Author: Gospel Folio Press

 

DAILY?READINGS: Judges 21; Isaiah 40; 1 Corinthians 16

 

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.  Luke 4:18-19

The One speaking was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah. He came to deal with the enormous problems that have affected mankind throughout history: sorrow, suffering and sin. His coming was the dawning of a day of grace for the world’s sighing and sobbing multitudes. He presented Himself as the answer to the ills of earth. This He fully accomplished at Calvary. —Drew Craig

Calvary covers it all, my past with its sin and stains;
My guilt and despair, Jesus took on Him there.
And Calvary covers it all.
—Mrs. W.G. Taylor

 

DAILY?READINGS: Judges 20; Isaiah 38-39; 1 Corinthians 15:35-58

 

My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother.  Proverbs 1:8

Three mothers stand out in Scripture. Because of a mother’s courage, Moses was saved from Pharaoh’s edict to slay all newly-born sons. Because of Hannah’s selflessness she lent her first-born son to the Lord and Samuel became a leading prophet in the history of Israel. Because of Mary’s obedience and faith, she, though a virgin, gave birth to the Messiah. Godly mothers are an inestimable blessing. They have a special, spiritual relationship with their children that will influence them every day of their lives. May God continue to raise up godly mothers. —K. C. Ung

At the cross, her station keeping, stood the mournful mother weeping, 
For her soul of joy bereavèd, bowed with anguish, deeply grievèd.
—Alfred H. Ackley

 

DAILY?READINGS: Judges 19; Isaiah 37:8-38; 1 Corinthians 15:1-34

 

But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased.  Hebrews 13:16

Praise and service are twin activities for believers. Hebrews 13:15 and 16 describe both of these in sacrificial terms. Each costs something. Praise flows out of regular meditation on God’s Person and work. It requires the serious investment of time and mental energy poring over the Scriptures to enjoy communion with the Lord and gain knowledge of His deeds. Service and giving material things also require time, as the servant discovers other’s needs and prayerfully seeks to share with them. Time, talent and treasure must be used in faithful stewardship to minister to others. —K. R. Keyser

Worship, honour, power, and blessing, Thou art worthy to receive;
Loudest praises, without ceasing, meet it is for us to give.
—J. Bakewell

 

DAILY?READINGS: Judges 17-18; Isaiah 36 to 37:7; 1 Corinthians 14

 

Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear. Hebrews 12:28

How can we serve God acceptably? We are told here to have grace, literally “holding” onto grace and then we will serve God in a pleasing fashion. What is grace for the believer? Grace is the message that you and I have freely received God’s love, favour and acceptance. Recognizing that, we cling to these freely given gifts for strength each day and seek to pass them on to others in the same free fashion they were bestowed to us. —Jared Fraser

He has sowed the precious seed, nothing left for us unsown;
Ours it is to reap the field, make the harvest joy our own.
—Horatius Bonar

 

DAILY?READINGS: Judges 16; Isaiah 35; 1 Corinthians 13

 

Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved…kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering.  Colossians 3:16

An unsolicited email contained a simple yet thought provoking message. It just said “Live simply, love generously, care deeply, speak kindly and be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle.” When I thought on this, I realized that the only template for such sentiments could be the Lord Jesus. These characteristics were exhibited consistently by the Lord in His earthly sojourn. It is incumbent on believers to seek to emulate these traits, so that others may be helped, blessed and encouraged. —Brian Powlesland

O lend a hand to help, haste to speak a word of cheer,
And gloomy clouds will brighten, when the day is drear.
—Frona Scott

 

DAILY?READINGS: Judges 14-15; Isaiah 34; 1 Corinthians 12

 

Remove not the ancient landmark (boundary), which thy fathers have set. Proverbs 22:28

Today there is a relentless war on the traditional values of home and parenthood. The boundaries have been pushed back so far, that there are hardly any landmarks left! The Scriptures present the father as the “patriarch” and the mother as “keeper at home” (Titus 2:5). The term “patriarch,” has the idea of the “leader, protector, teacher, provider of godly family values”. Mothers as “keepers at home” are to be the “watcher, keeper, guard of their own home”. A lady turned to her friend and said, “Oh. I’d give my life to have such children.” The lady replied, “That’s exactly what it cost!” —Jim Comte

May our home be an altar with worship to Thee, 
A beacon of light for the wayward to see.
—Author Unknown

 

DAILY?READINGS: Judges 13; Isaiah 33; 1 Corinthians 11:2-34

 

Who [the Son] being the brightness of his [God’s] glory…  Hebrews 1:3

The Lord Jesus Christ is the outshining of God’s glory. In other words, all the perfections which are found in God the Father are also found in Him. He possesses every divine attribute of God’s moral glory and being. Christ does not merely reflect God’s glory but is Himself the radiance of His glory. —W. Ross Rainey

Lord of glory, we adore Thee,
Christ of God, ascended high!
Heart and soul we bow before Thee,
Glorious now beyond the sky:
Thee we worship, Thee we praise,
Excellent in all Thy ways.
—R. Holden

 

DAILY?READINGS: Judges 11:29 to 12:15; Isaiah 32; 1 Cor. 10:14 to 11:1

 

Truly this was the Son of God.  Matthew 27:54
Truly this man was the Son of God. Mark 15:39
Certainly this was a righteous man. Luke 23:47

All three quotations of the centurion’s words are slightly different. Matthew’s is an affirmation that He is the Lord from Heaven. Luke highlights His perfect humanity. And Mark ties both together, showing the unique union of both. Only in God’s Word can we find such treasures; statements which appear to differ on the surface, yet each one absolutely true. —Rick Morse

How didst Thou humble Thyself to be taken.
Led by Thy creatures and nailed to the cross.
Hated of men, and of God too forsaken,
Shunning not darkness, the curse, and the loss.
—H d’A Champney

 

DAILY?READINGS: Judges 10:6 to 11:28; Isaiah 31; 1 Cor. 9:24 to 10:13

 

And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go…  2 Chronicles 14:11

Outnumbered almost three to one, King Asa cried out to God then, resting on the truth that God could win the battle with many or few, he advanced against the multitude in complete dependence on the Lord. When faced with increasing opposition as we are today, we can either timidly draw back, or resting solely on the Lord, boldly go forth and witness for Him and see Him at work. —David Croudace

“We go” in faith, our own great weakness feeling,
Yet from our hearts a song of triumph peeling,
“We rest on Thee, and in Thy name we go.”
—Edith G. Cherry