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Christian Devotional – October 7, 2014
Read 2 Samuel chapter 14 VERSE: 2 Samuel 14:24–But the king said, “He must go to his own house; he must not see my face.” So Absalom went to his own house and did not see the face of the king. TRUTH: David allowed Absalom to return after murdering his brother, but he didn’t truly forgive him. David wouldn’t allow Absalom back into his presence. We often treat forgiveness like this. We say and do the very minimal necessary in order to say we’ve forgiven, but we don’t attempt any restoration. The scripture never says that Absalom repented of his sins, but still, David only half-heartedly attempts to forgive. When…
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Christian Devotional – October 6, 2014
Read 2 Samuel chapter 13 VERSE: 2 Samuel 13:21–When King David heard all this, he was furious. TRUTH: Of course David was furious. He should have been furious. David’s son Amnon raped David’s daughter Tamar. This was a horrible thing to have happened. Unfortunately, David doesn’t do anything about his anger. He does discipline Amnon. It doesn’t even say that he tried to comfort Tamar. He just got angry and then does nothing. When we see evil, whether its in our families or elsewhere, do we get angry about evil? Then, does our anger prompt us to respond in a way that God would respond? Being angry about sin is…
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Christian Devotional – October 5, 2014
Read 2 Samuel chapter 12 VERSE: 2 Samuel 12:8–I gave your master’s house to you, and your master’s wives into your arms. I gave you all Israel and Judah. And if all this had been too little, I would have given you even more. TRUTH: God, speaking here, was addressing David’s sin and reminding David of how generous He had been. David had sought something that he wanted and he didn’t come to God first. God is the supplier of everything that we need and many of the things we want. When we bypass God and go out and try do things on our own, we will end up sinning and…
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Christian Devotional – October 4, 2014
Read 2 Samuel chapter 11 VERSE: 2 Samuel 11:1a–In the spring, at the time when kings go to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. TRUTH: David was the king, but instead of leading his troops in battle, he stayed home and sent everyone else. David wasn’t where he was supposed to be and as a result, one sin after another sin followed. This entire chapter shows how David’s choices and attempts to keep his wrong doings secret led him into more and more sin. However, it all started with this one sin of David not being where he was supposed to be.…
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Christian Devotional – October 3, 2014
Read 2 Samuel chapter 10 VERSE: 2 Samuel 10:3–the Ammonite commanders said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think David is honoring your father by sending envoys to you to express sympathy? Hasn’t David sent them to you only to explore the city and spy it out and overthrow it?” TRUTH: Wrong assumptions and bad advice led the new king of the Ammonites, Hanun, to end up in battle against David. They were ultimately beaten, very badly. Yet, this all started because they made a wrong assumption about the motives of another person, namely David. Are we making wrong assumptions about others? We cannot read other people’s minds and so…
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Christian Devotional – October 2, 2014
Read 2 Samuel chapter 9 VERSE: 2 Samuel 9:1–David asked, “Is there anyone still left of the house of Saul to whom I can show kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” TRUTH: David was great friends with Saul’s son Jonathan and he wanted to do something kind to honor his friend. However, the opportunity didn’t just land in his lap; David had to seek out a way to show kindness. We can have great intentions, but unless we actually go to the effort to act on them, no one will know or see or experience the blessing of our kindness. If God puts a kind deed on our heart, we must act…
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Christian Devotional – October 1, 2014
Read 2 Samuel chapter 8 VERSE: 2 Samuel 8:11–King David dedicated these articles to the Lord, as he had done with the silver and gold from all the nations he had subdued. TRUTH: David knew where his victories came from. He always came back and gave the Lord the spoils of war. Do we credit God with the victories in our life? He is responsible for them. Are we willing to dedicate back to Him the blessings that He gives us? They belong to Him anyway. RESPONSE: Father, You are the reason I am victorious in anything and I praise You for that. Anything I gain is Yours because it…
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Christian Devotional – September 30, 2014
Read 2 Samuel chapter 7 VERSE: 2 Samuel 7:25–“And now Lord God, keep forever the promise you have made concerning your servant and his house. Do as you promised.” TRUTH: David received a word from the Lord that contained a promise. When David went to pray, he prayed that promise back to God. It is very powerful to pray God’s words back to God. It shows understanding and agreement with all that He has said. God has given us several promises in the Bible and that is such a great list to pray back to God, showing Him that we understand and acknowledge God’s promises in our life. RESPONSE: Father,…
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Christian Devotional – September 29, 2014
Read 2 Samuel chapter 6 VERSE: 2 Samuel 6:21–David said to Michal, “It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel–I will celebrate before the Lord. TRUTH: David had been celebrating and rejoicing in the Lord. Unfortunately, his wife Michal didn’t approve of the way he was celebrating and told him so. David came back and defended himself stating that he wasn’t celebrating for anyone else except God. When we worship and praise God, are we concerned with what God wants or what others think? Our only concern is God and we…
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Christian Devotional – September 28, 2014
Read 2 Samuel chapter 5 VERSE: 2 Samuel 5:10–And he became more powerful, because the Lord God Almighty was with him. TRUTH: To what do we attribute our success? Do we tell others it’s because we are smart, or beautiful, or because of our strong work ethic? Truthfully, we must recognize that while all those are great characteristics, ultimately, it is God who works and moves in our lives to give us the success that we have in every area of our lives. We must be careful to give Him the praise that He is due and not become prideful in thinking that we have done things on our own.…