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CHAPTER 1

READING 1

I do one thing. I forget everything that is behind me. ... My eyes are on the crown. I want to win the race and get the crown of God's call from heaven through Christ Jesus.

* * *

"Father, I want My followers You gave Me to be with Me where I am. Then they may see My shining-greatness which You gave Me." — I know the One in Whom I have put my trust. I am sure He is able to keep safe that which I have trusted to Him until the day He comes again. — God Who began the good work in you will keep on working in you until the day Jesus Christ comes again.

You know that only one person gets a crown for being in a race even if many people run. You must run so you will win the crown. Everyone who runs in a race does many things so his body will be strong. He does it to get a crown that will soon be worth nothing, but we work for a crown that will last forever. — Let us put every thing out of our lives that keeps us from doing what we should. Let us keep running in the race that God has planned for us. Let us keep looking to Jesus.

PHILIPPIANS 3:13–14; JOHN 17:24 — 2 TIMOTHY 1:12 — PHILIPPIANS 1:6; 1 CORINTHIANS 9:24–25 — HEBREWS 12:1–2

JANUARY 1

READING 2

Sing a new song to the Lord!

* * *

Sing for joy to God our strength! Call out for joy to the God of Jacob! Sing a song, beat the timbrel. Play the sweet-sounding harps. — He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and will put their trust in the Lord.

"Be strong and have strength of heart! Do not be afraid or lose faith. For the Lord your God is with you anywhere you go." — "The joy of the Lord is your strength." — Paul ... thanked God and took courage.

You know what time it is. It is time for you to wake up from your sleep. The time when we will be taken up to be with Christ is not as far off as when we first put our trust in Him. Night is almost gone. Day is almost here. We must stop doing the sinful things that are done in the dark. We must put on all the things God gives us to fight with for the day. We must act all the time as if it were day. Keep away from wild parties and do not be drunk. Keep yourself free from sex sins and bad actions. Do not fight or be jealous. Let every part of you belong to the Lord Jesus Christ. Do not allow your weak thoughts to lead you into sinful actions.

ISAIAH 42:10; PSALM 81:1–2 — PSALM 40:3; JOSHUA 1:9 — NEHEMIAH 8:10 — ACTS 28:15; ROMANS 13:11–14

JANUARY 2

READING 3

He led them by a straight path to a city where they could live.

* * *

"He found [Jacob] in a desert land, in the empty waste of a desert. He came around him and cared for him. He kept him as He would His own eye. Like an eagle that shakes its nest, that flies over its young, He spread His wings and caught them. He carried them on His wings. The Lord alone led him." — "Even when you are old I will be the same. And even when your hair turns white, I will help you. I will take care of what I have made. I will carry you, and will save you."

He makes me strong again. He leads me in the way of living right with Himself which brings honor to His name. Yes, even if I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will not be afraid of anything, because You are with me. You have a walking stick with which to guide and one with which to help. These comfort me.

"The Lord will always lead you. He will meet the needs of your soul in the dry times and give strength to your body. You will be like a garden that has enough water, like a well of water that never dries up." — This is God, our God forever and ever. He will show us the way until death. — "See, God is honored in His power. Who is a teacher like Him?"

PSALM 107:7; DEUTERONOMY 32:10–12 — ISAIAH 46:4; PSALM 23:3–4; ISAIAH 58:11 — PSALM 48:14 — JOB 36:22

JANUARY 3

READING 4

"For you have not yet come to the resting place and the land the Lord your God is giving you."

* * *

"This is no place of rest." — God's people have a complete rest waiting for them. — Behind the curtain of heaven. Jesus has already gone there.

"There are many rooms in My Father's house. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going away to make a place for you. After I go and make a place for you, I will come back and take you with Me. Then you may be where I am." — With Christ, which is much better.

"God will take away all their tears. There will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All the old things have passed away." — "There the troubles of the sinful stop. There the tired are at rest."

"Gather together riches in heaven. ... For wherever your riches are, your heart will be there also." — Keep your minds thinking about things in heaven. Do not think about things on the earth.

DEUTERONOMY 12:9; MICAH 2:10 — HEBREWS 4:9 — HEBREWS 6:19–20; JOHN 14:2–3 — PHILIPPIANS 1:23; REVELATION 21:4 — JOB 3:17; MATTHEW 6:20–21 — COLOSSIANS 3:2

JANUARY 4

READING 5

We who have put our trust in God go into His rest.

* * *

"They become tired doing so many sins." — There is a different law at work deep inside of me that fights with my mind. This law of sin holds me in its power because sin is still in me. There is no happiness in me! Who can set me free from my sinful old self?

"Come to Me, all of you who work and have heavy loads. I will give you rest." — Now that we have been made right with God by putting our trust in Him, we have peace with Him. It is because of what our Lord Jesus Christ did for us. By putting our trust in God, He has given us His loving-favor and has received us. We are happy for the hope we have of sharing the shining- greatness of God.

The man who goes into God's rest, rests from his own work. — I could not be right with God by what the Law said I must do. I was made right with God by faith in Christ. — "This is rest, give rest to the tired and weak." And, "This is the place to rest."

HEBREWS 4:3; JEREMIAH 9:5 — ROMANS 7:23–24; MATTHEW 11:28 — ROMANS 5:1–2; HEBREWS 4:10 — PHILIPPIANS 3:9 — ISAIAH 28:12

JANUARY 5

READING 6

Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us. And make the work of our hands stand strong.

* * *

"Your name became known among the nations because of your beauty. For it was perfect because of My shining-greatness which I had given to you," says the Lord God. — All of us, with no covering on our faces, show the shining-greatness of the Lord as in a mirror. All the time we are being changed to look like Him, with more and more of His shining-greatness. This change is from the Lord Who is the Spirit. — The Spirit of shining-greatness and of God is in you.

Happy are all who honor the Lord with fear, and who walk in His ways. For you will eat the fruit of your hands. You will be happy and it will be well with you — Trust your work to the Lord, and your plans will work out well.

You must keep on working to show you have been saved from the punishment of sin. Be afraid that you may not please God. He is working in you. God is helping you obey Him. God is doing what He wants done in you. — Our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father loves us. Through His loving-favor He gives us comfort and hope that lasts forever. May He give your hearts comfort and strength to say and do every good thing.

PSALM 90:17; EZEKIEL 16:14 — 2 CORINTHIANS 3:18 — 1 PETER 4:14; PSALM 128:1–2 — PROVERBS 16:3; PHILIPPIANS 2:12–13 — 2 THESSALONIANS 2:16–17

JANUARY 6

READING 7

O my God, remember me for good.

* * *

This is what the Lord says: "I remember how you loved Me when you were young. Your love was as a bride. I remember how you followed Me in the desert, through a land that had not been planted." — "I will remember My agreement which I made with you when you were young. And I will make an agreement with you that lasts forever." — "I will visit you and keep My promise to you." — "For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord, "plans for well-being and not for trouble, to give you a future and a hope."

"As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." — "I would look to God. I would put my troubles before God. He does great things, too great for us to understand. He does too many wonderful things for us to number." — O Lord my God, many are the great works You have done, and Your thoughts toward us. No one can compare with You! If I were to speak and tell of them, there would be too many to number.

NEHEMIAH 5:19; JEREMIAH 2:2 — EZEKIEL 16:60 — JEREMIAH 29:10 — JEREMIAH 29:11; ISAIAH 55:9 — JOB 5:8–9 — PSALM 40:5

JANUARY 7

READING 8

Those who know Your name will put their trust in You. For You, O Lord, have never left alone those who look for You.

* * *

The name of the Lord is a strong tower. The man who does what is right runs into it and is safe. — "I will trust and not be afraid. For the Lord God is my strength and song. And He has become the One Who saves me."

I have been young, and now I am old. Yet I have never seen the man who is right with God left alone, or his children begging for bread. — For the Lord loves what is fair and right. He does not leave the people alone who belong to Him. They are kept forever. But the children of the sinful will be cut off. — "The Lord will not leave His people alone, because of His great name. The Lord has been pleased to make you His people." — God kept us from what looked like sure death and He is keeping us. As we trust Him, He will keep us in the future.

Be happy with what you have. God has said, "I will never leave you or let you be alone." So we can say for sure, "The Lord is my Helper. I am not afraid of anything man can do to me."

PSALM 9:10; PROVERBS 18:10 — ISAIAH 12:2; PSALM 37:25 — PSALM 37:28 — 1 SAMUEL 12:22 — 2 CORINTHIANS 1:10; HEBREWS 13:5–6

JANUARY 8

READING 9

You have given a flag to those who fear You, so it may be seen because of the truth.

* * *

The Lord is My Banner. — When the one who hates us comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a wall against him.

We will sing for joy when you win. In the name of our God we will lift up our flags. — The Lord has taken our guilt away. Come and let us make the work of the Lord our God known in Zion. — We have power over all these things through Jesus Who loves us so much. — God is the One Who gives us power over sin through Jesus Christ our Lord. We give thanks to Him for this. — Jesus a perfect Leader.

Be strong with the Lord's strength. — "Truth." — "Fight the Lord's battles." — "Be strong, all you people of the land," says the Lord. "Do the work. ... Do not be afraid." — "Open your eyes and look at the fields. They are white now and waiting for the grain to be gathered in." — "In a little while, the One you are looking for will come. It will not be a long time now."

PSALM 60:4; EXODUS 17:15 — ISAIAH 59:19; PSALM 20:5 — JEREMIAH 51:10 — ROMANS 8:37 — 1 CORINTHIANS 15:57 — HEBREWS 2:10; EPHESIANS 6:10 — JEREMIAH 9:3 — 1 SAMUEL 18:17 — HAGGAI 2:4–5 — JOHN 4:35 — HEBREWS 10:37

JANUARY 9

READING 10

May your spirit and your soul and your body be kept complete. May you be without blame when our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.

* * *

Christ loved the church. He gave His life for it. ... Christ did This so the church might stand before Him in shining-greatness. There is to be no sin of any kind in it. It is to be holy and without blame. — We preach Christ. We tell every man how he must live. We use wisdom in teaching every man. We do this so every man will be complete in Christ.

The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. — Let the peace of Christ have power over your hearts. You were chosen as a part of His body.

Our Lord Jesus Christ and God our Father loves us. Through His loving-favor He gives us comfort and hope that lasts forever. May He give your hearts comfort and strength to say and do every good thing. — Christ will keep you strong until He comes again. No blame will be held against you.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:23; EPHESIANS 5:25, 27 — COLOSSIANS 1:28; PHILIPPIANS 4:7 — COLOSSIANS 3:15 — 2 THESSALONIANS 2:16–17 — 1 CORINTHIANS 1:8

JANUARY 10

READING 11

All will be quiet before You, and praise belongs to You, O God, in Zion.

* * *

We know there is only one God. He is the Father. All things are from Him. He made us for Himself. There is one Lord. He is Jesus Christ. He made all things. He keeps us alive. — "All people will honor the Son as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father Who sent Him." — Let us give thanks all the time to God through Jesus Christ. Our gift to Him is to give thanks. Our lips should always give thanks to His name. — "He who gives a gift of thanks honors Me. And to him who makes his way right, I will show him the saving power of God."

I saw many people. No one could tell how many there were. They were from every nation and from every family and from every kind of people and from every language. They were standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white clothes and they held branches in their hands. And they were crying out with a loud voice, "We are saved from the punishment of sin by our God Who sits on the throne and by the Lamb!" ... [The angels] said, "Let it be so! May our God have worship and shining-greatness and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength forever. Let it be so!"

PSALM 65:1; 1 CORINTHIANS 8:6 — JOHN 5:23 — HEBREWS 13:15 — PSALM 50:23; REVELATION 7:9–10, 12

JANUARY 11

READING 12

He is the only God. He is the One Who saves from the punishment of sin through Jesus Christ our Lord.

* * *

God gave us Christ to be our wisdom. Christ made us right with God and set us apart for God and made us holy. Christ bought us with His blood and made us free from our sins. — "Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out how far the All-powerful can go? They are higher than the heavens. What can you do? They are deeper than the place of the dead. What can you know?"

What we preach is God's wisdom. It was a secret until now. God planned for us to have this honor before the world began. — God kept this secret to Himself from the beginning of the world. And He is the One Who made all things. This was done so the great wisdom of God might be shown now to the leaders and powers in the heavenly places. It is being done through the church.

If you do not have wisdom, ask God for it. He is always ready to give it to you and will never say you are wrong for asking. — The wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. Then it gives peace. It is gentle and willing to obey. It is full of loving-kindness and of doing good. It has no doubts and does not pretend to be something it is not.

JUDE 25; 1 CORINTHIANS 1:30 — JOB 11:7–8; 1 CORINTHIANS 2:7 — EPHESIANS 3:9–10; JAMES 1:5 — JAMES 3:17

JANUARY 12

READING 13

"You will keep the man in perfect peace whose mind is kept on You."

* * *

Give all your cares to the Lord and He will give you strength. He will never let those who are right with Him be shaken. — "I will trust and not be afraid. For the Lord God is my strength and song. And He has become the One Who saves me."

"Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!" — Do not worry. Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. — "Your strength will come by being quiet and by trusting."

From the right and good work will come quiet trust forever. — "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give peace to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid." — May you have ... peace from God Who was and Who is and Who is to come.

ISAIAH 26:3; PSALM 55:22 — ISAIAH 12:2; MATTHEW 8:26 — PHILIPPIANS 4:6–7 — ISAIAH 30:15; ISAIAH 32:17 — JOHN 14:27 — REVELATION 1:4

JANUARY 13

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Excerpted from "Daily Light on the Daily Path"
by .
Copyright © 2019 Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Excerpted by permission of Barbour Publishing, Inc.
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