Awesome Blessings
Read: 1 Samuel 25:23-35 If men rise up to pursue you and to seek your life, the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living in the care of the LORD your God. (v. 29) Once, at the end of a summer camp backpacking trip, I received an awesome blessing. I […]
God’s Chosen and Beloved
Read: 1 Samuel 24:1-15 The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed. (v. 6) Have you ever “egged someone on”? I once challenged a friend to try frying some bacon on the cement rim of his backyard fire pit. It turned out to be a tasty dare, resulting in […]
“Tag! You’re It!”
Read: 1 Samuel 23:1-14 David remained in the strongholds in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not give him into his hand. (v. 14) One of the greatest childhood games is tag. Look at the playgrounds, the empty lots, the backyards everywhere, […]
All That You Need
Read: 1 Samuel 21:1-10 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence. (v. 6) Hangry is the word for when a person is so hungry they are nearly beyond their ability to handle their anger. With some embarrassment, I admit that I have experienced […]
Best Friends Forever
Read: 1 Samuel 20:30-42 Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, “The LORD shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.” (v. 42) Best friends are a unique sweetness in life. I will never forget how adrift I felt when […]
Jealousy and Fear Aren’t Pretty
Read: 1 Samuel 18:1-15 Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul. (v. 12) When powerful people have earned their authority with the popular vote or the attention of the masses as a media favorite, it seems impossible to them that they could be replaced. But popularity is […]
Mighty Trash Talk
Read: 1 Samuel 17:38-51 I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. (v. 45) Trash talk has never been my strong suit, which generally speaking, I consider a good thing. However, there are certain times and places when trash talk comes […]
Something to Offer
Read: 1 Samuel 17:24-37 The LORD who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine. (v. 37) Something about being the youngest sibling pulls you, almost magnetically, toward your older siblings. Part admiration, part obsession, the youngest can somehow track […]
A Beautiful Heart
Read: 1 Samuel 16:1-13 The Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. (v. 13) Growing up, I was the eldest sibling, but not the smartest or the most musical. Eventually, I wasn’t even the tallest. While I did not doubt my special gifts and talents, I also did not view myself as […]