A. B. Simpson points us to the story of Gideon’s three hundred, where the Lord Himself turned confusion into victory. The battle was won not by numbers or strength, but by God’s power working through surrendered vessels. Simpson reminds us that our careless words, rash actions, or confessions of fear can dull the edge of what God desires to do through us. The Holy Spirit works in weak vessels, but He does not leave them weak. He equips and shapes them into instruments through which His life and power may flow.

Oswald Chambers draws us into the sobering moment when the rich young ruler walked away from Jesus, not because he misunderstood, but because he understood all too well. He knew exactly what was required and could not bring himself to surrender. His sadness was not confusion, but a grief born out of clinging to what he would not release. Chambers points us to the uncomfortable truth that sometimes the Lord speaks into the very things we are most “rich” in and asks us to yield them completely.

Miles Stanford reflects on the glorious truth that the Father has not left us bound to the old life in Adam but has given us Another Man, Jesus, in whom He is fully pleased. The discovery of our own weakness, failure, or even shame does not have to drive us into despair. Instead, it becomes the backdrop against which the brilliance of Jesus shines even brighter. The Father delights in His Son, and because we are united to Him, that delight extends to us.

Today’s devotional brings us to the Sermon on the Mount, where Jesus describes the kingdom of the heavens as having the highest law. In Matthew 5:19, He warns that disregarding even the least commandment lowers our standing, while keeping and teaching them raises us to greatness in His kingdom. Witness Lee reminds us that morality alone is not enough, because morality can stop short at avoiding outward wrongs like murder or adultery. The kingdom standard goes beyond behavior to the very heart, where love, forgiveness, and humility are expressed as the outflow of God’s life within.

F. B. Meyer draws our attention to the truth found in Ephesians 3:19, that we are invited to be filled with the fullness of God. He writes that the happy person is one who does not step into the day without embracing the Spirit’s fullness. This is not a one-time experience but a continual posture of receiving. Meyer emphasizes that God’s anointing, like fresh oil, abides in us, teaching us and drawing us into the secret of abiding fellowship with Jesus Himself.

E. Stanley Jones takes us deeper into Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3, where the apostle speaks of access to the immeasurable riches of God’s glory in Jesus. Paul describes these riches not in vague terms but in very specific ways that surpass human knowledge. We are not left to guess what this means, for the Spirit spells it out through his prayer: being strengthened in the inner man, experiencing the indwelling Christ, being rooted in love, comprehending the boundless dimensions of His love, and being filled with the fullness of God.

T. Austin-Sparks points us again to the surpassing greatness of Jesus, showing how all else fades in comparison with knowing Him. Paul’s words in Philippians 3 reveal a heart longing not for comfort, reputation, or achievement, but for a deeper sharing in Jesus’ death and resurrection. What the world counts as loss, Paul counted as gain, for he discovered that with every measure of participation in Christ’s death came a corresponding experience of His resurrection life.

Ray Stedman reminds us in today’s reading that life’s circumstances often feel overwhelming, distorted, and frightening. Jeremiah’s story in chapter 20 of his book shows us how quickly despair can take hold, especially when opposition presses in. Yet Jeremiah models the way faith steadies a heart. Instead of staying locked in his complaint, he deliberately shifts his gaze to the Lord, recalling that the Lord is with him like a mighty warrior. Jeremiah’s faith begins to reframe the situation, not through his feelings or perceptions, but through the reality of God’s unchanging presence and power.

Bob Hoekstra reminds us today that not all of God’s promises are immediately welcomed by the human heart. We delight in promises of freedom, rest, and purpose. These sound like water to the thirsty and shade to the weary. Yet some promises are sobering, even uncomfortable, because they expose the seriousness of sin and the consequence of rejecting Jesus. These are the “unpopular” promises, but they are no less true and no less necessary in God’s plan.

A.B. Simpson draws our attention to the sensitivity of the Holy Spirit, whose movements in our lives are not forced but invited. He compares the Spirit’s work to love itself, which cannot be coerced but must be welcomed with trust and affection. Just as frost can wither the delicate petals of a rose, so even a small thought of unbelief or a single word of distrust can hinder His perfect work. This imagery teaches us that God does not call us to strike in frustration, but to speak in faith, trusting His Spirit to respond with grace.

Oswald Chambers points us to an encounter between Jesus and the rich young ruler that cuts to the heart of what it means to listen to the Lord. When the man asked what he must do to inherit eternal life, Jesus did not soften His words or negotiate a lesser path. He spoke with clarity: sell everything, then follow Me. The man walked away sad because he understood the choice but could not bear the cost.

Today’s devotional by Miles Stanford draws us into the heart of Paul’s teaching in Romans 6 and 7. He reminds us that freedom from sin and freedom from the law are both essential realities for the believer. On the cross, Jesus accomplished our liberty. In daily life, this liberty is expressed by the Holy Spirit living in us. The cross is not only about forgiveness but also about our release from the dominion of Adamic sin and the grip of Adamic law.

Witness Lee reminds us that Jesus did not come to cancel or lower the law of God but to fulfill it in Himself. The law given through Moses was good and holy, yet it was incomplete. For instance, the law forbade murder, but it did not address the anger in the heart that leads to murder. The law forbade adultery, but it did not reach the lustful glance that precedes the act. Jesus, the new King, lifts the standard higher. He takes the law beyond outward actions and reveals its true intent in the heart.

Psalm 46 paints a picture of stability in the midst of chaos. Nations rage, kingdoms topple, the earth itself trembles, yet the psalmist declares with assurance that God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Because God is within His people, they will not fall. His voice stills the earth, His presence breaks through the storm, and His promise resounds: be still and know that I am God. This is not a suggestion of passivity, but a call to rest in confidence, knowing that He reigns and will be exalted.

E. Stanley Jones turns our attention to a truth so rich that we often take it for granted. In Jesus we have boldness and confidence of access to God. Paul’s words in Ephesians 3:12 tell us that through our union with Him, the way is always open. We are never shut out, never left to grope in darkness, and never dependent upon ourselves. Outside of Jesus, access is closed. Modern psychiatry may suggest that man is alone in a morally indifferent universe, and the best he can do is face that emptiness without panic. But that is a bleak prison, with man locked inside his own powers.

In today’s reading, T. Austin-Sparks reminds us of a reality that confronts us often. The enemy whispers lies that suggest if we abandon ourselves fully to Jesus, we will be stripped of joy, narrowed in life, and left with less. These thoughts creep in subtly, tempting us to believe that dependence upon the Lord means deprivation. But Sparks presses us toward the opposite conclusion. In Jesus lives the fullness of God in bodily form, and by union with Him, we too are made complete. To reject Him is to live diminished, less than what we were made to be.

The words of Jeremiah in chapter 20 are raw and unfiltered. He feels deceived by God, abandoned in his calling, and ridiculed by those around him. His honesty gives us a window into the heart of a servant of God caught between the cost of obedience and the compulsion of truth. Ray Stedman’s reflections remind us that Jeremiah was not a stone prophet without emotion, but a man who wrestled deeply with discouragement, much as we do.

True freedom in Jesus is not just an escape from sin’s grip, it is a rescue into something infinitely better. Bob Hoekstra reminds us that God’s salvation is not half-done or partial; it is thorough and complete. The Son sets us free, and that freedom is genuine, lasting, and abundant. It is more than release from guilt or the shadow of condemnation; it is entry into righteousness, light, friendship with God, union with Him, His mighty power, and the very life of Christ expressed through us.

It is easy to forget that Jesus, who is exalted at the right hand of the Father, once lived in the ordinariness of daily labor. A.B. Simpson reminds us that He spent thirty quiet years in the carpenter’s shop, working with His hands, sweating in the heat, and growing tired after long hours. This is no small detail. It means the Lord is not distant from our everyday struggles but knows them intimately.

The heart of Oswald Chambers’ devotional reminds me that Jesus does not merely recognize us as part of a crowd, but personally calls each one of us by name. The tenderness with which He addressed Mary outside the tomb shows how deep His knowledge of us runs. She was lost in grief, unable to recognize Him, but He knew her. One word, “Mary,” restored her to joy and trust. Chambers is pointing us toward the difference between knowing about Jesus and actually knowing Him.