Discipleship
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15 Now the day before Saul came, the LORD had revealed this to Samuel: 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him ruler over my people Israel; he will deliver them from the hand of the Philistines. I have looked on my people, for their cry has reached me.”
*Read the rest of 1 Samuel Chapter 9. What does this chapter tell us about God’s ability to answer our call in unexpected ways?
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Romans 7
22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me.
*Read the rest of Romans Chapter 7. What does this chapter reveal about our sinful nature and our dependence on God to help us navigate our worldly desires?
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25 The LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: “I am about to bring punishment on Amon god of Thebes, on Pharaoh, on Egypt and her gods and her kings, and on those who rely on Pharaoh. 26 I will give them into the hands of those who want to kill them—Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and his officers. Later, however, Egypt will be inhabited as in times past,” declares the LORD.
*Read the rest of Jeremiah Chapter 46. What does this chapter tell us about God’s ability to cast judgement on non-believers?
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6 But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by everyone, despised by the people.7 All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. 8 “He trusts in the LORD,” they say, ”let the LORD rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.”
*Read the rest of Psalm 22. How does this still reflect the world that we live in today and teach us to keep faith in God?
August 17th
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9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 10 When he and his servant arrived at Gibeah, a procession of prophets met him; the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he joined in their prophesying. 11 When all those who had formerly known him saw him prophesying with the prophets, they asked each other, “What is this that has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”
*Read the rest of 1 Samuel Chapter 10. How does this chapter point towards following God’s Will over our own desires? In what area of your life do you need to practice this?
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31 What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?
*Read the rest of Romans Chapter 8. How does this chapter highlight the comfort we find in Christ and remind us that our suffering is temporary?
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“‘Alas, sword of the Lord,
how long till you rest?
Return to your sheath;
cease and be still.’
7 But how can it rest
when the Lord has commanded it,
when he has ordered it
to attack Ashkelon and the coast?”*Read the rest of Jeremiah Chapter 47. How does this chapter show the finality of God’s judgment and humanity’s inability to change the outcome?
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Psalm 23
6 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.Psalm 24
5 They will receive blessing from the Lord
and vindication from God their Savior.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek your face, God of Jacob.*Read Psalm 23 and Psalm 24. How do these Psalms show God’s faithfulness and protection towards those who seek Him?
August 18th
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2 And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, “On this condition I will make a covenant with you, that I may put out all your right eyes, and bring reproach on all Israel.”
Read the rest of 1 Samuel 11. What does this chapter reveal about God’s righteous anger and His power to deliver us from situations that seem impossible to escape?
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As He says also in Hosea:
25“I will call them My people, who were not My people,
And her beloved, who was not beloved.”
26 “And it shall come to pass in the place where it was said to them,
‘You are not My people,’
There they shall be called sons of the living God.”Read the rest of Romans 9. How does Romans 9 challenge us to deepen our trust in God’s sovereign plan, even when His purposes are beyond our understanding?
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6 Flee! Run for your lives;
become like a bush[e] in the desert.
7 Since you trust in your deeds and riches,
you too will be taken captive,
and Chemosh will go into exile,
together with his priests and officials.Read the rest of Jeremiah chapter 48. How does this chapter remind us that relying on our own idols—whatever they may be—will ultimately lead to our downfall?
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16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 Relieve the troubles of my heart
and free me from my anguish.
18 Look on my affliction and my distress
and take away all my sins.
19 See how numerous are my enemies
and how fiercely they hate me!Read the rest of Psalm 25. Reflecting on today’s other three readings, how does this final passage remind us that God’s righteous anger and judgment flow from His love for us?
August 19th
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23 “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 25 Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”
Read the rest of 1 Samuel 12. Samuel promised to pray for the people. How can you become a consistent intercessor for others?
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9 “If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.”
Read the rest of Romans chapter 10. Verses 9-10 say that confession and belief are necessary. Why are both important? Does confession guarantee true belief? How can we endure our confession is genuine?
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9 If grape pickers came to you,
would they not leave a few grapes?
If thieves came during the night,
would they not steal only as much as they wanted?
10 But I will strip Esau bare;
I will uncover his hiding places,
so that he cannot conceal himself.
His armed men are destroyed,
also his allies and neighbors,
so there is no one to say,
11 ‘Leave your fatherless children; I will keep them alive.
Your widows too can depend on me.’”Read the rest of Jeremiah 49. What behaviors towards God and Israel are named in the prophecy against Ammon, Edom, Damascus, Kedar, Hazor, and Elam?
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Psalm 26
4 I do not sit with the deceitful,
nor do I associate with hypocrites.
5 I abhor the assembly of evildoers
and refuse to sit with the wicked.
6 I wash my hands in innocence,
and go about your altar, Lord,
7 proclaiming aloud your praise
and telling of all your wonderful deeds.
Psalm 27
2 When the wicked advance against me
to devour[a] me,
it is my enemies and my foes
who will stumble and fall.
3 Though an army besiege me,
my heart will not fear;
though war break out against me,
even then I will be confident.
Read the rest of Psalm 26 and 27. How does the symbolic washing of hands in Psalm 26 shape the way you approach worship? How can Psalm 27 inspire courage and fearlessness in today’s world?
August 20th
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7 Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. 8 He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. 9 So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering. 10 Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him.
Read the rest of 1 Samuel chapter 13. How does Saul’s decision to act without waiting for Samuel challenge your understanding of God’s timing?
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17 If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, 18 do not consider yourself to be superior to those other branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” 20 Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but tremble. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
Read the rest of Romans 11. What does it mean for Gentiles to be “grafted in” and Israel to be “grafted back”?
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4 “In those days, at that time,”
declares the Lord,
“the people of Israel and the people of Judah together
will go in tears to seek the Lord their God.
5 They will ask the way to Zion
and turn their faces toward it.
They will come and bind themselves to the Lord
in an everlasting covenant
that will not be forgotten.Read the rest of Jeremiah chapter 50. How does this chapter balance God’s justice with His mercy?
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Psalm 28
6 Praise be to the Lord,
for he has heard my cry for mercy.
7 The Lord is my strength and my shield;
my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.
My heart leaps for joy,
and with my song I praise him.Psalm 29
3 The voice of the Lord is over the waters;
the God of glory thunders,
the Lord thunders over the mighty waters.Read the rest of Psalm 28 and 29. What does David mean by calling God “my rock” and how can this metaphor still apply to problems today (Psalm 28). How can recognizing God’s power in creation encourage deeper faith in His providence (Psalm 29)?
August 21st
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11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.” 12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.”
So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”
Read the rest of 1 Samuel 14. Jonathan and his armor-bearer act together without any hesitation. What does their unity reveal about the power of shared faith and mutual support? How can this apply to our own lives?
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20 On the contrary:
“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”[e]21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Read the rest of Romans 12. In what ways do we struggle to use our strengths to bless others, and how does God call us to continue showing love even when we feel wronged?
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49 “Babylon must fall because of Israel’s slain,
just as the slain in all the earth
have fallen because of Babylon.
50 You who have escaped the sword,
leave and do not linger!
Remember the Lord in a distant land,
and call to mind Jerusalem.”Read the rest of Jeremiah 51. How does Babylon’s role as a “golden cup” that intoxicated the nations (v. 7) parallel the danger of spiritual complacency?
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8 To you, Lord, I called;
to the Lord I cried for mercy:
9 “What is gained if I am silenced,
if I go down to the pit?
Will the dust praise you?
Will it proclaim your faithfulness?
10 Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me;
Lord, be my help.”Read the rest of Psalm 30. In v. 5, what contrast does the psalmist make between God’s anger and His favor? How might this truth comfort you in times of difficulty?
August 22nd
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22 But Samuel replied:
“Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices
as much as in obeying the Lord?
To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is like the sin of divination,
and arrogance like the evil of idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has rejected you as king.”Read the rest of 1 Samuel 15. What does “to obey is better than sacrifice” (v. 22) teach about God’s priorities? How does this challenge our ideas of worship?
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11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. 14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.
Read the rest of Romans 13. How can we “put on the armor of light” in our daily lives?
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4 So in the ninth year of Zedekiah’s reign, on the tenth day of the tenth month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon marched against Jerusalem with his whole army. They encamped outside the city and built siege works all around it. 5 The city was kept under siege until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
Read the rest of Jeremiah 52. How were Jeremiah’s prophesies concerning the siege, the king, and the exile fulfilled?
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19 How abundant are the good things
that you have stored up for those who fear you,
that you bestow in the sight of all,
on those who take refuge in you.
20 In the shelter of your presence you hide them
from all human intrigues;
you keep them safe in your dwelling
from accusing tongues.Read the rest of Psalm 31. How do you personally seek refuge in God during times of fear or uncertainty?
August 23rd
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6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
Read the rest of 1 Samuel 16. How can we better focus on inward character rather than outward appearances in our daily decisions and relationships?
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10 You, then, why do you judge your brother or sister[a]? Or why do you treat them with contempt? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat. 11 It is written:
“‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord,
‘every knee will bow before me;
every tongue will acknowledge God.’”[b]12 So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God.
Read the rest of Romans 14. Consider ways you may avoid judging other’s faith practices and instead focus on unity and peace. How can this perspective guide your actions today?
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20 “See, Lord, how distressed I am!
I am in torment within,
and in my heart I am disturbed,
for I have been most rebellious.
Outside, the sword bereaves;
inside, there is only death.Read the rest of Lamentations 1. Reflect on the relationship between sin, divine judgement, and personal accountability. Are there areas in your life or community that this passage calls you to examine?
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5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity.
I said, “I will confess
my transgressions to the Lord.”
And you forgave
the guilt of my sin.Read the rest of Psalm 32. How does acknowledging your struggles and shortcomings bring relief to your spirit?
August 24th
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48 As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. 49 Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.
50 So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.
Read the rest of 1 Samuel 17. How does the text show that “the battle is the Lord’s”?
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12 And again, Isaiah says,
“The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
in him the Gentiles will hope.”[f]13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Read the rest of Romans 15. Paul shares his ministry goals and plans. What motivates him, and how can his example inspire your own service?
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18 The hearts of the people
cry out to the Lord.
You walls of Daughter Zion,
let your tears flow like a river
day and night;
give yourself no relief,
your eyes no rest.Read the rest of Lamentations 2. How does the chapter convey the depth of grief and sorrow experienced by the people of Jerusalem?
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16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
and keep them alive in famine.Read the rest of Psalm 33. How doe these verses encourage reliance on God rather than human power? In what ways does God’s care affect your daily decisions and relationships?
August 25th
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20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. 21 “I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.”
Read the rest of 1 Samuel 18. How does this chapter show the danger of jealousy in leadership and personal relationships?
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17 I urge you, brothers and sisters, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. 18 For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. 19 Everyone has heard about your obedience, so I rejoice because of you; but I want you to be wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil.
Read the rest of Romans 16. What can we learn about the early church community from the way Paul addresses both men and women, Jews and Gentiles?
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31 For no one is cast off
by the Lord forever.
32 Though he brings grief, he will show compassion,
so great is his unfailing love.
33 For he does not willingly bring affliction
or grief to anyone.Read the rest of Lamentations 3. The above verses emphasize God’s unwillingness to afflict willingly. How does this balance with the severe judgements described in the Old Testament?
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17 The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The Lord is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.Read the rest of Psalm 34. Reflect on the ways God has been faithful in your life. Can you recount a recent deliverance or help from God?
August 26th
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. 2 And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. 3 And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.” 4 And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. 5 For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?”
Read the rest of 1 Samuel 19. Jonathan’s willingness to speak truth to Saul, even about his sin, reveals both humility and courage. How can we stand for truth in love when doing so may offend those closest to us?
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26 For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards,[c] not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; 28 God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, 29 so that no human being[d] might boast in the presence of God. 30 And because of him[e] you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, 31 so that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
Read the rest of 1 Corinthians 1. Why might God work through the seemingly weak or foolish?
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2 The precious sons of Zion,
worth their weight in fine gold,
how they are regarded as earthen pots,
the work of a potter's hands!3 Even jackals offer the breast;
they nurse their young;
but the daughter of my people has become cruel,
like the ostriches in the wilderness.Read the rest of Lamentations 4. How does the fall of Jerusalem mirror struggles in today’s world—whether in politics, economics, or personal relationships?
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11 Malicious witnesses rise up;
they ask me of things that I do not know.
12 They repay me evil for good;
my soul is bereft.
13 But I, when they were sick—
I wore sackcloth;
I afflicted myself with fasting;
I prayed with head bowed on my chest.
14 I went about as though I grieved for my friend or my brother;
as one who laments his mother,
I bowed down in mourning.Read the rest of Psalm 35. In what areas of your life do you need God’s vindication? How can trust in His justice relieve your anxiety?
August 27th
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24 So David hid himself in the field. And when the new moon came, the king sat down to eat food. 25 The king sat on his seat, as at other times, on the seat by the wall. Jonathan sat opposite,[e] and Abner sat by Saul's side, but David's place was empty.
26 Yet Saul did not say anything that day, for he thought, “Something has happened to him. He is not clean; surely he is not clean.” 27 But on the second day, the day after the new moon, David's place was empty. And Saul said to Jonathan his son, “Why has not the son of Jesse come to the meal, either yesterday or today?” 28 Jonathan answered Saul, “David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem. 29 He said, ‘Let me go, for our clan holds a sacrifice in the city, and my brother has commanded me to be there. So now, if I have found favor in your eyes, let me get away and see my brothers.’ For this reason he has not come to the king's table.”
30 Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman, do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame, and to the shame of your mother's nakedness?
Read the rest of 1 Samuel 20. What sacrifices do David and Jonathan make in this chapter? How do their actions reflect their faith and trust in God?
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6 Yet among the mature we do impart wisdom, although it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are doomed to pass away. 7 But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glory. 8 None of the rulers of this age understood this, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man imagined,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—Read the rest of 1 Corinthians 2. In what areas of your life do you risk making yourself the foundation of belief rather than Christ?
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5 The joy of our hearts has ceased;
our dancing has been turned to mourning.
16 The crown has fallen from our head;
woe to us, for we have sinned!
17 For this our heart has become sick,
for these things our eyes have grown dim,
18 for Mount Zion which lies desolate;
jackals prowl over it.Read the rest of Lamentations 5. If you were the “we” in this chapter, what would you add to the list of losses?
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Transgression speaks to the wicked
deep in his heart;[a]
there is no fear of God
before his eyes.
2 For he flatters himself in his own eyes
that his iniquity cannot be found out and hated.
3 The words of his mouth are trouble and deceit;
he has ceased to act wisely and do good.
4 He plots trouble while on his bed;
he sets himself in a way that is not good;
he does not reject evil.Read the rest of Psalm 36. How does David portray the wicked in verses 1-4, and how does this relate to modern human behavior?
August 28th
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3 Now then, what do you have on hand? Give me five loaves of bread, or whatever is here.” 4 And the priest answered David, “I have no common bread on hand, but there is holy bread—if the young men have kept themselves from women.” 5 And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 6 So the priest gave him the holy bread, for there was no bread there but the bread of the Presence, which is removed from before the Lord, to be replaced by hot bread on the day it is taken away.
Read the rest of 1 Samuel 21. Why was the bread reserved for priests? How does David’s reasoning in verse 5 align with or challenge God’s law?
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15 Is today the first time that I have inquired of God for him? No! Let not the king impute anything to his servant or to all the house of my father, for your servant has known nothing of all this, much or little.” 16 And the king said, “You shall surely die, Ahimelech, you and all your father's house.” 17 And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord.
Read the rest of 1 Samuel 22. What does the massacre of the priests reveal about the nature of evil and the danger of misrepresentation?
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But I, brothers,[a] could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk, not solid food, for you were not ready for it. And even now you are not yet ready, 3 for you are still of the flesh. For while there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not of the flesh and behaving only in a human way? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” are you not being merely human?
Read the rest of 1 Corinthians 3. What are the signs of spiritual immaturity you’ve noticed in yourself or others? How can you grow beyond them?
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4 As I looked, behold, a stormy wind came out of the north, and a great cloud, with brightness around it, and fire flashing forth continually, and in the midst of the fire, as it were gleaming metal.[b] 5 And from the midst of it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, 6 but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. 7 Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf's foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. 8 Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: 9 their wings touched one another. Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. 10 As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies.
Read the rest of Ezekiel 1. How does the vision of God’s throne room and living creatures reflect God’s sovereignty and omnipresence?
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34 Wait for the Lord and keep his way,
and he will exalt you to inherit the land;
you will look on when the wicked are cut off.35 I have seen a wicked, ruthless man,
spreading himself like a green laurel tree.[d]
36 But he passed away,[e] and behold, he was no more;
though I sought him, he could not be found.Read the rest of Psalm 37. What does “inherit the land” mean in a modern context? Does it refer to material wealth, spiritual blessings, or both?
August 29th
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15 David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Horesh. 16 And Jonathan, Saul's son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said to him, “Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Saul my father also knows this.” 18 And the two of them made a covenant before the Lord. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan went home.
Read the rest of 1 Samuel 23. Jonathan’s visit to David at Horesh is a covenant moment. What does this reveal about loyalty and friendship in God’s plan?
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9 For I think that God has exhibited us apostles as last of all, like men sentenced to death, because we have become a spectacle to the world, to angels, and to men. 10 We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You are held in honor, but we in disrepute. 11 To the present hour we hunger and thirst, we are poorly dressed and buffeted and homeless, 12 and we labor, working with our own hands. When reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; 13 when slandered, we entreat. We have become, and are still, like the scum of the world, the refuse of all things.
Read the rest of 1 Corinthians 4. How does Paul’s teaching on humility, stewardship, and suffering resonate with Christians facing modern challenges?
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2 And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. 3 And he said to me, “Son of man, I send you to the people of Israel, to nations of rebels, who have rebelled against me. They and their fathers have transgressed against me to this very day. 4 The descendants also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God.’ 5 And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that a prophet has been among them.
Read the rest of Ezekiel 2. In what ways can God’s call to a “rebellious house” apply to modern contexts where truth is resisted?
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17 For I am ready to fall,
and my pain is ever before me.
18 I confess my iniquity;
I am sorry for my sin.
19 But my foes are vigorous, they are mighty,
and many are those who hate me wrongfully.
20 Those who render me evil for good
accuse me because I follow after good.21 Do not forsake me, O Lord!
O my God, be not far from me!
22 Make haste to help me,
O Lord, my salvation!Read the rest of Psalm 38. How might this encourage us to be more honest in prayer?
August 30th
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12 May the Lord judge between me and you, may the Lord avenge me against you, but my hand shall not be against you. 13 As the proverb of the ancients says, ‘Out of the wicked comes wickedness.’ But my hand shall not be against you. 14 After whom has the king of Israel come out? After whom do you pursue? After a dead dog! After a flea! 15 May the Lord therefore be judge and give sentence between me and you, and see to it and plead my cause and deliver me from your hand.”
Read the rest of 1 Samuel 24. How does David’s refusal to harm the Lord’s anointed reflect his faith and integrity?
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6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.
Read the rest of 1 Corinthians 5. How does the metaphor of “a little leaven leavens the whole lump” apply to personal and communal life?
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4 And he said to me, “Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak with my words to them. 5 For you are not sent to a people of foreign speech and a hard language, but to the house of Israel— 6 not to many peoples of foreign speech and a hard language, whose words you cannot understand. Surely, if I sent you to such, they would listen to you. 7 But the house of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, for they are not willing to listen to me: because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart. 8 Behold, I have made your face as hard as their faces, and your forehead as hard as their foreheads.
Read the rest of Ezekiel 3. Why did God send Ezekiel to hard-hearted, rebellious people rather than to foreign nations? What does this reveal about God’s sovereignty and human responsibility?
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4 “O Lord, make me know my end
and what is the measure of my days;
let me know how fleeting I am!
5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths,
and my lifetime is as nothing before you.
Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah
6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow!
Surely for nothing[a] they are in turmoil;
man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!Read the rest of Psalm 39. How does understanding life’s shortness change the way we value time and priorities?