Morning & Evening Devotionals

Morning Verse

"Pleasant fruits, new and old, which I have laid up for thee, O my beloved." Song 7:13

The spouse desires to give to Jesus all that she produces. Our heart has "all manner of pleasant fruits," both "old and new," and they are laid up for our Beloved. At this rich autumnal season of fruit, let us survey our stores. We have new fruits. We desire to feel new life, new joy, new gratitude; we wish to make new resolves and carry them out by new labours; our heart blossoms with new prayers, and our soul is pledging herself to new efforts. But we have some old fruits too. There is our first love: a choice fruit that! and Jesus delights in it. There is our first faith: that simple faith by which, having nothing, we became possessors of all things. There is our joy when first we knew the Lord: let us revive it. We have our old remembrances of the promises. How faithful has God been! In sickness, how softly did He make our bed! In deep waters, how placidly did He buoy us up! In the flaming furnace, how graciously did He deliver us. Old fruits, indeed! We have many of them, for His mercies have been more than the hairs of our head. Old sins we must regret, but then we have had repentances which He has given us, by which we have wept our way to the cross, and learned the merit of His blood. We have fruits, this morning, both new and old; but here is the point--they are all laid up for Jesus. Truly, those are the best and most acceptable services in which Jesus is the solitary aim of the soul, and His glory, without any admixture whatever, the end of all our efforts. Let our many fruits be laid up only for our Beloved; let us display them when He is with us, and not hold them up before the gaze of men. Jesus, we will turn the key in our garden door, and none shall enter to rob Thee of one good fruit from the soil which Thou hast watered with Thy bloody sweat. Our all shall be Thine, Thine only, O Jesus, our Beloved!

Evening Verse

"He will give grace and glory." Psalm 84:11

Bounteous is Jehovah in His nature; to give is His delight. His gifts are beyond measure precious, and are as freely given as the light of the sun. He gives grace to His elect because He wills it, to His redeemed because of His covenant, to the called because of His promise, to believers because they seek it, to sinners because they need it. He gives grace abundantly, seasonably, constantly, readily, sovereignly; doubly enhancing the value of the boon by the manner of its bestowal. Grace in all its forms He freely renders to His people: comforting, preserving, sanctifying, directing, instructing, assisting grace, He generously pours into their souls without ceasing, and He always will do so, whatever may occur. Sickness may befall, but the Lord will give grace; poverty may happen to us, but grace will surely be afforded; death must cone but grace will light a candle at the darkest hour. Reader, how blessed it is as years roll round, and the leaves begin again to fall, to enjoy such an unfading promise as this, "The Lord will give grace."

The little conjunction "and" in this verse is a diamond rivet binding the present with the future: grace and glory always go together. God has married them, and none can divorce them. The Lord will never deny a soul glory to whom He has freely given to live upon His grace; indeed, glory is nothing more than grace in its Sabbath dress, grace in full bloom, grace like autumn fruit, mellow and perfected. How soon we may have glory none can tell! It may be before this month of October has run out we shall see the Holy City; but be the interval longer or shorter, we shall be glorified ere long. Glory, the glory of heaven, the glory of eternity, the glory of Jesus, the glory of the Father, the Lord will surely give to His chosen. Oh, rare promise of a faithful God!

Two golden links of one celestial chain:
Who owneth grace shall surely glory gain.

And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, [be] unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, [be] unto our God for ever and ever. Amen. ( Rev.5:13,Rev.7:13) catcmo2006

God's Simple Plan of Salvation

God's Simple Plan of Salvation
My Friend: I am asking you the most important question of life. Your
joy or your sorrow for all eternity depends upon your answer. The
question is: Are you saved? It is not a question of how good you
are, nor if you are a church member, but are you saved? Are you sure
you will go to Heaven when you die?

God says in order to go to Heaven, you must be born again. In John
3:7, Jesus said to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again."

In the Bible God gives us the plan of how to be born again which
means to be saved. His plan is simple! You can be saved today. How?

First, my friend, you must realize you are a sinner. "For all have
sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (Romans 3:23).

Because you are a sinner, you are condemned to death. "For the wages
[payment] of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). This includes eternal
separation from God in Hell.

" . . . it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the
judgment" (Hebrews 9:27).

But God loved you so much He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, to
bear your sin and die in your place. " . . . He hath made Him
[Jesus, Who knew no sin] to be sin for us . . . that we might be
made the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus had to shed His blood and die. "For the life of the flesh is
in the blood" (Lev. 17:11). " . . . without shedding of blood is no
remission [pardon]" (Hebrews 9:22).

" . . . God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were
yet sinners, Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8).

Although we cannot understand how, God said my sins and your sins
were laid upon Jesus and He died in our place. He became our
substitute. It is true. God cannot lie.

My friend, "God . . . commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts
17:30). This repentance is a change of mind that agrees with God
that one is a sinner, and also agrees with what Jesus did for us on
the Cross.

In Acts 16:30-31, the Philippian jailer asked Paul and
Silas: " . . . `Sirs, what must I do to be saved?' And they
said, `Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved . . . .' "

Simply believe on Him as the one who bore your sin, died in your
place, was buried, and whom God resurrected. His resurrection
powerfully assures that the believer can claim everlasting life when
Jesus is received as Savior.

"But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the
sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12).

"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved."
(Romans 10:13).

Whosoever includes you. Shall be saved means not maybe, nor can, but
shall be saved.

Surely, you realize you are a sinner. Right now, wherever you are,
repenting, lift your heart to God in prayer.

In Luke 18:13, the sinner prayed: "God be merciful to me a sinner."
Just pray: "Oh God, I know I am a sinner. I believe Jesus was my
substitute when He died on the Cross. I believe His shed blood,
death, burial, and resurrection were for me. I now receive Him as my
Savior. I thank You for the forgiveness of my sins, the gift of
salvation and everlasting life, because of Your merciful grace.
Amen."

Just take God at His word and claim His salvation by faith. Believe,
and you will be saved. No church, no lodge, no good works can save
you. Remember, God does the saving. All of it!

God's simple plan of salvation is: You are a sinner. Therefore,
unless you believe on Jesus Who died in your place, you will spend
eternity in Hell. If you believe on Him as your crucified, buried,
and risen Savior, you receive forgiveness for all of your sins and
His gift of eternal salvation by faith.

You say, "Surely, it cannot be that simple." Yes, that simple! It is
scriptural. It is God's plan. My friend, believe on Jesus and
receive Him as Savior today.

If His plan is not perfectly clear, read this tract over and over,
without laying it down, until you understand it. Your soul is worth
more than all the world.

"For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world
and lose his own soul?" (Mark 8:36).

Be sure you are saved. If you lose your soul, you miss Heaven and
lose all. Please! Let God save you this very moment.

God's power will save you, keep you saved, and enable you to live a
victorious Christian life. "There hath no temptation taken you but
such as is common to man: but God is faithful, Who will not suffer
you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the
temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear
it" (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Do not trust your feelings. They change. Stand on God's promises.
They never change. After you are saved, there are three things to
practice daily for spiritual growth:

Pray -- you talk to God.
Read your Bible -- God talks to you.
Witness -- you talk for God.
You should be baptized in obedience to the Lord Jesus Christ as a
public testimony of your salvation, and then unite with a Bible-
believing church without delay. "Be not thou therefore ashamed of
the testimony of our Lord . . . ." (2 Timothy 1:8)

"Whosoever therefore shall confess [testify of] Me before men, him
will I confess also before My Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 10:32). Here's A Prayer that everyone can pray unto the Lord in a total committment unto Him as YOUR Savior and Your Lord God that's now in Your life in the new beginning's as a Confession of Your Faith in Jesus Christ. Let Me share with YOU that's there's a huge party in Heaven and waiting on You, isn't that wonderful new's ! Here it is for YOU to see forYourslef! I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. ( Luke 15:7) K.J.V.
Committing to Jesus

Lord Jesus, I commit my life to You totally, spirit, soul, and body. I ask that You bend, break, and mold me into the person that You want me to be. Lord, teach me to trust in You and to live and walk by faith in You and Your Word. I commit to You, Lord, to take accountability and responsibility in my walk with You and Your Word. No more will the enemy’s devices and the deceptions of the old man easily sway me. I purpose to firmly fix my eyes and heart on You, Lord, totally today. I press, push and apprehend all that you have for me today, keeping in the back of my remembrance that the enemy loves a lazy or slothful mind. satan, I come against you and all hosts of hell and I reject everything that you would have for me today. satan, I refuse all snares, pits, and traps that you have set to draw me away from my Lord Jesus Christ. I rebuke you, satan, and all your hosts in the name of Jesus from every assignment you have assigned against me or my family, my property, my health and my finances. Father I ask and believe for Your best in my life today and that Your will and purposes be done in and through me. I also ask that You keep me in Your perfect will and make me a yielded vessel fit for Your work today. I place myself under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust”, for I chose to dwell in the secret place of the Most High. In Jesus Name, amen. catcmo2006