Day 159 1 Kings 3:4‐4:34; Acts 6:1-15; Psalm 126:1-6; Proverbs 16:26-27 Shaped to Be Used for the Kingdom St. Augustine, FL held a grand celebration of the 450th Anniversary of America’s First City in 2015. Ponce de Leon’s arrival in La Florida was part of the Age of Exploration: a time associated with names like…
Day 158 1 Kings 2:1-3:3; Acts 5:1-42; Psalm 125:1-5; Proverbs 16:25 Strong and Courageous, or Fearful and Foolhardy? David told Solomon to “be strong and courageous”; instead, Solomon is fearful, and consolidates his power by killing all of his perceived enemies, including his own brother. On the other hand, the apostles ARE strong and courageous,…
Day 1571 Kings 1:1‐53; Acts 4:1‐37; Psalm 124:1‐8; Proverbs 16:24 I Promise I’ll Change “I promise I’ll change.” Such is the cry of many a guy trying not to get kicked to the curb by his wife or girlfriend. But women are skeptical, and for good reason. Real life change is difficult. Acts tells of…
Day 156 2 Samuel 23:24-24:25; Acts 3:1-26; Psalm 123:1-4; Proverbs 16:21-23 Wonder and Amazement As I reflect on the healing of the lame beggar in Acts 3, I am struck by a series of words that appear in the NIV translation: “wonder and amazement,” “astonished,” and “surprise.” I am surprised that people were surprised at…
Day 155 2 Samuel 22:21‐23:23; Acts 2:1‐47; Psalm 122:1‐9; Proverbs 16:19‐20 The Meditations of a Pilgrim The meditations of a pilgrim anticipate the destination. The pilgrim’s mind is filled with ideas of what it will be like when he “gets there.” We do the same thing; on long road trips to vacation sites, our thoughts…
Day 154 2 Samuel 20:14-22:20; Acts 1:1-26; Psalm 121:1-8; Proverbs 16:18 Whom Will You Serve? During the reign of David, there was continual struggle between the Nation of Israel and the various pagan tribes. The Lord called upon David to atone for Saul’s sin in murdering the Gibeonites (who were not enemies of Israel). Even…
Day 153 2 Samuel 19:11‐20:13; John 21:1‐25; Psalm 120:1‐7; Proverbs 16:16‐17 Rooting Out Rebellion David had offered peace, pardon, and restoration to those who had rebelled against him, including Sheba and Amasa. Amasa publicly accepted and then deceitfully attempted to aid Sheba’s rebellion by taking his time to rally the king’s troops to go after…
Day 152 2 Samuel 18:1-19:10; John 20:1-31; Psalm 119:153-176; Proverbs 16:14-15 They Have Taken Away My Lord Mary Magdalene is one of my favorite people mentioned in the Resurrection story. Here we have a woman who, unlike the male disciples of Jesus, was not afraid to venture out to Jesus’ tomb, which was guarded by…
Day 151 2 Samuel 17:1‐29; John 19:23‐42; Psalm 119:129‐152; Proverbs 16:12‐13 God’s Plans Are Not Always Our Plans So many times in Scripture, we read about the ways in which things didn’t work out as people had planned. These plans may be revealed in Old Testament stories of military battles: the side that wins isn’t…
Day 150 2 Samuel 15:23-16:23; John 18:25-19:22; Psalm 119:113-128; Proverbs 16:10-11 What Is Truth? Jesus said to Pilate, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world – to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens…
Day 149 2 Samuel 14:1-15:22; John 18:1-24; Psalm 119:97-112; Proverbs 16:8-9 A Lamp Unto My Feet In the early 80’s, Michael W. Smith and Amy Grant took the words from Psalm 119 and created a very popular Christian song, titled “Thy Word.” “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my…
Day 148 2 Samuel 13:1‐39; John 17:1‐26; Psalm 119:81‐96; Proverbs 16:6‐7 Jesus’ Consecrating Prayer for the Disciples After Jesus has told His disciples there will be world tribulation, He assures them of peace in Him and reminds them He has overcome the world. Therefore, they should “be of good cheer” or “take heart.” He then…
