But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.” (I Samuel 15:22, NLT) Saul, the first king of Israel, began well. His…
“For exaltation comes neither from the east nor from the west nor from the south. But God is the Judge: He puts down one, and exalts another.” (Psalm 75:6-7, NKJV) Two men. Two very different motivations. They lived in the same city and crossed paths often. We find their stories in the Book of…
For you equipped me with strength for the battle; you made those who rise against me sink under me. (Psalm 18:39, ESV) What do we do when the enemy comes at us full force? What kind of battle plan do we make when things look bleak and we are outnumbered?…
“A tranquil heart gives life to the flesh, but envy makes the bones rot.” (Proverbs 14:30, ESV) Having a tranquil heart is a good way to live. It sounds peaceful, calm, serene. But often life is not as tranquil as we would like because other things creep in—things that tear…
“One generation shall praise Your works to another, and shall declare Your mighty acts.” (Psalm 145:4, NKJV). Every generation has the potential to be the last generation of truth if we do not intentionally pass on our knowledge of God. If we truly believe this, then we will do everything…
“Give us day by day our daily bread.” (Luke 11:3) A little water and a morsel of bread. That is all the prophet Elijah asked from the widow woman. A simple request, but it was not an easy one to fulfill. Times were worse than difficult; they were desperate. Because of drought and famine, food was…
“He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” (Proverbs 28:13, NKJV) ACHAN’S STORY Joshua 7 tells us the story of Achan, a man who thought his secret sin would stay a secret. When the children of Israel went up against the city of…
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it . . . So I do not run aimlessly.” (I Corinthians 9:24 and 26, ESV) I am not a morning person, but occasionally I find…
“I will greatly rejoice in the LORD; my soul shall exult in my God, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation; he has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself like a priest with a beautiful headdress, and as a bride adorns…