Category: Uncategorised

DAILY READINGS: Judges 8; Isaiah 29; 1 Corinthians 8

We are confi dent, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the
body, and to be present with the Lord. 2 Corinthians 5:8
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. Ps. 116:15

Every morning my aunt and uncle began their day sitt ing at the breakfast
table, reading the Scriptures and the daily Choice Gleanings. One
Sunday morning was no diff erent, save with one exception. My uncle
closed his Bible and his head slumped against the wall. From reading
about the Lord, to seeing the Lord face to face. What a joy to have the
assurance of a home in heaven. How precious to be greeted by the
One who loved us and gave Himself for us. —Bob Cretney

Face to face shall I behold Him, Far beyond the starry sky,
Face to face in all His glory; I shall see Him by and by! —Carrie E. Breck

DAILY READINGS: Judges 7; Isaiah 28; 1 Corinthians 7

The wisdom that is from above is fi rst pure, then peaceable, gentle,
and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without
partiality, and without hypocrisy. James 3:17

Here is a seven-fold description of our Lord Jesus Christ, that should
fi ll us with admiration and motivate us to implicit confi dence in
Him and His Word. He is pure. He is peaceable. He is gentle. He is
easy to be intreated. He is full of mercy and good fruits. He is without
partiality. He is without hypocrisy. And as He is, so should we
be. May the Lord help us to grow in our knowledge of Him and to
be Christ-like in our character and behaviour. —Carl Knott

O teach us more of Thy blest ways, Thou Holy Lamb of God.
And fix and root us in Thy grace, as those redeemed by blood. —J. Hutto

DAILY READINGS: Judges 6; Isaiah 27; 1 Corinthians 6

Enoch walked with God aft er he begat Methuselah three hundred
years, and begat sons and daughters. Genesis 5:22

Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying,
Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints. Jude 14
The potency of our testimony is commensurate with our intimacy
with God. If we daily walk with the Lord, He will fi ll our hearts, and
our mouths will overfl ow with messages for Him. In a world that was
much like ours, Enoch walked with Him in dark days when the majority
of the people were evil. Yet, he communed with the Lord, and
thus had a message for the nations, prophesying of divine judgement
on the ungodly. Are we impacting our world? —K. R. Keyser

How wonderful it is to walk with God, Along the road that holy men have trod;
How wonderful it is to hear Him say;
Fear not, have faith, ‘tis I who lead the way!—Theadore H. Kitching

DAILY READINGS: Judges 5; Isaiah 26; 1 Corinthians 5

Who being the brightness of His glory, and the express image of
His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power,
when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down on the right
hand of the Majesty on high. Hebrews 1:3

Jesus Christ made all that was made. He is the very illumination of
the glory of God. His person expresses all that God is. His power
keeps everything together. Without Him, nothing could exist; and
man could not be. Yet, He gave Himself, in sacrifi cial death, to save
us from sin. Amazing! Only aft er giving Himself totally, could He sit
down; in evidence of an accomplished work that totally, fi nally, and
fully accomplished our salvation. What a Saviour! —Doug Kazen

Once for all, O sinner, receive it; once for all, O brother, believe it;
Cling to the cross, the burden will fall, Christ hath redeemed us, once for all.
—P. B.

DAILY READINGS: Judges 4; Isaiah 25; 1 Corinthians 4

Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? Joshua 5:13
He that is not against us is for us. Luke 9:50
He that is not with Me is against Me; and he that gathereth not
with Me scatt ereth abroad. Matt hew 12:30
If God be for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Here we have four similar statements in four diff erent sett ings to
four diff erent people. In essence the question in each case is, “Whose
side are you on?” To a soldier like Joshua, it was comforting. To the
Lord’s disciples, it was encouraging. To hypocritical Pharisees, it
was convicting. To us, sinners saved by grace, it is reassuring. If on
His side, we are assured of victory! —Rex Trogdon

Jesus is calling! Forth to the fray, in line be falling, serve Him today;
Follow Him ever, call no retreat, His soldiers never suff er defeat.—C. S. K.

DAILY READINGS: Judges 3:5-31; Isaiah 24; 1 Corinthians 3

For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die,
we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the
Lord’s. Romans 14:8

There is a very fi ne line between life and death—simply a breath.
Yet, there is a huge diff erence—they are extremes. Our verse today
reassures us that in the trials and joys of life, we belong to the Lord.
We are His. At the same time, even should we die, in death we are
still the Lord’s. The believer’s exclusive position of assurance and
comfort is that there is nothing that exists that can change that position.
You are the Lord’s own peculiar treasure and loved possession—
yesterday, today and forever. —Roy Hill

I am thine, O Lord, I have heard Thy voice, and it told Thy love to me;
But I long to rise in the arms of faith, and be closer drawn to Thee. —Crosby

DAILY READINGS: Judg. 2:6 to 3:4; Isa. 22:15 to 23:18; 1 Cor. 2

Which have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following
the way of Balaam the son of Bosor, who loved the wages of
unrighteousness. 2 Peter 2:15

Balaam stumbled badly where once he stood strong. In this verse,
we are told plainly that he loved the “wages of unrighteousness.”
This was not always so. The actual biblical context (Num. 22:1-20)
speaks of his initial purity regarding money—even to the extent of
refusing a palace full of silver and gold (Num. 22:18). One wonders
where and when he slipped from this high standard? It is a clear-cut
warning for all of us, but particularly leaders. Set yourself free from
the love of money! —Craig Funston

I am resolved no longer to linger, charmed by the world’s delight;
Things that are higher, things that are nobler—these have captured my sight.
—P. H.

DAILY READINGS: Judg. 1 to 2:5; Isa. 21 to 22:14; 1 Cor. 1

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which
the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to
me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing. 2 Tim. 4:8

The crown of righteousness is sometimes referred to as the “watchful
warrior’s crown”. The distinguished scholar, A. T. Robertson,
has said that this is a “crown that consists in righteousness, and is
also the reward for righteousness.” Thus it is a special reward for
those believers who have lived “soberly, righteously, and godly, in
this present world” (Titus 2:12). Why do they so live? Because they
truly and consistently would love to see Christ appear. Is this true of
you and me? —W. Ross Rainey

Keep us, Lord, 0 keep us cleaving to Thyself and still believing,
Till the hour of our receiving promised joys with Thee. —Thomas Kelly

DAILY READINGS: Joshua 24; Isaiah 19-20; 2 Thessalonians 3

To this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that He might
be Lord both of the dead and living. Romans 14:9

Supreme and undiminishing Lordship very properly belongs to our
Saviour. He who was victorious in the batt le where all others have
been defeated! Christ’s glorious resurrection and exaltation confi rm
His unique position of authority. Neither the dead, nor the living,
are outside the sphere of His dominion. Truly, “He is Lord of all”
(Acts 10:36). Is He the Lord of our lives? —George Hall

Jesus Christ is Lord of all, yes, yes, yes.
King of kings and Lord of lords.
That’s all, there is, that all.
My God is Lord of all.–Keith Green

DAILY READINGS: Joshua 23; Isaiah 17-18; 2 Thessalonians 2

The Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. Ruth 1:20
[Hannah] was in bitterness of soul and prayed unto the Lord.
1 Samuel 1:10
Her soul is [bitter] within her. 2 Kings 4:27

The Lord did not scold these women for their anguish of soul. They
took their bitt erness to God alone, and He heard and answered
abundantly—for Naomi a grandson in the line of David; for Hannah
a son, a mighty prophet; for the Shunamite, her son back from
the grave. If we too take our bitt ernesses to the Lord then our sorrows
will “stretch out spaces in the heart for joy.” —M. MacMullen

Every heavy burden, He will gladly share,
Are you sad and weary? Jesus truly cares. —B. Bell