Posts with the tag “zoe”

Daily Devotional from 2 Samuel 16—Verse 11...Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to.What an interesting chapter. One of the things that strikes me in this passage is David’s humility before God as Shimei curses him, throws rocks at him, and flings dust at him. I don’t know about you, but I think I would get a little irritated at some point if that was happening to me, eve...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 31—Verse 6Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together.Wow. Talk about a massive defeat. Saul, the first king of Israel, has fallen on his own sword. The Philistines finally overtook him, and they are attacking and closing in on the Israelites. Their future looks bleak–there’s little hope. I read this chapter and...  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 4—Verse 3...it will save us from our enemies. (NLT)Everything that the Israelites did in this chapter looked right. It even sounded right. Upon defeat, they brought the Ark of the Covenant–the vessel of the LORD’s presence–to help them overcome their enemies. Their shout for joy was so outrageous that it melted their enemies’ hearts in fear. Everything should go acco...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Judges 14—Verse 6, 9Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him…Out of all the things that happened in this chapter, the most remarkable were preceded by the Spirit of the LORD rushing upon Samson. That’s a principle we can take from this chapter–where the Spirit of the LORD is, there is strength, power, and miracles that would not be possible without him. When the Spirit rus...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Judges 1—Verse 2The LORD said, “Judah shall go up; behold, I have given the land into his hand.”Does anyone else get chills when “The LORD said” comes across their page? I can imagine a deep, rich, booming voice that shakes the earth with its magnificence, glory, and authority. How powerful is our God! Take Judges 1 for example. He brought about victory after victory for the ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Joshua 12–Verse 24…the king of Tirzah, one: in all, thirty-one kings.Wow, what a list of success! There are more defeated kings listed here than Doritos in a chip bag! Besides all the kings that Moses and Joshua defeated, the thing that stands out to me is the title that Moses gets in this chapter. “Moses, the servant of the Lord.” What a beautiful, humbling title to hold.It’...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Deuteronomy 33–Verse 29...who is like you, a people saved by the LORD…I just love Moses’ reminder to the Israelites to remember their place before the Lord. Who is like the Israelites, a people saved by the Lord? Well… we are. Through Jesus’ sacrifice, we all have the opportunity to step into salvation and into the family of God. The saved family. A saved people.If we are a p...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Deuteronomy 14–Clean, unclean, clean, unclean. I often wonder how the Israelites kept it all straight! This chapter may seem like it’s just full of tedious rules, but when we step back, we can see that God has a greater purpose in these regulations–holiness. He didn’t set the Israelites apart so he could boss them around and impose a bunch of rules on them. No, he set them ap...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Numbers 32--Verse 11b...because they have not wholly followed me…In this chapter, we see that because the Israelites didn’t give themselves wholly to the Lord, they cut themselves off from receiving the incredible promised land!I believe the principle we find in this chapter presents us with an opportunity to examine our own hearts. Are we wholly following the Lord? It’s a lo...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Leviticus 25—Verse 22When you plant your fields in the eighth year, you will still be eating from the large crop of the sixth year. In fact, you will still be eating from that large crop when the new crop is harvested in the ninth year.Isn’t it amazing how the LORD provided for the Israelites? In this chapter, we see again the concept of laying down the work and trusting God ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Leviticus 8--I can’t read this chapter without noticing how much God cares about the details. There are a lot of things Moses and Aaron do here that seem a little odd to us (maybe more than a little). Why did it matter how Aaron was ordained? Why did it have to be so specific?I have a theory that God was actively setting his people apart. One way he did that was through the d...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 31—Verses 2-3See, I have called by name Bezalel…and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with ability and intelligence, with knowledge and all craftsmanship…I get excited when I think about God designing us so intentionally and specifically! I notice an order of events in this passage: first, God called Bezalel by name. Then, he filled him with the Spirit of God. ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 18—Verse 18You’re going to wear yourself out—and the people, too. This job is too heavy a burden for you to handle all by yourself.Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, was a man of wisdom. He saw how much responsibility Moses had taken upon himself and knew that he wouldn’t be able to sustain that pace for long. His solution? Ask for help.Have you ever felt worn out? Too over...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Exodus 2—Verses 23-25Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He looked down on the people of Israel and knew it was time to act. (NLT)There may be some of us...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 41—This chapter reminds me of James 4:6: “As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’” What really catches my attention here is the way Joseph rose to his place of honor. Let’s back up a few chapters, when Joseph interpreted the dreams of two men in prison with him. He didn’t have a reason to interpret their dreams other than the fact...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Genesis 27--Verse 35But Isaac said, “Your brother was here, and he tricked me. He has taken away your blessing.” NLTThis is a wild story. Jacob stole Esau’s blessing and went on to be Israel…THE Israel. It’s crazy! Why would God allow him to experience the blessing when it wasn’t even rightfully his? He didn’t deserve this honor; he didn’t deserve this name. Why couldn’t God ...  Read More

Daily devotional from Genesis 13--Verses 14-16Look as far as you can see in every direction–north and south, east and west. I am giving all this land, as far as you can see, to you and your descendants as a permanent possession. And I will give you so many descendants that, like the dust of the earth, they cannot be counted! NLTAbraham was walking in God’s promise. He knew that wherever he went, G...  Read More