Category: Uncategorized

MORNING— Learning to Listen “Then Eli said to Samuel, ‘Go, lie down; and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, “Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.” The word of the LORD was rare in those days. Vision was infrequent. That is how this chapter begins—not with Samuel, but with the…

MORNING— The Lord of Hosts Hears “She made a vow and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son…’” The first time Scripture uses the name YHWH Tsaba—the LORD of Hosts—is not…

MORNING— Under His Covering “I am Ruth your maid. So spread your covering over your maid, for you are a close relative.” Years ago, sociologists studying long-lasting marriages noticed something surprising. The strongest predictor of stability was not passion, compatibility, or even shared interests. It was character—especially the presence of restraint, reliability, and moral consistency…

MORNING— Call Me Bitter “She said to them, ‘Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me. I went out full, but the Lord has brought me back empty.’” If you were asked to teach a class at church on the subject of romance, where would you…

MORNING— Strength Undone “So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, ‘A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like…

MORNING— The Thornbush King 🌳 “Finally all the trees 🌳said to the bramble, ‘You come, reign over us!’ The bramble said to the trees🌳, ‘If in truth you are anointing me as king over you, come and take refuge in my shade; but if not, may fire come out from the bramble and consume the…

MORNING— O Valiant Warrior? “The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, ‘The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior.’” Seven years of oppression had reshaped Israel’s life. The Midianites did not conquer cities—they crushed confidence. When harvest time came, they waited until crops were nearly ready, then swarmed the fields…

MORNING— Deborah Beneath the Palm 🌴 “Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel at that time. She used to sit under the palm tree 🌴 of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the sons of Israel came up to her for judgment.” Israel is once…

MORNING— A Downward Spiral “All that generation also were gathered to their fathers; and there arose another generation after them who did not know the LORD, nor yet the work which He had done for Israel.” Joshua dies. There is no final speech recorded in Judges, no dramatic farewell scene. Judges simply tells us that…

MORNING— Thankful for What You Did Not Plant 🌳 “I gave you a land you did not labor for, and cities you did not build, though you live in them; you are eating from vineyards and olive groves 🌳 you did not plant.” Joshua draws the people’s attention to something easy to overlook: unearned provision.…