August 7
Col. Robert Ingersoll, the apostle of agnosticism in nineteenth century America, once had the task of speaking at his brother’s funeral in Washington, DC. In the middle of his talk, he broke down and wept bitterly. Then, regaining his composure, he said: “Life is a narrow vale between the cold and barren peaks of two eternities. We strive in vain to look beyond the heights. We cry aloud, and the only answer is the echo of a wailing cry. From the voiceless lips of the unreplying dead there comes no word.” What utter hopelessness! Is there a way out of miasmatic fog of human speculation? Thank...
Read MoreAugust 6
“And Samson called to the Lord, and said, O Lord God, remember me, I pray Thee, and strengthen me, I pray Thee, only this once…” (Jud 16:28). Have you started poorly as a witness for the Lord? Do you recall with pain opportunities missed that you cannot now recall? Have you been harsh around your unsaved relatives and feel you have disqualified yourself from speaking to them about Christ? Have you been careless around your workmates? The enemy of souls will try to convince you that you’ve blown the race. But Samson made it into the Faith Chapter after all! Carl Lewis, winner of nine Olympic...
Read MoreAugust 5
“The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Lk 19:10). “It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found” (Lk 15:32). As soul-winner Charles H. Spurgeon passionately wrote about the lost: “People are lost willfully and willingly; lost perversely and utterly; but still lost of their own accord, which is the worst kind of being lost. They are lost to God, who has lost their heart’s love, confidence, and obedience; lost to the church, which they cannot rightly serve; lost to truth, which they will...
Read MoreAugust 4
Nineteenth century evangelist William Taylor tells the story of a prisoner awaiting his execution. Various Christians visited him in his death row cell, but all they said seemed only to make him harder and more resistent to the gospel. Then, writes Taylor, the townspeople requested a man “known of all men for his holiness and tenderness and wisdom in the winning of souls” to visit the criminal. Entering the cell, he sat down beside the prisoner, who knew him well by reputation, and simply recounted the story of the cross. When he had finished it, he turned, laid his hands on the criminal’s...
Read MoreAugust 3
“We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Col. 1:14). The word forgiveness in its primary sense means to send away or to abandon. Forgiveness is agreeing to pay the damages done by another, and then never bringing up the account again—sending them away, much like the scapegoat, the azazel. As far as God is concerned, our sins are out of sight (Micah 7:19), out of reach (Ps 103:12), and out of mind (Heb 10:17). This is the forgiveness we should practice with others. As the Lord said, “When you stand praying, forgive, if you have ought against any; that your Father also...
Read MoreAugust 2
“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Mt 6:6). It’s getting harder all the time to find a quiet place and time to pray. Part of Satan’s scheme to keep us powerless in evangelism is to keep us prayerless in private. It’s almost as difficult as finding a public pay phone, but Vance Havner finds one in a story he liked to tell. He says, “A man in an unlighted telephone booth fumbled with the pages of the directory. A passerby saw his plight and...
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