September 18, 2020 | 1 Samuel 18:1–30 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue When I was growing up, my parents used to buy my shoes at a little shop at the end of our block. Getting a new pair of shoes was always a big deal, an event that warranted a family expedition. Maybe that’s why I […]
September 17, 2020 | 1 Samuel 17:1–58 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue I was not raised in a Christian home. For the first 20 years of my life, I read very little of the Bible. But even as a child I knew the story of David and Goliath. The Scripture’s account of David’s defeat of the […]
September 16, 2020 | 1 Samuel 16:1–23 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Some say the modern age of image-oriented political campaigning began in 1960 with the first televised presidential debate between John Kennedy and Richard Nixon. On camera, Kennedy seemed more comfortable than Nixon, whose appearance and awkward manner made him appear less confident to viewers. […]
September 15, 2020 | 1 Samuel 15:1–35 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue In his book The God Delusion, atheist Richard Dawkins accused the God portrayed in the Old Testament of being “arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction” and “a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser.” Dawkins may have based his accusations on today’s reading. Modern readers […]
September 14, 2020 | 1 Samuel 13:16–14:52 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue Did you ever make a promise you couldn’t keep? Maybe you agreed to something in haste, later regretting what you vowed? As Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 5:6, “Do not let your mouth lead you into sin.” In today’s passage, Saul acted contrary to this […]
September 13, 2020 | 1 Samuel 13:1-15 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue At the track meet, I watched in dismay as the front runner for our team lost his footing and fell. The cheers of the crowd quickly turned to groans. We all know that a strong start does not always guarantee a good finish. The […]
September 12, 2020 | 1 Samuel 12:1-25 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue As he set out for his presidential inauguration in 1861, Abraham Lincoln knew he faced a seemingly impossible task. “I now leave, not knowing when, or whether ever, I may return, with a task before me greater than that which rested upon Washington,” Lincoln […]
September 11, 2020 | 1 Samuel 11:1-14 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue We usually think of fear as a reaction to something that causes negative emotions: enclosed spaces, snakes, heights, darkness, or even public speaking. But in the Bible, the term “fear” is often used to communicate the reverence we have for God. This includes a […]
September 10, 2020 | 1 Samuel 10:1-27 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue The coronation of Queen Elizabeth II of England took place on June 2, 1953, in Westminster Abbey. The queen arrived in a gold coach pulled by eight horses. Over eight thousand guests witnessed the public ceremony. Saul’s coronation was much different. Samuel declared […]
September 9, 2020 | 1 Samuel 9:1:27 DEVOTIONS This Month’s Issue G. K. Chesterton once observed, “Coincidences are spiritual puns.” In other words, what we view as coincidence may be God’s intervention in our life. Today’s passage describes a series of coincidences in Saul’s life that turned out to be divine appointments. We also get […]