No Substitute for Obedience 2 Kings 5:1–18 So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God. 2 Kings 5:14 The thing that most honors God and that God most delights to honor is obedience. And it is to be an obedience to the end….

Not Alone 1 Kings 19:9–18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him. 1 Kings 19:18 Have you ever felt that you have seriously tried to serve God and have done so for many years, but that it is…

The God Who Knows 2 Samuel 7:18–29 And what more can David say to you? For you know your servant, O Lord God! 2 Samuel 7:20 Because God knows all things, he knows the worst about us and yet has loved us and saved us. In human relationships we often fear that something in us might come…

David’s Secret 2 Samuel 5:1–10 David became greater and greater, for the Lord, the God of hosts, was with him. 2 Samuel 5:10 David’s secret of success was that he kept his eyes on the Lord. David looked to the Lord and obeyed. Let me illustrate this by a story. One summer, when I was just a…

How God Chooses 1 Samuel 16:1–13 Man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. 1 Samuel 16:7 In the first mention of David in the Old Testament, he appears not as a hero but as a youth who was for the most part overlooked by his family. This, of course, is a…

Our Kinsman-Redeemer Ruth 2:17–20 That man is our close relative; he is one of our kinsman-redeemers. Ruth 2:20 (NIV) According to Jewish law, property should remain within a family if possible. If a Jewish person lost his or her share of the land through debt or by some other means, a near relative (if there…

Ready for the Gospel Judges 7:4–8 Every one who laps the water with his tongue, as a dog laps, you shall set by himself. Likewise, every one who kneels down to drink. Judges 7:5 In Ephesians 6:15 we are told to have our feet “fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace”…

Keeping Faith Joshua 24:14–27 But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Joshua 24:15 What would the people of Israel choose? Verbally the choice was clear. “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods,” they protested. “We also will serve the Lord, for he…

Wholehearted Service Joshua 14:6–15 [Caleb] wholly followed the Lord, the God of Israel. Joshua 14:14 In his wholehearted giving of himself to God, Caleb contrasts with most of the other people of Israel during this period. Caleb was given Hebron and took it, driving the Anakim from the land. Sadly, this was not true of…

Dissatisfaction Joshua 7:16–26 I coveted them and took them. Joshua 7:21 What was it that led Achan to this sad act of disobedience? It began with dissatisfaction. Achan was dissatisfied with the way God had ordered the affairs of his life. Achan’s mind was not on the blessings that lay ahead. He was thinking of…