let it become the foundation of everything you do, and become your sustaining motive whenever your passion grows cold. Make God your only goal. When I depend on myself, sorrow begins; but my joy will be complete when God becomes my supreme delight. Let your desire for God's glory be a growing desire. If you blessed Him in your youth, do not be content with the kind of praises you gave Him then.

Has God prospered your business? Give Him more as He has given you more.

Has God given you experience? Praise Him by stronger faith than you exercised at first.

Does your knowledge grow? Then sing more sweetly.

Do you enjoy happier times than you once had? Have you been healed from sickness, and has your sorrow been turned into peace and joy? Then give Him more music; increase the thankful fervor of your praise. Practically in your life give Him honor. The "Amen" to your praise to your great and gracious Lord will then increasingly become your own individual service and increasing holiness.

Question: Why is it sometimes tempting to take the praise and glory for ourselves instead of giving it to God?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/10/04/cs_glory/

by Vonette Bright
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Many years ago, a few women met to read scriptures.
They came upon Malachi 3:3:
It says, “He will sit like a refiner of silver, burning away the dross.�

So one woman decided to view for herself the process of purifying precious metals.
She wanted to see how it was like God’s love for us.

Well, the silversmith sat, just as the scriptures indicated.
He kept his eye fixed on the furnace, watching the impurities burn away.

Dear one, can you picture that?
God must purify you to burn away the garbage in your life, but won’t go beyond what you can bear.

Then, the man said the process wasn’t complete until he could see his own image reflected in the silver.
And that’s the way it is with God in your life too!

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/10/03/vb_refiners/

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by Katherine Kehler
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“When you did it to these my brothers you were doing it to me! When you refused to help the least of these my brothers, you were refusing to help me�  Matthew 25:40-45

I believe these verses are talking about helping people in need…or refusing to help them.

While some scholars say “my brothers� refers to Jewish people, others say it means “Christians� and still others say it refers to any people in need.

But the issue is larger than that, isn’t it? Jesus is referring to our attitudes - our hearts!

How is the attitude of your heart today? Do you, like the men in the “Good Samaritan� story, quickly walk by hurting people without a thought? Or are you alert to people needing encouragement today? Maybe they need some financial or emotional support - would you take time to help them? Do you ever stop and pray with the hurting friend? You would be doing it to Jesus.

I would like to expand on these verses a little. This may be stretching the theology of this verse, but I believe the Holy Spirit gave me this insight.

When someone hurts, shuns or betrays us, they have really done it to Christ in us. One translation of the above verse reads,

“Whatever you do…you have done it unto Me.�

When we do good to others, we are doing it to Christ. When we hurt others, we are hurting Christ. When others are kind to us, they are being kind to Christ. When they hurt us, they have hurt Christ.

I don’t know why, but this new insight alerts me to be more kind. And I also find it comforting to know that Jesus and I are so close, that when I get hurt, He gets hurt. A real friend!

Lord Jesus, thank You for feeling all the pain I feel. Thank You for making me alert to the fact that You also feel the pain of all the people in the world. Amen.

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/09/13/kk_you-do/

Originally written by Charles H. Spurgeon,
Updated to modern English by Darren Hewer, 2009.
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"For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God."
1 Peter 1:23

Peter most earnestly urged the scattered saints to "love one another deeply, from the heart," and he wisely obtained his argument, not from the law, from nature, or from philosophy, but from that high and divine nature which God has given His people.

In the same way that a wise teacher of a prince might try to foster in them a kingly spirit and dignified behavior based on the prince's position and descent, so too Peter says to us: "Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:22-23)

Peter says this as he looks on God's people as heirs of glory, princes of the royal blood, and descendants of the King of kings, earth's truest and oldest aristocracy. Wouldn't it be wonderful if, in the spirit of humility, we recognized the true dignity of our reborn nature, and actually lived up to it?

What is a Christian? If you compare him with a king, they add priestly sanctity to royal dignity. The king's royalty often lies only in his crown, but with a Christian it is infused into their inmost nature. A Christian is given a truly honored position through their new birth.

We ought to carry ourselves, in every way, as people who are not merely "commoners", but chosen out of the world. We should be distinguished by sovereign grace, written among "the peculiar people" and who no longer grovel in the dust, and no longer live purely for the material things of this world.

Let the dignity of your reborn nature, and the brightness of your future, compel you to yearn for and cling to holiness, and to avoid all appearances of evil.

Question: What does it mean to be a descendant of the King of Kings?

You can comment on this devotional online at:
http://thoughts-about-god.com/blog/2009/07/29/cs_king/