The History of Daily Light on the Daily Path

Daily Light on the Daily Path and the Bagster Family

The origin of Daily Light on the Daily Path is closely connected with the Bagster family of England and the publishing firm which bore the same name—Samuel Bagster & Sons Limited.
Samuel Bagster was born in England, December 26, 1772, and brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord in a Christian home.
At age 7, he was enrolled in a school taught by the Baptist minister John Ryland, and at the close of his education Samuel was indentured to a bookseller. Upon completion of his apprenticeship, he opened his own bookshop in London, April 19, 1794, at the age of twenty-one. A devout Christian, he made it a rule that he would never sell any book which might be considered questionable in taste or subject.
Samuel Bagster married Eunice Birch, December 19, 1797 and they were blessed with twelve children. It was Jonathan (1813-1872), their tenth child, who was mainly responsible for the idea and the method by which Daily Light was compiled when he was himself a husband and father.
In preparing for daily family worship, Jonathan Bagster selected a Scripture text that the family joined together in prayer were asked to illustrate by further applicable Scripture texts. He was editor-in-chief, and his daughter Anne was his chief assistant.
The resultant Scripture texts "were carefully considered, discussed and arranged by common consent of all those present, after which the manuscript would be laid aside for prayer and meditation to see if there would be any guidance for further improvement. Sometimes it was weeks before it was felt that the reading for a particular day could not be improved and then that page would be sent to the printer to be set in type. Later it would be read and corrected and all the references would be verified. Each day for two years the readings were compiled, corrected and improved in this way until the whole book was ready for publication in two volumes, one of the Morning readings and the other of the Evening readings."
It was one of Jonathan's sons, Robert (1847-1924), who in about 1875, first published the collection of 732 Scripture readings—morning and evening for 366 days.
According to Robert Bagster—"This book was prepared entirely within our family, mostly by my father, Jonathan Bagster, his sister, and eldest daughter, while others of the younger ones (myself included), worked in a subordinate position. Few can appreciate the heart-searching care with which every text was selected, the days, nay weeks, of change, alterations, and improvements, until at last each page was passed."
Thus it is correct to say that Daily Light on the Daily Path was prepared by Jonathan Bagster and other members of his family, who were descendants of Samuel Bagster (1772-1851), founder of the publishing firm, Samuel Bagster & Sons Ltd. in 1794.

Prepared for WholesomeWords.org 2012.

~Brittany

New Favorites!

Recently the Lord brought across my path a couple of new resources that have become a real blessing and encouragement to me.

Streams in the Desert is a wonderful devotional that hits the practical heart dealings of life and points to our only one true source of strength - Jesus Christ.

I have been blessed over the past couple of years by the Daily Light on the Daily Path devotional,which is simply a collection of various Scripture passages pulled together into one thought.  My only disappointment has been that it was not in the KJV.  While listening to a teaching tape by Elisabeth Elliot the other day she mentioned reading this in the KJV.  So, I had to look, and was very blessed to find Daily Light on the Daily Path in the KJV!

These are now in the left hand column under our Favorite Websites.  I hope that maybe these, along with the others listed there, can be a blessing and a tool to encourage and to point you to Christ.

~Brittany

Waiting and Understanding

I was blessed this evening as I read these portions of Scripture.  I always love taking multiple portions of Scripture and putting them together for a bigger thought.  Though not done in a version our family would prefer, Daily Light on the Daily Path is an excellent way of getting that!  I hope this is a blessing to some of you as well.

~Brittany

 

Morning
Ruth 3:18; Isa. 7:4; Ps. 46:10; John 11:40; Isa. 2:17; Luke 10:39, 42; Isa. 30:15; Ps. 4:4; Ps. 37:7; Ps. 112:7, 8; Isa. 28:16

“Wait, my daughter.”

“Be careful, be quiet, do not fear, and do not let your heart be faint.”—“Be still, and know that I am God.”—“Did I not tell you that if you believed you would see the glory of God?”—The haughtiness of man shall be humbled, and the lofty pride of men shall be brought low, and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
Mary… sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching…. “Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”—“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”—Ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent.
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
He is not afraid of bad news; his heart is firm, trusting in the Lord. His heart is steady.—“Whoever believes will not be in haste.”

Evening
John 13:7; Deut. 8:2; Ezek. 16:8; Heb. 12:6; 1 Pet. 4:12, 13; 2 Cor. 4:17, 18

“What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand.”

“You shall remember the whole way that the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.”
“When I passed by you again and saw you, behold, you were at the age for love;… I made my vow to you and entered into a covenant with you, declares the Lord God, and you became mine.”—“The Lord disciplines the one he loves.”
Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.—This slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen.

Let us... put on the armour of light.

But put on the Lord Jesus Christ.—That I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith.—The righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.
He has covered me with the robe of righteousness.—With the mighty deeds of the Lord God I will come; I will remind them of your righteousness, yours alone.—At one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light…. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them…. But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Look carefully then how you walk.
  Rom. 13:12; Rom. 13:14; Phil. 3:8, 9; Rom. 3:22; Isa. 61:10; Ps. 71:16; Eph. 5:8, 11, 13-15
~Daily Light on the Daily Path, Day 156, Evening

~Brittany