Devotional
-
Daily Readings: 1 Samuel 25 and Psalm 71 The Bible is brutally honest about the utter humanness of even the most “idolised” characters. We have already seen David described as “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14) and he has acted in many upright and godly ways. Yet here in 1 Samuel 25…
-
After a week of daily “Holy Week” posts, we resume our journey through the “history books” of the Old Testament and the Book of Psalms. Daily Readings: 1 Samuel 24 and Psalm 70 In 1 Samuel 24, David is on the run from King Saul who is dead set on killing him. David and his…
-
Daily Reading: Luke 23:26-49 A Prayer for Good Friday: Lord Jesus, as we sit at the foot of Your Cross, we are filled with wonder and with awe at the love that brought you to this moment. In the deepest humility, Lord, we confess that we have no offering to bring from our side, that…
-
Daily Readings: John 13:1-17; 31-35 and Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19 In this beautiful passage from John 13, Jesus demonstrates to the disciples tangibly that He has come to establish a Kingdom of Love, and then He issues the call for His disciples to join Him in His ministry of love. The opening verse says, “Having loved…
-
Daily Readings: John 13:21-30 and Psalm 55:1-14 Psalm 55:12-14 poetically prophesies this betrayal of the Messiah with the poignant words: “If an enemy were insulting me, I could endure it … But it is you, a man like myself, my companion, my close friend, with whom I once enjoyed sweet fellowship.” Then, in John 13, we…
-
Daily Readings: John 12:44-50 and Psalm 27 These are the last words Jesus spoke to the general public in John’s Gospel, so they warrant close attention. I see in them a summary of His ministry, and here’s what I understand Him to be saying. Jesus came to shine a perfectly clear light of revelation, so…
-
Daily Reading: Psalm 36:5-11 and John 12:1-11 This week we pause on our journey through 1 Samuel and Psalms to focus on moments from the final week before Jesus’ crucifixion. John 12 records a beautiful encounter between Mary and Jesus at a feast held in His honour in Bethany. Most likely they were celebrating Jesus…
-
Daily Readings: 1 Samuel 23 and Psalm 69 In Psalm 69:4 David wrote, “many are my enemies without cause”. He might have been thinking of the events of 1 Samuel 23 (among many others) when the people of Keilah were ready to hand him over to Saul despite him having rescued them from the Philistines,…
-
Daily Readings: 1 Samuel 22 and Psalm 68 How David must have longed to be able to find refuge in a palace or the tabernacle, but he fled to the cave of Adullam for refuge and a hiding place from Saul. In fact, the name “Adullam” means “refuge” and it was likely named after (and…
-
Daily Readings: 1 Samuel 21 and Psalm 67 It is easy to miss the spiritual significance of this encounter between David and Ahimelech at the tabernacle. We fully understand the strain and anxiety David was labouring under. We do not stand in judgment of him, because we know that we might have done the same…
Dave's Diary 