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Christian Devotional – August 9, 2015
Read Luke chapter 3 VERSE: Luke 3:8–Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not say to yourselves, “We have Abraham as our father.” For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. TRUTH: Your relationship with God is about you. What does your life produce? Plenty of people will talk about the fact that they are in a “Christian nation” or that they have parents who believe, or they go to church, but none of that matters when determining what Your relationship is to Jesus Christ. John the Baptist here was telling people that each person needs to make an individual decision,…
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Christian Devotional – August 8, 2015
Read Luke chapter 2 VERSE: Luke 2:50–But they did not understand what he was saying to them. TRUTH: Here, Jesus has been speaking to Mary and Joseph. Mary and Joseph were certainly not the first people to not understand Jesus and they wouldn’t be the last. Many people today still have this issue where they don’t understand what Jesus is doing or why He is doing something. God does not need our understanding in order to be able to act, but he does need our obedience. The question comes down to trust. Do we trust Jesus to be able to take care of situations that we don’t understand and will…
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Christian Devotional – August 7, 2015
Read Luke chapter 1 VERSE: Luke 1:20–And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time. TRUTH: What would happen if God made us mute every time we didn’t believe one of His promises? Would we ever talk? For Zechariah, he had several months of silence as He waited and watched what God would do and how God would fulfill His promise. We can trust that God will do what He says He will do and that He is going to be faithful to us and to Himself. God…
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Christian Devotional – August 6, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 31 VERSE: 1 Samuel 31:13–Then they took the bones and buried them under a tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and they fasted seven days. TRUTH: The king had died. The king had abandoned God and had led the people down a difficult path, but he was still their king and they gave him the honor and respect that his position required in this situation. As we are going through our day, do we give people the honor and respect that they deserve? This doesn’t negate our obligation to share the truth with them when they are going down the wrong path, but this means that we still…
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Christian Devotional – August 5, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 30 VERSE: 1 Samuel 30:6–David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. TRUTH: I imaging David was greatly distressed when his own men were talking about stoning him. These were his friends and the people who had stood with him. Yes, they had just realized that their families and belonging had been stolen while they were out helping David, so their anger and frustration is understandable. Still, what did David do? He didn’t whine to them. David found his strength in…
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Christian Devotional – August 4, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 29 VERSE: 1 Samuel 29:5–“Isn’t this the David they sang about in their dances: ‘Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands’?” TRUTH: Our reputation stays with us for a long time. David had gained a reputation as a warrior and even years later, the people he was around had remembered his reputation. Regardless of whether that reputation is of doing good or evil, people will remember it long after. If we make a change in our life, such as giving our life to God, we will find that many people will still have difficulty accepting that there has been a change, but…
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Christian Devotional – August 3, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 28 VERSE: 1 Samuel 28:15b–“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.” TRUTH: Saul had been disobedient and had rejected God. Because of his sin, God had rejected him. Now, instead of repenting to turn to God, Saul is resorting to the sin of witchcraft to try and find answers. Often when we want answers from God, we want them on our terms. We try to dictate to God when and how…
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Christian Devotional – August 2, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 27 VERSE: 1 Samuel 27:12–Achish trusted David and said to himself, “He has become so obnoxious to his people, the Israelites, that he will be my servant for life.” TRUTH: Achish allowed himself to be deceived by David. David was going about and doing what he wanted to, but because Achish trusted in himself and his own perception of people and events, not in God, Achish was deceived. When we start to follow our own perception of what people are doing or why they are doing , then it is easy to come up with wrong interpretations of events. We must trust in God, who sees…
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Christian Devotional – August 1, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 26 VERSE: 1 Samuel 26:9–But David said to Abishai, “Don’t destroy him! Who can lay a hand on the Lord’s anointed and be guiltless?” TRUTH: Even though Saul was bent on destroying David, David still recognized the importance of Saul’s position. Because of David’s reverence for God and the holiness of God, David would not do anything to harm something that God had once set apart. Saul had been anointed by God as King and David knew and respected that, even though he didn’t trust the man. Do we hold the same respect for all that God has done in our life and in the lives…
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Christian Devotional – July 31, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 25 VERSE: 1 Samuel 25:26–And now, my lord, as surely as the Lord your God lives and as you live, since the Lord has kept you from bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hands, may your enemies and all who are intent on harming my lord be like Nabal. TRUTH: In the last chapter we read how David had an opportunity to do harm to King Saul, but that he did not. Now, here, we read about a story where David intends to do harm to a foolish man. Instead, the man’s wise wife stops him. In her statement to David, she reminds him…