The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook. (1 Kings 17:6) God will never ask you to do something without equipping you with what you need to do it. In fact, whenever He asks something of you, He provides you with the strength, ability, and resources to follow through with it. There is no clearer ... [Continue Reading]
How to Get Lost (1 Kings 10-11; 2 Chronicles 9)
[Solomon] had seven hundred wives of royal birth and three hundred concubines, and his wives led him astray. (1 Kings 11:3) Have you ever found yourself asking the question, "How in the world did I get here?" I remember a trip I took about 10 years ago. I was actually taking a student home from a youth group activity, and he took me through lots of back roads to get to ... [Continue Reading]
The Extravagant Life (1 Kings 7; 2 Chronicles 4)
It took Solomon thirteen years, however, to complete the construction of his palace. (1 Kings 7:1) Solomon built himself an extravagant home, and it begs the question: did he need to make it that big? Do we ever reach a level of satisfaction and say enough is enough? Couldn't the resources that God gave to Solomon have been used for other means? Was an enormous ... [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]
Your Source of Strength (1 Samuel 30-31)
But David found strength in the Lord his God. (1 Samuel 30:6b) There are many places where people go to find strength. Some find it in wealth, some find it in position, and others find it in their physical bodies. Those are just a few examples, but you get the idea. The fascinating characteristic about King David that made him categorically different than every other ... [Continue Reading]
The Manipulation Trap (1 Samuel 27-29)
So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.” (1 Samuel 28:8) When things don't go the way we want in life, it's tempting to try and manipulate our way into a different outcome. Such was the case with Saul as he visited a witch in order to ... [Continue Reading]
The “God Game” (1 Samuel 15-17)
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” (1 Samuel 15:22) It's tempting to play games with God as if we have Him all figured out. The game goes like this: God, I know you'll forgive me if I ask you to, so I'm going to do what I want now and then ... [Continue Reading]
Though None Goes With Me… (Joshua 11, 14:6-15)
I was forty years old when Moses the servant of the Lord sent me from Kadesh Barnea to explore the land. And I brought him back a report according to my convictions, but my fellow Israelites who went up with me made the hearts of the people melt in fear. I, however, followed the Lord my God wholeheartedly. (Joshua 14:7-8) There's something special about a person who is ... [Continue Reading]
A Walk Down Memory Lane (Numbers 10-11)
The rabble with them began to crave other food, and again the Israelites started wailing and said, “If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!” (Numbers 11:4-6) Oh, Israel. How quickly you forget from whence you ... [Continue Reading]
Guardrails (Genesis 38-40)
And though [Potiphar's wife] spoke to Joseph day after day, he refused to go to bed with her or even be with her. (Genesis 39:10) Have you ever been driving on a road and seen a guardrail? You can look at it in two ways: it's a restriction or it's a life-saving device. The purpose of the guardrail is to protect cars from driving off the road and into sudden danger - in ... [Continue Reading]
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