Author: Gospel Folio Press

DAILY READINGS: 1 Sam. 18:6 to 19:7; Isa. 59; Rom. 4:23 to 5:11

Whatsoever thy hand fi ndeth to do, do it with thy might; for there
is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave,
whither thou goest. Ecclesiastes 9:10

The truth of the church’s rapture was hidden from Solomon, but
in light of the imminent return of our Lord, the truth of his words
rings with great authority. The time is short to serve our Master.
We are traveling towards eternity and will be there soon. While we
have time, let us share the gospel faithfully. Let us be earnest in our
service for the Saviour as we await His call. —Mark Fenn

When free grace awoke me by light from on high,
Then legal fears shook me, I trembled to die;
No refuge, no safety in self could I see,
Jehovah Tsidhenu my Saviour must be. —R. Murray M’Cheyne

DAILY READINGS: 1 Sam. 17:32 to 18:5; Isa. 58; Rom. 4:1-22

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Psalm 119:105

The Word of God. The safest place for this most valued treasure is
in the heart. Stored there, God’s Word will always be available as a
sword to fi ght all evil away; as food it will nourish the soul; as water
it will quench our inner thirst and cleanse from all iniquity. Is it your
regular habit to hide it in your heart? —E. MacLelland

Thy Word is a lamp to my feet, O Lord,
Thy Word is a light to my way;
It shines in my soul like a star by night,
And comforts and cheers me by day. —Fanny Crosby

DAILY READINGS: 1 Samuel 17:1-31; Isaiah 56:9 to 57:21; Romans 3

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Col. 3:3

The Christian’s life is inseparably bound up with Christ’s risen,
glorifi ed life. As our Lord put it, “Because I live, ye shall live also”
(Jn.14:19). J. Denham Smith described it thus, “Nothing can the ransomed
sever; nought divide them from the Lord.” The world, the
fl esh, and the devil combined are unable to interrupt the indissoluble
link that we have with Him in glory. Neither can illness, adverse
circumstances, or human frailty jeopardize our standing in Christ.
Praise God, His care of us is infi nite. —K. R. Keyser

Ascended now in glory bright, life-giving Head Thou art;
Nor life, nor death, nor depth, nor height, Thy saints and Thee can part.
—J. G. Deck

DAILY READINGS: 1 Samuel 16; Isaiah 55 to 56:8; Romans 2

The cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering
the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to
another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be.
Exodus 25:20

The cherubim and the covering of the ark—the mercy seat—were created
out of one piece of gold. Wings upward, faces downward! They
were a symbol of the glory of God. What a precious truth that His
glory and His mercy are indivisible. It is in the place where His glory
is manifested that we sinners fi nd mercy and that because of the shed
blood of Jesus. This is the only basis of communion with God. Meditating
on His death is to gaze on His glory. —Drew Craig

Gazing on Thee, Lord, in glory, while our hearts in worship bow,
There we read the wondrous story, of the cross, its shame and woe.—C. T.

DAILY READINGS: 1 Samuel 15; Isaiah 54; Romans 1:18-32

Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw
itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days
of thy mourning shall be ended. Isaiah 60:20

Days of mourning are inevitable for mankind, even for the Christian.
We mourn because of sin in ourselves, in the church and in the world.
Life’s challenges may also lead to mourning and certainly death (the
last enemy) always does. But the Lord is determined that these days
will be limited. We, too, can say that, “The sun will no more go down,
neither shall the moon withdraw itself, but the Lord shall be our everlasting
light,” as He brings days of mourning to an end. —Roy Hill

There’ll be no grief in heaven, for life is one glad day,
And tears are those of former things, which all have passed away.—Anon.

DAILY READINGS: 1 Samuel 14; Isaiah 52:13 to 53:12; Romans 1:1-17

Therefore [God] slew [Saul], and turned the kingdom unto David
the son of Jesse. 1 Chronicles 10:14

The obvious question raised on reading this verse is “Are these facts
really true?” A few verses earlier it stated that Saul was wounded
by the Philistines in batt le and fi nally died by his own hand. The
sovereignty of God teaches us that the Lord is in charge, and overrules
in every incident in our lives, including death. So although
he died in the way he did, Saul’s death was according to the mind
of God. Many believers die in tragic ways, other than old age. Take
heart—those who suff er loss—He holds the program of our lives
and knows best. —Brian Russell

Peace, perfect peace, our future’s all unknown?
Jesus we know and He is on the throne. —E. H. Bickersteth

DAILY READINGS: 1 Samuel 13; Isaiah 52:1-12; 2 Cor. 12:14 to 13:14

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The
LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?
Psalm 27:1

In David’s “time of trouble” (v. 5) he was greatly helped by two
spiritual certainties. First, there was the reality of the Lord—“the
Lord is”. The second certainty was his personal relationship with
Him—“my light and my salvation.” As his faith grasped these basic
truths, his troubles took on a new complexion. Indeed, he realized
that his fears were really groundless and quite irrational. We, too,
can rest where David did! —George Hall

Why should my heart, then, be distressed, by dread of future ill?
Or why should unbelieving fear, my trembling spirit fill?
—H. Caesar Malan

DAILY READINGS: 1 Sam. 11-12; Isa. 51:9-23; 2 Cor. 12:1-13

I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will
build My church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matt hew 16:18

The Carpenter from Nazareth has a great building project under
way. He is building His Church and has called us to be His co-workers
in this great endeavour. Day by day as souls are won to Christ,
the building takes its form. Some day soon, the last soul will be added,
the building will be complete and we will be swept up to glory.
Even so come Lord Jesus. —Milton Haack

Lord Jesus, come! And take Thy people home:
That all Thy fl ock, so scatt ered here,
With Thee in glory may appear.
Lord Jesus, come! Lord Jesus, come! —Philip Bliss
5

DAILY READINGS: 1 Sam. 9:15 to 10:27; Isa. 50 to 51:8; 2 Cor. 11

The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; He will save, He
will rejoice over thee with joy; He will rest in his love, He will joy
over thee with singing. Zephaniah 3:17

The Lord has always wanted to be in the midst of His people, surrounded
by them, even to pitching His tent in the middle of their
camp. What a picture of security for us! We see His eagerness to be
with His people again in the New Testament as the two talked about
Him en route to Emmaus. He couldn’t seem to resist joining them.
And now He dwells in us in the person of His Holy Spirit. He is still
mighty. He still saves. May we pray today, “O my God, may my life
bring Thee not pain, but joy; not tears, but a song.” —M. MacMullen

Jesus, we Thy promise claim, as we call on Thy great name;
In the midst do Thou appear, manifest Thy presence here! —C. Wesley

DAILY READINGS: 1 Sam. 8 to 9:14; Isa. 49; 2 Cor. 10

Isaac dwelt by the well Lahairoi. Genesis 25:11b
These are the sons of Ishmael, and these are their names, by their
towns, and by their castles; twelve princes according to their nations.
Genesis 25:16

Abraham’s life was characterized by his tent and his altar. His son
Isaac was also a tent dweller, and lived by a special well. Every son
of promise should similarly be characterized by this pilgrim character,
dwelling close to the wells of the Spirit and the Word. Ishmael
had the same father and the same upbringing, but did not follow his
father’s character. Rather, his clan sett led in the towns and castles of
the world. Spiritually, where do you dwell? —Doug Kazen

I have renounced all sinful pleasure,
Jesus is mine; there’s nothing between. —Charles A. Tindley