26 Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world’s eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you. 27 Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he...
As the youngest son, David performed the lowly, menial job of taking care of the goats and sheep in the fields. But when David comes before Samuel, the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him” (v. 12)....
1 I give you thanks, O Lord, with all my heart; I will sing your praises before the gods. 2 I bow before your holy Temple as I worship. I praise your name for your unfailing love and faithfulness; for your promises are backed by all the honor of your...
One of the first lessons I learned in elementary school is that your name must go on everything. It was drilled into our heads that if your name isn’t on it, it isn’t “yours.” Fast forward a decade, and in a college job, before turning...
15 Once again there was a battle between the Philistines and Israel. David went down with his men to fight against the Philistines, and he became exhausted. 16 And Ishbi-Benob, one of the descendants of Rapha, whose bronze spearhead weighed three hundred shekels and who...
David’s life shows us that God uses the unexpected and the unlikely. Choosing broken people like David to participate in His plan makes His great power known. David’s life is one of tension as the Bible describes him with a heart of integrity and skillful...
1 I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart; I will tell of all the marvelous things you have done. 2 I will be filled with joy because of you. I will sing praises to your name, O Most High. 3 My enemies retreated; they staggered and died when...
1 The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. 2 Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah. 3 So the Philistines and Israelites faced each other on opposite hills, with...
23 Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life....
21 Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years. 22 But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I...
My first few jobs through and after college were work. And they were just that; they were jobs that no one may have found glamorous, and I certainly did not see them as anything but a means to a paycheck and a stepping stone to...
9 Remember the things I have done in the past. For I alone am God! I am God, and there is none like me. 10 Only I can tell you the future before it even happens. Everything I plan will come to pass, for I do whatever I wish....
At the risk of sounding like an annoying overachiever, the idea of hard work has never really bothered me. I'm probably too competitive for my own good, so the thought of a challenge (even a dumb one) has always called to something deep and elemental...
65 Then the Lord rose up as though waking from sleep, like a warrior aroused from a drunken stupor. 66 He routed his enemies and sent them to eternal shame. 67 But he rejected Joseph’s descendants; he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim. 68 He chose instead the tribe of...
Sometimes our souls get sifted and shaped in surprising ways and places. For me it was in a city on the Florida gulf coast nick-named “New Port Nowhere” because, as the joke goes, “Why would anyone be from there?” We were a little over two...
Today’s culture holds a different standard of rest and recreation than the Bible. If we don’t arm ourselves with the truth of rest in Scripture, we will chase after hopeless things and attempt to control what is not ours to start with. Rest is built...
13 So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the Lord enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord,...
1 Now the Lord said to Samuel, “You have mourned long enough for Saul. I have rejected him as king of Israel, so fill your flask with olive oil and go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected...
As we’ve been learning the last several weeks in our Work series, work is hard! Parenting is work, and it’s extremely hard work. So as a disclaimer, let me state up front that we have had all the struggles with this role of parenting that...
16 I also noticed that under the sun there is evil in the courtroom. Yes, even the courts of law are corrupt! 17 I said to myself, “In due season God will judge everyone, both good and bad, for all their deeds.” 18 I also thought...
Legos are a tangible illustration of, or metaphor for, the different parts and pieces that can be assembled to build something splendid. Opening a box full of Legos, you will see several different colors and sizes, each containing a different number of stud notches. Each...
5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders. And all of you, dress yourselves in humility as you relate to one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” 6 So humble yourselves under the mighty...
Work has been corrupted by our fallen world.. As parents, we have a responsibility to prepare our children for work. We are called to invest in and disciple them to prepare them for their future. This task pushes us to wrestle with the character issues...
When each of these previous roles came to an end- “basketball player”, “teacher/coach”, and “FCA staff member”- I found myself frustrated, discouraged, really seeking purpose and significance and questioning who I was. ...
1 God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. 2 So we will not fear when earthquakes come and the mountains crumble into the sea. 3 Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! Interlude 4 A river brings...