Devos 365

Prayer: Dear Lord God, who is there in heaven but You?! May Your name be praised on my lips today. May I declare Your honor and glory to all that I see, both with my words and my actions. Please enliven my faith through prayer and Bible study with the power of Your Sprit and create a rich faith within me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Read: Psalm 73   http://www.esvbible.org/Psalm 73 Think about It: One of the quirky aspects of our brains is that we can become fixated on a subject, a person, an event; just about anything can capture our imagination. Then we funnel our physical, emotional, and spiritual energy in the  direction of our obsession. This is almost always how sin gets a grip on us. It begins as a small idea that rumbles around in our mind until we bring that thought into action and sin takes full bloom in our lives. The writer of Psalm 73 acknowledges just such a path in his own life. His stumbling block is the riches and prosperity of the wicked. He allows jeal...

Prayer: Dear Jesus, please join me in this time of prayer, Bible study, and meditation. Enliven my faith that this time might be filled with insight, inspiration, and devotion. In Your name I pray. Amen. Read: 2 Samuel 11:1-17 http://www.esvbible.org/2 Samuel 11:1-17 Think about It: There are sins of omission, where we don’t do that which is commanded and sins of commission, where we do the things that are prohibited. There are sins of weakness, committed because our frail humanity is bound so   deeply to sin, and sins of the will where we purposefully march in the direction of evil without a concern for the negative consequences. This last category is the most dangerous as we intentionally sin   without regard for the will and way of God. In   today’s reading, David is intentionally walking away from the God he loves. The verse that reveals David’s heart is verse 2. “. . . late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch . . .” While his army is out on the b...

Prayer: Dear Lord God, I am grateful that You give us this time of intentional repentance. Thank You for showing us that we are in need of the saving work of Jesus as we walk the path of remembering His Passion. Please come with me today into this devotional time and fill up my mind and heart with the knowledge of Your presence. Because of Jesus I pray. Amen. Read: 2 Samuel 11:1-17 http://www.esvbible.org/2 Samuel 11:1-17 Think about It: The slide into sin is one that we all recognize. We all know what our triggers are and we all know what tempts us the most. Not only do we know these things, so does Satan. Today, we examine a story that is told with unflinching honesty and in painful detail. It is the story of David and Bathsheba. Verse 1 of 2 Samuel 11 positions David’s up-coming decisions and actions perfectly. When it was time to go off and continue to defend the nation against the Ammonites David sends his army and stays home. Seems like a fairly innocent choice, righ...

Prayer : Gracious God, You are holy and awesome. You are worthy of all honor and glory and I am so happy to sing Your praises. Please receive my adoration and continue to swell my heart with love for You. Take this time of devotion and study, using it for your glory and for my blessing. Pour out insight and understanding through the power of Your Holy Spirit and draw me every closer to Your side. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen. Read: Luke 21:5-36 http://www.esvbible.org/Luke 21:5-36 Think about It: One of the things we know how to do best is to worry. Even people who tell you they never worry probably worry at least a little bit. And what do we  worry about the most? Certainly not the past, for it is gone. No, we worry about the future. Will I have enough money? Will I be healthy? Will my spouse still love me and stay with me? Will I have enough to eat or a place to live? The worries we can come up with are as numerous as leaves on a tree. But the Lord is very clear about ...

Prayer : Gracious Lord God, I am Your child. I have come to You today for insight, inspiration and the truth that You want to teach me. Please help me to be open to Your Spirit and to listen to Your voice. When it is time for me to be silent and listen, please help me do that. May You be glorified and may Your peace reign in this time of devotion. In the name of Jesus I pray. Amen. Read: Psalm 9 http://www.esvbible.org/Psalm 9:1-20 Think about It: Perspective is an interesting thing for it colors almost every part of our lives. It is the lens through which you view the world and how you think about those things to which you are exposed. That goes for reading the Scriptures just like it does everything else. If you decide before you open the book that it is difficult and you can’t understand it, that will probably be the exact experience that you have. If you read the Word through the lens of “This is great! I can’t wait to see what God has in store for me today!” you will most likel...

Today marks the beginning of the season known as Lent. Today specifically is celebrated as Ash Wednesday where we immerse ourselves into the fact that we are in desperate need of a Savior and repentance is just the beginning. During Lent, this Blog will be focused on devotionals that apply to the readings appointed for the upcoming Sunday. We will pick up the final chapter of 2 Samuel after Resurrection Day.   Prayer: Dear Lord God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Every year You bring us to this time of remembrance and repentance as we look again upon the story of Your     Passion. Please walk with me through the study of Your Word, the worship of Your name, and the details of Your story as I am challenged and changed by You. Thank You for the amazing work of Jesus for me. Help me to love Your more and            recognize Your hand upon my life as the story of Your death and resurrection comes to the front of my min...

2 Samuel 23:8-39 http://www.esvbible.org/2 Samuel 23:8-39 God blesses His people in amazing ways on a moment by moment basis. Placing our salvation through the blood of Jesus as the top of that list of blessings is obvious. But the very next item on the list is the other people who inhabit our days. As you examine your life, I pray that your family and friends loom large in importance for you. David had what were known as “his mighty men”. These were the guys who were with him throughout his life, first as a man on the run and then as the King of Israel. These were fierce me. I love that word ‘fierce’ because it indicates a strength and intensity that cannot be matched. Because their exploits are written down for us, we know that they were never afraid of battle, looked to the Lord for their strength, and were loyal to David without question. What a blessing for David to have in his life! When pressed, the men surrounding King Saul fled and their loyalty slipped away like water th...

2 Samuel 23:1-7 1  These are the last words of David: “The inspired utterance of David son of Jesse, the utterance of the man exalted by the Most High, the man anointed by the God of Jacob, the hero of Israel’s songs: 2  “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. 3  The God of Israel spoke, the Rock of Israel said to me: ‘When one rules over people in righteousness, when he rules in the fear of God, 4  he is like the light of morning at sunrise on a cloudless morning, like the brightness after rain that brings grass from the earth.’ 5  “If my house were not right with God, surely he would not have made with me an everlasting covenant, arranged and secured in every part; surely he would not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire. 6  But evil men are all to be cast aside like thorns, which are not gathered with the hand. 7  Whoever touches thorns uses a tool of iron or the shaft of a spear; they are burn...