December 27 Daily Devotional

Bible Readings:

Psalm 119:1-24, King James Version:
¹Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the LORD.
²Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.
³They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.
⁴Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.
⁵O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!
⁶Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect unto all thy commandments.
⁷I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments.
⁸I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
⁹Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.
¹⁰With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
¹¹Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
¹²Blessed art thou, O LORD: teach me thy statutes.
¹³With my lips have I declared all the judgments of thy mouth.
¹⁴I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches.
¹⁵I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways.
¹⁶I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.
¹⁷Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I may live, and keep thy word.
¹⁸Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.
¹⁹I am a stranger in the earth: hide not thy commandments from me.
²⁰My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.
²¹Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed, which do err from thy commandments.
²²Remove from me reproach and contempt; for I have kept thy testimonies.
²³Princes also did sit and speak against me: but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes.
²⁴Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counselors.

1 Corinthians 2:9-14, KJV:
⁹But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
¹⁰But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.
¹¹For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
¹²Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.
¹³Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
¹⁴But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

Hebrews 5:12-14, KJV:
¹²For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
¹³For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
¹⁴But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

Devotional:

As all other Christian graces are gifts of God so is the gift of spiritual discernment. It is a gift for which we should daily pray, "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law" (Psalm 119:18). "For what man knowcth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God" (I Corinthians 2:11). Daily searching of the Scriptures together with prayer for illumination strengthens spiritual understanding.

As the apprentice will make mistakes in his trade because of his inexperience, so will the young Christian be turned about with every wind of doctrine unless his feet are grounded firmly in the Word of God. How effectively Satan uses Scripture texts isolated from their contexts and hidden from the view of the rest of the Bible to turn aside the unlearned! But no one needs to be so unstable in his spiritual understanding, Only laziness and indifference to the means of grace will subject one to these influences of our Adversary.

Were we to study systematically God's Word using as our guide the doctrinal standards of the church, and praying for the Spirit's help, our effectiveness as witnesses would be measurably increased. Surely Jesus' promise that He would lead His church into truth has been fulfilled down through the centuries that have followed His ascension. Great men of God have labored illumined by His Spirit. Their labors have produced a great body of literature that reveals God's gift to them of spiritual discernment. We must never let that be lost. Cherish their labors in your search for insight into the meaning of the Bible.

It is the humble disciple that gains understanding of the Word and works of God. Simplicity of faith does not mean shallowness of thought on the Bible. It alone guarantees discrimination that produces a firm hope.

We are very happy to make available to you this month these devotionals by the late Rev. LeRoy B. Oliver. They originally appeared in The Presbyerian Guardian during the late 1940's.

The description of his "Your Family Altar" page in The Presbyterian Guardian also fits this Web page: "The page is designed for both private and family use, whichever is most convenient in your case. If you do not have family worship in your home, we hope you will begin, and suggest using these readings. They should not, however, take the place of reading books of the Bible, or the Bible itself, through in regular course." It is those who abide (continue) in the Word who are truly Christ's disciples, who know the truth, and who experience freedom in Him (John 8:31-32). May these devotionals be used for the building up of God's people and to the glory of God.