“And she (Ruth) went, and came,
and gleaned in the field after the reapers.”
(Ruth 2:3)
In Ruth’s day, gleaning was to gather the grain left by the reapers (Leviticus 19:9-10).
In its figurative sense gleaning means to gather knowledge and wisdom bit by bit.
As a young believer, my Christian friends and I greeted each other by asking,
"Where are you gleaning today?”
We wanted to encourage each other to be in the Word. Daily reading of God’s Word
often brings “choice gleanings”, golden surprises from God’s heart to ours.
As we start a NEW YEAR, glean from the Word of God daily.
(Robert Gentile)
The Word of God, a river of pleasure;
The Word of God, ’tis food for the mind;
The Word of God, its light faileth never,
The Word of God, what treasure we find.
The Word of God, a message of love,
The Word of God, it came from above.
(Arthur E. Smith)
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January 2
“Ebenezer . . . Hitherto hath the Lord heeled us.”
(1 Samuel 7:12)
“O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good;
because His mercy endureth forever.”
(Psalm 118:1)
Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
In working or in waiting, another year with Thee.
Another year of progress, another year of praise,
Another year of proving Thy presence all the days.
Another year of mercies, of faithfulness and grace,
Another year of gladness in the shining of Thy face;
Another year of leaning upon Thy loving breast;
Another year of trusting, of quiet, happy rest.
Another year of service, of witness for Thy love,
Another year of training for holier work above.
Another year is dawning, dear Father, let it be
On earth, or else in Heaven, another year for Thee.
(Francis Ridley Havergal)
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January 3
“He giveth power to the faint;
and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.”
(Isaiah 40:29)
“As thy days, so shall thy strength be.”
(Deuteronomy 33:25)
Not yesterday’s load we are called on to bear,
Nor the morrow’s uncertain and shadowy care;
Why should we look forward or back with dismay?
Our needs, as our mercies, are but for the day;
One day at a time, and the day is His day;
He has numbered its hours, though they haste or delay;
His grace is sufficient; we walk not alone;
As the day, so the strength that He giveth His own.
(Annie Johnson Flint)
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January 4
“Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth
that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.”
(1 John 4:2)
You were born into the world; you had no existence before you were born.
You began here on earth; you came into existence when you were born of your parents.
But that blessed One did not begin to be when He was born in the stable and cradled in the manger;
He came from heaven’s highest glory down into this world to be the Saviour of the world.
He who was higher than all of the angels, He, their Creator, became a little lower
than these glorious beings in order that He, by the grace of God,
might taste death for every man. The great truth is that:
“God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing
their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation”.
(2 Corinthians 5:19)
“Great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified
in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed
on in the world, received up into glory”.
(1 Timothy 3:16)
To think of Jesus as anyone else than God, the Creator become Man for our redemption,
is to deny the truth concerning Him revealed in this Book,
and is the spirit of antichrist.
(H.A. Ironside)
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January 5
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
(John 3:16)
This is what Paul calls God’s unspeakable gift—2nd Corinthians 9:15; His all inclusive gift—Romans 8:32.
Of that wonderful verse—John 3:16 there you have the richest mercy—“God so loved”;
The blackest object—“the world”;
The costliest price—“He gave His only begotten Son”;
The widest reach—“that whosoever”;
The easiest terms—“believeth in Him”;
The most marvellous escape—“should not perish";
The wealthiest gift—“have everlasting life.”
Before the one stupendous fact that the Son of God was crucified for men,
All helplessness vanishes,
All doubts are silenced,
All murmurs die away.
On Calvary was expressed for all time a
- love which is wide as the limits of the universe,
- Long as the ages of eternity,
- Deep as the abyss from which it has redeemed us,
- High as the throne of God.
(In Pastures Green - George Henderson)
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January 6
“The gospel . . . which also ye have received . . . by which also ye are saved, how that Christ died for our sins . . . He was buried, and rose again the third day, according to the scriptures . . ." (1 Corinthians 13:1-4)
“Ye believe in God, believe also in Me . . .
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again
and receive you unto Myself that where I am there ye may be also.”
(John 14:1-3)
"The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities:
A virgin's womb and an empty tomb.
Jesus entered our world through
a door marked ‘No Entrance’
and left through a door
marked ‘No Exit.’”
(Peter Larson - With thanks J.J.)
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January 7
“And (Jesus) arose, and rebuked the wind, and
He said unto the sea peace be still.”
(Mark 4:39)
PEACE - BE STILL!
Another year has gone. Our eyes are still fixed on that portion of the Divine Calendar so clearly marked as the era of Grace. God's clock moves steadily on. The saints alone enjoy peace.
Our Lord Jesus is in the boat and all is well. So long as Paul was in the ship all was well with the mixed crew. So it is today amidst all the terrible happenings, let us take courage.
Nothing can possibly happen until the era of Grace has run its course.
We need not be distressed even for the poor old world, for all will arrive safely on land, even though on perhaps just broken pieces of ship. He must eventually be All in all.
So, as we travel along the highway of another year of Grace, may we keep our minds stayed upon Him, and may we keep our eyes fixed upon that portion of the Divine Calendar which is so especially ours, the era of Grace. Let us talk of peace, and may His peace preside in our hearts.
Peace – be still!
Joseph A. Freeman - Unsearchable Riches (Volume 30 - 1939)
B.Lucas
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January 8
“The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the firmament showeth His handiwork.”
(Psalm 19:1)
George Cryer was, until his decease, and English Member of Parliament.
One personal interest for him was the preservation of old railways in West Yorkshire.
On his death, a plaque was erected on a railway building which which simply said,
“If your seek his memorial, look around.”
What he had accomplished was
evident for all to see.
Someday our opportunity to labour for the Lord will cease.
What wil we have to show, as to what we have done for the Lord?
(Brian Powlesland)
O let my life be given, my years for Thee be spent
World — fetters all be riven, and joy with suffering blent;
Thou goest Thyself for me; I give myself to Thee.
(Francis Ridley Havergal)
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January 9
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, GENTLENESS, goodness, faith . . .” (Galatians 5:22)
One day at an auction a man bought a vase of cheap earthenware for a few pennies.
He put into the vase a rich perfume—the attar of roses.
For a long time the vase held this perfume, and when it was empty it had been so soaked
through with the sweet perfume that the fragrance lingered.
One day the vase fell and was broken to pieces, but every fragment still smelled of the
attar of roses.
We are all common clay—plain earthenware, but if the love of Christ is kept in our hearts it will sweeten all our life, and we shall become loving as He.
That is the way the beloved disciples learned the lesson and grew into such lovingness.
John leaned on Christ’s breast, and Christ’s gentleness filled all his life. (John 13:23)
As John upon his dear Lord’s breast, so would I lean, so would I rest;
An empty shell in depths of sea, so would I sink, be filled with Thee.
Like singing bird in high blue air, so would I soar, and sing Thee there.
Nor rain, nor stormy wind can be, when all the air is full of Thee.
And so, though daily duties crowd, and dust of earth be like a cloud,
Through noise of words, O Lord, my Rest, Thy John would lean upon Thy breast.
(Rose from Brier)
Save me from growing hard!
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January 10
HOW TO KEEP FRESH
“We preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord.”
(2 Corinthians 4:5)
MAKE JESUS CHRIST your theme!
I have seen preachers espouse causes and champion movements,
and when the cause died and the movement collapsed, the preacher vanished too.
But the man who glories in Christ never grows stale.
Jesus Christ is perennial and he who makes his boast in Him stays forever fresh.
He shall bring forth his fruit in his season, his leaf also shall not wither,
and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.
How long it take us to learn that the issue is simply Jesus!
We read books and feel that the magic word is sure to appear on the next page, but it doesn’t.
We read biography, but we cannot live on second-hand experience.
We try to work up visions and ecstasies of our own, but even if we succeed the glory fades.
At last we arrive where we should have started, to learn that:
Once it was the blessing;
Now it is the Lord.
It is all Jesus. Why not start at the center and work out instead of
starting on the circumference and working in?
“By Him all things consist.”
Stand at the Hub and all the spokes are yours!
(Day by Day with Vance Havner)
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January 11
“Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean
not unto thine own understanding.”
(Proverbs 3:5)
When my way is hedged about me, hedged with thorns of care;
When the cross I loved so dearly, seems too hard to bear;
When my heart is bowed with sorrow, and no light I see—
Lord, Thy tender mercy pleading, let me lean on Thee.
(Fanny Crosby)
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January 12
Let me see your tongue!
“A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh."
(Luke 6:45)
If your religion does not sweeten your tongue—it has done nothing for you.
If the doctor wants to know the state of your health, he says, "Let me see your tongue!"
There is no better test of the health of the soul,
than to see what is on the tongue!
When it gets cankered with unkind words,
when it turns black with blasphemy,
when it is spotted with impurity—
there is something very bad inside the heart,
you may be quite sure of that!
Let your lips be a fountain from which all streams that
flow shall savour of grace and goodness.
(Charles Spurgeon)
“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good to the use of edifying, that
it may minister grace unto the hearers.”
(Ephesians 4:29)
“Neither filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting,
which are not convenient: but rather giving of thanks.”
(Ephesians 5:4)
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