Day 136 1 Samuel 18:5‐19:24; John 8:31‐59; Psalm 112:1‐10; Proverbs 15:12‐14 The Truth Sets Us Free In this section of John’s Gospel, Jesus is continuing to teach about what it means to be a true child of God. He makes a distinction about truth and lies versus freedom and slavery. Many of the people don’t…

Day 135 1 Samuel 17:1‐18:4; John 8:21‐30; Psalm 111:1‐10; Proverb 15:11 Due Diligence in the Everyday Task If you are like me, you have heard the story of David and Goliath for years. It is a classic story of overcoming fears and standing courageously for what the Lord calls us to no matter the situation….

Day 134 1 Samuel 15:1‐16:23; John 7:53‐8:20; Psalm 110:1‐7; Proverbs 15:8‐10 Are You Without Sin? Of all the offenses in the Jewish law, or Hallakhah, adultery was a one of the most heinous, and was punishable by death. While the Pharisees and Scribes were right to point out that under the law the adulterous woman…

Day 133 1 Samuel 13:23-14:52; John 7:30-52; Psalm 109:1-31; Proverbs 15:5-7 Declaring A Curse In the reading from 1 Samuel, King Saul selfishly puts his own glory ahead of his soldiers’ welfare, declaring a curse against anyone who eats – and his son Jonathan unknowingly disobeys the decree and is sentenced to death. In the…

Day 132 1 Samuel 12:1‐13:22; John 7:1‐29; Psalm 108:1‐13; Proverbs 15:4 God’s Work, God’s Way We have become accustomed to the notion that “there’s more than one way to skin a cat.” I have learned, however, that if you plan on using a new cat-skinning technique, you’d better be very clear what you are actually…

Day 131 1 Samuel 10:1‐11:15; John 6:43‐71; Psalm 107:1‐43; Proverbs 15:1‐3 Rejecting God’s Provision But now you have rejected your God, who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have said, “No, appoint a king over us.” – 1 Samuel 10:19 I don’t know about you but when I read those…

Day 130 1 Samuel 8:1-9:27; John 6:22-42; Psalm 106:32-48; Proverbs 14:34-35 Because of the Bread Earlier in John 6, we have this Gospel’s record of Jesus’ feeding of the five thousand on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Although Jesus had managed to get away from the excited crowd who wanted to make…

Day 129 1 Samuel 5:1‐7:17; John 6:1‐21; Psalm 106:13‐31; Proverbs 14:32‐33 Covenant Box of the Lord The Ark of the Covenant was a box in which were kept the tablets of the Ten Commandments. The box was the throne of God such that where it went so did the force of God’s presence. God does…

Day 128 1 Samuel 2:22-4:22; John 5:24-47; Psalm 106:1-12; Proverb 14:30 Speak Lord, Your Servant Is Listening! “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” -John 5:24 The emphasis in the…

Day 127 1 Samuel 1:1‐2:21; John 5:1‐23; Psalm 105:37‐45; Proverbs 14:28‐29 None of His Words Fall to the Ground Did you ever realize how much drama there was in 1 Samuel on either side of the calling of Samuel? The drama that Eli’s sons cause in the temple and how wicked they are, and then…

Day 126 Ruth 2:1-4:22; John 4:43-54; Psalm 105:16-36; Proverbs 14:26-27 From Fateful to Faithful In the Old Testament reading, Naomi has returned to Bethlehem from Moab for the barley harvest. Although the famine in Israel has ended, the fortunes of Naomi have not improved.  Her sons have died without children. Only Ruth, her Moabite daughter-in-law,…