This perpetual calendar includes:
- Remarkable testimonies of souls won to the Savior
- Explanations of gospel concepts
- Answers to frequently-asked questions
- Stories of real-life witnessing opportunities
- Encouragements and tips for sharing the glorious gospel
July 11
A large share of skeptics are mere triflers. Their professed skepticism is only an excuse for sin. As a rule it is not wise to spend much time on an individual of this class, but give him something that will sting his conscience… A skeptic may say, “The whole Bible is foolishness to me.” You can reply, “Yes, that’s exactly what God says. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:18, ‘The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.’… It is foolishness to you because you are perishing.” It may be well to leave the skeptic without another word, but be careful not to produce the impression that you are joking. These words may also be helpful: “He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son” (1 Jn 5:10-11 – R.A.Torrey
Today’s Reading: Psalms 149-150; Proverbs 1 Memorize: John 4:25-26July 10
Have you heard that we share 50% of our DNA with bananas? It’s true! It is a frequent argument by evolutionists that, since the DNA of chimpanzees and humans are so similar, this proves they share a common ancestor. But a new report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that the common value of >98% similarity is incorrect. Roy Britten, author of the study, puts the figure at about 95% when insertions and deletions are included. What does that mean in real numbers? If 5% of the DNA is different, this amounts to 150,000,000 DNA base pairs that are different between chimps and man! In talking to a scientist friend yesterday, he suggested that the similarity in our DNA, the genetic blueprint, is like an architect using similar paper, ink, shapes and measurements for a doghouse or a skyscraper. Obviously it could be equally argued that similarity of design for creatures sharing a similar environment points instead to a common Designer.
Today’s Reading: Psalms 146-148 Memorize: John 4:13-14July 9
“You know what kind of men we were among you for your sake. And you became followers of us and of the Lord” (1 Thess 1:5-6). A recent believer wrote the following to a friend who had encouraged her to find new life in Christ: “I saw that you lived by convictions and priorities and not just by convenience, selfish pleasure, and financial gain. And I had never met anyone like that before. I felt a depth of love and concern as you listened to me…you demonstrated kindness and generosity—and not just to me, but to other people, as well. And you stood for something. You were willing to go against the grain of society and follow what you believed to be true, no matter what people said, and no matter how much it cost you. And for those reasons and a whole host of others, I found myself really wanting what you had. Now that I’ve become a Christian, I wanted to write to tell you I’m grateful beyond words for how you lived out your Christian life in front of me.”
Today’s Reading: Psalms 143-145 Memorize: John 3:36July 8
Having given a stirring appeal to every believer to engage in a ministry of gospel reconciliation on behalf of God Himself, the apostle Paul then paints a portrait of such a servant/ambassador. His description includes these lines: “We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain…But in all things we commend ourselves as ministers of God…as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold we live; as chastened, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things” (2 Cor 6:1, 4, 9-10). “Keep back nothing,” says C.S. Lewis. “Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in.”
Today’s Reading: Psalms 140-142 Memorize: John 3:18-19July 7
Edward Hoare, son of a London banker, was a well-respected evangelical preacher in Tunbridge Wells at the end of the 19th century. One day a businessman requested a tour of the graveyard so he could select a spot for his “final resting-place.” After he had made his choice, Hoare turned to him and asked, “You have found a resting-place for your body, but have you yet found a resting-place for your soul?” Turning abruptly and looking the questioner full in the face, the elderly man replied, “You are the first clergyman who has asked me that question. I am most interested in what you can tell me.” Hoare led him into his study where he opened to him the Scriptures, showing the man who was not yet “rich toward God” (Lk 12:21) how he might “find rest” for his soul (Mt 11:29). Shortly thereafter, the man presented Edward Hoare with a painting titled “Rescued,” showing a drowning mariner being pulled from the sea. It hung in Hoare’s study till the time of his death in 1894.
Today’s Reading: Psalms 137-139 Memorize: John 3:16-17July 6
When William Featherston wrote, “For Thee all the follies of sin I resign,” he reminded us of what Paul confessed regarding his days as a brilliant but lost Jewish zealot: “being exceedingly mad” (Acts 26:11). Sin is a waste, defiling, disappointing, a self-inflicted death wound. G.C. Berkouwer observes about sin’s fundamental senselessness: “Therefore, since every ‘unriddling’ of sin implies a discovery of ‘sense’ where no sense can possibly be found, the very notion of an ‘unriddling’ is impossible. One cannot find sense in the senseless and meaning in the meaningless. All of this does not imply that sin is any less a power or an influence on reality, or any less ‘real.’ What it does imply is that sin cannot be explained in terms of its component factors and cannot be made ‘explicable.’ We have seen that every initiative in that direction can only end up, unavoidably, in self-excuse… The senselessness of man’s sin is the riddle of man’s sin. — Studies in Dogmatics, pp 134-135
Today’s Reading: Psalms 132-136 Memorize: John 3:14-15July 5
Is Christianity a crutch? It was Karl Marx who famously said, “Religion is the opiate of the masses.” There is truth in that statement, because millions have blindly followed their blind religious leaders, as the Lord Jesus described. But true Christianity is no mere religion, and certainly not a drug; it is a living relationship with the God of the universe. But is it a crutch? Josh McDowell writes: “A crutch presupposes two things: (1) that there is a disease, sickness, or hurt, and (2) that a person has been given some type of a remedy (this is why he has the crutch).” This leads, says McDowell, to two questions. “What is this disease? Is it real or imagined? And second, is the remedy the correct one for the disease?” The Bible provides the answers, and gives far more comprehensive illustrations than a crutch for a lame man. Christ is living Water to revive the thirsty (Jn 4:14), divine Bread for the hungry (Jn 6:33), and Life eternal for those dead in their sins (Jn 3:15).
Today’s Reading: Psalms 129-131 Memorize: John 3:6-7