An Inexpressible Gift!
Read: 1 Chronicles 21:18–22:1; 2 Corinthians 9:15 Here shall be the house of the LORD God and here the altar of burnt offering for Israel. (1 Chron. 22:1) About five years ago, my wife had a serious surgery. We drove to the hospital in nearly complete silence. When I met with the doctor following her surgery, he […]
A Census of Spiritual Attitude
Read: 1 Chronicles 21:1-17; 2 Corinthians 12:10 Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. (1 Chron. 21:1) During many job transitions in my life, I had initial confidence that I could do well in a new position. But this was followed by a spiral of fear about being inadequate. A wise pastor once […]
Beyond What We Can Imagine
Read: 1 Chronicles 17:1-10; Ephesians 3:20-21 I declare to you that the LORD will build you a house. (1 Chron. 17:10) Some years ago, there was a book that suggested that some of our difficulties with faith in God is that our God is too small. In other words, by making our prayers and plans too small, […]
God’s Boundless Presence and Grace
Read: 1 Chronicles 16:37-43; Acts 7:47-48 He left Zadok the priest . . . before the tabernacle of the LORD in the high place that was at Gibeon. (1 Chron. 16:39) For many Christians, the church sanctuary is where we particularly experience God’s presence and grace. Sunday sanctuary worship can be a sacred time and place. In a similar […]
Jesus Shall Reign
Read: 1 Chronicles 14:1-17; Philippians 2:10-11 The fame of David went out into all lands. (1 Chron. 14:17) One of my favorite hymns is “Jesus Shall Reign.” The song expresses longing for the day when every creature will recognize the honors of Christ as king. It originated in the early eighteenth century during the modern Protestant missionary […]
Overfamiliarity with God
Read: 1 Chronicles 13:1-14; Hebrews 10:31 The anger of the LORD was kindled against Uzzah. (1 Chron. 13:10) I have a good friend who is an advocate for CPR training in our community. When he demonstrates the AED (defibrillator) machine, a recorded message plays before the electrical shock is administered: “Shock Advisor—Stand Clear.” An electrical shock powerful […]
God Knows Who are His
Read: 1 Chronicles 11:10-47; 2 Timothy 2:19 Abishai, the brother of Joab . . . was the most renowned of the thirty . . . but he did not attain to the three. (1 Chron. 11:20-21) Last year my classmates held a 45th college reunion. We told stories of professors and classmates we vividly remembered. We also reflected that even those whose […]
Not This, but That
Read: 1 Chronicles 11:1-14; Hebrews 2:17 Then all Israel gathered together to David. (1 Chron. 11:1) Psychology Today once did a study of the coaching methods of legendary basketball coach John Wooden. They found that one of Wooden’s teaching methods was so novel they gave it a new name: scold/reinstruction. It consisted of scolding what the coach […]
Preach It Brother!
Read: 1 Chronicles 10:1-14; Mark 13:5 So Saul died for his breach of faith. (1 Chron. 10:13) Early in my time in parish ministry, I was part of a preacher exchange. I was assigned to preach in a primarily African American congregation in Detroit. I wasn’t used to hearing any response from the congregation, and I loved […]