Author: Gospel Folio Press

 

DAILY?READINGS: Ezra 3-4; Daniel 5; Revelation 1

That day they offered great sacrifices, and rejoiced: for God had made them rejoice with great joy…so that the joy of Jerusalem was heard even afar off.  Nehemiah 12:43

The Jews had rebuilt the wall around Jerusalem in only 52 days. This feat was a testimony of Jehovah’s grace to the nation. As they recalled God’s faithfulness, the Jews were prompted to joyfully praise Him so profoundly that they were heard afar off. F. B. Hole reminds us that when hearts are clean and dedicated to God, joy and thankfulness walk together: “If true dedication marks us, God will receive His portion in praise and thanksgiving; we shall have joy in heart; and there will be no lack of gifts for the support of the work of God and of His servants.” —W. A. H.

Take the name of Jesus with you, child of sorrow and of woe,
It will joy and comfort give you, take it, then, where’er you go.—L. Baxter

 

DAILY?READINGS: Ezra 1-2; Daniel 4; 3 John

The governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said unto him, “It is as you say.”  Matthew 27:11 (NKJV)
And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”  Matthew 27:29b (NKJV)

Divine royalty died in order that we might become the King’s sons! Prior to His birth, the Lord’s royal claims were acknowledged (Luke 1:32, 33). In His infancy, the wise men said, “Where is He who is born King of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:2). In His kingly entrance into Jerusalem the crowds cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David” (Matt. 21:9). Yet this King was rejected—for you and me. He became poor that we through His poverty might be rich. May we truly worship and adore our soon coming King. —Jim Comte

O worship the King all-glorious above,
O gratefully sing His power and His love. —R. Grant

 

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Chronicles 36; Daniel 3; 2 John

How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?  Hebrews 2:3a

The only answer to this question is that we cannot! Escape is out of the question. If we reject the Lord Jesus, God’s one and only way of salvation—there is no other option. We have been offered so great a salvation, by so great a God, delivering us from so great a death (Heb. 2:3; Ps. 77:13; 2 Cor. 1:10). Surely this salvation should not be neglected, nor rejected, but accepted by all who hear of so great a Saviour as Jesus our Lord. Will you believe and receive Him today? —Rex Trogdon

Oh, believe it! Oh, believe it!
Christ has died upon the tree, that from sin you might be free;
Oh, believe it! Oh, believe it!
Jesus died for you and me; Oh, believe it!
—John Ferguson

 

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Chronicles 35; Daniel 2:24-49; 1 John 5

Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish’s belly.  Jonah 2:1

When Jonah was in the belly of the great fish, his tongue overflowed with the thoughts of his heart. And what was in his heart? There are echoes of psalms in his prayer—he mentions fleeing from God’s presence, crying for help from the depths of Sheol, being cast into the depths of the seas. He ends his prayer in psalmist fashion as well, “I will offer to Thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Ps. 116:17). The result? “The Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land” (Jon. 2:10). Let me like Jonah know my Bible well enough to speak truth to my own soul when I am overwhelmed with darkness or the disciplining hand of God’s waves and billows. —Marilyn MacMullen

Holy Bible, book divine, precious treasure, thou art mine;
Mine to comfort in distress, suffering in this wilderness. —J. Burton Sr.

 

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Chronicles 34; Daniel 2:1-23; 1 John 4

The mouth of the just bringeth forth wisdom: but the froward tongue shall be cut out. The lips of the righteous know what is acceptable.  Proverbs 10:31-32a

Is it true? Is it kind? Does it need to be repeated? We would do well to remember these injunctions before we pass on some bit of information or news about others. Oh the damage that has been done to the cause of Christ by those who are more intrigued by the lives of others than their own. Do we want our speech to build up or to tear down? To be like choice silver or of little worth? To pass along empty words or to give our listeners something to remember? Edifying speech is of great worth. —G. Frear

Let every tongue Thy goodness speak, Thou sovereign Lord of all;
Thy strengthening hands uphold the weak, and raise the poor that fall.
—Isaac Watts

 

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Chronicles 33; Daniel 1; 1 John 3

The plowers plowed upon my back: they made long their furrows.   Psalm 129:3

In today’s verse, the Holy Spirit foretells our Lord’s scourging. It was a horrific cruelty. The word “long” indicates that there was no part of His back left untouched. The use of the term “furrow” suggests the depth and harshness of each stroke. The wonder of it is that He willingly allowed this torture to happen. “I gave my back to the smitters” (Isa. 50:6). How humbling. It is hard to know what to say. This terrible suffering wasn’t for His sins but ours. Marvellous Saviour, blessed Man of Calvary. Is He your Saviour? —Vernon Markle

Thy cords of love, my Saviour, bind me to Thee forever,
I am no longer mine. To Thee I gladly tender,
All that my life can render, and all I have to Thee resign.
—Paul Gerhardt

 

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Chronicles 32; Ezekiel 48; 1 John 2:12-29

Their eyes were holden that they should not know him.  Luke 24:16
She turned herself back…and knew not that it was Jesus.  John 20:14
But the disciples knew not that it was Jesus.  John 21:4

How did these disciples recognize their Lord? For Mary, the sound of His tender voice calling her name. For John, His miracle of 153 fish caught. For the two on the Emmaus road, seeing His nail pierced hands as He broke bread. The Lord still reveals Himself to His saints. Sometimes it is the gentle sound of His voice calling our name in the midst of despair. Sometimes through His mighty acts delivering us from impossible situations and sometimes it’s a fresh revelation of the tremendous cost of our redemption. —Sid Halsband

Sin, Satan, Death, press near to harass and appal;
Let but my risen Lord appear, backward they go and fall. —S. Gandy

 

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Chronicles 31; Ezekiel 47; 1 John 1 to 2:11

When the burnt offering began, the song of the Lord began also.  2 Chronicles 29:27

When Hezekiah became king of Judah, he inherited a nation in spiritual disaster. Ahaz, his father had cut in pieces the articles of the house of God, shut its doors, and made altars for himself in every corner of Jerusalem. But that did not deter the new leader. From the start, he set out to serve the Lord, and sanctify those that ministered the sacrifices. When it was done, proper worship began and the “song of the Lord began also”. It was a national revival and it began with one person who dedicated himself to the work of the Lord in the way He prescribed. When we do the same, we will be singing too. —Mark Kolchin

The peace of Christ makes fresh my heart, a fountain ever springing:
All things are mine since I am His—How can I keep from singing?
—Robert Lowry

 

DAILY?READINGS: 2 Chronicles 30; Ezekiel 46; John 21

God hath spoken in his holiness.  Psalms 60:6a
But thou art holy.   Psalms 22:3a

God is holy. He reveals holy wisdom, acts with holy power, and speaks with holy words. Yet at Calvary He spoke in holy silence. As our sins were laid on His Son, God demonstrated His holiness by judging sin and remaining silent to the Lord’s anguished cry. At the same time He displayed holy grace, holy mercy, and holy love towards sinners. On the cross our Lord Jesus testified to God’s holiness by replying to His silence, “But thou art holy” (Ps. 22:3). Today may we lift our hearts and worship our God in the beauty of holiness.  —George Ferrier

Only Thou art holy; there is none beside Thee,
Perfect in power, in love and purity.
—R. Heber