Author: Gospel Folio Press

Judges 8:1-35; Isaiah 29:1-24; 1 Corinthians 8:1-13

Thus says David the son of Jesse; Thus says the man raised up on high, The anointed of the God of Jacob, And the sweet psalmist of Israel. The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me. 2 Samuel 23:1–2 NKJV

David experienced great failure. Yet despite his sin with Bathsheba and her husband (which haunted him to his grave), David’s name is uniquely important in Scripture. It appears more frequently than anyone else apart from the Lord Jesus and he is the Spiritled lyricist of some of the most poignant poems of Scripture. This repentant man was used mightily of God and called, “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22). No matter how cold our hearts or how
far we may wander from God, His arms are always open to forgive, and to restore to useful service once again. —Jim Comte

Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free? —Samuel Davies

Judges 7:1-25; Isaiah 28:1-29; 1 Corinthians 7:1-40

Open my eyes, that I may see wondrous things from Your law. Psalm 119:18 NKJV

Francis Bacon wrote, “The job of the artist is to deepen the mystery”. Our Creator is an artist. “All nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres”, says the hymnwriter. Our Lord is an artist with words too. The Spirit paints vivid pictures of mysteries, which the more we dig into and meditate upon, the deeper their mystery grows. But at the same time our quest becomes even more compelling. Think of the bread and wine. The more we examine these symbols the richer and sweeter they become. In the words of C. S. Lewis, they are “larger on the inside than they are on the outside”. Let us be like the blessed man who meditates on God’s things day and night. —Marilyn MacMullen

How good is the God we adore! Our faithful, unchangeable friend:
His love is as great as His pow’r, and knows neither measure nor end. —J. Hart

Judges 6:1-40; Isaiah 27:1-13; 1 Corinthians 6:1-20

Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. Exodus 34:29 NKJV
But he (Samson) did not know that the Lord had departed from him. Judges 16:20 NKJV

Moses and Samson both shared a spiritual unconsciousness. Moses did not know the Lord was working through him and Samson did not know the Lord had departed from him. Like Moses, it’s good if we are unaware that the Lord is working through us so we don’t get in His way. But we never want to have self-confidence like Samson. That’s when our own doing, becomes our undoing! —Rex Trogdon

His love has no limit, His grace has no measure,
His pow’r has no boundary known unto men;
For out of His infinite riches in Jesus,
He giveth, and giveth, and giveth again! —Annie Johnson Flint

Judges 5:1-31; Isaiah 26:1-21; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13

I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Psalm 122:1

When someone said “Let us go into the house of the Lord”, it gladdened David’s heart. He wanted to be where the Lord was honoured and worshipped; where he could learn about Him, sing His praises; where he could find fellowship and encouragement. There are many situations and circumstances of life that keep us from gathering together with the Lord’s people—some are valid, some are not! How do we react when someone says, “Let’s go to the
breaking of bread, a teaching meeting or some other gathering of the saints?” Is there a genuine desire in our hearts to remember the Lord, worship Him or meet with other believers? —Ray Jones

Gathered in Thy name, Lord Jesus, losing sight of all but Thee,
O what joy Thy presence gives us, calling up our hearts to Thee! —C.A.W.

Judges 4:1-24; Isaiah 25:1-12; 1 Corinthians 4:1-21

Surely the righteous shall give thanks to Your name; The upright shall dwell in Your presence. Psalm 140:13 NKJV

We are living in a world that is sick with sin. It is often difficult, but our Lord has asked us to give thanks in all our circumstances.  Nothing happens around us that does not pass through our Father’s will. We can trust Him! So let our eyes be looking to the Lord Jesus. Let us live out our faith in this cold world knowing that He is with us. We don’t want to just visit the Lord God now and again, we want to live in His presence. Let us rejoice and be glad. He knows, He cares and He loves! —Vickie Gaynier

Ever standing in Your presence,
Ever living face to face,
Ever sharing, ever listening,
Ever open to Your grace. —Ken Bible

Judges 3:5-31; Isaiah 24:1-23; 1 Corinthians 3:1-23

For from you sounded out the word of the Lord not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith to God-ward is spread abroad; so that we need not to speak any thing. 1 Thessalonians 1:8

Paul’s praise for the Thessalonian believers included telling them that they were essentially putting him out of work. Their well-known witness to the salvation of God was so wide spread, that the entire Grecian peninsula was being reached with the Gospel. They had embraced their own missionary responsibilities in their own land, and this became a model for evangelism. May we each do the same where we live. The coming of our Lord draws nigh. —Rick Morse

Shine forth, shine forth, O children of the Light!
Reflect, reflect His glory bright;
The mighty Sun of Righteousness,
who waits the world to bless. —Elizabeth Hewitt

Judges 2:6-3:4; Isaiah 22:15-23:18; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16

Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing… 1 Peter 3:9 NKJV

We live in a world filled with angry, confrontational people. Heated circumstances can bring out the worst in us. Even the child of God is tempted to anger when wrongly accused of doing something. The carnal response is to retaliate. But our desire shouldn’t be to win the argument but to win the person. The Lord is the greatest example of this. Brought before Pilate, the Sanhedrin and Herod, His answers were always soft, thoughtful and calm. How
then should the child of God respond? “A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger” (Prov. 15:1). —Sid Halsband

May the mind of Christ, my Saviour, live in me from day to day,
By His love and power controlling, all I do and say.  —Kate B. Wilkinson

Deuteronomy 14:22-15:23; Song of Solomon 5:2-6:9; Luke 10:25-42

For this is all my salvation and all my desire. 2 Sam. 23:5 NKJV

Do our hearts not rejoice as we read these words of David, spoken as his life was ending? For indeed, all our salvation and all our desire is encompassed in our Lord Jesus Christ. He is indeed “all and in all” (Col. 3:11) and in Him we are complete (Col. 2:10). What is missing in your life today? You can find all rest, peace, comfort, strength, endurance and joy in Jesus Christ. Through Him, God has given us “all things that pertain to life and godliness”
(2 Peter 1:3). —Annette Baal

With such a blessed hope in view,
We would more holy be,
More like our risen, glorious Lord,
Whose face we soon shall see.  —Robert Boswell

Deuteronomy 13:1-14:21; Song of Solomon 3:6-5:1; Luke 10:1-24

And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” Luke 2:49 NKJV 

Our Lord’s first recorded words are two questions. At 12 years old He respectfully asked them to Joseph and His mother after they found Him in the temple. Inherent in these questions was a proclamation that He was God’s Son and that He had come into the world to do His Heavenly Father’s will. This led to the cross where His last words announced His finished work, committing His Spirit into His Father’s care until His glorious resurrection.
Worship Him for His completed work today! —George Ferrier

As Lamb of God, Thy path we view,
Thy Father’s will, Thy whole delight;
To Calvary we trace Thy way,
Each step of Thine, with glory bright. —Inglis Fleming

Deuteronomy 12:1-32; Song of Solomon 2:8-3:5; Luke 9:37-62

You have kept the good wine until now! John 2:10 NKJV

Dear reader, do you think that surrendering to Jesus is going to doom you to a life of boredom? There’s an important lesson for you in this first miracle Jesus performed. Typically, the “best” wine was served at the beginning of wedding receptions in Jesus’s day (see vv. 9-10). Yet what Jesus provided at the end was better than their very best. Life application: Don’t be fooled into thinking this world can make you happy. What Jesus offers is better than the best
this world has to offer. The world promises happiness, but it’s only temporary and leaves the bitter aftertaste of shame and regret. “The blessing of the Lord,” however, “makes one [spiritually and eternally] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it” (Prov. 10:22). —Brian Cretney

Blessings abound where’er He reigns: the prisoners leap to lose their chains,
The weary find eternal rest, and all who suffer want are blest. —Isaac Watts