Author: Gospel Folio Press

DAILY READINGS: Deut. 17:1-18:8; Obadiah:1-21; Luke 11:14-36

Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus. Hebrews 6:19-20

It has been suggested that the word “forerunner” has a nautical association. In the days of sailing ships, the most dangerous time of any voyage was when approaching a treacherous harbour with its rocks and shoals. A small boat would then take the anchor, with a cable attached, to be secured within the harbour. This guaranteed that the ship would safely reach the shore. Our forerunner, our Lord Jesus, is already in heaven, and our link with Him guarantees our safe arrival in the haven of rest. —W. H. Burnett

We have an anchor that keeps the soul,
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll. —P. J. Owens

DAILY READINGS: Deut. 16:1-22; Song of Sol. 6:10-8:14; Luke 11:1-13

Behold my servant…A bruised reed shall he not break Isaiah 42:1, 3
Thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob…I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles. Isaiah 49:6
Behold, my servant…As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men. Isaiah 52:13-14

The character of His Servant was one of humility and impeccability. The mission of His Servant was for all—both Jew and Gentile. The suffering of His Servant was extreme and accomplished salvation for
all who call on Him. —Tom Steere

Behold! a spotless Victim dies, my Surety on the tree;
The Lamb of God, the Sacrifice, He gave Himself for me! —Author Unknown

DAILY READINGS: Deut. 14:22-15:23; Song of Sol. 5:2-6:9; Luke 10:25-42

Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son. Colossians 1:13

A wonderful spiritual transference occurs when, repenting of our sins, we receive Jesus Christ as our Saviour and Lord. At that very moment, by God’s power we cease to belong to the evil kingdom headed by Satan. Without any delay we are “translated” into a totally different sphere—“into the kingdom of the Son of his love” (Darby). This “translation” is God’s doing and is righteously achieved through Christ’s redemptive work at Calvary (v. 14). —George Hall

No longer far from Him, but now,
By precious blood made nigh;
Accepted in the Well-beloved,
Near to God’s heart we lie. —M. S. Sullivan

DAILY READINGS: Deut. 13:1-14:21; Song of Sol. 3:6-5:1; Luke 10:1-24

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6

Man’s hunger and thirst for spiritual things can only be filled through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the water of life and the bread of life. Just as bread and water satisfy our physical needs and keep us alive, so our Lord satisfies our spiritual needs and gives eternal life. He turns away no-one who comes to Him with a sincere heart. We are strengthened inwardly by His Spirit as we feed on His Word. —G. Frear

All who hunger, gather gladly;
Holy manna is our bread.
Come from wilderness and wandering.
Here, in truth, we will be fed. —S. Dunstan

DAILY READINGS: Deut. 12:1-32; Song of Sol. 2:8-3:5; Luke 9:37-62

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 2 Chronicles 20:3

An enormous army faced Judah. Jehoshaphat responded to fear by seeking the Lord (v. 4). He led corporate prayer (v. 6) and with strong faith (v. 9) he looked to God for wisdom and strength (v. 12). Doing so he unified the people (v. 13). God assured them that both the battle and victory were His. They needn’t fear or fight. He was with them (vv. 14-17). The people responded with worship (vv. 18- 19). Believing, they went out (v. 20). What an example for us. —George Ferrier

We go in faith, our own great weakness feeling,
And needing more each day Thy grace to know:
Yet from our hearts a song of triumph pealing,
“We rest on Thee, and in Thy Name we go.” —Edith G. Cherry

DAILY READINGS: Deut. 10:12-11:32; Song of Sol. 1:1-2:7; Luke 9:18-36

Then spake Joshua to the Lord…Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon. Joshua 10:12

Joshua prayed that the sun would stand still and it did (so he thought). But we know that God caused the earth to stand still—in response to Joshua’s faith. God knew that what Joshua needed was an extra day of sunlight. He answered by causing the earth to stand still. Isn’t God gracious? He doesn’t leave us hanging because we use the wrong words. He hears our prayer and gives us the answer we really need. Joshua took his need to God and for him the sun stood still. He will do the same for us. —Deborah Manera

Christ will always accept the faith,
That puts its trust in Him. —Andrew Murray

DAILY READINGS: Deut. 9:1-10:11; Eccl. 11:1-12:14; Luke 9:1-17

The elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord…it may save us…And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed. 1 Samuel 4:3, 21

Ichabod—what a terribly sad thing for Israel—God’s glory had departed! It all started when the “elders” made a decision contrary to the Word of God (v. 3). Is it possible that the glory has departed from some
assemblies of God’s people today? We often spend hours discussing a problem and a possible solution when we could better spend that time in prayer and searching the Word of God for His answer. —David Croudace

He bought the church with His own blood!
He guides His church with His own book. —Author Unknown

DAILY READINGS: Deut. 7:12-8:20; Eccl. 9:11-10:20; Luke 8:40-56

The officers answered, Never man spake like this man. John 7:46

This lovely statement is only recorded by John, and is in keeping with his great theme of the deity of Christ and His pre-eminence in all things. He spoke words of light, revealing His bright glory and illuminating His listeners. He spoke words of love, that deeply touched the souls of sinners, imparting peace, hope and forgiveness (John 8:11). We can agree with Peter and say that He alone has “the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). —Pete Smith

Every day He comes to me with new assurance,
More and more I understand His words of love;
But I’ll never know just why He came to save me,
Till some day I see His blessed face above. —C. F. Weigle

DAILY READINGS: Deut. 6:1-7:11; Eccl. 8:1-9:10; Luke 8:22-39

Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. John 12:3

So it should be in our “spiritual house” as an assembly of God’s people. Our sole occupation should be with Christ Himself in heart devotion. It is this occupation with Him that suffuses the fragrance of our worship to the whole gathering. May our worship this day send a sweet smelling aroma unto our God! —Ken Gunnell

His is love, ‘tis love unbounded,
Without measure, without end;
Human thought is here confounded,
‘Tis too vast to comprehend. —Thomas Kelly

DAILY READINGS: Deuteronomy 5:1-33; Ecclesiastes 7:1-29; Luke 8:1-21

And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity. 1 Corinthians 13:13

Rushton Lodge in Northamptonshire is unusual—the building only has three sides. Everywhere the number three is emphasized— three floors, three windows on each wall, each wall 33 feet long, three chimneys etc. It was built in the 1590’s by an Elizabethan knight to declare his staunch belief in the Holy Trinity. The Father loved us enough to devise a plan of salvation. The Son loved us enough to die for us. The Holy Spirit appealed in love to us to repent and trust Christ for eternal salvation and to build our lives around Him. What legacy will we leave for others to see? —Brian Powlesland

Holy, holy, holy merciful and mighty,
God in three Persons, blessed Trinity. —Reginald Heber