Posts with the category “devotional”

Week 6Main Point and Overview:    How often do we look for people in our lives who will tell us what “we want to hear instead of what we need to hear?” The evil King Ahab is the “posterchild” for this kind of dysfunction in God’s Word. He always surrounded himself with “yes” men, and it greatly shows in our story for this week. When he had an insatiable desire, there was nothing that was going to ...  Read More

1 Kings 18:41-46 Wow! Chapter 18 is so POWERFUL! If you’ve been in the devotionals all week, you’ve read the entire chapter by now. To truly understand what’s going on in our verses today you have to read the entire chapter. If you haven’t yet, I encourage you to pause your reading and do so before continuing.Here we are at the end of the chapter. A LOT HAS HAPPENED. Elijah and the prophets of baa...  Read More

1 Kings 18:22-40 This is one of my favorite passages in scripture! The story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal is a great example of the power and goodness of God! It is similar to the story in my mind of David and Goliath. When we look at the odds, it seems that everything is against Elijah. There are so many more prophets of Baal than there is of God. It is 450 to 1! Elijah poured water on the ...  Read More

Kings 18:16-21 In this passage we witness a dramatic showdown brewing on Mount Carmel. The land of Israel has been parched by a three-year drought, a physical manifestation of their spiritual decay. When King Ahab finally meets the prophet Elijah, he throws an accusation, calling Elijah the “troubler of Israel.” But Elijah boldly corrects the narrative. It is not the prophet who brought ruin; it i...  Read More

1 Kings 18:13-15 Obadiah was in a difficult position. Obadiah loves the Lord but works for an evil king. Obadiah is the head of King Ahab’s household. A very dependable and trusted servant. This is interesting in that why would a king who follows idols and false gods, want a follower of the one true God to be his servant and closest advisor? King Ahab’s wife Jezebel was killing and persecuting God...  Read More

1 Kings 18:7-12 Take a look around you, we can all make a long list of problems that are weighing us down. From not enough time to get every kid to practice or games, to financial hardships, to dealing with family. Struggles are always around us, but what if our struggles do not have to determine our faithfulness to God? All too often as humans we tend to focus so much on our struggles that someti...  Read More

1 Kings 18:1-6 Desperate times call for desperate measures. Israel had been in a drought for quite some time. Because of her idolatry, God’s punishment had ravished the land leaving it barren while the animals were on the verge of extinction. How many times in our lives are we “spiritually dry” having gotten away from God? We make decisions in the moment that are outside the will of God, and we fi...  Read More

Week 5Main Point and Overview:    As the different kings ruled over Israel, there were prophets that God raised up to confront many of them. Elijah is the one who stands out the most! He was bold. He was brave. He was blameless. He truly loved the Lord God, and he stood for God’s glory alone. At this time in the Northern Kingdom of Israel’s history, there was a king named Ahab and a queen named Je...  Read More

2 Chronicles 15:16-19 When I think of commitment, I think of marriage. It’s one of the biggest decisions in a person's life. When you said your vows to your husband or wife on your wedding day, you were committing to them for the rest of your life. We wear wedding rings to show our commitment. From that day forward, we are vowing to be faithful to our spouse. There’s nobody else up for grabs anymo...  Read More

2 Chronicles 15:8-15 Worship the Lord wholeheartedly! Asa heard the word from the Lord and listened! He was told to seek the Lord, and he was willing to do so. Not only did he do so, but through his leadership so did the nation! He took what he had heard, heeded it in his heart, and decided to do whatever He needed to do in worship of the Lord. God calls us to worship him and what really sticks ou...  Read More

2 Chronicles 15:1-7 “The Lord is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you…” these words spoken by Azariah to King Asa in 2 Chronicles 15:2, lay down a spiritual principle: obedience to God unlocks his greatest blessings.King Asa had just won a massive military victory, but God sent a prophet to remind him that past success does not guarantee future security. The tr...  Read More

2 Chronicles 14:9-13a As I write this devotional, remembrances of 9/11 are in the news. For those of us old enough to have experienced this day of infamy, we still feel the weight of unexpected fear and sorrow of that day. On September 10th, 2001, we were a free country unaware that the next day every life in America would change. We lived in a high trust society, one where you walk your loved one...  Read More

1 Kings 15:9-15 The other day as I doom scrolled on Facebook I ran across an old picture of me during my senior year of high school. As I sat there looking at the photo I chuckled and told Sarah how skinny I was! During that time, I was a 2 sport athlete for my high school as well as always playing basketball at any given opportunity. I continued to say, “wouldn't it be nice to go back to that siz...  Read More

1 Kings 15:1-4, 13 Asa was unlike his family. He loved and followed the Lord. What happens when you are surrounded by people in your life that are disobeying God in all that they are doing? How do you overcome such circumstances? I recently preached about how we are “not to be yoked together with unbelievers” in reference to Solomon’s sensual obsession with women. Ultimately, it cost him dearly. T...  Read More

Week 4Main Point and Overview:    Over the course of Israel’s history as a “split kingdom” most of their kings were evil, focused on their own prosperity, power, and prestige. They failed to honor Jehovah God, and it led to worship of foreign gods. In the face of all of this dysfunction, God “raised up” a special leader who was different – King Asa. He wasn’t influenced by his corrupt family; in f...  Read More

1 Peter 5:2-3 “You don’t have to, you get to.” My husband reminds me of this often! Sometimes we have to remember things we don't want to do are actually privileges given to us by God. I’m a very task-oriented person. I’m also very independent. I would rather work alone than as a team. Loving others and going out of my way for people has been something I've had to work on. I am not a people person...  Read More

Philippians 2:3-4 Pride will always come before a fall. I have been reading Colossians lately and it is our focus right now in youth group and young adults. Colossians focuses heavily on the supremacy of Christ and one thing that has always amazed me and hardly even makes sense to me is why Jesus the Son of God, the authority of all things on earth and in Heaven, God Himself, came down from heaven...  Read More

Mark 10:42-45 Jesus turns our human understanding of power completely upside down by calling us to a life of servitude. James and John had just asked for positions of ultimate prestige and authority. They wanted to sit at Christ’s right hand and left hands, basking in glory. Their request mirrored how the world operates. We naturally equate success with how many people report to us, how much contr...  Read More

1 Kings 12:16-21 In the 1860’s our country plunged into a civil war that tore the country in two. The cause of this split was slavery, the ungodly practice of owning and exploiting people for a workforce. This war causes an estimated 750,000 casualties and destruction of much of the south’s economy. This split caused a generation of young men to be slaughtered on the battlefields because of an imm...  Read More

1 Kings 12:1-15 Have you ever reached out to someone seeking wisdom and guidance? You hope they are going to tell you what you think is right in a situation just to tell you almost the opposite. In that moment you struggle to hear it because it's not what you want to hear but maybe it's what you needed to hear. In today's passage we are going to see the struggles of rejecting wise counsel and how ...  Read More

1 Kings 11:41-43 There have been plenty of people over the years who I have known who ultimately would get “mixed reviews” when you look back on his or her life. Surely that could be said of Solomon. He did so many good things in the beginning of his life and ministry as king only to get “sucked into” his own pride leading to a ton of dysfunction later. He started well, struggled in the middle, an...  Read More

Week 3Main Point and Overview:   Life is about a series of important choices. When you make one, you eventually will realize the consequence either good or bad. Rehoboam was given a golden opportunity. As the son of Solomon, he was next in line to take leadership over all of Israel. Would he take advantage of this opportunity, or would he “blow it?” Right away, he was faced with an important decis...  Read More

Ecclesiastes 12:9-14 At times we will receive good and bad advice, it’s life! One thing that can be concluded is “Fear God and keep His commandments,” (verse 13). At the end of the day, scripture is where we find our wisdom, advice, encouragement, correction, comfort, hope, peace, the list goes on. Having a mentor or role model to turn to is a wonderful thing and I hope you have one, but we should...  Read More

Ecclesiastes 2:4-10 John 15:10-11 says, “If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” I feel like ever since I studied and preached on this passage months ago, I keep finding myself reminded of its truth. The writer in Ecclesiastes 2 had ach...  Read More

1 Kings 11:9-13, 14, 26, 34-39 Solomon began his reign with unmatched wisdom, and a deep devotion to God. The Lord appeared to him twice, confirming his covenant and setting up Israel for its peak of glory. Yet 1 Kings records a tragic turning point. The very man who built the temple allowed his heart to be divided. Gradually through compromise and forbidden alliances, Solomon’s heart drifted unti...  Read More

1 Kings 11:1-6 The Christian rock band Casting Crowns produced a song called “Slow Fade” about 15 years ago. The premise of the song is that backsliding from God usually doesn’t happen in a day or by one specific act. It’s a series of small compromises that start a journey away from God. At first, it’s a little compromise here and there, leading to more compromises and concessions until you are fa...  Read More

1 Kings 10 I encourage you to take time and read for yourself 1 Kings chapter 10. As we go through this sermon on the good and bad choices of Soloman, a huge turning point happens here for the king. We must identify that in the first half of chapter 10 the queen of Sheba had heard rumors of Solomon's wealth and wisdom; she wanted to put that to the test to see if what she had heard was true. I im...  Read More

1 Kings 9:1-7 Have you ever made a bad decision, reaped the consequences, and then realized that someone had warned you before you made the decision? That was Solomon. Up to this point of his life, he had been the wisest man to ever live. He had honored God in his leadership. He had accomplished so much for the honor and glory of God. Then, it all began to change. What changed? Unfortunately, mayb...  Read More

Week 2Main Point and Overview:    Solomon had everything going for him. He was successful, impactful, and prosperous in every way. It’s in these moments of life where we can be the most vulnerable. When everything is going well, we begin to “read our own press clippings.” In other words, we are quick to drift into self-sufficiency. Everyone was telling Solomon, “How great he was,” and instead of r...  Read More

Ecclesiastes 2:4-6 The book of Ecclesiastes can seem pretty depressing until you understand the context. A common theme throughout is “All is meaningless.” Written by King Soloman, he takes account of all the things this world had to offer him. He was rich. He was wise. He built the greatest, most costly and detailed temple of that time. He was a king. He could have and do anything he absolutely w...  Read More

1 Kings 5:1-7 Solomon was ready to build the temple that he was always instructed that he would one day build for the Lord. It was prophesied in the time of David that Solomon would one day be able to build the temple to God. In the time of David there was not enough peace in the land for David to be able to build the temple. But now, under Solomon’s wise ruling, a time of plenty and peace has com...  Read More

1 Kings 3:24-28 Solomon's greatness in this passage did not begin in the throne room. It began in prayer. He knew the responsibility before him was greater than his mental ability. That humility opened the door for God's wisdom to work through him.Notice that Solomon's wisdom resulted in the child being protected. The final outcome was not destruction but restoration. The baby was returned to his ...  Read More

1 Kings 3:16-23 A question with no good answer. This is what faced Solomon early in his reign. A question if judged wrongly would strip a mother of her child and a child of her mother. True justice (the right answer) is what is needed but justice often is perverted to meet the needs of society or selective groups. Solomon is in a tense situation as how he judges this case will set a precedent for ...  Read More

1 Kings 3:10-14 Having children is a huge blessing, no matter if it's a rough day with them or an amazing day. With having children there becomes the million questions of can I have this or can I have that and the famous but simple question of why? However, have you ever had your child ask you something that you least expected? In our household it's very common for Paisley to want a snack and when...  Read More

1 Kings 3:5-9 When I became the lead pastor of Emmanuel, I was in my 30s. I had never been a lead pastor until that moment. The church was roughly 300 people, and it was a bit intimidating at first. I distinctly remember a conversation that I had with Tami at that time where she said to me: “You’re good with teens, but are you sure you are good with adults?” To be completely honest, I wasn’t sure,...  Read More

Week 1Main Point and Overview:    What if God offered to you anything that you wanted. What would you choose? That is exactly what God offered to Solomon. The son of King David was now “taking over” for his father. There was a ton of pressure, and Solomon realized it. His father had been the greatest leader in Israelite history, and he was now in line to assume those immense responsibilities. So, ...  Read More

1 Corinthians 15:58 When I was a new believer, I heard over and over that being a follower of Jesus isn’t easy, but it is worth it. The more seasoned I became, the more I realized just how true that is! “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”1 Corinthians 15:58 ESVThe peace that I have ...  Read More

1 Corinthians 15:53-57 Our victory is in Jesus! I love these verses talking about O death where is your victory? Jesus has conquered all powers over sin and death. Our victory is not in the law. It is not what we do or what we try to accomplish on this earth that saves us. Many people live a life trying to get the most they can out of life. They live a life that is pleasing to them, working toward...  Read More

1 Corinthians 15:50-52 As I sat down to write this devotion, in my head I can hear Carly Simon singing the chorus of her song titled, “Anticipation.” “Anticipation, anticipation is makin' me late, is keepin' me waitin'.” Fun little fact is that her inspiration came from waiting on the arrival of Cat Stevens for their first date. During her wait, she felt a mix of nervous energy and agitation. Inst...  Read More

1 Corinthians 15:42-44 Recently on a Saturday afternoon my youngest son and I were at “back to the bricks” classic car festival in Flint. It’s fun to walk around downtown Flint and see these cars from brand new to 100 years old. The contrast in technology from the first cars to today is incredible. The reliability and comfort in modern cars are so good, we take them for granted. My grandpa would t...  Read More