The title of this section is taken from one of Denis’s many published books of Devotions and consists of a small selection of short devotional meditations suitable for inclusion in daily “quiet time” reading; details of a two volume set containing 366 devotional meditation (one for every day of the year, including a Leap Year!) and how to obtain them are included.

They are available as paperback books from any Christian Bookshop, or the Pen4God Bookshops on this site, or as eBooks from the publishers, Authors OnLine, or from the Kindle eBookshop ~ full details at the foot of this page.

1 Peter 2:7—Unto you…which believeth He is precious [AV].

I am taking the Authorised [King James] Version of this verse because it is more personal and expressive than the NIV. Something that can be described as precious is usually an object of great value, either because there is no other like it in the world, or it has cost a tremendous amount to produce. Likewise, a person described in a similar way usually means more to the person using the term than anyone else in the world. I use that term to describe my wife, for instance! To a believer, Jesus is of great value, for there is no other like Him in the world – no other Mediator between God and us (1 Timothy 2:5), no other Way to God than by Him (John 14:6), no other means of salvation except through Him (Acts 4:12)…and so we could go on. Likewise, think of the cost to Him to become our Saviour – it cost Him His life! What is there of greater value than life itself? Yet He gave His willingly that we might have Eternal Life. Because of all this, and more, to a believer Jesus should mean more than anyone else in the world. “Unto you…which believe HE is precious.” The question to ask ourselves is this – is Jesus really precious to me? If He is not, or only ranks equal with other things and people, then do you not think that it is about time we began to examine our experience?

1 Timothy 1:15—Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners – of whom I am the worst.

We may have read many Christian books, attended many worship services, listened to many excellent sermons, systematically studied the Bible for years, taken an active part in Church affairs, and tried to live a good Christian life at all times. Yet all this activity, worthy though it may be, can be reduced down to this one verse. As long as we believe and apply to ourselves these words, then all other things are not in vain. What does it say? First of all it is “a trustworthy saying”. No matter how unreliable others might be, this is completely reliable. We can be absolutely sure. No doubts because it is trustworthy. Therefore, secondly, it is “worthy of all acceptation” [as the AV translates it] – “deserves full acceptance” [as the NIV here translates it]. Something that is reliable is worthy of and deserves acceptance – and if what the Word of God says is good enough for everyone because of its reliability, then it is worthy enough to be accepted by everyone, too. What is this faithful, trustworthy saying that is worthy of, and deserves to be, accepted? It is that “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”. That in itself is a tremendous truth, a universal truth, a truth for all ages – but this truth, this “faithful, trustworthy saying, worthy and deserving full acceptance”, is only valid when we make it PERSONAL – “of whom I am the worst”. All my Christian activities and study will not bring me into heaven, nor even acknowledging that Jesus is the Saviour of the World, not until I am prepared to say He is MY SAVIOUR! Then all those other things will take their rightful place.

2 Kings 2:14—Where now is the Lord, the God of Elijah?

These are the words of Elisha, but notice this, when Elijah’s mantle fell on him at the beginning of his ministry, his cry was not for his predecessor, Elijah, but for Elijah’s God. Now this is very important, because it presents us with a tremendous lesson for today! It is a word of challenge. If we are to fulfil the spiritual task set before us, we must not depend upon people for our spiritual strength, how ever good those people might be, how ever helpful or encouraging they may be to us;  our dependence must be entirely upon God. Yet, as so often appears in a single verse or phrase of Scripture, there is a word of encouragement here as well as a word of challenge. Not only is the challenge given to place our trust and dependence upon God alone, but we are encouraged by the fact that although our circumstances may change, our fellow-servants may be called to higher service just as Elijah was (how futile it would have been to depend entirely upon them for spiritual strength!), God Himself does not change. The question we may well ask ourselves is, do I need spiritual strength just now? If you do, let me tell you that the strength you need is available. As Elisha called upon the God of Elijah, so can we; for the God of Elijah is our God also. He alone will give us the strength we need for every task.

2 Timothy 2:2—And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

At the end of a film in which the story of three young people, each one who had led the other to faith in Christ, was told in dramatic form, the narrator concluded with a phrase I have never forgotten – “and so the chain-reaction for Christ goes on!” As we must remind ourselves constantly, when we call ourselves Christians [and have the spiritual right to call ourselves by that name], we take upon ourselves more than just a name, we take a tremendous responsibility, too. The things we have heard in the presence of many witnesses, the things we know to be true in our own lives concerning our soul’s salvation, we must entrust to reliable men … and women. Time and time again the Bible reminds us of this responsibility, to let our light shine, to confess with our mouth, to speak the truth in love. Then having entrusted these truths to reliable men, they will also be qualified to teach others, “and so the chain-reaction for Christ goes on!” But have you ever realised that even if one link is broken the whole chain fails? The strength of any chain is in its weakest link! You and I may be anywhere along the line, amongst the witnesses in the first place, the reliable men or women to whom the truth is committed, or those who are being taught by others – but our responsibility as Christians is to make sure we are not the ones to break the chain!

Acts 4:20—We cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.

How difficult it is to keep silent about something that thrills us and brings us pleasure. Indeed, the more joy and blessing we receive the louder we want to proclaim it! This was the experience of Peter and John, culminating in this verse. It is a natural reaction…or is it? Sometimes for a Christian it does not come quite so naturally as it should. What greater joy can there be in knowing Jesus as our Saviour and Lord, with the knowledge of our sins forgiven? What greater thrill can there be in receiving from Jesus daily the power of His Spirit? What greater blessing can we have than the assurance that Jesus has given us the precious gift of eternal life? Then let us, as this verse reminds us, share the experience with Peter and John and not keep silent about it. If this joy, this thrill, this blessing is a reality in our lives, then "we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard." We have so much to speak about, so much to tell, so much to share, that to keep silent about it is both disobedient to the Scriptures and dishonouring to the Lord.  We should not forget that Jesus said we should be His witnesses; this is still a valid command and still very much in force. Now, it is just a thought, if it does not at the moment come quite so naturally as it should, then by our obedience we will not only bring honour to the Lord, but in time we may find it will come quite naturally!

Deuteronomy 29:29—The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children for ever.

Is it not true to say that sometimes we get very frustrated, very distressed, very upset, when we cannot understand why God allows certain things to happen, or sometimes not to happen? Such a list of things we could compile of all those things we fail to understand through our lives, yet such a list would not help us one little bit! Everyone’s list would be different, anyway. Our verse reminds us that the secret things belong to God, that we are not meant to know and understand everything. We must have faith and trust the Lord to know that if we do not always agree or cannot fully understand why, He knows best. But this verse says more. We have a two-fold responsibility to try and understand the things that are revealed to us, and to tell others also. The verse reminds us that those things, which God does reveal, belong to us and also to our children – but they will only understand if we are prepared to tell them. So let us stop getting frustrated and distressed at the things we cannot fully understand and concentrate on the things which God intends us to know and to share with others. After all, if He wanted us to know everything He wouldn’t have had secrets in the first place!

Ephesians 4:27—Do not give the devil a foothold.

I prefer the AV translation of this verse – “Neither give place to the devil.” It is most important in life that we do not underestimate the power of the devil. He is still a mighty force at work in this world today. Paul, in his wisdom, emphasises the importance of not giving place to the devil, of not giving the devil a foothold in our lives. But how is this possible in our present society? A young man in a Bible Class was asked to write, within the period of one hour only, an essay on the Holy Spirit for the first thirty minutes, and on the devil for the second half-hour. At the end of the full hour he was still writing about the Holy Spirit; so, before handing in his essay to the tutor, he scribbled a note on the bottom – “Sorry, I have no time for the devil!” I love that little story. We speak of the fullness of the Holy Spirit, but do we always mean or even understand what we say? When we are filled with the Spirit of God – that daily infilling so necessary for Christian living – and He is in complete control of every part of our lives, then there is no ROOM for the devil. He will be unable to get a foothold. When our minds, our thoughts, our considerations, are all taken up with the Holy Spirit, then there is no TIME for the devil either. Paul exhorts us in our verse, “Neither give place to the devil…do not give the devil a foothold”. If the Holy Spirit is in His rightful place, and has His rightful place in our lives, then there is no PLACE for the devil as well! So let us be sure that day by day we live in the fullness of the Holy Spirit, understanding what we mean by that concept, and say with the young man in the Bible Class, “Sorry, I have no time for the devil!” It will make a tremendous difference to our lives!

Ezekiel 2:2—As he spoke, the Spirit came into me and raised me to my feet.

Whilst it is important not to venerate the Holy Spirit above the Father and the Son in the Godhead [as some have a tendency to do these days], it is equally important not to underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, either. What a difference it makes to our life when He enters in, in all His fullness, as Ezekiel testified in this verse. Daniel had a similar experience, recorded in Daniel 8:18 - "While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet." It is possible to let life get us down, for our spiritual life to suffer with the pressures of every-day living, to the extent that we feel we will never be able to rise above these things, to get on our feet. Of course, in our own strength we never will! But the experience of Ezekiel and Daniel makes the impossible possible. And such an experience can be ours! If we acknowledge the infilling power of the Spirit of God in our lives, He will set us upon our feet, He will set us upright, He will raise us to our feet in a way we never thought possible. One thing is certain, the Holy Spirit only knows one direction in the life of a seeking soul - UP! The Spirit will never push us down! Are there those of us who are feeling the pressures of life just now getting us down? Perhaps our prayer ought to be in the words of the chorus we sometimes sing - "Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me. Break me, melt me, mould me, fill me. Spirit of the Living God, fall afresh on me." A prayer like that, prayed sincerely, will certainly set us on our feet!

Isaiah 61:10—I delight greatly in the Lord; my soul rejoices in my God. For he has clothed me

with garments of salvation and arrayed me in a robe of righteousness.

Real Christians are joyful people, are full of the joy of the Lord, are always praising God. Why should this be? Because day by day He blesses us so much that we cannot help but praise Him. Here is a verse that is so full of praise that one cannot help but be caught up in its enthusiasm. Not only is the writer delighting himself greatly in the Lord [the AV translates it as “greatly rejoicing in the Lord”], but his soul is also rejoicing in his God [the AV translates it as being joyful in his God]. One might say that Isaiah is doubly joyful because he is doubly blessed; and here is a perfect example for real Christians today. We, too, are doubly blessed, for not only can we know our sins forgiven and be clothed with the garments of salvation, but we can know also the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives as He arrays [or “covers” as the AV translates it] us with the robe of righteousness. No wonder real Christians can be doubly joyful when they are doubly blessed like that, for you see, the greater the blessing the greater the joy – why settle for something less!

Jeremiah 10:10—The Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal king.

Through the history of mankind, man has always worshipped many gods, but there has been only, and still is only, one true God - our Sovereign God, Creator of the Universe. He alone has a right to our worship. It should be noted, however, that everything which takes first place in our lives, commands the most affection and attention,  involves us in the most amount of time, becomes a god. It is not always in the shape of a weird-looking idol sat on the mantelpiece (if we still have a mantelpiece in our house, that is!);  it can come in the shape of a television set, a bank balance, a car, a house, or a host of other “gods” which might take first place in our lives. Because God is our Sovereign God, the only true God, He has a right to remind us, as He does in Exodus 20:2,3 that “I am the Lord your God … You shall have no other gods before me.”  Furthermore, not only has He a right to remind us thus (no, that should be command us)  but He has a right to expect and receive our complete obedience as well. If you have ever wondered why the God of the Bible is the only true God (as our Bible verse for today reminds us), and therefore the only One whom we should worship (though there have been many other “gods” available through history), and why He alone has the right to command us to have no other gods before Him (to have no other gods of any kind, in fact) then the reason is this. Our God is the only One who is a living God. We do not direct worship to a dead deity. We do not pray for guidance and strength from a dead prophet (although there are many who do, mind you!). The sense of a Divine Presence every moment of every day is not a myth (which it would be if God were dead!), but a fact, a reality, a living reality.  There is another very important truth contained in this word from Jeremiah. The God whom we worship is with us all the time; and not just for a brief period; not even just whilst we are here on earth; but for ever - because our God is also an “eternal King” (or as the King James [Authorised] Version puts it, an “everlasting King”.) This one, true and living Sovereign God will reign for ever, and if we acknowledge Him as King of our lives, then one day we will meet Him face to face, and live with Him for ever, too. So we can have complete confidence in the truth expressed by our Bible verse for today, that “the Lord is the true God; he is the living God, the eternal King” … and He’s ours!

Jeremiah 21:8—This is what the Lord says: See, I am setting before you the way of life…

Here is a good text for a Church Anniversary.  No doubt you will dwell briefly on the past, looking back with gratitude at the number of years your Fellowship has witnessed in your location. But we must understand that we cannot keep looking back! We are reminded here of the importance of looking FORWARD. There are many religions in the world today – Christianity is not one of them. Each religion has a dead prophet as its founder – but not Christianity. The Faith we proclaim in our Church Fellowships [hopefully!] is not a religion, it is a Way of Life, because our Founder is alive! Yes, Jesus is alive today, and He is setting before us the Way of Life. What does this mean if this is your Anniversary day? Simply this! Every day from now on we must be sure that we live our lives according to His will and purpose for us. As someone has said, “Only one life, it will soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.” The moment we accepted Jesus Christ as Saviour, knew our sins forgiven, and had the assurance of the Holy Spirit that we were a child of God, we received eternal life. Our Faith, then, is not just a way of life that will end with the grave, but the way of life that goes on into eternity. As we look forward to the future [if the Lord tarries], not only ourselves in the immediate years ahead, but those following on after us, will realise what a difference it will make if we and them, both individually and collectively as a Fellowship, live every moment of every day in constant touch with our Living Saviour, who has not only set the way of life before us, but has promised to travel with us along this way that is never going to end!

Acts 4:13—They took note that these men had been with Jesus.

This was said of two fishermen called Peter and John. They were only very ordinary men. There was nothing very special about them. In fact, the Bible says they were “unschooled” [the AV calls them “unlearned and ignorant”], yet when they began to speak people stopped to listen. Comments were made as to their boldness and the people were astonished! What a strange situation! These two men who had spent most of their lives on the Sea of Galilee fishing were now making an impression far beyond that of ordinary fishermen. Now the big question is, what was it that made all the difference? What turned them from humble fishermen into powerful preachers? The simple answer is, they had been with Jesus. Simple but true! People took notice of them, not because of their education or their social status, but because of their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. But, you may ask, what has this got to do with us today? Let me tell you! We may be ordinary people, you and me, nothing very special, nothing outstanding, but other people will see something different about us when we have been with Jesus. Remember, Jesus is still alive today! No one can become personally involved with Him and remain the same. With Jesus the ordinary becomes the extraordinary. Our education or our social status may not attract people, but our personal relationship with Jesus Christ most certainly will.

Lamentations 3:22,23—His compassions never fail. They are new every morning.

As we open our eyes at the beginning of each new day, we are greatly encouraged that they are new every morning. What are? God’s compassions! How can this help us as we look to the future? The word “compassion” has several meanings. One of the most beautiful is that of showing care and concern for others, of identifying oneself with another’s situation, whatever that situation might be. This is what makes this text so precious, not only at the beginning of a new year, a new month, a new week, but for every moment of our lives, at the beginning every new day – the Lord never ceases to identify Himself with our situation, our problems, even the seemingly very insignificant things in our lives, because He cares and is concerned. He never fails, how ever much we may fail Him by rejecting His compassion, even sometimes resenting it! And we do! Even though day by day our situation may change, our problems might be different, our outlook may vary, His care and concern for us is able to meet that changing situation, because His compassions are new every morning. So we can take encouragement and solace from this truth. As we launch out into another new day we can be absolutely sure that God loves us so much that He cares, is concerned, identifies Himself with our every situation – and it is new every day! But to really benefit from this tremendous truth, to fully experience His compassions personally, our response to Him must be renewed every day, too!

Luke 19:31—The Lord needs it.

The AV translation makes this text more personal – “The Lord hath need of him”, and such an expression from the lips of Jesus just before the first Palm Sunday provides us with a valuable lesson for this Palm Sunday, and indeed for every day of our lives! What can we learn, therefore, from His statement that He needed a wild colt? No doubt Jesus could have arranged for a beautiful, well-trained horse to take Him into the city; to enter Jerusalem in style, riding on a stallion! But, No. Jesus settled for an animal counted amongst the lowest of the low. The wild colt was noted for its stubborn streak, its rebellious nature. But nowhere in the Gospels can we find Jesus having a problem with this animal. Not even the crowds with their chanting and palm-branch waving in any way prevented or disturbed the colt from taking Jesus into the city. What made all the difference? Because the Lord had need of him. In the hands of Jesus an animal so often rejected and cast out by society became a useful servant of the Lord. Is there not a parallel and a lesson here? So many people today are rejected by society—yes, sadly sometimes even rejected by a church fellowship—because of their natures; stubbornness, rebelliousness, a feeling of uselessness; yet in the hands of Jesus they can be transformed. Surely our responsibility as Christians is not to turn our backs upon such people, but to love them. We do not always have to like them, but we do have to love them for Christ’s sake. No matter how useless and rejected a person may appear to be, “the Lord hath need of him” [or her] – and that’s what makes all the difference! A good lesson to learn for this Palm Sunday and every day in the year.

Luke 5:16—Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

Now why should He do that? Why should Jesus withdraw to a lonely place - or as the Authorised [King James] Version puts it, withdraw into the wilderness - to pray? The answer is really very obvious! Jesus knew just how important it was for Him to draw aside from the hurly-burly of daily living to be alone with His Heavenly Father. With the constant pressures of daily demands upon Him, a quiet and private time of communion with God was essential. That is why He withdrew into a lonely place, a solitary place, into the wilderness, to pray. A simple statement, but a very profound one! It teaches us a very valuable lesson. It begs the question, of course, that if it was so very necessary for Jesus, the Founder of our Faith, how can we as Christians ever hope to face the rigours and demands of this life without a similar time of close, personal and private communion with our Heavenly Father? The time and place is not important as long as we can be alone, where we cannot be interrupted or distracted. The posture of the body, kneeling, standing, sitting, is also not important as long as we are sincere in our approach to Him. One might say, it is the posture of the heart that is of interest to the Lord. The wilderness where Jesus went was a lonely, solitary place - our solitary place may be just about anywhere. I remember at one time, many years ago now, my solitary place was cycling across the Yorkshire moors every Sunday afternoon. On another occasion it was a small room in the heart of London’s West End - quite a contrast! I recall, also, visiting a large family in County Durham, members of my congregation, where the elderly mother who lived with them would sit in the corner of a noisy room with her apron over her head. It was her “prayer room”, I was told - the only place where she could be alone with the Lord! Wherever your solitary place, or mine, is situated, just so long as God is there to meet us, and for us to meet Him, in prayer, the purpose of that meeting has been achieved - to draw spiritual strength to continue in the hurly-burly of daily living…and that is very important. It may not be a cycle on a bleak moor, a small room in a busy city, or under an apron in a noisy room, but it needs to be somewhere! It was very important for Jesus. It is even more so for us!

Psalm 118:24—This is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Which day? Sunday? Today? True, there is much to rejoice over on the Lord’s Day - the first day of the week when we celebrate Christ’s resurrection, and because of this we know our sins forgiven, having accepted Christ as our personal Saviour; we experience, too, the joy of salvation and the blessings of the Holy Spirit. We also have the assurance that Jesus has gone to prepare a place for each of us, as He promised, in John 14, saying that He will come again to receive us unto Himself. These are the promises and blessings to all true believers. Yes, there is much to rejoice about as God’s people share in worship in many churches throughout the world, meet around the Lord’s Table and observe the Lord’s Supper, or hear the Lord’s name uplifted in the faithful preaching of the Gospel, and as people are brought into the kingdom of God. This will be our experience here today! But we do not confine our rejoicing to the Lord’s Day, for Christianity is not a one-day-a-week affair; it is a way of life, and that means seven days a week, because the Christian life is meant to be lived every day. Let us begin the week in the Lord’s House, but let us go on rejoicing all the rest of the week, remembering that every day is the day which the Lord has made. I remember visiting a saintly old soul in hospital some years ago. She was obviously nearing the end of a very hard life, having lost two sons in the Second World War, nursed a sick husband for many years until he died, and was never able to boast of possessing much of this world’s treasures. What she did possess, however, was beyond price. She has a radiant faith in her Risen Lord. It expressed itself in her very being. At the time of my visit she was being given oxygen, one lung having collapsed and the other was severely congested. She whispered something to me which I missed the first time. I leaned closer, and she whispered again, “Praise the Lord!” Within a few hours she had gone to be with her Lord. There is never a moment in any day when we cannot rejoice and be glad over something. The next time we feel like grumbling, let us remember, whatever day it happens to be, that “this is the day the Lord has made: let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Such an attitude will make quite a difference to life - to our life!

Revelation 1:17,18—Then he placed his right hand on me and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the

First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever!”

Here is a wonderful truth! These are the words of Jesus, and the Bible says that He places His right hand upon us. This is very significant. Think for a moment of the uses to which we put our right hand. Normally we shake hands with it as a gesture of friendship and welcome; in many of our churches we welcome new members with “the right hand of fellowship”. In extending His hand to us, the Lord is offering friendship and fellowship with Himself, He is bidding us welcome, and at the same time He says to us, “Do not be afraid”. So many of us live in fear of the future, the circumstances in which we find ourselves; we fear what is round the next corner, which more often than not is another corner, then another after that! In other words, we fear needlessly; we fear and not trust. But how is it possible for the Lord, who died on a cross two thousand years ago, to offer to us His right hand of welcome, of fellowship, of friendship, with the gracious words, “Do not be afraid”? It is possible because He is no longer dead but very much ALIVE! Not only is there a wonderful assurance in this fact, but there is tremendous security, too, for He is alive for ever and ever. You cannot have anything more secure than that. So if you are fearful at the moment, if you lack friendship and fellowship, if you need to feel a welcome, then grasp the Lord’s outstretched hand. He is extending His hand to you right NOW! But realise this, no one else can grasp it for you; it is up to you entirely!  

Romans 10:17—Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard

through the word of Christ.

The Authorised [King James] Version puts this verse much more simply: Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. If we have fully committed our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ, then every day people “hear” the Word of God by our actions as well as from our lips – and faith comes by hearing. Faith and the Word of God go together. In other words, we must believe what we preach as well as preach what we believe. Translated into the everyday, our faith in the Word is reflected in how we live. For instance, it is fruitless to preach of a Risen Saviour, then live our lives as if He were dead, or had never existed at all, denying His very existence for fear of what our friends or workmates might say. It is folly to preach of Holy Spirit power and blessing, then live in fear, unable to do what the Lord requires of us; failing time and time again because we are too timid or nervous, denying the power of the Holy Spirit by the way we live. It is fatal to preach of God’s love to all mankind, then live a lie by rejecting those who may not appear to fit into our society, the unlovely, those whose colour of skin is different from our own, those who worship in a church not of our choosing; by restricting that love in a way not taught by Jesus. How careful we must be when we preach the Word as committed Christians to live out that Word by believing what we preach as well as preaching what we believe, remembering that “Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ” – or to put it more simply, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

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Daily Strength for Daily Living - Volume One

183 Devotional Meditations from the Old Testament

Daily Strength for Daily Living - Volume Two

183 Devotional Meditations from the New Testament

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