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Trusting in God’s Word

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2 Samuel 18; Psalms 56; Matthew 27 “When I am afraid, I will trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I will not be afraid. What can mortal man do to me?” Psalm 56:3, 4 David valued the presence of the Lord and listened to his word. When surrounded by danger in the Philistine city of Gath, David trusted in God’s promises to him which called for faith, not fear. When we feel surrounded, discouraged, or full of fear, in whose word are we placing our trust? The enemy of our soul accuses, lies, tempts, and distracts us from the truths of God’s Word. Are we listening to the Word or to the enemy? Will we reverence and fear God by honoring his promises and Word to us, or will we fear man? David realized that the Philistines could only kill his body; but, the Lord had watch over his body, his soul, and his spirit. Many years later the Lord used Ittai, the Gittite from Gath, along with 600 men to strengthen David’s leadership as he overcame Absalom’s rebellion. The Word of the...
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Declaring your Power

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2 Samuel 17; Psalms 71; Matthew 26   “Do not cast me away when I am old; do not forsake me when my strength is gone. For my enemies speak against me; those who wait to kill me conspire together. They say, ‘God has forsaken him; pursue him and seize him, for no one will rescue him.’ Be not far from me, O God;…Even when I am old and gray, do not forsake me, O God, till I declare your power to the next generation, your might to all who are to come.” Psalm 71:9-12, 18 Some of David’s greatest tests came in his old age. His sons feuded with each other and Absalom led a rebellion. The whisper campaign against David sought to undermine people’s belief that the Lord was still with David. Everyone knew that it was the presence of the Lord that gave David his strength. His age was secondary. Do we, too, feel forgotten or undermined by others? The world counts beauty, physical strength, or our earning power as the source of our value. David would tell us our value comes from the Lord. As we g...
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The Hand of God

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2 Samuel 15-16; Psalms 32; Matthew 25   “For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, ‘I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.’ – and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found;…” Psalm 32:4-6 Godly people sin regularly! The guilt of sin weighed heavily on David’s soul, sapping his physical strength. The hand of God through the conviction of the Holy Spirit was like a hand on his chest. Instead of running the other way, or hiding his sin, David chose to acknowledge and repent for his sin. Freedom within comes through confession and repentance. The Lord does not despise the sacrifices of a broken and contrite heart. Godly people learn to keep short accounts with God and value their inner freedom of communion with the Holy Spirit. Are we free today, or are we resisting the convicting work of ...
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Following Jesus to the End (is costly)

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2 Samuel 13-14; Matthew 24   “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time, many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase in wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.” Matthew 24:9-13 Jesus wanted his disciples to be ready for the significant tests they would need to endure before his second coming. He promised us persecution, martyrdom, betrayal, deception, and a great falling away from the faith. This candid description of what to expect is quite different from how we prepare disciples today. When our focus is on meeting the needs of disciples, rather than on the cost of living on mission with Jesus, we develop self-centered, weak disciples. Jesus taught that knowing the cost of spiritual warfare was the key to not losing our first love ...
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Wash Away All My Iniquity

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2 Samuel 11-12; Psalms 51; Matthew 23 “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” Psalm 51:1, 2 Every person knows the stain of sin on their own heart. No amount of contrition, repayment, remorse, or even avoidance, can cleanse our hearts. Only God can forgive, heal, and renew a sin-sick heart. Many turn to distractions in entertainment, or relationships, or self-medicate through alcohol or drugs, in an attempt to numb their pain. Jesus alone offers his blood poured out on the cross to cleanse our sin-sick, wounded heart. It was unfailing love for the Father and for us that took Jesus to the cross to pay our sin-debt. It is Christ’s blood which can blot out transgressions, wash away iniquity, and cleanse us from our sin. Will we bring our sin-sick heart into the light of God’s presence and repent for all that grieves God? In repentance, we agree with wha...
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Love, God, and Our Neighbour

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2 Samuel 10; 1 Chronicles 20; Psalms 20; Matthew 22 “’Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?’ Jesus replied: ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:36-40 Love by its very definition cannot be forced. Love is a choice, an expression of free will. God’s commandment to love him with all our being must be our choice or it is not love, but rather, duty. The choice to love our neighbour as we love ourselves is different than living on mission because it’s the right thing to do. Love is birthed in a freewill choice and is expressed sacrificially without consideration of the cost. Love is not contractual or reciprocal favors; love is generous and free in its   gifts, attention, and affection. Does this describe how we love God and our neighbours? ...
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Subdued Them

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2 Samuel 8-9; 1 Chronicles 18-19; Matthew 21   “In the course of time, David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and he took Gath and its surrounding villages from the control of the Philistines. David also defeated the Moabites, and they became subject to him and brought tribute.” 1 Chronicles 18:1, 2 When David fled from Saul he found refuge in Gath and then negotiated with the king of Moab to shelter his family. When David became king he defeated both Gath and Moab. Both the Philistines (Gath) and the Moabites were threatened by David’s leadership and represented compromise with his past. As we come to Christ, we, too, must break with that which seeks to weaken our spiritual authority in Christ. Habits and relationships in which we formerly found refuge are not going to help us going forward if they are not reflecting God’s ways. Paul reminds us to “put to death” whatever belongs to our earthly nature, including sexual immorality, lust, evil desires, and greed (Colossians...
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