Author: Gospel Folio Press

Genesis 43; Psalms 20 to 21; Matthew 25:1-30

A glorious high throne from the beginning is the place of our sanctuary. Jeremiah 17:12

One can sense the awe, power, and majesty that is in view in this verse—God’s eternal throne and the One who sits upon it. But note the lovely link with earth. It is “the place of our sanctuary.” We are privileged, even encouraged, to “come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Heb. 4:16). This place of authority and honour is our place of refuge and solace. Let us draw near today! —Pete Smith

Behold the throne of grace!
The promise calls me near;
There Jesus shows a smiling face,
And waits to answer prayer. —J. Newton

Genesis 41:50-42:38; Psalm 19; Matthew 24:29-51

This day is holy unto the Lord your God; mourn not, nor weep …neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. Nehemiah 8:9-10

There is a time to weep and sorrow over sin and failure, but there is, too, a time for rejoicing that God has opened our eyes to see what we had not recognized previously. He shows us our sin so that we might agree with Him about it, turn from it, and allow Him to replace it with His own good character. Has the Holy Spirit revealed some shortcomings in your life? Give thanks, confess it, and go on joyfully in His power. —Eunice Free

We will not change, what we cannot see,
So reveal, O Lord, my blind spots to me.  —E. Free

Genesis 41:1-49; Psalm 18:30-50; Matthew 24:1-28

But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:11 NKJV

The man or woman of God is marked by what they flee from, and what they follow after. We are to flee from contention and covetousness. These issues are “these things” Paul addresses in verses 3 to 10. We should pursue virtues that are contrary to what the world values. These have to do with godly character and Christ-likeness. They affect how we relate to others and result in putting others first, allowing us to lay hold of eternal life.  —Gary McBride

O to be like Thee! Blessed Redeemer,
This is my constant longing and prayer.
Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,
Jesus Thy perfect likeness to bear.—T. Chisholm

Genesis 40; Psalm 18:1-29; Matthew 23

Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for His friends. John 15:13

The love of Jonathan for David was great and the love of Ruth for Naomi was genuine. However, such love pales into insignificance when compared to the love of the Lord for each one of us. The love of our Lord cannot be contained or calculated. The greatest evidence of that love was Calvary. We humbly praise and thank Him today for that love displayed to each one of us. —John M. Clegg

The love that Jesus had for me,
To suffer on that cruel tree,
That I a ransomed soul might be,
Is more than tongue can tell.  —Jane E. Hall

Genesis 39; Psalm 17; Matthew 22:15-46

You must be be born again…even so must the Son of Man be lifted up…He must increase. John 3:7, 14, 30 NKJV

With John 3:16 on the horizon, the Son of Man establishes the sinner’s great necessity—you must be born again. This human impossibility can only be made possible through the Saviour’s great work—the Son of Man must be lifted up. John, having witnessed to the Saviour and having experienced that indwelling life through Him (1 John 1:2-3),
draws our thoughts to the saint’s great necessity—He must increase, I must decrease. A Christ pre-eminent will is the key to this challenge and will lead us to worship (John 4:24), work (John 9:4), and walk (John 12:26). —David J. Reed

Must I go, and empty-handed, and thus my dear Redeemer meet?
Not one day of service give Him, lay no trophy at His feet? —Charles Luther

Genesis 38; Psalms 15 to 16; Matthew 21:33-22:14

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33

We say these words, sing them, and hang them on our wall but how will they reveal themselves in our lives today? As we go about our duties at work, home, or school, let’s pray that the Holy Spirit will help us prioritize those things that are of eternal value. Your customer is more important than the sale; your child more critical than the laundry; your classmate is worth more than straight A’s. Perhaps we should go through our to-do list and cross something off to allow space for more of His righteousness to permeate our lives today. —Caroline Webb

We seek Your kingdom first; we hunger and we thirst;
Refuse to waste our lives for, You’re our joy and prize.
—Chris Llewellyn, Gareth Gilkeson, Will Herron

Genesis 37; Psalms 11 to 14; Matthew 21:1-32

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deuteronomy 29:29

I normally use only a small percentage of a software’s functionality. If only I had the time to learn all its features, I could increase my productivity. Though we should not speculate about unrevealed things that belong only to God, many of us miss out on things the Lord has revealed to us because we fail to know His Word. Instead, let us search God’s Word for its treasures. He has given us His Word, so that we may appropriate its truths to live fruitful and productive lives. —George Ferrier

Holy Bible, book divine, precious treasure, thou art mine.
Mine to comfort in distress, suffering in this wilderness;
Mine to chide me when I rove; mine to show a Saviour’s love. —J. Burton

Genesis 36; Psalms 9 to 10; Matthew 20:17-34

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up. John 3:14

Nearly 2 billion Chinese will be celebrating the Lunar New Year of the Snake today. The Serpent introduced sin into the world (Gen. 3:1-14), and we all became sinners because of Adam’s disobedience (Rom. 5:12). But God loved us and sent His Son to pay the penalty for our sin. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must
the Son of man be lifted up” (John 3:14). Even if you are born in the year of the snake, come out from his snare, trust the Saviour and be saved from your sin. —K. C. Ung

High on the cross the Saviour hung,
High in the heav’ns He reigns:
Here sinners by th’ old serpent stung,
Look, and forget their pains.—Isaac Watts

Genesis 35:1-29; Psalms 7:1-8:9; Matthew 19:16-20:16

When they were past the first and the second (guard), they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord. Acts 12:10

Peter was chained in prison and faced execution that very day, but the angel of the Lord awoke him, released him from the chains, and led him to freedom. However, the last barrier they encountered was a massive, heavily guarded iron gate. In answer to prayer, this iron gate yielded and Peter was free. Are you facing what seems to be an impossible situation? Trust Him in prayer for He can cause your “iron gate” to yield too. —David Croudace

Not to the strong is the battle,
Not to the swift is the race,
Yet to the true and the faithful
Victory is promised through grace. —Fanny Crosby

Genesis 33:18-34:31; Psalms 4:1-6:10; Matthew 19:1-15

Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. John 19:15

The chief priests said they had no other king but Caesar, thus excluding the Lord God of Israel. We then need to ask, what was the purpose of their priesthood? Who were they priests to? When they rejected the Lord Jesus, this concluded a pattern which began centuries before His incarnation at Bethlehem. When a person who wanders in darkness is unaware that they are in such a state, how great is that darkness! People all around us need the light and don’t know it. We must tell them! —Rick Morse

There are souls to rescue,
There are souls to save,
Send the light! Send the light!  —Charles H. Gabriel