Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations— I cannot bear your worthless assemblies. (Isaiah 1:13) Solomon's wasn't kidding when he said, "there's nothing new under the sun." He was especially right as it comes to the whole game of religion. In fact, the temptation to make religion a game is just as ... [Continue Reading]
Making Room for People of God (2 Kings 1-4)
[The Shunammite] said to her husband, “I know that this man who often comes our way is a holy man of God. Let’s make a small room on the roof and put in it a bed and a table, a chair and a lamp for him. Then he can stay there whenever he comes to us.” (2 Kings 4:9-10) If a person of God were to come your way, would you make room for him or her? Would you welcome that ... [Continue Reading]
Hellos and Goodbyes (2 Chronicles 21-23)
Jehoram was thirty-two years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem eight years. He passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David, but not in the tombs of the kings. (2 Chronicles 21:20) Life is full of "hellos" and "goodbyes," isn't it? I'm so thankful for the many friends I've treasured over the years. Each time we move somewhere ... [Continue Reading]
The Nature of Your Closet (Proverbs 8-10)
Whoever walks in integrity walks securely, but whoever takes crooked paths will be found out. (Proverbs 10:9) "Everyone has a skeleton in his closet." You've heard that phrase before, haven't you? The implication is that we all have things that we either like to hide or want to hide from others. Due to the reality of our propensity to sin, it's not surprising that most ... [Continue Reading]
A Pleasing Heart (1 Chronicles 28-29)
I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. (1 Chronicles 29:17) God cares more about your heart than He does about your actions. Christ's death on the cross made it possible for us to be made right with God in spite of our actions but not in spite of our hearts. David was called a man after God's own heart, and this title was given to him ... [Continue Reading]
Finding the Truth (2 Samuel 16-18)
Then Abishai son of Zeruiah said to the king, “Why should this dead dog curse my lord the king? Let me go over and cut off his head.” (2 Samuel 16:9) When David was confronted by the curses of Shimei he had a couple of choices. One option was to have his mighty warriors destroy Shimei right there on the spot. Another option was to listen to Shimei's words and to take ... [Continue Reading]
The Risk of Doing Right (2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18)
David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2 Samuel 9:1) Doing what's right can sometimes be risky. I was watching an episode of MasterChef a few months ago, and one of the contestants forgot to grab a certain ingredient. Due to the rules, she wasn't allowed back into the kitchen, so she began asking ... [Continue Reading]
Leadership Privileges (Deuteronomy 17:14-20; 18, 29-30)
When he takes the throne of his kingdom, he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law, taken from that of the Levitical priests. It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees and not consider himself better than his fellow ... [Continue Reading]
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