Have you ever disagreed with your leaders? David does in First Samuel 29. He’s working for Achish of Gath in the Philistine army, and the army officials tell Achish to send David home because they’re about to attack Israel. David doesn’t like or agree with their decision, but he complies with it. The blessing and [...]
Archive for the ‘First Samuel’ Category
Day 94: First Samuel 28-31
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Church, Conflict, First Samuel, Leadership, tagged disagreement, respect, submission on December 3, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Day 93: First Samuel 25-27
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, First Samuel, Relationships, tagged Abigail, David, life, spirituality, women and men on December 2, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Did anyone ever save you from a hissy fit? David said to Abigail, “Praise be to the LORD, the God of Israel, who has sent you today to meet me. May you be blessed for your good judgment and for keeping me from bloodshed this day and from avenging myself with my own hands. In [...]
Day 92: First Samuel 21-24
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, First Samuel, Relationships, tagged holiness, life, spirituality, women and men on December 1, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Thank God for holy women! David and his men are on the run. They’re hungry when they arrive at Nob, so David asks a priest for some bread. The priest says he doesn’t have any normal bread; the available bread is consecrated. The only people he will allow to eat it are men who “have [...]
Day 91: First Samuel 18-20
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, First Samuel, Leadership, tagged faith, Friendship, life, mentoring on November 30, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Two leadership essentials: a close friend and a mentee who grows to surpass you. As David observes King Saul’s leadership, he befriends the king’s son, Jonathan. The two young men share a friendship closer than most, and it will turn out beneficial to both. One of my greatest blessings has been a close friendship with [...]
Day 90: First Samuel 15-17
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, First Samuel, Leadership, tagged David, faith, God, ministry, Samuel, Saul on November 29, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Ministry is a way of life through which people of faith become God’s blessing to the world. But ministry is more than God; it’s God and the world, the divine and the human. It’s imperfect people bumbling to serve the perfect God. Ministry has plenty of ups and some inevitable downs. There’s a prophet named [...]
Day 89: First Samuel 13-14
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, Church, First Samuel, Unity, tagged Christianity, faith, God, mission, salvation on November 28, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The Israelites attack the Philistines, who retaliate and outnumber them. Israel’s scared soldiers scatter, hiding in caves, behind rocks, and everywhere else they can find. The ones who stay with King Saul shake with fear. Jonathan and his assistant sneak away from the troops and terminate some enemy soldiers, and that mini-victory leads to Israel’s [...]
Day 88: First Samuel 9-12
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, First Samuel, Leadership, Spiritual Disciplines, tagged mentoring, Samuel, Saul on November 27, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
Some donkeys run away, or someone steals them. We’re not sure exactly what happens, but the owner sends his son and a servant to look for them. The son’s name is Saul. The searchers seek out a seer, the prophet Samuel. Their hope is that Samuel will tell them where to find the donkeys. He [...]
Day 87: First Samuel 4-8
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, First Samuel, tagged faith, God, kingdom, life, peer pressure, spirituality on November 26, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
The people: “Give us a king!” The prophet: “He’ll make your sons serve in his army and your daughters in his palace, tax everything you own, and lead you away from God. “ The people: “We don’t care. Give us a king!” There you have my paraphrase of First Samuel 8:5-20, and here you have [...]
Day 86: First Samuel 1-3
Posted in Bible in a Year 2011-2012, First Samuel, Parenting, Spiritual Disciplines, tagged Hannah, life, prayer, spirituality on November 25, 2011 | Leave a Comment »
First Samuel begins with Hannah, a woman who wants to have children but can’t. Making the situation more painful, her husband’s other wife makes fun of her. Whenever Hannah and her family go to the place of worship, she cries and doesn’t eat anything. Eventually her weeping becomes praying, and God grants her request. She [...]
