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

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 8-9 & Psalm 9-10
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 8- The Way I Am Feeling

1 Samuel 8:6
“But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us., So Samuel prayed to the Lord.”

Samuel was given some very bad news. He was informed that the people no longer wanted to be governed by God, and personal… Read More

1 Samuel 9- Great Expectation

1 Samuel 9:23
”And Samuel said to the cook, ‘Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, “Set it apart.”‘”

The intersection where Samuel and Saul meet is a crossroad between two fascinating story … Read More

Psalm 9- Trust

Psalms 9:10
“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

A few years back I was teaching in a Bible school in Ghana on the subject of trust. I invited one of the students to come … Read More

Psalm 10- Consider God

Psalms 10:4
“The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.”

The Psalmist points out at least four characteristics of the wicked. First, he declares that they do not think about God. One of the surest ways to live a life … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 6-7 & Psalm 7-8
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 6- Hard Heart

1 Samuel 6:6
“Why then do you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? When He did mighty things among them, did they not let the people go, that they might depart?”

Tucked away in the story of the Philistines return of the Ark to Israel, is… Read More

1 Samuel 7- Will This Ever Work?

1 Samuel 7:13
“So the Philistines were subdued, and they did not come anymore into the territory of Israel…”

Israel faced a constant threat from the Philistines. They had come into the territory promised to Israel, taken land, and threatened the people. Earlier in … Read More

Psalm 7- Fallen In 

Psalms 7:15
“He made a pit and dug it out, 
And has fallen into the ditch which he made.”

If we were writing a comedic screenplay, we might want to include a character who designs an elaborate trap, only to unwittingly catch himself. While it might… Read More

Psalm 8- Glory Of Creation

Psalms 8:1
“O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is Your name in all the earth, Who have set Your glory above the heavens!”

Webster defines glory as “Great beauty and splendor, even magnificence.” David is declaring things about the magnificence of… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 3-5 & Psalm 5-6
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 3- By The Word

1 Samuel 3:21
“Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.”

Long before Jerusalem was established as the capital of Israel, Shiloh was the ancient location of the Tabernacle. It… Read More

1 Samuel 4- The Glory Of God

1 Samuel 4:22
And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.”

1 Samuel 4 records some of the darkest days in Israel’s history. The people had lost sight of God, their armies had suffered… Read More

1 Samuel 5- Spoils Of War

1 Samuel 5:7
“And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, ‘The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.’”

The Philistines mustered all their courage as they confronted Israel on the battlefield. They soon overpowered the Israeli… Read More

Psalm 5- The Mornings

Psalms 5:3
“My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up.”

On a regular basis, how would you describe your mornings? Do you wake up grumpy, dreading another day? Or late, rushing to get your responsibilities done? Or perhaps you… Read More

Psalm 6- Need Help?

Psalms 6:2
“Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am weak; O Lord, heal me, for my bones are troubled.”

Have you ever heard the phrase, “You can do this,” as a mantra for finding the strength to face the challenge before you? Life often forces us to be stronger than we think we are and to stand up to the opportunity before us. In a passionate plea for the Corinthians to stand against the opposition they were facing, … Read More

 

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 1-2 & Psalm 3-4
Old Testament: 1 Samuel 1- By The Word

1 Samuel 3:21
“Then the Lord appeared again in Shiloh. For the Lord revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the Lord.”

Long before Jerusalem was established as the capital of Israel, Shiloh was the ancient location of the Tabernacle. It was at Shiloh, where the High Priest  … Read More
1 Samuel 2- Always Watching

1 Samuel 2:17
“Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.”

I read an interesting quote this morning from D.L. Moody. He said, “Out of one hundred men, one will read the Bible. The other ninety-nine will read the Christian.”… Read More

 

Psalm 3- Surrounded

Psalms 3:1
“Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me.”

We go through seasons in life.   Some are calm and pleasant, while others seem to be like violent storms, with waves … Read More

Psalm 4- Emotions

Psalms 4:4
“Be angry, and do not sin. Meditate within your heart on your bed, and be still.”

As A child, I spent a lot of time on the ocean. My dad loved sailing and we would spend time every summer living on the boat. I can remember times when the seas were so … Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: Ruth 3-4 & Psalm 1-2
Old Testament: Ruth 3- The Whole Town Is Talking

Ruth 3:11
“And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request, for all the people of my town know that you are a virtuous woman.”

Ruth was not an Israelite, nor was she born in Israel. She was a foreigner from the neighboring country of Moab. The Moabites… Read More

Ruth 4- I’ve Been Redeemed

Ruth 4:6
“And the close relative said, ‘I cannot redeem it for myself, lest I ruin my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.’”

In addition to being a beautiful and timeless love story, Ruth is also a picture… Read More

Psalm 1- The Blessed Life

Psalm 1:1
“Blessed is the man…”

When establishing the government of the United States, the founding fathers saw that man was created with certain inalienable rights. They believed it is the right of every person to be able to pursue personal happiness. They… Read More

Psalm 2- Until The Whole World Hears

Psalms 2:8
“Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.“

As we reach the end of ourselves and cry out in desperation to God, prayer is the place where we express our greatest desires. We have found  … Read More