Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 17--Verse 43And the Philistine said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods.”Everyone has heard of the story of David and Goliath - a young shepherd boy armed with only a sling and stones going up against an armored giant having spear and sword. The giant looked with disdain at the “hero” sent to represent ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 16—Verse 7...For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.I’m so glad that the Lord sees our hearts. What a relief that I don’t have to be the smartest, strongest, or best-looking for God to use me! But that also means I must give great care to the condition of my heart.In today’s chapter, Samuel was given th...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 15—Verse 13And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.”‬‬‬‬Have you ever been impatient with God? Saul was too hasty. He let fear dictate his decisions.We’ve all done this. It’s easy to let our impatience o...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 14—Verse 7And his armor-bearer said to him, “Do all that is in your heart. Do as you wish. Behold, I am with you heart and soul.”I strive to be like this armor bearer. He took his role seriously. It is such a comfort to have people like this in your corner and I hope that I am this for people and I strive to be even more like this for people around me.  Anytime I hav...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 13—Verse 13And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the command of the Lord your God, with which he commanded you. For then the Lord would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.”God values obedience. In Chapter 10, Samuel gave instructions for Saul to wait for him so that he can lead in offerings and show Saul what to do. When ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 12—Verse 21And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty.We were created with an empty spot in our heart. We feel it, all our lives long: a longing, an ache, a desire for completion. We think, if we can just fill that spot, we will have arrived. Sometimes the longing is more intense, sometimes subtler. But it’s always ther...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 11—Verses 12-13Then the people said to Samuel, “Who is it that said, ‘Shall Saul reign over us?’ Bring the men, that we may put them to death.” But Saul said, “Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the Lord has worked salvation in Israel.”Remember the slogan “Not MY President”? Well, here we see it is not a new attitude. The reality is, God has given us...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 10–Verse 11What has come over the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?Just because somebody has been used of God in some special way, does not mean God endorses their character. Saul, as we will find out, did not have a heart for God. He did not pan out, and he did not last long. In fact, he became a sick and tyrannical man. Please don’t celebrate people for...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 9--Verse 2He had a son whose name was Saul, a handsome young man. There was not a man among the people of Israel more handsome than he. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people. Be careful of trusting a first impression. Sometimes we have a mental image of who would be right for what. And sometimes initially they check all the boxes. They look i...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 8--Verses 19-20But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”Israel had seen God defend and fight their battles for them, still they wanted a physical king like the other nations. Even with t...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 7—The Israelites were in bondage to the Philistines and embraced vile idol worship. They lamented after God. They were sorrowful, grief stricken and fearful of what could be a point of no return for them. Had they lost the Lord forever? God was their last and only hope. As they obeyed Samuel’s directions to put away their false gods and confessed their sin, the Lord ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 6—Verse 6Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?Once again, we see people resisting God and His plan by hardening their hearts. God had dealt severely with the Egyptians when they wouldn’t let the Israelites go. And now Godhas bee...  Read More