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 1 Samuel 3--Verse 10 NLTAnd the LORD came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”The Lord called 4 times before Samuel answered and I think the Lord does that to us when we don’t recognize it’s Him, He keeps on calling.  Has the Lord put anything heavy on your heart? Has He been calling your name and have you been simply ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 2— Verse 26Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man.‬‬‬‬In this passage, we see the contrast between Hannah’s son and Eli’s sons. Hannah was blessed with a son after being barren, and she gave that precious blessing back to the Lord. Samuel grew with a heart soft toward the Lord. But Eli’s sons took advantage o...  Read More

Daily Devotional from 1 Samuel 1--Verses 16-17 (NIV)“...Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.” Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”There is something about grief that all of us connect with even though it affects us all differently. Hannah was expressing her grief in deep sorr...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Ruth 4--Verses 9-10Then 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...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Ruth 3—Verse 11And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you ask, for all my fellow townsmen know that you are a worthy woman.I like that Boaz took the time to acknowledge this, and it shows just what kind of person Ruth was. We too, should be a people who are respected by others for the honorable way we live. 1 Peter 2:12 says, ‘Keep your conduct among th...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Ruth 2—Verse 12May the LORD reward you for what you have done, and may you receive a full reward from the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.Boaz, seeing the righteousness of God in Ruth, praised her and proclaimed blessing on her. He not only encouraged her, but made sure she was safeguarded and made sure she was secured with more than enough food...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Ruth 1--Verse 16But Ruth said, “Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God.”Not all of us were born into families that follow the Lord. That can be tough. It’s hard when you can’t relate with your birth family in your love for God. But Psalm 68:6...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Judges 21–Verse 20If the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in the dances, then come out of the vineyards and snatch each man his wife from the daughters of Shiloh…Have you ever tried to clean mud off your shoes by wiping your shoes in mud? Well, you can’t fix a problem with a problem, and you can’t solve violence with violence. But by the end of the book of Judges, that’s...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Judges 20--Verses 26Then all the people of Israel, the whole army, went up and came to Bethel and wept. They sat there before the Lord and fasted that day until evening, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before the Lord.After suffering defeat twice in battles against Benjamin, the people of Israel finally inquired of the Lord.28b …And the Lord said, “Go up, for ...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Judges 19—Verse 12And his master said to him, “We will not turn aside into the city of foreigners, who do not belong to the people of Israel, but we will pass on to Gibeah.”God set the Israelites apart as his special people, and he forbade them from mixing with others, so they wouldn’t slip into idolatry. But they didn’t separate themselves for God, they did whatever they lik...  Read More

Daily Devotional from Judges 18--Verses 19b-20“Is it better for you to be priest to the house of one man, or to be priest to a tribe and clan in Israel?” And the priest's heart was glad. He took the ephod and the household gods and the carved image and went along with the people. As we read through Judges, we consistently hear 'In those days there was no king in Israel.' Everyone did what was righ...  Read More