Daily Devotionals for October 12, 2026

There is a right and a wrong way of doing everything, and this is certainly true in the matter of obtaining guidance. Today's verse describes the wrong way. It pictures a man building a bonfire, then using the fire and the sparks to provide illumination for his path.

Notice that there is no mention of consulting the Lord. There is no suggestion that the man has made it a matter of prayer. He has unbounded confidence that he knows the best way. In his arrogant independence, he leans on...

If inclined to boast of our abilities, the grandeur of nature may soon show us how puny we are. We cannot move the least of all the twinkling stars, or quench so much as one of the beams of the morning. We speak of power, but the heavens laugh us to scorn. When the Pleiades shine forth in spring with vernal joy we cannot restrain their influences, and when Orion reigns aloft, and the year is bound in winter's fetters, we cannot relax the icy bands. The seasons revolve according to the...

It pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself. § Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and peace have kissed.I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil. § “Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord, “though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.” § Who is a God like You,...

For Reading and Meditation:     Acts 1:1-11

Before we conclude our meditations on the uniqueness of Christianity, we must mention our Lord's ascension. I much prefer the word exaltation to ascension to describe Christ's return to the throne of God, for that is what it really was - an exaltation. Paul, in some verses in the passage we looked at yesterday (

I will allure her, and bring her into the wilderness, and speak tenderly unto her" (Hosea 2:14).

As we begin to grow, we are governed; as we begin to mature, we are allured.

"By trial our Father reveals whether we can suffer His will as well as do it. By trial He weans us from the world, draws us to His Son,...

A CELEBRATED AMERICAN PREACHER once advanced the novel theory that the various denominations with their different doctrinal emphases served a useful purpose as gathering places for persons of similar temperaments. Christians, he suggested, tend to gravitate toward others of like mental types. Hence the denominations.

Undoubtedly this is oversimplification carried to the point of error. There are too many persons of dissimilar temperaments in every denomination to support such a...

"And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul that thou mayest live." Deuteronomy 30:6

Here we read of the true circumcision. Note the author of it: "The LORD thy God." He alone can deal effectually with our heart and take away its carnality and pollution. To make us love God with all our heart and soul is a miracle of grace which only...

Again, that world-shaking event, the crucifixion of Christ, is stated in four words, "There they crucified him." One shudders to think what fanfare and buildup such a stupendous event would require if written by the shallow novelists or dramatists of our day. To represent such a solemn event on the stage would cost thousands of dollars and would require enough words to fill a dozen pages of script. The reason for the difference is of course that the evangelists felt the crucifixion and...

Few had fellowship with the sorrows of Gethsemane. The majority of the disciples were not sufficiently advanced in grace to be admitted to behold the mysteries of "the agony." Occupied with the passover feast at their own houses, they represent the many who live upon the letter, but are mere babes as to the spirit of the gospel. To twelve, nay, to eleven only was the privilege given to enter Gethsemane and see "this great sight." Out of the eleven, eight were left at a distance; they had...

Paul had been eager to go to Rome. His eagerness was not that of a tourist or explorer - but that of one constrained by the love of Christ, desiring to carry the gospel to the world's great capital. At last his longing is being realized. He is going to Rome - but in a strange way. He is going as a prisoner. The remarkable providence in this, is that he is carried on his great missionary errand - at the cost of Rome itself!

Paul was the only...

Beloved, let us return to our God this morning, let us confess our sin, deplore our folly, crave His pardon, plead His word, hope in His mercy, and expect the token of reconciliation and love. What an unspeakable mercy to have such a Father! So ready to forgive! So willing to receive! So desirous that we should be happy and blest!

His love is wonderful, His forbearance beyond description. See His arms extended; hear His word inviting; and hasten to be blest. Do not dwell on your...

In the battle of this world, the Christian is seen without a shield. And just where he is, is the thickest of the fight. The adversary hurls his best forces against that spot, evidently supposing that there is only this impediment between him and victory. It is wonderful then that the Christian should pass scathless through this shower of fiery darts. Those that are in the secret know that - while apparently unprotected - he is in reality defended by an invisible shield. While he abides in...

In the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. § A stone … cut out without hands. § “Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts. § The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, “See here!” or “See there!” For indeed, the kingdom of God is within...