This perpetual calendar includes:
- Remarkable testimonies of souls won to the Savior
- Explanations of gospel concepts
- Answers to frequently-asked questions
- Stories of real-life witnessing opportunities
- Encouragements and tips for sharing the glorious gospel
March 15
The gospel is free so everyone can afford it. Its terms are so simple that “wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein” (Isa 35:8). It is a universal offer: all are welcome. If someone asks, “What about Hindus and Muslims?” we answer, “Yes, He invites them too! The gospel is also easy to verify for any serious skeptic: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Ps 34:8). The provision is unlimited in its supply (although it is a limited-time offer) so there is no fear of a shortage in “the unsearchable riches of Christ” (Eph 3:8). And this gift is “one-size-fits-all,” just what every soul needs. It never breaks or wears out. Eternal satisfaction is guaranteed by the Maker: “My people shall be satisfied with My goodness, saith the Lord” (Jer 31:14). In fact this one Gift—God’s beloved Son and life in Him—includes every other gift in one, for we are “blessed…with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph 1:3).— J.B.N.
Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 3-5 Memorize: Isaiah 40:28March 14
Warren Wiersbe, in his book, 50 People Every Christian Should Know, tells of an English merchant traveling in Scotland in the seventeenth century who “made this entry in his journal: In St. Andrews I heard a tall, stately man preach, and he showed me the majesty of God. I afterwards heard a little fair man preach, and he showed me the loveliness of Christ.” The first preacher was Robert Blair, the second was Samuel Rutherford. Rutherford ministered in the Scottish village of Anwoth for nine years. “I see exceedingly small fruit of my ministry,” he wrote after two years. “I would be glad of one soul, to be a crown of joy and rejoicing in the day of Christ.” Mrs. Anne Ross Cousin put it this way in her hymn “Immanuel’s Land,” “Oh, if one soul from Anwoth meet me at God’s right hand, My heaven will be two heavens, in Immanuel’s land.” “For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Is it not even you in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming?” (1 Thess 2:19).
Today’s Reading: Ruth 4; 1 Samuel 1-2 Memorize: Isaiah 40:21-22March 13
Reconciliation means “to be returned to favor.” This is necessary only on our side; God does not need to be reconciled. “All things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation” (2 Cor 5:18). In the same way, our message to sinners is on their part alone: “we pray you in Christ’s stead, be reconciled to God” (v. 20). Paul adds the prefix apo to the word in Ephesians 2:16 and Colossians 1:20-21 to mean fully reconciled. In Hebrews 2:17, the word should be translated “propitiation.” This word is the same used for “mercy seat.” For God to be propitiated means that He has found satisfaction in the sprinkled blood. He rests in the finished work of Christ. Specifically He has received full payment for “the sins that are past,” i.e., He was holding the promissory notes given each year on the Day of Atonement, at which times He agreed to live another year among a sinful people, awaiting full payment at the hand of Christ.
Today’s Reading: Ruth 1-3 Memorize: Isaiah 40:15, 17March 12
“For we have not followed cunningly devised fables…but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Pet 1:16). Amy Orr-Ewing writes: “Sceptics would be surprised by the number of extra-biblical writings which refer to events and places mentioned by the writers of the Bible. These writings come from a variety of perspectives and backgrounds, demonstrating that at least some of the content of the Bible is credible to the sceptic.” For example, concerning the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus, Orr-Ewing states: “Josephus claimed that ‘Pilatus condemned him to the cross’ (Antiquities, XVIII.63-64). The Babylonian Talmud states that ‘on the eve of the Passover they hanged Yeshua of Nazareth’ (43a). Tacitus (a Roman historian) and Lucian (a second-century Greek satirist) both maintained that Jesus was crucified.” Tacitus around ad 110 wrote, “Christus…had been executed by sentence of the procurator Pontus Pilate when Tiberius was emperor.” — Why Trust the Bible? pp 56, 58, 82
Today’s Reading: Judges 19-21 Memorize: Isaiah 40:8March 11
“The Lord is near to all who call upon Him” (Ps 145:18). William James Taylor, alias Bill Hennessy, alias Ed Lynch, learned he couldn’t hide from God. At the age of three, at his father’s San Francisco bar he grew to like the taste of liquor by dipping his fingers into the used glasses. By twelve he was a drunken street urchin. After two years in reform school, he lived aimlessly. Gambling, drugs and drink both provided a livelihood and made him a constant fugitive from the law. On the night he arrived in Chicago, he hurried into Pacific Garden Mission to avoid what he thought were suspicious glances of a policeman. He returned a second night. Walking to the front, he knelt and prayed, “God be merciful to me, a sinner, and save me now for Jesus’ sake.” “Since that night,” Taylor said, “I can’t tell all Jesus Christ has done for me. But one thing I can do; tell others about Him. And there’s a lot of things I don’t know, but one thing I do know: God ain’t any picker of persons.”
Today’s Reading: Judges 16-18 Memorize: Isaiah 33:22March 10
Without question, fear of rejection is the Number One reason for lack of witnessing. But is it a good reason? We wouldn’t worry what people thought of us if we realized how little they did. And besides, what people think of you won’t matter a snap of the fingers, but what they think of Christ will determine their eternal destiny. In many western countries, the worst we suffer is an unkind word or an angry glance. Many of our brothers and sisters suffer far worse for standing up for Jesus. But we will overcome this fear of rejection if we focus on our Lord who was “despised and rejected of men” (Isa 53:3). “The fear of man brings a snare: but whoever puts his trust in the Lord shall be safe” (Prov 29:25). Vance Havner wrote, “It is not our business to make the message acceptable, but to make it available. We are not to see that they like it, but that they get it.” Paul said, “Praying…for me…that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel” (Eph 6:18-19).
Today’s Reading: Judges 13-15 Memorize: Isaiah 30:18March 9
Henry Morris and Martin Clark write: “…many of the principles of modern science were recorded as facts of nature in the Bible long before science confirmed them experimentally. A sampling of these would include the roundness of the earth (Isa 40:22), the almost infinite extent of the sidereal universe (Isa 55:9), the law of conservation of mass and energy (2 Pet 3:7), the hydrologic cycle (Eccl 1:7), the vast number of stars (Jer 33:22), the equivalence of matter and energy (Heb 1:3), the law of increasing entropy (Ps 102:25-27), the paramount importance of blood in life processes (Lev 17:11), the atmospheric circulation (Eccl 1:6), the gravitational field (Job 26:7), and many others. These are not stated in the technical jargon of modem science, of course, but in terms of the basic world of man’s everyday experience; nevertheless, they are completely in accord with the most modern scientific facts.” — The Bible Has the Answer, pp 2-3
Today’s Reading: Judges 8-12 Memorize: Isaiah 28:29