TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 29-31 & Psalm 29-30
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 29- Winning Team

1 Samuel 29:4
“But the princes of the Philistines were angry with him; so the princes of the Philistines said to him, ‘Make this fellow return, that he may go back to the place which you have appointed for him, and do not let him go down with us to battle, lest in the battle he become our adversary…’”

The Philistine lords gathered together to prepare an attack on Israel. Since David … Read More

1 Samuel- That’s Not Fair

1 Samuel 30:24-25
“’…But as his part is who goes down to the battle, so shall his part be who stays by the supplies; they shall share alike.’ So it was, from that day forward; he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.”

As David and his men… Read More

Psalm 29- Give To The Lord

Psalm 29:1-2
“Give unto the Lord, O you mighty ones, Give unto the Lord glory and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.”… Read More

Psalm 30- Silence Is Not An Option

Psalms 30:1
“I will extol You, O Lord, for You have lifted me up, And have not let my foes rejoice over me.”

David was a soldier.  His enemies carried swords and spears and sought to bring an end to his life. It is not a stretch to imagine officers gathering in tents a scheming how they might kill Israel’s military leader. I am not a soldier. My enemies look very … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 26-28 & Psalm 27-28
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 26- Leadership 

1 Samuel 26:6
“Then David answered, and said…
‘Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?’
And Abishai said, ‘I will go down with you.’”… Read More

1 Samuel 27- What Is Your Heart Saying?

1 Samuel 27:1
“And David said in his heart, ‘Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.’”

It seems that David had reached his breaking point. After years of hiding in… Read More

1 Samuel 28- Where Are You?

1 Samuel 28:6
“And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.”

The Philistine armies were a constant threat to Israel. They occupied the coastal south of the nation, but not being content with the land they had, and regularly attempted to spread north. Saul, now an old man, is once again threatened by the war. Confused and frightened, he begins to seek… Read More

Psalm 27- The Heart’s Cry

Psalm 27:4
“One thing I have desired of the LORD, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, . . .”

Did you ever have that daydream, as a kid, where you found the magic lamp, and the genie promised to grant your wish, no matter how outlandish it may be? Imagine what it would be like if God appeared to you, declaring He would give you whatever you asked for. How would you respond? What would you ask from… Read More

Psalm 28- Strength And Shield 

Psalms 28:7
“The Lord is my strength and my shield; My heart trusted in Him, and I am helped; Therefore my heart greatly rejoices, And with my song I will praise Him.”

Years ago I injured my knee and required surgery. Before the operation, I was given a detailed description of the human knee. I learned how it was constructed, how it functioned and how mine was damaged. When the surgery… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 24-25 & Psalm 25-26
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 24- Conviction

1 Samuel 24:5
“Now it happened afterward that David’s heart troubled him because he had cut Saul’s robe.”

Life is filled with obstacles. We face constant trials that make this journey difficult. Yet, it seems we can handle almost anything except a troubled heart. When we are overwhelmed from within, it makes even the lightest burdens seem … Read More

1 Samuel 25- Heritage 

1 Samuel 25:3

“… but the man was harsh and evil in his doings. He was of the house of Caleb.”

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 22-23 & Psalm 23-24
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 22- Great Opportunities

1 Samuel 22:1-2
“David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. So when his

brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. And … Read More

1 Samuel 23- Strong hands

1 Samuel 23:16
“Then Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God.”

Things seem to be going from bad to worse for David. Saul’s rage forced him to flee the palace, and live the life of a fugitive. For safety sake, he dwelt in caves to hide from the king and his spies. He and his men came out of hiding at the command of the Lord, and risked their lives to rescue the city  … Read More

Psalm 23- Good Shepherd

Psalm 23:1 
“The Lord is my Shepherd . . .”

In this Psalm, David uses the illustration of a shepherd to speak of God’s care for those who belong to Him. This Psalm speaks of the benefits true to all who are in a covenant relationship with God. He speaks of God’s provision… Read More

Psalm 24- Coming Messiah

Psalms 24:9-10
“Lift up your heads, O you gates!
Lift up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.
Who is this King of glory?
The Lord of hosts,
He is the King of glory.”
It seems the Psalmist is… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 20-21 & Psalm 21-22
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 20- A Turning Point

1 Samuel 20:19
“And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel.”

The stone Ezel would forever … Read More

1 Samuel 21- The Sword

1 Samuel 21:9
“So the priest said, ‘The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you killed in the Valley of Elah, there it is, wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it. For there is no other except that one here.’And David said, ‘There is none like it; give it to me.’”… Read More

Psalm 21- Greater Is He

Psalms 21:11
“For they intended evil against You;
They devised a plot which they are not able to perform.”

The thing that makes following Christ so difficult is the enemies we face. The primary enemy of the Christian is the devil and his minions. Scripture describes the devil as a schemer who seeks to derail us from following and … Read More

Psalm 22- Forsaken

Psalm 22:1
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?
Why are You so far from helping Me,
And from the words of My groaning?”

Although David wrote this Psalm as an expression of the experiences he was facing, it has a much bigger application than he ever could have conceived. It was,… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 18-19 & Psalm 19-20
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 18- Friends

1 Samuel 18:1
“Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.”

The relationship between David and Jonathan is one of the most beautiful and … Read More
1 Samuel 19- Guilty

1 Samuel 19:9
“Now the distressing spirit from the Lord came upon Saul as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing music with his hand.”

Like all of us, King Saul struggled with his emotions. When he looked at David, he did not see Israel’s rising star, or a man after God’s heart, but only a man who was a threat to his … Read More

Psalm 19- Treasure

Psalm 19:10 
“More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.”

We have all had the silly daydream of winning the lottery, finding a stash of money in a secret compartment in the attic, inheriting … Read More
Psalm 20- Shepherd’s Heart

Psalms 20:1-4
“May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;
May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice. Selah
May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.”

The bible describes David as a man after God’s own heart. I am sure the meaning behind that statement is many faceted.  While I do not pretend to know all that it means, I am pretty certain that it has a lot to do … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 16-17 & Psalm 17-18
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 16- Distressing Spirit

1 Samuel 16:14
“But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a distressing spirit from the Lord troubled him.”

1 Samuel 16:16
“Let our master now command your… Read More 

1 Samuel 17- Oh My!

1 Samuel 17:37
“Moreover David said, ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’”

David had many reasons not to … Read More

Psalm 17- Full Grown

Psalms 17:15 
“As for me, I will see Your face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied when I awake in Your likeness.”

I remember years ago listening to Pastor Chuck Smith teaching from John 15 on the Vine and the branches. To illustrate our need to bear fruit, he asked, “What does a full grown tree look like?” Immediately, my mind was filled with visions of the massive Redwoods of Northern California. I remember, as a … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 14-15 & Psalm 15-16
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 14- It Happened One Day

1 Samuel 14:1
“Now it happened one day that Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who bore his armor, ‘Come, let us go over to the Philistines’ garrison that is on the other side.’”

There is no doubt, while all of the Bible is inspire by God and “profitable… Read More

1 Samuel 15- Good Or Bad

1 Samuel 15:9
“But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them. But everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.”… Read More

Psalm 15- Action

Psalms 15:2
“He who walks uprightly,
And works righteousness,
And speaks the truth in his hear; . . . “

We have all heard the phrase, “Actions speak louder than words.” The sentiment behind that is simple; our behaviors speak more to our belief system, than our words ever could. Psalm 15 addresses the subject of true righteousness, and in a poetic fashion addresses our … Read More

Psalm 16- Life Is Good

Psalms 16:5-6
“O Lord, You are the portion of my inheritance and my cup;
You maintain my lot.
The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;
Yes, I have a good inheritance.”… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 12-13 & Psalm 13-1
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 12- It Stands To Reason

1 Samuel 12:7
“Now therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and your fathers . . .”

After a great battle in which the men of Jabesh Gilead were rescued from certain… Read More

1 Samuel 13- Compelled 

1 Samuel 13:12
“Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”

As the second year of king Saul’s reign began to unfold, the nation of Israel was in trouble. The Philistines who occupied the southwest portion of the land were seeking to expand their territories by defeating Israel. When Saul’s army saw the Philistines… Read More

Psalm 13- Sing To The Lord

Psalms 13:6
“I will sing to the Lord,
Because He has dealt bountifully with me.”

As this psalm begins to unfold, we find David facing some pretty difficult times. He describes himself as feeling forgotten and being overcome by sorrow. Without giving details, he describes his enemy as threatening to prevail against him. Yet, in all this, he wrote of singing to the Lord. It is the song of triumph that will often lead to release from despondency. Instead of waiting for circumstances to change, David determined to worship in the midst of … Read More

Psalm 14- True Fools

Psalm 14:1
“The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God.’”

A modern dictionary defines a fool as, “someone who lacks judgment,” or “a deranged person lacking in common powers of understanding.” As a form of illustration, this sentence was used: “You would be a fool to believe what he tells you.” Often, the Christian is portrayed as a fool, and ometimes, belief in God is treated as folly. More commonly, believing God is looked at as … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 10-11 & Psalm 11-12
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 10- Selective Service

1 Samuel 10:6
“Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.”

Saul was first chosen by God, then equipped for service. This seems to be a pattern. Saul, along with Moses, Jeremiah, and Peter, all resisted the idea of being selected for service by God. Their objections stemmed from a realization of their own shortcomings. What they failed to realize, was God would equip them for whatever He … Read More
1 Samuel 11- Anger Aroused

1 Samuel 11:6
“Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused.”

Saul heard news that the Ammonites had surrounded Jabesh Gilead and were threatening the lives of the people. His reaction to the news was that his anger was aroused. Rather than this being rebuked we are told that his emotional state was a result of the moving of … Read More
Psalm 11- Flee To The Mountains

Psalms 11:1
“How can you say to my soul,’Flee as a bird to your mountain’”?

Life hurls a vast array of difficulties at the child of God. We are struck with the common problems of every man, as well as those that are peculiar to attempting to follow Jesus, in the midst of ever increasing ungodliness. The question we are faced with… Read More

Psalm 12- Help!

Psalms 12:1
“Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.”

Have you ever been in a situation where you were forced to cry for help? A good friend of mine told me a story of a time when he was cutting tree branches to make some extra cash. He leaned his extension … Read More