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4/29/2009 Heavenly Father,
I thank You for Your Word today that speaks truth and hope, direction and wisdom. I thank You that it never returns void. Lord, as I look towards this new day I pray that You will help me to be obedient to Your Word and Your Commands. Help me I pray to keep You first and to love others. Let my focus not be on me, but on making sure that what I do is not only in alignment with Your Word and Your Will, but also that it shines for Your praise and Your glory and Your honor. May others know that there is something different about me. May others see You reflected through me. As the moon reflects the light of the sun, Lord, help me to reflect the light of the Son. May my calendar be Your calendar and my words bring praise and glory to You and may my words speak truth and be used to build people up or tear down strongholds. And Lord, bless my family, my friends, and all those I will encounter as I know there are many challenges, trials, and temptations they will face today and I lift them up to You to guide them and grant them wisdom in their decisions. Lord, I give You this day and will praise and honor and worship You, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
First Fruits By Os Hillman, April 29, 2009 Powered By Marketplace Leaders All the silver and gold and the articles of bronze and iron are sacred to the Lord and must go into His treasury. - Joshua 6:19
One of the earliest examples of the practice of giving God the first fruits of the increase was when Joshua and the people entered the Promised Land for the first time. When they crossed the Jordan River, their first battle was Jericho. God set a precedent with this battle by instructing them not to take any spoils from it. Unlike future battles, the fruits from this victory were to go into the treasury as a remembrance of their first victory in the Promised Land. In addition, the city of Jericho was to be a lasting monument to God's faithfulness. God instructed Joshua never to rebuild this city. If they or anyone in the future attempted to rebuild the city, the life of the firstborn would be required. Years later in the days of King Ahab, Hiel the Bethelite attempted to rebuild this city and his firstborn died as a result. God never forgets to enforce His Word.
Is your work a lasting monument to the faithfulness of God in your life? Is it bringing glory to the Father? Are you giving the first fruits from your increase to God? God has encouraged us through this story to give the first fruits of our work to Him so that He will be glorified through our work. This is a tangible way for us to acknowledge that God is the source of all blessing. You can receive the TGIF Daily Devotional FREE by email each day - start today! 
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April 29 Jeroboam's Bad News 1Kings 12:25-33; 14:1-20; Psalm 50:7,14-15; Proverbs 12:28 Then Jeroboam built Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim, and dwelt there. Also he went out from there and built Penuel. And Jeroboam said in his heart, "Now the kingdom may return to the house of David: If these people go up to offer sacrifices in the house of the LORD at Jerusalem, then the heart of this people will turn back to their lord, Rehoboam king of Judah, and they will kill me and go back to Rehoboam king of Judah." Therefore the king asked advice, made two calves of gold, and said to the people, "It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem. Here are your gods, O Israel, which brought you up from the land of Egypt!" And he set up one in Bethel, and the other he put in Dan. Now this thing became a sin, for the people went to worship before the one as far as Dan. He made shrines on the high places, and made priests from every class of people, who were not of the sons of Levi. Jeroboam ordained a feast on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, like the feast that was in Judah, and offered sacrifices on the altar. So he did at Bethel, sacrificing to the calves that he had made. And at Bethel he installed the priests of the high places which he had made. So he made offerings on the altar which he had made at Bethel on the fifteenth day of the eighth month, in the month which he had devised in his own heart. And he ordained a feast for the children of Israel, and offered sacrifices on the altar and burned incense. At that time Abijah the son of Jeroboam became sick. And Jeroboam said to his wife, "Please arise, and disguise yourself, that they may not recognize you as the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh. Indeed, Ahijah the prophet is there, who told me that I would be king over this people. Also take with you ten loaves, some cakes, and a jar of honey, and go to him; he will tell you what will become of the child." And Jeroboam's wife did so; she arose and went to Shiloh, and came to the house of Ahijah. But Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were glazed by reason of his age. Now the LORD had said to Ahijah, "Here is the wife of Jeroboam, coming to ask you something about her son, for he is sick. Thus and thus you shall say to her; for it will be, when she comes in, that she will pretend to be another woman." And so it was, when Ahijah heard the sound of her footsteps as she came through the door, he said, "Come in, wife of Jeroboam. Why do you pretend to be another person? For I have been sent to you with bad news. Go, tell Jeroboam, 'Thus says the LORD God of Israel: "Because I exalted you from among the people, and made you ruler over My people Israel, and tore the kingdom away from the house of David, and gave it to you; and yet you have not been as My servant David, who kept My commandments and who followed Me with all his heart, to do only what was right in My eyes; but you have done more evil than all who were before you, for you have gone and made for yourself other gods and molded images to provoke Me to anger, and have cast Me behind your back-therefore behold! I will bring disaster on the house of Jeroboam, and will cut off from Jeroboam every male in Israel, bond and free; I will take away the remnant of the house of Jeroboam, as one takes away refuse until it is all gone. The dogs shall eat whoever belongs to Jeroboam and dies in the city, and the birds of the air shall eat whoever dies in the field; for the LORD has spoken!"' Arise therefore, go to your own house. When your feet enter the city, the child shall die. And all Israel shall mourn for him and bury him, for he is the only one of Jeroboam who shall come to the grave, because in him there is found something good toward the LORD God of Israel in the house of Jeroboam. "Moreover the LORD will raise up for Himself a king over Israel who shall cut off the house of Jeroboam; this is the day. What? Even now! For the LORD will strike Israel, as a reed is shaken in the water. He will uproot Israel from this good land which He gave to their fathers, and will scatter them beyond the River, because they have made their wooden images, provoking the LORD to anger. And He will give Israel up because of the sins of Jeroboam, who sinned and who made Israel sin." Then Jeroboam's wife arose and departed, and came to Tirzah. When she came to the threshold of the house, the child died. And they buried him; and all Israel mourned for him, according to the word of the LORD which He spoke through His servant Ahijah the prophet. Now the rest of the acts of Jeroboam, how he made war and how he reigned, indeed they are written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Israel. The period that Jeroboam reigned was twenty-two years. So he rested with his fathers. Then Nadab his son reigned in his place. 1 Kings 12:25-33; 14:1-20 WORSHIP "Hear, O My people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you;
I am God, your God!
Offer to God thanksgiving,
And pay your vows to the Most High.
Call upon Me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me."
Psalm 50:7, 14-15 WISDOM In the way of righteousness is life,
And in its pathway there is no death.
Proverbs 12:28  Would you like your own copy of this devotional?
4/28/2009 Tests of the Heart By Os Hillman, April 28, 2009 Powered By Marketplace Leaders Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep His commands. - Deuteronomy 8:2
Has God performed a heart test on you lately? There are times in our lives when God leads us into the desert in order to let us find out what is in our heart. These times can be very difficult and humbling. They can test our mettle like no other time. Desert times often mean we are living without those things we are normally accustomed to: water, food, limited supplies-and with few comforts. In modern terms, it may mean a different environment. God is performing a very important work during these times. He wants to know if we can be obedient to Him in these times; or will we be obedient only when times are good?
He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Your clothes did not wear out and your feet did not swell during these forty years. Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you (Deuteronomy 8:3-5).
These desert times may mean experiencing new ways of provision from the Lord. Like manna from Heaven, it may mean seeing miracles we've never seen before. Like clothing that never wears out, it may mean seeing your normal capabilities expanded. Like walking hundreds of miles without pain, desert experiences provide new lessons and new experiences that only these times can teach us.
What desert experience has He brought into your life lately? Perhaps it is a lean time in business. Perhaps it is a new environment. Whatever it is, when God decides to bring new disciplines into our lives by bringing us into the desert, do not fear the heat that is sure to come. He is walking beside you in order to test you and find out what is really in your heart. Ask for His grace to pass the test. He wants to bring all of His children into the Promised Land. You can receive the TGIF Daily Devotional FREE by email each day - start today! Copyright 2000. Used by permission from Os Hillman and MarketplaceLeaders.org | Bookstore TGIF Reprint Policy | TGIF Archives | TGIF Monthly NewsletterTGIF Bookmarks | Os Hillman Speaking Inquiries Signup for Free Email
WISDOM The lazy man does not roast what he took in hunting,
But diligence is man's precious possession.
Proverbs 12:27 Diligence: - persistent effort: persistent and hard-working effort in doing something
- legal carefulness: the care or attention expected by the law in doing something such as fulfilling the terms of a contract
4/27/2009 Unrighteous Acts By Os Hillman, April 27, 2009 Powered By Marketplace Leaders ..."Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God to avoid the reproach of our Gentile enemies?" - Nehemiah 5:9
Nehemiah was the cupbearer to King Artaxerxes in Babylon. Jerusalem's walls had been destroyed and word had come to Nehemiah that the remnant of his people left in Jerusalem were distressed over the plight of the wall.
Nehemiah was grieved over this situation. He appealed to his king for permission to rebuild the wall. When he got to the city, he found many problems among his own people due to an economic crisis in the region. Among the classes affected by the economic crisis were (1) the landless, who were short of food; (2) the landowners, who were compelled to mortgage their properties; (3) those forced to borrow money at exorbitant rates and sell their children into slavery. It was unlawful for Hebrews to charge interest to other Hebrews.
Although we are of the same flesh and blood as our countrymen and though our sons are as good as theirs, yet we have to subject our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters have already been enslaved, but we are powerless, because our fields and our vineyards belong to others (Nehemiah 5:5).
Nehemiah stepped forward to admonish his people for this wrongful action on the basis that not only was it wrong, but God would respond to such action by making them susceptible to His judgment through the Gentile enemies.
Nehemiah was modeling to each of us a spiritual principle regarding sin. Whenever we sin, we give God permission to unleash the enemy into our souls to deal with that sin. Nehemiah understood this principle and warned the people of what this action would encourage from God. The people repented and returned the money gained through usury.
As Christian workplace believers we must make sure that our practices are righteous in God's sight. If not, we can expect the enemy to be released to judge that sin. Ask the Lord today if there is any unrighteousness in your business practices that makes you vulnerable to judgment. You can receive the TGIF Daily Devotional FREE by email each day - start today! Click Here Copyright 2000. Used by permission from Os Hillman and MarketplaceLeaders.org | Bookstore TGIF Reprint Policy | TGIF Archives | TGIF Monthly NewsletterTGIF Bookmarks | Os Hillman Speaking Inquiries Signup for Free Email 4/26/2009 Fears That Keep Us From His Presence By Os Hillman, April 26, 2009 Powered By Marketplace Leaders Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So He got into the boat and left. - Luke 8:37
Jesus did many miracles when He lived on earth. One of those miracles involved the deliverance of a demon-possessed man. The people of the community witnessed this awesome demonstration of God's power when Jesus commanded the demon spirit to come out of the man and go into the herd of nearby pigs. The man was healed and sat at Jesus' feet.
You would expect the people who witnessed this to embrace Jesus as one performing good deeds and to honor Him. The opposite was true. Instead, they were overcome with fear. Why? Many of us respond the same way to Jesus when He does an out-of-the-ordinary act among His people. We are fearful because we have never personally experienced this before. So, we draw wrong judgments. The result is that Jesus removes Himself from us.
The Lord is able to do far exceeding above what we think. Jesus does not remain in the places where there is fear of His goodness. It is often subconscious fears that prevent us from going to a deeper level with Him. The people in Gerasenes could not benefit from Jesus' presence because of their fears.
Have you feared Jesus because of what He might require of you? Have you feared that He might ask of you something you are not prepared to give? Do not let your fears drive Him from your presence. His motive is always love for His children. You can trust Him. You can receive the TGIF Daily Devotional FREE by email each day - start today! Copyright 2000. Used by permission from Os Hillman and MarketplaceLeaders.org | Bookstore TGIF Reprint Policy | TGIF Archives | TGIF Monthly NewsletterTGIF Bookmarks | Os Hillman Speaking Inquiries Signup for Free Email
April 26 Solomon's Philosophy of Life Ecclesiastes 1:1-2:26; Psalm 49:13-15; Proverbs 12:25 The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. "Vanity of vanities," says the Preacher; "Vanity of vanities, all is vanity."
What profit has a man from all his labor
In which he toils under the sun?
One generation passes away, and another generation comes;
But the earth abides forever.
The sun also rises, and the sun goes down,
And hastens to the place where it arose.
The wind goes toward the south,
And turns around to the north;
The wind whirls about continually,
And comes again on its circuit.
All the rivers run into the sea,
Yet the sea is not full;
To the place from which the rivers come,
There they return again.
All things are full of labor;
Man cannot express it.
The eye is not satisfied with seeing,
Nor the ear filled with hearing.
That which has been is what will be,
That which is done is what will be done,
And there is nothing new under the sun.
Is there anything of which it may be said,
"See, this is new"?
It has already been in ancient times before us.
There is no remembrance of former things,
Nor will there be any remembrance of things that are to come By those who will come after. I, the Preacher, was king over Israel in Jerusalem. And I set my heart to seek and search out by wisdom concerning all that is done under heaven; this burdensome task God has given to the sons of man, by which they may be exercised. I have seen all the works that are done under the sun; and indeed, all is vanity and grasping for the wind. What is crooked cannot be made straight,
And what is lacking cannot be numbered.
I communed with my heart, saying, "Look, I have attained greatness, and have gained more wisdom than all who were before me in Jerusalem. My heart has understood great wisdom and knowledge." And I set my heart to know wisdom and to know madness and folly. I perceived that this also is grasping for the wind. For in much wisdom is much grief,
And he who increases knowledge increases sorrow.
I said in my heart, "Come now, I will test you with mirth; therefore enjoy pleasure"; but surely, this also was vanity. I said of laughter-"Madness!"; and of mirth, "What does it accomplish?" I searched in my heart how to gratify my flesh with wine, while guiding my heart with wisdom, and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the sons of men to do under heaven all the days of their lives. I made my works great, I built myself houses, and planted myself vineyards. I made myself gardens and orchards, and I planted all kinds of fruit trees in them. I made myself water pools from which to water the growing trees of the grove. I acquired male and female servants, and had servants born in my house. Yes, I had greater possessions of herds and flocks than all who were in Jerusalem before me. I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the special treasures of kings and of the provinces. I acquired male and female singers, the delights of the sons of men, and musical instruments of all kinds. So I became great and excelled more than all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them.
I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure,
For my heart rejoiced in all my labor;
And this was my reward from all my labor.
Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done
And on the labor in which I had toiled;
And indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind.
There was no profit under the sun.
Then I turned myself to consider wisdom and madness and folly; For what can the man do who succeeds the king?- Only what he has already done.
Then I saw that wisdom excels folly
As light excels darkness.
The wise man's eyes are in his head,
But the fool walks in darkness.
Yet I myself perceived
That the same event happens to them all.
So I said in my heart,
"As it happens to the fool,
It also happens to me,
And why was I then more wise?"
Then I said in my heart,
"This also is vanity."
For there is no more remembrance of the wise than of the fool forever, Since all that now is will be forgotten in the days to come. And how does a wise man die? As the fool!
Therefore I hated life because the work that was done under the sun was distressing to me, for all is vanity and grasping for the wind. Then I hated all my labor in which I had toiled under the sun, because I must leave it to the man who will come after me. And who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will rule over all my labor in which I toiled and in which I have shown myself wise under the sun. This also is vanity. Therefore I turned my heart and despaired of all the labor in which I had toiled under the sun. For there is a man whose labor is with wisdom, knowledge, and skill; yet he must leave his heritage to a man who has not labored for it. This also is vanity and a great evil. For what has man for all his labor, and for the striving of his heart with which he has toiled under the sun? For all his days are sorrowful, and his work burdensome; even in the night his heart takes no rest. This also is vanity. Nothing is better for a man than that he should eat and drink, and that his soul should enjoy good in his labor. This also, I saw, was from the hand of God. For who can eat, or who can have enjoyment, more than I? For God gives wisdom and knowledge and joy to a man who is good in His sight; but to the sinner He gives the work of gathering and collecting, that he may give to him who is good before God. This also is vanity and grasping for the wind. Ecclesiastes 1:1-2:26 WORSHIP This is the way of those who are foolish,
And of their posterity who approve their sayings. Selah
Like sheep they are laid in the grave;
Death shall feed on them;
The upright shall have dominion over them in the morning;
And their beauty shall be consumed in the grave, far from their dwelling. But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave, For He shall receive me. Selah
Psalm 49:13-15 WISDOM Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression,
But a good word makes it glad.
Proverbs 12:25 Would you like your own copy of this devotional? 4/21/2009 Mustard Seed Faith in Business By Os Hillman, April 21, 2009 Powered By Marketplace Leaders He replied, "Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you." - Matthew 17:20 Does God do miracles in business? Is He concerned about the mountains we face in our work life? Does He want us to bring the everyday problems we face in the workplace to His attention? The answer to every one of these questions is yes. God wants to be involved in every aspect of our lives. Gunnar Olson, the Swedish founder of the International Christian Chamber of Commerce, tells a story about God performing a miracle in his own business a few years ago. He owns a plastics company in Sweden. They make huge plastic bags that are used to cover bales of hay in the farmlands across Europe. It was the harvest season and they were getting ready to ship thousands of pallets of these bags to their customers. More than 1,000 pallets were ready to ship when an alarming discovery was made. Every bag on the warehouse floor had sealed shut from top to bottom. Scientists declared the entire stock as worthless trash. Nothing could be done. The company would go out of business.
Gunnar, his wife, and children sought the Lord in prayer about this catastrophe. The Holy Spirit spoke through various family members. The wife said, "If God can turn water into wine, what are plastics?" The daughter said, "I don't believe this is from the Lord. We should stand against it." Gunnar sensed they were to trust God for a miracle in this situation. They began to pray. They took authority over this mountain of a problem based on Matthew 17, which gave them the authority to cast a mountain into the sea if faith only the size of a mustard seed could be exercised. The following Monday they went to the warehouse and laid hands on every pallet asking the Lord to restore the bags to their original condition. It took several hours. Later, the employees began to inspect the bags. As they inspected the bags, they discovered that every single bag had been restored to its original condition! An incredible miracle had taken place. What obstacles have been placed in your life that need a miracle today? Could God be setting the stage in your life for you to trust Him at new levels you've never trusted before? God sets the stage to allow His power to be revealed for those willing to exercise the faith of a mustard seed. All things are possible with God. You can receive the TGIF Daily Devotional FREE by email each day - start today! Click Here Signup for Free Email Copyright 2000. Used by permission from Os Hillman and MarketplaceLeaders.org | Bookstore TGIF Reprint Policy | TGIF Archives | TGIF Monthly NewsletterTGIF Bookmarks | Os Hillman Speaking Inquiries 4/20/2009 Unprofitable Anger By Os Hillman, April 20, 2009 Powered By Marketplace Leaders Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools. - Ecclesiastes 7:9 Every day of our lives we are placed in situations that engage us with other people, whether it is in the office, our homes, or in public places. Do you recall the last time someone cut you off in traffic, or you were forced to wait in line because someone up front got held up? Perhaps your employer did something that was downright unfair. Anger can result from many circumstances. A friend once told me that anger is like warning lights on the front of your car dashboard. They signal that there is something going on under the hood, and we should take a look to examine the source of the problem. Anger can be traced to a few sources. First, when we lose control of a circumstance that we have placed certain expectations on and those expectations do not result in our desired outcome, we are tempted to get angry. The source of this type of anger is both fear and protection of personal rights. You see, when we believe we have a right to something, we have not given the Lord permission to allow an outcome different from what we want. If an outcome is different from our expectations, this may stimulate fear. For instance, if a vendor failed to deliver an important job on time due to something out of his control, you may respond out of anger. Please know that the source of your anger is the fear of what might happen to you or what this might say about your abilities to manage a project. You no longer are in control of the circumstance and this creates fear in you. The next time you get angry ask the Lord what is the source of that anger? Did the Lord allow that failure to let you see what is "under your hood"? God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, power, and a sound mind (see 2 Tim. 1:7). Give up your rights to expectations that God never gave you. You will find a new freedom in Christ you never knew you could have. You can receive the TGIF Daily Devotional FREE by email each day - start today! Copyright 2000. Used by permission from Os Hillman and MarketplaceLeaders.org | Bookstore TGIF Reprint Policy | TGIF Archives | TGIF Monthly NewsletterTGIF Bookmarks | Os Hillman Speaking Inquiries Signup for Free Email 4/17/2009 Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day and all that You have planned for me. I thank You Lord for managing my calendar that the meetings that should happen take place and that You reschedule or remove completely meetings that are a part of Your plans for today. Help me Lord to have the wisdom and discernment to know when to speak and when to keep quiet. Help me Lord, that when I am to speak or pray to have the boldness and courage to speak out in love the words You provide for me to speak into the situation. Lord give me the strength I pray to press on and press in to the new things You have coming my way. Lord, in all these things may You receive all the praise and all the honor and all the glory, in Jesus' name. Amen.
Wanted: Dead or Alive! By Os Hillman, April 17, 2009
Powered By Marketplace Leaders For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph 6:12). In the old west it was common to see a poster on the wall of the town jail or post office with a man’s picture below the words: Wanted: Dead or Alive! These were the most notorious criminals who posed the greatest danger to society. Let me ask you a personal question. Is there a “Wanted: Dead or Alive” poster in hell with your name on it? Are you a real danger to hell? Do you cause problems for Satan’s legion of demons? Are you pushing back Satan’s agenda on planet earth? Are the unsaved in danger of receiving salvation through you? Will someone receive healing because you dared to pray for them? Will someone’s life be impacted because you chose to pray for them in your workplace during a difficult time? Will a city be impacted for Jesus Christ because of you? Millions of believers sit on the sidelines everyday having no impact on the Kingdom of darkness. Their names will never appear on a Wanted poster in hell because Satan sees that they are no threat. However, God wants you to be a threat to Satan’s kingdom. What are some things you can do that will pose a threat to Satan’s agenda? Perhaps you can begin praying for one of Satan’s most notorious talk show personalities. Or maybe you are called to visit an elderly home to bring the love of Christ into a lonely place. There are many ways you can earn a reputation in hell. Are you willing to be a force to be reckoned with by Satan’s legions? You can receive the TGIF Daily Devotional FREE by email each day - start today! Click Here Copyright 2000. Used by permission from Os Hillman and MarketplaceLeaders.org | Bookstore TGIF Reprint Policy | TGIF Archives | TGIF Monthly NewsletterTGIF Bookmarks | Os Hillman Speaking Inquiries Signup for Free Email April 17 David's Last Words and Acts 2Samuel 23:1-7; 24:1-25; Psalm 45:1-2; Proverbs 12:16 Now these are the last words of David.
Thus says David the son of Jesse;
Thus says the man raised up on high,
The anointed of the God of Jacob,
And the sweet psalmist of Israel:
"The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me,
And His word was on my tongue.
The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel spoke to me:
'He who rules over men must be just,
Ruling in the fear of God.
And he shall be like the light of the morning when the sun rises, A morning without clouds, Like the tender grass springing out of the earth,
By clear shining after rain.'
"Although my house is not so with God,
Yet He has made with me an everlasting covenant,
Ordered in all things and secure.
For this is all my salvation and all my desire;
Will He not make it increase?
But the sons of rebellion shall all be as thorns thrust away, Because they cannot be taken with hands. But the man who touches them
Must be armed with iron and the shaft of a spear,
And they shall be utterly burned with fire in their place." Again the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, "Go, number Israel and Judah." So the king said to Joab the commander of the army who was with him, "Now go throughout all the tribes of Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, and count the people, that I may know the number of the people." And Joab said to the king, "Now may the LORD your God add to the people a hundred times more than there are, and may the eyes of my lord the king see it. But why does my lord the king desire this thing?" Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel. And they crossed over the Jordan and camped in Aroer, on the right side of the town which is in the midst of the ravine of Gad, and toward Jazer. Then they came to Gilead and to the land of Tahtim Hodshi; they came to Dan Jaan and around to Sidon; and they came to the stronghold of Tyre and to all the cities of the Hivites and the Canaanites. Then they went out to South Judah as far as Beersheba. So when they had gone through all the land, they came to Jerusalem at the end of nine months and twenty days. Then Joab gave the sum of the number of the people to the king. And there were in Israel eight hundred thousand valiant men who drew the sword, and the men of Judah were five hundred thousand men. And David's heart condemned him after he had numbered the people. So David said to the LORD, "I have sinned greatly in what I have done; but now, I pray, O LORD, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly." Now when David arose in the morning, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, "Go and tell David, 'Thus says the LORD: "I offer you three things; choose one of them for yourself, that I may do it to you."'" So Gad came to David and told him; and he said to him, "Shall seven years of famine come to you in your land? Or shall you flee three months before your enemies, while they pursue you? Or shall there be three days' plague in your land? Now consider and see what answer I should take back to Him who sent me." And David said to Gad, "I am in great distress. Please let us fall into the hand of the LORD, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into the hand of man." So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died. And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "It is enough; now restrain your hand." And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, "Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father's house." And Gad came that day to David and said to him, "Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite." So David, according to the word of Gad, went up as the LORD commanded. Now Araunah looked, and saw the king and his servants coming toward him. So Araunah went out and bowed before the king with his face to the ground. Then Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be withdrawn from the people." Now Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood. All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king."
And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God accept you." Then the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver. And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel. 2 Samuel 23:1-7; 24:1-25
WORSHIP My heart is overflowing with a good theme;
I recite my composition concerning the King;
My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.
You are fairer than the sons of men;
Grace is poured upon Your lips;
Therefore God has blessed You forever.
Psalm 45:1-2 WISDOM A fool's wrath is known at once,
But a prudent man covers shame.
Proverbs 12:16 Would you like your own copy of this devotional? 
Names of Jesus Week Sixteen, Day Five
 The Name
Jesus is not only Lord and Master but the greatest of all friends, who willingly proved his friendship by his death on the cross. By this costly gesture he has won the friendship of millions of men and women from every tongue and tribe and nation. When you pray to Jesus your Friend, you are praying to the One who loved you before you were loveable and who links you together with his many friends throughout the world. Key Scripture
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13 *** Friday
Promises Associated with His Name Absolute Friends is the title of a novel by spymaster John Le Carré. It chronicles the relationship of two friends who become spies during the Cold War and beyond. Unfortunately for both men, their absolute friendship leads to their mutual destruction. And so it is with some relationships, though usually on a less dramatic scale. I know a father, for instance, who is very worried about a friendship his twelve-year-old son has recently forged, aware as he is that two rebellious adolescents usually hurtle downhill faster than one. This father knows that friendships are rarely neutral and that they usually take us somewhere, either up or down. Even the best friendship can take a downward turn at times because it is forged by two imperfect people. But what happens when the equation changes, when one side of the friendship consists of someone who is absolutely perfect? Doesn’t it have the potential, depending on our willingness, to always take us upward? Thank Christ today for being the only Friend capable of loving you always. Let his friendship bring joy to your heart. Promises in Scripture A friend loves at all times,
and a brother is born for a time of adversity.
Proverbs 17:17 Perfume and incense bring joy to the heart,
and the pleasantness of a friend
springs from their heartfelt advice.
Proverbs 27:9 Continued Prayer and Praise Recall that God speaks to his friends. (Exodus 33:7 – 11) Pray for Christ to watch over you. (Job 29:2 – 6) Consider that a cord of three strands is not easily broken. (Ecclesiastes 4:9 – 12) Remember that it is possible to betray Christ’s friendship. (Matthew 26:47 – 51) Consider how Jesus befriends sinners. (Luke 5:17 – 20) Recognize Christ as your Friend. (John 21:4 – 7) Act like Christ’s friend. (James 2:20 – 24)   For more from Ann, or to own your own copy of the Praying the Names of God / Praying the Names of Jesus devotionals, please visit www.annspangler.com.
4/15/2009 Before you start your next project consider:
What is the foundation this project is based on?
What experiences has God demonstrated in my life that indicate His involvement?
What is my motive for entering this activity?
Do I have the skill, quality, and ability to accomplish the task?
Today's Devotional:
Four Attributes of a Life God Blesses
So this is what the Sovereign Lord says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed." - Isaiah 28:16 Today's Reading:
2Samuel 13:1-14:1,21-25,28; Psalm 44:20-21; Proverbs 12:12
Names of Jesus Week Sixteen, Day Three
The Name
Jesus is not only Lord and Master but the greatest of all friends, who willingly proved his friendship by his death on the cross. By this costly gesture he has won the friendship of millions of men and women from every tongue and tribe and nation. When you pray to Jesus your Friend, you are praying to the One who loved you before you were loveable and who links you together with his many friends throughout the world. Key Scripture
Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13 *** Wednesday
Praying the Name Wounds from a friend can be trusted,
but an enemy multiplies kisses.
Proverbs 27:6 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. So the sisters sent word to Jesus, “Lord, the one you love is sick.” When he heard this, Jesus said, “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.” Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days. John 11:1 – 6 Reflect On: John 11:1 – 44. Praise God: For revealing himself not only as Master but also as Friend. Offer Thanks: Because Christ has set his affection on you. Confess: Your need for greater confidence that Jesus remains your Friend despite the circumstances. Ask God: To help you keep faith even when his friendship seems in doubt. The man lay on his bed, his face shining with sweat. He fell in and out of dreams. He was standing at the edge of a great fire. The whole mountain was burning. Then two stone tablets came crashing down the cliff, heading his way. He covered his head, about to be crushed. The scene shifted. Now he lay on his back in the middle of a road in some God-forsaken place, unable to move, barely able to breathe. A stranger bent over him, lifted his head, and pressed a flask to his lips.
But nothing came out. The sick man choked back his disappointment, his head falling onto the bed. Sitting next to him, clutching his hand, his sister Mary made calming noises, trying to hush away his fears, her own hand trembling as it pressed a cold rag against his forehead. Where was their great friend, she wondered, the one who had healed so many people in Palestine? Surely he would come. But it had been two days since she and Martha had sent an urgent message to Jesus about their brother, Lazarus. And he had not even bothered to reply; he sent no one to explain his absence. It isn’t hard to imagine Mary and Martha wrestling with all that was not happening in response to their plea for help. They had counted on Jesus’ friendship to save their brother. But he had let them down — or so it seemed. Sometimes it’s like that in our own lives. Jesus seems to fail the test of friendship. He isn’t there when we need him. He doesn’t answer our prayers. We feel confused and disappointed as our children step into roads of their own making and are run over, as our spouses stray, as our churches split. We feel abandoned. At such times I wonder if we relate to God more as an enemy than a friend. He asks such hard things of us. Surely he can’t literally mean that we take up our cross and follow him. He can’t mean that we turn our cheeks for yet another blow. He can’t mean that the only way to life is through death. But what if he does? How do we respond? How do we embrace the friendship of a man who, when his own friend lay dying, deliberately waited two days to be certain that his friend would in fact die? We do the only thing we can do. We hold on, we endure, we keep praying. And we remember how the story ends for Lazarus — and presumably for us. And in the midst of our journey of faith we begin to realize that we are not just making friends with a man but with God, with someone whose thoughts are not our thoughts and whose ways are not our ways. Aristotle once remarked that a friend is a single soul in two bodies, meaning that friendship is based on a unity of mind and heart between two people. If this is so, it is we and not God who must change before the two can become one. And this truth is at the root of our discomfort. Because Jesus is both our greatest friend and our worst enemy — he hates our sins but loves our souls. Fortunately his love is the ultimate tool he uses to overcome our sins, for “greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Today as you think of Jesus, let his greater love shape your response to every disappointment and to every fearful thought. Let it transform you as it transformed Mary and Martha and Lazarus and every single person who, for the last two thousand years, has been invited to call God “Friend.” For more from Ann, or to own your own copy of the Praying the Names of God / Praying the Names of Jesus devotionals, please visit www.annspangler.com. 4/14/2009 Take a listen and hear what they have to say...
Heavenly Father,
I thank You for this new day. I thank You for the incredible LOVE You have for us, that You have shown by sending Jesus, not to condemn the world, but to save it. I thank You Lord, that You revealed Your LOVE for us to the point of having Jesus beaten and nailed to the cross in order that we could be reconciled back to You. Lord, I thank You for being a reliable friend, one who sticks closer than a brother. Through the magnificence of creation, the miracles of healing, the direction and wisdom to make decisions, Lord I thank You and praise You today and ask that those who may be listening to this song or reading these words, would consider asking You into their hearts in a new way. I pray Lord, that they would realize that all that is required to reconciled to You is to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, as Your Word says if we believe that we will be saved. May the resurrection power of Jesus help each of our lives to be reborn and renewed today. May You receive all the praise and all the glory and all the honor, in Jesus' name. Amen.
4/13/2009
The Name Jesus is not only Lord and Master but the greatest of all friends, who willingly proved his friendship by his death on the cross. By this costly gesture he has won the friendship of millions of men and women from every tongue and tribe and nation. When you pray to Jesus your Friend, you are praying to the One who loved you before you were loveable and who links you together with his many friends throughout the world. Key Scripture Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. John 15:13 *** Monday
His Name Revealed As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. 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. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because servants do not know their master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit — fruit that will last — and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:9 – 16 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5:6 – 11 Jesus, you valued my friendship more than you valued your life. How can I begin to understand that kind of love? Help me to be among those you count as faithful friends, living in a way not that repays your friendship, because that is impossible, but in a way that reflects my gratitude. Thank you, my Friend. Amen. Understanding the Name The Greek word philos (FEE-los) means “friend” or “relative.” Occurring twenty-eight times in the New Testament, it is also used to describe the close relationship that exists among believers, related to each other by virtue of their faith in Jesus. This word is related to phileo, the most general term for “to love” in the New Testament, and to the word philema, which means “a kiss.” In fact, the early Christians used to greet each other with a holy kiss, signifying their close relationship. John’s Gospel indicates that Jesus not only called his disciples his friends but defined his own relationship with them by what was to be the greatest of all acts of friendship, in which he would lay down his life for them. Unlike most men of his day, Jesus had both male and female friends. Luke addressed his Gospel to someone named Theophilus, a proper name meaning “friend of God.” The designation “friends” has survived as another name for those who belong to the religious group known as Quakers. Studying the Name - Explain in your own words how Jesus defines friendship in the passage from John 15:9 – 16.
- Describe the best friendship you have ever had. How does it compare with the way you have experienced Jesus’ friendship?
- How can you deepen your friendship with Christ?
- If Jesus died for us while we were still his enemies, as Romans 5:6 – 11 tells us, how should we regard our own enemies?
For more from Ann, or to own your own copy of the Praying the Names of God / Praying the Names of Jesus devotionals, please visit www.annspangler.com.
Your Work By Os Hillman, April 13, 2009 Powered By Marketplace Leaders I have brought You glory on earth by completing the work You gave Me to do. - John 17:4
The Lord has revealed to us that the number one thing we are to do is love the Lord our God with all our heart and to love our neighbor as ourselves. His desire is for us to know Him and the power of His resurrection. These mandates deal with our relationship with Him. The fruit of this relationship must then result in our glorifying Him by completing the work He has given each of us to do. It will become a by-product of this relationship, not an end in itself.
What is the work God has called you to do? Jesus never did anything the Father had not instructed Him to do. He lived in such communion with the Father that He knew when to turn left and when to turn to the right. Is it possible to have such a relationship with our heavenly Father? I think that if it weren't, He would not have given us such an example.
"Call to Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know" (Jer. 33:3). What has He called you to do? Perhaps you are called to be the best CPA in your city or the best advertising executive or the best office worker or assembly line person in your company. Whatever work He has called you to do, He will use you as His instrument to accomplish something that He has uniquely prepared you to do.
When our life is complete, what a glorious day it will be if we can each say, "I have completed the work You gave me to do." This will have brought great glory to Him. You can receive the TGIF Daily Devotional FREE by email each day - start today! Click Here Copyright 2000. Used by permission from Os Hillman and MarketplaceLeaders.org | Bookstore TGIF Reprint Policy | TGIF Archives | TGIF Monthly NewsletterTGIF Bookmarks | Os Hillman Speaking Inquiries Signup for Free Email 4/11/2009 I will say to God my Rock,
"Why have You forgotten me?
Why do I go mourning because of the oppression of the enemy?"
As with a breaking of my bones,
My enemies reproach me,
While they say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"
Why are you cast down, O my soul?
And why are you disquieted within me?
Hope in God;
For I shall yet praise Him,
The help of my countenance and my God.
Psalm 42:9-11 4/10/2009 I know, O Lord, that a man's life is not his own; it is not for man to direct his steps. - Jeremiah 10:23 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps" - Proverbs 16:9 Ask God for His wisdom for establishing the vision
and action steps.
4/9/2009 WOW - The Big Picture 4/9 April 9 Saul Pursues David in the Wilderness 1Samuel 23:15-24:22; Psalm 41:12-13; Proverbs 12:5 So David saw that Saul had come out to seek his life. And David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a forest. Then Jonathan, Saul's son, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God. And he said to him, "Do not fear, for the hand of Saul my father shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that." So the two of them made a covenant before the LORD. And David stayed in the woods, and Jonathan went to his own house. Then the Ziphites came up to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is David not hiding with us in strongholds in the woods, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south of Jeshimon? Now therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of your soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king's hand." And Saul said, "Blessed are you of the LORD, for you have compassion on me. Please go and find out for sure, and see the place where his hideout is, and who has seen him there. For I am told he is very crafty. See therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking places where he hides; and come back to me with certainty, and I will go with you. And it shall be, if he is in the land, that I will search for him throughout all the clans of Judah." So they arose and went to Ziph before Saul. But David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon. When Saul and his men went to seek him, they told David. Therefore he went down to the rock, and stayed in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued David in the Wilderness of Maon. Then Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. So David made haste to get away from Saul, for Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to take them. But a messenger came to Saul, saying, "Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!" Therefore Saul returned from pursuing David, and went against the Philistines; so they called that place the Rock of Escape. Then David went up from there and dwelt in strongholds at En Gedi. Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, "Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi." Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the LORD said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.'" And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. And he said to his men, "The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the LORD's anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the LORD." So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way. David also arose afterward, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying, "My lord the king!" And when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down. And David said to Saul: "Why do you listen to the words of men who say, 'Indeed David seeks your harm'? Look, this day your eyes have seen that the LORD delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, 'I will not stretch out my hand against my lord, for he is the LORD's anointed.' Moreover, my father, see! Yes, see the corner of your robe in my hand! For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you. Yet you hunt my life to take it. Let the LORD judge between you and me, and let the LORD avenge me on you. But my hand shall not be against you. As the proverb of the ancients says, 'Wickedness proceeds from the wicked.' But my hand shall not be against you. After whom has the king of Israel come out? Whom do you pursue? A dead dog? A flea? Therefore let the LORD be judge, and judge between you and me, and see and plead my case, and deliver me out of your hand." So it was, when David had finished speaking these words to Saul, that Saul said, "Is this your voice, my son David?" And Saul lifted up his voice and wept. Then he said to David: "You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil. And you have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the LORD delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore may the LORD reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. Therefore swear now to me by the LORD that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father's house." So David swore to Saul. And Saul went home, but David and his men went up to the stronghold. 1 Samuel 23:15-24:22 WORSHIP As for me, You uphold me in my integrity,
And set me before Your face forever.
Blessed be the LORD God of Israel
From everlasting to everlasting!
Amen and Amen.
Psalm 41:12-13 WISDOM The thoughts of the righteous are right,
But the counsels of the wicked are deceitful.
Proverbs 12:5 Would you like your own copy of this devotional? Where Do You Place Your Confidence? By Os Hillman, April 9, 2009 Powered By Marketplace Leaders Satan rose up against Israel and incited David to take a census of Israel. -1 Chronicles 21:1 God always requires total trust in Him alone for our victories in life. Throughout Scripture we are cautioned not to place our trust in the strength of horses, other men or our own abilities. In 1 Chronicles, David’s decision to take a census was a failure to keep his trust totally upon the Lord. David’s purpose in counting his population was to assess his military strength, much like the second census taken under Moses (see Numbers 1:2–3). David found 800,000 men eligible for military service in Israel, and 500,000 men in Judah (see 2 Samuel 24:9), more than double the previous head count. David’s commander evidently recognized the grave error that his king was about to make. “But Joab replied, ‘May the Lord multiply his troops a hundred times over. My lord the king, are they not all my lord’s subjects? Why does my lord want to do this? Why should he bring guilt on Israel?’” (1 Chronicles 21:3). Joab was right—the census displeased the Lord. David was falling into the temptation of trusting in the size of his army rather than in the Lord. In consequence, God punished David and reduced his forces by bringing a plague that killed 70,000 men. How do you avoid placing your trust in God today? Do you trust your bank accounts, your skills and the security of your workplace? When you begin to place your faith in these things instead of in the Provider of these things you get into trouble with God. What a lesson this is for each of us. Today, place your total trust in the Lord for all of your needs. You can receive the TGIF Daily Devotional FREE by email each day - start today! Click Here Copyright 2000. Used by permission from Os Hillman and MarketplaceLeaders.org | Bookstore TGIF Reprint Policy | TGIF Archives | TGIF Monthly NewsletterTGIF Bookmarks | Os Hillman Speaking Inquiries Signup for Free Email For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Ephesians 5:8 – 10
Praying the Name For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Ephesians 5:8 – 10 Reflect On: Ephesians 5:8 – 10. Praise God: Who gives us the grace to follow his Son. Offer Thanks: For the ways in which the Lord has already reshaped your life. Confess: Any tendency to resist the Lord. Ask God: To make you eager to experience Jesus as Lord. The apostle Paul uses the characteristic phrase “in the Lord” many times in his letters. He speaks about: Believing in the Lord
Loving in the Lord
Working hard in the Lord
Boasting in the Lord
Being faithful in the Lord
Being strong in the Lord
Hoping in the Lord
Standing firm in the Lord
Rejoicing in the Lord Paul even talks about being a prisoner in the Lord, and the book of Revelation makes it clear that it is possible to die in the Lord. Clearly, the early Christians considered Jesus to be not just their Savior but also their Lord. He was the atmosphere in which they lived, worked, prayed, suffered, and loved. They understood that their happiness depended not on having things their way, but on being completely aligned with Christ, uniting themselves to his character and purposes regardless of the personal cost. And when Paul spoke about being “in the Lord,” he was necessarily implying that it is possible to do things “outside of the Lord.” A friend of mine specializes in renovating old houses. When bidding on a job, Bill always begins by noting any structural defects or problems he discovers in the house. I was startled the first time I heard him refer to such defects as “sins.” But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made because unless such problems are fixed, the house can never be restored to pristine condition. Likewise, sin has created an enormous structural problem in the world God made, allowing evil to deform it by threading its way through individuals, families, neighborhoods, institutions, and nations. To say that creation is off-kilter is to be guilty of an understatement. But Jesus came to remedy this problem and to restore fallen creation. His mission is to break sin’s power, and he does this by saving us and then taking our disordered lives and reshaping them into his likeness. But how much like him we become depends on our giving constant consent to his lordship. That’s how we learn to do things “in the Lord.” We know from Scripture that Christ will continue this work until the end of the world, when every kind of disorder — from petty squabbles to world wars, from thunderstorms to tsunamis, from diabetes to death (the ultimate disorder) — will cease to exist because everything and everyone will be exactly as God intends. It is vital, then, that we know Jesus not only as Savior but also as Lord because that is the only way we can participate in building up his kingdom. Resisting his lordship, then, is more than a personal tragedy because it not only impedes the way God wants to work in us but also the way in which he wants to work through us. Our failures to believe and obey can have grave consequences for others. Take a few moments today to be still in the Lord’s presence. Bow your head before him, acclaiming him as Kyrios, your Lord forever. Then imagine your life in perfect alignment with his and let this picture become your prayer. Pray that Jesus will be all in all, working out his plans and extending his kingdom both in you and through you, world without end. Amen. For more from Ann, or to own your own copy of the Praying the Names of God / Praying the Names of Jesus devotionals, please visit www.annspangler.com. 4/6/2009 April 7 David's Rise to Fame 1Samuel 17:1-26,31-51; Psalm 40:11-13; Proverbs 12:3 Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle, and were gathered together at Sochoh, which belongs to Judah; they encamped between Sochoh and Azekah, in Ephes Dammim. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and they encamped in the Valley of Elah, and drew up in battle array against the Philistines. The Philistines stood on a mountain on one side, and Israel stood on a mountain on the other side, with a valley between them. And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. He had a bronze helmet on his head, and he was armed with a coat of mail, and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of bronze. And he had bronze armor on his legs and a bronze javelin between his shoulders. Now the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam, and his iron spearhead weighed six hundred shekels; and a shield-bearer went before him. Then he stood and cried out to the armies of Israel, and said to them, "Why have you come out to line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and you the servants of Saul? Choose a man for yourselves, and let him come down to me. If he is able to fight with me and kill me, then we will be your servants. But if I prevail against him and kill him, then you shall be our servants and serve us." And the Philistine said, "I defy the armies of Israel this day; give me a man, that we may fight together." When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid. Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem Judah, whose name was Jesse, and who had eight sons. And the man was old, advanced in years, in the days of Saul. The three oldest sons of Jesse had gone to follow Saul to the battle. The names of his three sons who went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, next to him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. David was the youngest. And the three oldest followed Saul. But David occasionally went and returned from Saul to feed his father's sheep at Bethlehem. And the Philistine drew near and presented himself forty days, morning and evening. Then Jesse said to his son David, "Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp. And carry these ten cheeses to the captain of their thousand, and see how your brothers fare, and bring back news of them." Now Saul and they and all the men of Israel were in the Valley of Elah, fighting with the Philistines. So David rose early in the morning, left the sheep with a keeper, and took the things and went as Jesse had commanded him. And he came to the camp as the army was going out to the fight and shouting for the battle. For Israel and the Philistines had drawn up in battle array, army against army. And David left his supplies in the hand of the supply keeper, ran to the army, and came and greeted his brothers. Then as he talked with them, there was the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, coming up from the armies of the Philistines; and he spoke according to the same words. So David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him and were dreadfully afraid. So the men of Israel said, "Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel; and it shall be that the man who kills him the king will enrich with great riches, will give him his daughter, and give his father's house exemption from taxes in Israel." Then David spoke to the men who stood by him, saying, "What shall be done for the man who kills this Philistine and takes away the reproach from Israel? For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?" Now when the words which David spoke were heard, they reported them to Saul; and he sent for him. Then David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth." But David said to Saul, "Your servant used to keep his father's sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God." Moreover David said, "The LORD, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And Saul said to David, "Go, and the LORD be with you!"
So Saul clothed David with his armor, and he put a bronze helmet on his head; he also clothed him with a coat of mail. David fastened his sword to his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. And David said to Saul, "I cannot walk with these, for I have not tested them." So David took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand; and he chose for himself five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in a shepherd's bag, in a pouch which he had, and his sling was in his hand. And he drew near to the Philistine. So the Philistine came, and began drawing near to David, and the man who bore the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about and saw David, he disdained him; for he was only a youth, ruddy and good-looking. So the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!" Then David said to the Philistine, "You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you. And this day I will give the carcasses of the camp of the Philistines to the birds of the air and the wild beasts of the earth, that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Then all this assembly shall know that the LORD does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the LORD's, and He will give you into our hands." So it was, when the Philistine arose and came and drew near to meet David, that David hurried and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. Then David put his hand in his bag and took out a stone; and he slung it and struck the Philistine in his forehead, so that the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell on his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone, and struck the Philistine and killed him. But there was no sword in the hand of David. Therefore David ran and stood over the Philistine, took his sword and drew it out of its sheath and killed him, and cut off his head with it. And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled.
1 Samuel 17:1-26, 31-51 WORSHIP Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O LORD;
Let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me.
For innumerable evils have surrounded me;
My iniquities have overtaken me, so that I am not able to look up;
They are more than the hairs of my head;
Therefore my heart fails me.
Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me;
O LORD, make haste to help me!
Psalm 40:11-13 WISDOM A man is not established by wickedness,
But the root of the righteous cannot be moved.
Proverbs 12:3 Would you like your own copy of this devotional?
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