And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab’s anger was kindled against David, and he said, Why camest thou down hither?… I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart… And David said, What have I now done? Is there not a cause? 1 Samuel 17:28–29. At this juncture of scripture, David has already been anointed to be the next reigning King over Israel. However, he has lived under the radar, caring for his father’s sheep and has been the King’s minstrel when Saul was vexed with an evil spirit. David’s father, Jesse, sent…
A few days ago I picked up my husbands phone thinking it was mine and said, “Siri, what’s the temperature outside?” Nothing but silence. So, I posed the question again. Met with more silence. Finally, I looked at the phone case and realized I was holding my husbands phone. Siri did not know my voice. An inanimate, digital assistant can determine who is speaking to her through voice recognition. Impressive. This morning when I woke up I simply prayed, “Lord, I want to hear Your voice.” Then, I corrected myself, “I want to know Your voice.” It was a simple change, but it altered my prayer significantly. I believe that God is always speaking to us, but how often can we differentiate that it is Him speaking? There is so much noise around us that it’s sometimes difficult to hear the still, small voice of the LORD. Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down. 1 Samuel 3:4-5, NIV. Samuel heard the voice of God calling out to him…
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. Psalm 63:1. My six-month-old son has a habit of stirring in his sleep at 4:50am most mornings. He doesn’t wake up, but he makes just enough noise (I’m a light sleeper) to alert me to rise. I’m a morning person by nature and when my eyes open I’m awake; even if I want to drift back to slumber, I usually can’t because of the excitement I feel that it’s morning. It’s almost a gift that Levi wakes me up so early because I hate the sound of an alarm. Are there any other morning people reading this? Or, am I completely not relatable to some night owls right now? If your life is dry and parched like a desert, His presence will give you the refreshing you need. One reason I love the breaking of dawn is spending time with the Lord—I get butterflies in my stomach at the thought of communing with my Savior. For years I have affectionately called my morning devotion, “Coffee time with Jesus.”…
“But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither…
And after him was Shammah the son of Agee the Hararite. And the Philistines were gathered together into a troop, where was a piece of ground full of lentiles: and the people fled from the Philistines. But he stood in the midst of the ground, and defended it, and slew the Philistines: and the Lord wrought a great victory. 2 Samuel 23:11-12. In these scriptures, we find Shammah, one of King David’s mighty men, defending a field of lentils. Shammah risked his life to defend a field of lentils that was not his personal property, but Israel’s property. When others ran away, Shammah firmly planted his feet on a field of beans like it was over caverns of priceless gems, and he defied the army of the Philistines. There is not much value in lentils, it is one of the cheapest legumes and grows in even the worst soil, but if you’re not willing to fight for something small, you won’t win a battle for something big. Your faithfulness begins with the smallest responsibility. Do not recoil at the first mark of a challenge. What field is the enemy fighting you for? Your family? Your life? Is it your ministry?…
Genesis 25:30-31, And Esau said to Jacob, Feed me, I pray thee, with that same red pottage, for I am faint: therefore was his name called Edom. And Jacob said, Sell me this day thy birthright. I’ve lost count how many times I have read the account of Jacob and Esau. I can be guilty of skimming over scriptures that are well-known and are on the highlight reel of popular sermons. However, despite myself, God still shines through my humanity, thankfully. I relish moments with the Lord where a word or phrase is magnified and illuminated, just like I was reading it for the very first time. Genesis 25:30 gives us insight on Esau’s life. When he asks for “that same red pottage” it indicates that this was not the first time he came out of the field feeling desperate for food. Esau had a pattern of desiring his brothers “red pottage.” Esau said, “feed me, with that same red pottage.” Esau’s weaknesses became predictable. His drama became predictable. His lack-of-preparation became predictable. The way you pattern your life is important and the things you hunger after are important. The things that you do consistently on a day-to-day basis are…