TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Kings 19-20 & Psalm 73-74
Old Testament: 1 Kings 19- Alone?

1 Kings 19:10
“So he said, ‘I have been very zealous for the Lord God of hosts; for the children of Israel have forsaken Your covenant, torn down Your altars, and killed Your prophets with the sword. I alone am left; and they seek to take my life.’”

Elijah was a man devoted… Read More

1 Kings 20- No Experience Necessary 

1 Kings 20:13-14
Suddenly a prophet approached Ahab king of Israel, saying, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Have you seen all this great multitude? Behold, I will deliver it into your hand today, and you shall know that I am the Lord.’” So Ahab said, ‘By whom?’ And he said, ‘Thus says the Lord:”By the young leaders of the provinces.”’ Then he said, ‘Who will set the battle… Read More

Psalm 73- Slippery Slope

Psalm 73:2
“But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.”

This psalm is the personal testimony of a man who almost fell away from the Lord. When he speaks of slipping, he is not talking about a little slip, but rather about throwing in … Read More

Psalm 74- Why Have You Cast Us Off?

Psalm 74:1
“O God, why have You cast us off forever? Why does Your anger smoke against the sheep of Your pasture?”

Asaph describes Jerusalem being ransacked by Israel’s enemies. The sanctuary is being defiled and the city is destroyed. While this is happening, Asaph remembers… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Kings 17-18 & Psalm 71-72
Old Testament: 1 Kings 17- Learning From Widows

1 Kings 17:13-14
“And Elijah said to her, ‘Do not fear; go and do as you have said, but make me a small cake from it first, and bring it to me; and afterward make some for yourself and your son. For thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘The bin of flour shall not be used up, nor shall the jar of oil run dry, until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.’”

Sometimes, God chooses the most unlikely… Read More

1 Kings 18- Valley Decision

1 Kings 18:21
“And Elijah came to all the people, and said, ‘How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.’ But the people answered him not a word.”

For thousands of years, men have stood in the valley of decision, unwillingly to make a complete commitment… Read More

Psalm 71- You Must Be This Tall

Psalm 71:19
“Also Your righteousness, O God, is very high, You who have done great things; O God, who is like You?”

We have four boys who are separated by only five years. When they were little, we, like so many others families, spent a lot of our time visiting amusement parks. As the older ones grew, they were attracted to the bigger rides, and their younger brother wanted to do whatever they did. The problem was, many of the rides had a standard. If you were not a certain height, you could not ride. At times, this created quite a controversy. We tried everything to make him just a little taller, we spiked… Read More

Psalm 72- Ask God

Psalm 72:1
A Psalm of Solomon.
“Give the king Your judgments, O God, And Your righteousness to the king’s Son.”

When Solomon first stepped onto the throne of his father, David, he was overwhelmed by the task before him. He… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Kings 15-16 & Psalm 69-70
Old Testament: 1Kings 15- It’s Time 

1 Kings 15:12-13
“And he banished the perverted persons from the land, and removed all the idols that his fathers had made. Also he removed Maachah his grandmother from being queen mother, because she had made an obscene image of Asherah. And Asa cut down her obscene image and burned it by the Brook Kidron.”
We recently had a friend visiting who we had not seen in a number of years. One of his first comments was how much… Read More

1 Kings 16- Walking Through The Lord

1 Kings 16:32
“Then he set up an altar for Baal in the temple of Baal, which he had built in Samaria.”
If a traveler from a distant land were to arrive in Israel during the reign of Ahab, there would be little to convince him that these were a people chosen by God. If he entered from the north, the first thing to catch his eye would have been a massive altar built on a high hill in the area of Dan. This altar was erected to give worship to a massive golden cow the people revered as their god. If he came from the south, he would see a similar site erected in Bethel. If he made… Read More

Psalm 69- Enemies

Psalm 69:1-2
“Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing; I have come into deep waters, where the floods overflow me.”

This Psalm is fulfilled in at least three ways. First, it expresses an actual time in the life… Read More

Psalm 70- Magnify

Psalm 70:4
“Let all those who seek You rejoice and be glad in You; and let those who love Your salvation say continually, ‘Let God be magnified!’”

We can never be sure what the day in front of us holds. We can each testify of times in life, where our days were suddenly interrupted with something good or something bad. A phone call, text, email, or… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Kings 13-14 & Psalm 67-68
Old Testament: 1 Kings 13- Pray For Me

1 Kings 13:6
“Then the king answered and said to the man of God, ‘Please entreat the favor of the Lord your God, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me.’ So the man of God entreated the Lord, and the king’s… Read More

1 Kings 14- Faking It

1 Kings 14:26-27
“And he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house; he took away everything. He also took away all the gold shields which Solomon had made. Then King Rehoboam made bronze shields in their place, and committed them to the hands of the captains of the guard, who guarded the doorway of the king’s house.”

Rehoboam is known for being the king that split the nation… Read More

Psalm 67- Salvation Among The Nations

Psalms 67:2
“That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations.”

Psalm 67 was written by an unknown author. We cannot know for sure who wrote it or what circumstances influenced its content. The one thing we know for sure is that it was penned by a person with a desire for others to come to… Read More

Psalm 68- The Spoils

Psalm 68:12b
“…and she who remains at home divides the spoil.”

The physical battles Israel faced illustrates the spiritual battles the Christian faces.

Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and … Read More

 

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Kings 11-12 & Psalm 65-66
Old Testament: 1 Kings 11- Misguided Affections

1 Kings 11:40
“Solomon therefore sought to kill Jeroboam. But Jeroboam arose and fled to Egypt, to Shishak king of Egypt, and was in Egypt until the death of Solomon.”

It is almost eerie to compare the similarities between Solomon and… Read More

1 KIngs 12- New, But Not Improved

1 Kings 12:8
“But he rejected the advice which the elders had given him, and consulted the young men who had grown up with him, who stood before him.”

A youth pastor I once knew had a plaque posted on his wall that read, “Hire a teenager while they still know everything.” Every parent … Read More

Psalm 65- Who Are You Wearing?

Psalm 65:6
“Who established the mountains by His strength, being clothed with power; . . .”

Have you ever noticed, when movie stars are walking the red carpet, for one of their many awards presentations, they are not asked what they are wearing, but who they are … Read More

Psalm 66- Works Of God

Psalms 66:5
“Come and see the works of God; He is awesome in His doing toward the sons of men.”

Where we can go to see God work?
We could start by attending a church where people are serving the Lord. We can watch God work in the lives of others. We can observe His transforming work as people respond to the Gospel, or His… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Kings 9-10 & Psalm 63-64
Old Testament: 1 Kings 9- If…Then…

1 Kings 9:4
“Now if you walk before Me as your father David walked, in integrity of heart and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded you, and if you keep My statutes and My judgments…”

If you are a parent, you… Read More

1 Kings 10- What Does It Mean? 

1 Kings 10:14
“The weight of gold that came to Solomon yearly was six hundred and sixty- six talents of gold, . . .”

Webster’s dictionary defines numerology as “the secret meaning of numbers.” Clearly, as we read through the Bible, we find specific numbers used to emphasize certain truths. The number seven seems to speak of a complete… Read More

Psalm 63- Hungry?

Psalm 63:1-2
“O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.”
Have you ever had one of those times when you are craving… Read More

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Kings 7-8 & Psalm 61-62
Old Testament: 1 Kings 7- Limitless

1 Kings 7:13-14
“Now King Solomon sent and brought Huram from Tyre. He was the son of a widow from the tribe of Naphtali, and his father was a man of Tyre, a bronze worker; he was filled with wisdom and understanding and skill in working with all kinds.. Read More

1 Kings 8- Too Small

1 Kings 8:27
“But will God indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!”

Seven years, hundreds of thousands of man hours, and countless wealth, was invested in the building of the Temple. When it was completed, it was one of the most glorious buildings of the ancient… Read More
Psalm 61- Cry Out

Psalms 61:1-2
“Hear my cry, O God; Attend to my prayer. From the end of the earth I will cry to You. When my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I .”

We cannot be certain of the occasion that stirred David to write this psalm. It may have been a time of great… Read More

Psalm 62- Power

Psalms 62:11
“God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: That power belongs to God.”

A number of years ago, I came home from a long day of work, at the end of an even longer week. I was worn out and hungry. Since I was the only one home at the time, I was… Read More

Psalms 60:11
“Give us help from trouble,
For the help of man is useless.”

One of the pillars of the early church was fellowship. The apostles were sure to establish an atmosphere where people ministered to the needs of people. This type of fellowship became one of the chief characteristics of the church. We read of people selling possessions in order to provide for the needs of those who could not provide for themselves. We read of widows being cared for and exhortations given regarding orphans. We are exhorted to follow this same example and be sure that the body of believers learns how to minister to one another even weeping with those who weep and rejoicing with those who rejoice. Clearly the Bible places great value on the importance of people helping one another. In light of that it might seem quite a shock to read the words of David who wrote;

“Give us help from trouble,
For the help of man is useless.”

He is not suggesting that man is completely useless in providing assistance, but that there are seasons of life when whatever help men may offer is simply unable to meet our need. Their are times in life where we are facing struggles so great that earthly help is just not enough. It is during those seasons where we must receive comfort, strength, direction and help from God alone.

Perhaps you are going through something today that is more than you bear. Your friends and family have tried to help but the pain is still too much. It is for these exact moments in life that the promises of God were written. We must be careful not to cast blame on others for being incapable of providing a comfort that is available in Christ alone.  Instead we must learn to seek shelter under the shadow of His wings and allow the consolations of Christ to minister to us. Paul spoke of receiving comfort from Christ in the midst of the great discomfort of life. He experienced first hand what it was to suffer greatly and receive help from God that was even greater.

If you are facing something that seems too difficult to handle, remember there are seasons of life designed to draw us to our knees and into the presence of Christ where we can be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man.

Pastor Jim

Questions for Psalm 60

1. David prays for restoration, notice how he prays and what he prays for specifically in verses 1-5. What can this detail show us about prayer?
2. As David is praying, he is asking for God to restore His favor on Israel. Sometimes when we try to do things on our own we realize how much we need the Lord. What is David’s realization in verse 11?
3. Verse 12 God is given His due praise. Is there something in your life that you haven’t allowed God to lead you in? Stop now and pray, give God His due honor and praise for the things in your life that you have tried to control. Remember verse 11!

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Kings 5-6 & Psalm 59-60
Old Testament: 1 Kings 5- Expanding Your Portfolio

1 Kings 5:13
“Then King Solomon raised up a labor force out of all Israel; and the labor force was thirty thousand men.”

Building the Temple was a massive undertaking. It was to be a structure like no other. Unlike the pagan temples that were built in an attempt to reach up to the gods, this temple was built… Read More
1 Kings 6- The Temple

1 Kings 6:11-13
“Then the word of the Lord came to Solomon, saying: ‘Concerning this temple which you are building, if you walk in My statutes, execute My judgments, keep all My commandments, and walk in them, then I will perform My word with you, which I spoke to your father David. And I will dwell among the children of Israel, and will not forsake My people Israel.’” … Read More

Psalm 59- I Did It My Way

Psalm 59:13
“And let them know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth.”

In the early eighties, a well-known Christian band wrote a song called “God Rules.” In some ways, it became the anthem of many young Christians. I remember having a “God Rules” bumper sticker on my car, and proudly writing it on my school notebook. To me, that phrase was a slang term meaning little more than the fact God… Read More

 

Psalms 58:6
Break their teeth in their mouth, O God!
Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord!

This has to be one of the most striking prayers ever recorded. David is looking at the behavior of those who have cast aside the ways of God and his heart cries out for justice. While it may seem harsh to ask God to break someone’s teeth there is an important principle that is vividly illustrated in David’s song. The principle is that there are certain things that should fill us with rage and produce in us a desire for righteousness.

The world we live in is filled with violence and it has become all too common to hear of school shootings, suicide bombings and other senseless acts of violence that take the lives of the innocent. Just recently, in response to one of these tragic events I heard a community leader say, “We will not respond with anger, fear or hate but with love.” While I completely understand the intent of her statement and the danger of allowing anger to control a life I also realize that there are certain things that should fill us with anger. We might go so far as to say there are certain things we must learn to hate.

It is only when we see the ravaging effects sin has upon individuals, families and culture as a whole that we will develop the proper attitude toward it and conversely begin to take the proper steps toward eradicating it.

Pastor Jim