Author: Gospel Folio Press

DAILY?READINGS: Numbers 19; Proverbs 16; 2 Peter 3

…He constrained his disciples to get into the ship…   Mark 6:45
He saw them toiling in rowing…and about the fourth watch of the night he cometh unto them… Mark 6:48

These disciples only did what their Lord told them and look where it got them! The middle of the night, the middle of the storm, in the middle of the sea. But…they were also in the middle of His will! Who gave us the grand idea that if we follow the Lord, life would be easy? Remember in the midst of the storm He has a plan. He sent them, He saw them; He came to them. —Sid Halsband

The winds of affliction around me may blow,
And dash my lone barque as I’m sailing below;
I smile at the storm as I lean on His breast,
And soon I shall land in the haven of rest.
—H. F. Lyte

DAILY?READINGS: Numbers 18; Proverbs 15; 2 Peter 2

…Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am He that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.  Revelation 1:17-18

Nothing can calm the troubled heart like the words of our Lord Jesus. To a lonely, old man exiled on an island in the Mediterranean, this must have brought great comfort and joy. Maybe today you are passing through anxious and fearful times, not knowing what the future holds. Take heart, there is One who has passed through death and is alive forevermore! He is in complete control of our lives and circumstances because He is the great I Am! He can never fail! —Jim Paul

Because He lives I can face tomorrow, because He lives all fear is gone;
Because I know, He holds the future, and life is worth the living;
Just because He lives.
—Bill Gaither

DAILY?READINGS: Numbers 16:41 to 17:13; Proverbs 14; 2 Peter 1

And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar…and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.  Genesis 16:3
And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? Genesis 16:8
For this Agar is Mount Sinai in Arabia. Galatians 4:25

Even though Hagar had become Abram’s second wife, the angel of the Lord addressed her as Sarai’s maid. She represents the law given at Mount Sinai, and therefore she could never be truly joined with faith, for Abram represents faith, and Sarai, grace. The law can only be handmaid to grace. Mankind so often tries to be joined to faith by works, but God consistently reminds us, “by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified” (Gal. 2:16). —Tom Steere

Sovereign grace o’er sin abounding, ransomed souls, the tidings swell;
‘Tis a deep that knows no sounding, who its breadth or length can tell?
—John Kent

DAILY?READINGS: Numbers 16:1-40; Proverbs 13; 1 Peter 5

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. John 1:12-13

Today many people believe their family relations make them Christians. Others attempt to reform themselves. Still others are trusting in their religion. Dear reader, to see God you must believe on Christ and be born into God’s family. —George Ferrier

My hope is built on nothing less; 
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, 
But wholly trust in Jesus’ Name. 
—E. Mote

DAILY?READINGS: Numbers 15; Proverbs 12; 1 Peter 4

The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe.  Proverbs 18:10

In Tokyo there is a tower 2,080 feet high and strong enough to withstand the earthquakes that often rock Japan. Engineering technology allows it to sway with the most violent shocks and absorb them without cracking. The tower is called Sky Tree. We live in times when many of God’s people around the world are going through appalling troubles and sufferings. When such come upon us we need to run to the Lord, our strong tower. Trials and suffering may reel and rock us, but we will not snap or crack. How grateful we should be for the Lord who for His people is a strong tower of refuge. —W. Ross Rainey

Jesus, before Thy face we fall—Our Lord, our life, our hope, our all!
For we have nowhere else to flee—No sanctuary, Lord, but Thee!
—Medley

DAILY?READINGS: Numbers 14; Proverbs 11; 1 Peter 3

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.  2 Corinthians 8:9

The word “rich” is exhausted describing Christ’s preincarnate glory. With the Father and the Spirit, the Son of God dwelt in unapproachable light. Yet He willingly relinquished His unassailable position in heaven in order to become the servant who sacrificed His life at the cross. Our poverty was commensurate with His riches; we possessed nothing valuable in ourselves. Yet in matchless grace He enriched us at His own terrible expense. Thank the Lord for such a gift! —K. R. Keyser

Thine the cost and Thine the suffering, Thine the cross and shame;
Ours the never-ending blessing, through Thy precious name.
—P. Ellis

DAILY?READINGS: Numbers 12-13; Proverbs 10; 1 Peter 2

And when they came unto the borders of Jordan…the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to see to.  Joshua 22:10

Building this huge altar was a mistake which almost led to a Jewish civil war. It proves a valuable principle. Unity and the tools that preserve unity are in God’s hands. We cannot fabricate it though our own cleverness. The unity of the Church is preserved by the power of the Holy Spirit as Christians pursue a better understanding of Scripture. Unity is not forged by fabricated “altars of witness” such as human creeds and Church traditions (Eph. 4:3, 13-15). The closer we draw to Christ the closer we will draw to one another. —W. A. H.

The Church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord,
She is His new creation by water and the Word.
—S. J. Stone

DAILY?READINGS: Numbers 11:4-35; Proverbs 9; 1 Peter 1

And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which the Lord did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt.  Exodus 13:8

It is our duty as Christian parents to constantly remind our children and grandchildren that any blessing that has come our way is from the Lord. It will instill in them a fear of the Lord and an appreciation of His goodness, which will never leave them. On the other hand, a negative and complaining spirit will likewise be contagious. —Brian Russell

Jesus paid it all;
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
—E. M. Hall

DAILY?READINGS: Numbers 9 to 10:10; Proverbs 6:20 to 7:27; Mark 16

These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work.  1 Chronicles 4:23

What an honour to serve the King of Kings! He has a task for you! If you would “work for Him” the essential thing is to “dwell with Him”. Listen to His voice, learn His will, submit to His authority, and follow His leading.  —George Hall

Is your place a small place? 
Tend it with care! He set you there!
Is your place a large place? 
Guard it well! He set you there!
Whate’er your place, it is not yours alone, but His! 
He set you there!
—John Oxenham