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Read 2 Samuel 7:12-13 (ESV) When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. Reflect Despite his serious sins, how does David demonstrate his faithful heart toward God? What evidence do you see of God’s faithfulness to us despite our sinful failings? History typica

Read 1 Samuel 8:4-7 (ESV) Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they h

Read Ruth 4:9-10 (ESV) Then Boaz said to the elders and all the people, “You are witnesses this day that I have bought from the hand of Naomi all that belonged to Elimelech and all that belonged to Chilion and to Mahlon. Also Ruth the Moabite, the widow of Mahlon, I have bought to be my wife, to perpetuate the name of the dead in his inheritance, that the name of the dead may not be cut off from among his brothers and from the gate of his native place. You are witnesses this

Read Judges 2:18-20a (ESV) Whenever the LORD raised up judges for them, the LORD was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the LORD was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stu

Read Joshua 2:18-19, 21 (ESV) “‘Behold, when we come into the land, you shall tie this scarlet cord in the window through which you let us down and you shall gather into your house your father and mother, your brothers, and all your father’s household. Then if anyone goes out the doors of your house and into the street, his blood shall be on his own head, and we shall be guiltless. But if a hand is laid on anyone who is with you in the house, his blood shall be on our head… A

Read Deuteronomy 30:19-20 (ESV) I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them. Reflect Notice that Moses set before the pe

Read Numbers 14:22-23 (ESV) “None of the men who have seen my glory and my signs that I did in Egypt and in the wilderness, and yet have put me to the test these ten times and have not obeyed my voice, shall see the land that I swore to give their fathers.” Reflect Has unbelief and disobedience ever significantly cost you? How might that situation have played out differently if only you had trusted and obeyed God? Recently, I saw a social media post in which an atheist societ

Read Leviticus 20:7-8 (ESV) “Consecrate yourselves, therefore, and be holy, for I am the LORD your God. Keep my statutes and do them; I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” Reflect You probably already know that God demands holiness. But have you ever been able to meet God’s standard of holiness without His help? When you first became a believer in Christ, did you ever wonder “Now what?” You had already placed saving faith in Him, and you had hope in the promise of eternal life.

Read Exodus 12:21-23 (ESV) Then Moses called all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go and select lambs for yourselves according to your clans, and kill the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin. None of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the LORD will pass through to strike the Egyptians, and when he sees the blood on th

Read Genesis 3:15 (ESV) “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Reflect If someone asked you where Christ is found in the Bible, how would you respond? One common misconception about where Jesus is found in the Bible is that He is only found in the New Testament. But the reality is, once you learn how to look for Him, you realize that there are signs pointing to Chri

Read Philippians 4:5 (ESV) Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand. Reflect Does knowing that the Holy Spirit is always present in your life change the way you want to behave? Have you heard the old adage “When the cat's away, the mice will play?” Maybe you’ve even seen this play out in your life. When the parents are gone, the kids break house rules. When the boss is gone, productivity drops. When the teacher steps out of the room, chaos ensues.

Read Philippians 4:10-12 (ESV) I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you have revived your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me, but you had no opportunity. Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. Reflect Are you struggling with con

Read Colossians 3:23 (ESV) Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men… Reflect What is your attitude towards work? Do you work hard or hardly work? I was driving around town the other day and I noticed something. It seemed like every other business I passed had a sign in the window that said, “Now Hiring.” A quick internet search confirmed what I had noticed—there are a lot of job openings right now and labor shortage. According to the US Bureau of Labor

Read Proverbs 12:19-22 (ESV) Truthful lips endure forever, but a lying tongue is but for a moment. Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil, but those who plan peace have joy. No ill befalls the righteous, but the wicked are filled with trouble. Lying lips are an abomination to the LORD, but those who act faithfully are his delight. Reflect Think about the last time you told a lie. Was it a little white lie or a lie that could have serious consequences? Either way, wha

Read Proverbs 16:18 (ESV) Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. Reflect Think back to the last time you fell into sin. What thoughts or motivations were underneath that sinful behavior? The first sin we read about in Scripture occurs in Genesis chapter 3. Satan, disguised as a serpent, tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God. His strategy? Get them to doubt God as the only worthy authority in their lives and believe instead that they could be their ow

Read Galatians 6:9-10 (ESV) And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith. Reflect Have you ever grown weary of serving God faithfully? What keeps you going? The richest man in my home state of Nebraska is Warren Buffett. It is well known here that Buffett acquired his wealth by playing the long game. In other

Read Luke 2:25-32 (ESV) Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms a

Read Isaiah 40:29-31 (ESV) He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary; and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. Reflect Do you struggle with patience while you wait? What helps you endure a tough waiting season? Recently, some friends shared th

Read Romans 11:33 (ESV) Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! Reflect Why do you read your Bible? What impact does reading the Word of God have on your life? If I asked you why it’s important to read your Bible, how would you respond? Many people say they read their Bibles to learn more about God. Scripture also communicates God’s law so people read it because they rightly want to avoid si

Read Romans 5:1-5 (ESV) Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poure

Read Matthew 14:22-27 (ESV) Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go before him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. But when the disciples sa

Read Psalm 101:1-4 (ESV) I will sing of steadfast love and justice; to you, O LORD, I will make music. I will ponder the way that is blameless. Oh when will you come to me? I will walk with integrity of heart within my house; I will not set before my eyes anything that is worthless. I hate the work of those who fall away; it shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall be far from me; I will know nothing of evil. Reflect How has what you’ve allowed yourself to think about an

Read Psalm 56:3-4 (ESV) When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me? Reflect Are you feeling any fear right now? If so, what are you afraid of? It is a fearful time for many. There are health concerns, economic issues, political unrest, and wars being fought throughout the world. Fear is a natural response to these things. But if we have put our trust in God and placed saving faith in

Read Romans 8:37-39 (ESV) No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Reflect Have you experienced loneliness lately? Who or what do you turn to in an attempt to fill the void? If you Google “lonel