Category: Faith

Brought to the King’s Table like one of the King’s Sons: Thoughts from the life of Mephibosheth. 2 Samuel 9.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 2 Samuel 9.

I’ve loved the story of Mephibosheth since I very first read it. I hope you will love it, too.

“And David said, “Is there still anyone left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”

Now there was a servant of the house of Saul whose name was Ziba, and they called him to David. And the king said to him, “Are you Ziba?”

And he said, “I am your servant.”

And the king said, “Is there not still someone of the house of Saul, that I may show the kindness of God to him?”

Ziba said to the king, “There is still a son of Jonathan; he is crippled in his feet.”

The king said to him, “Where is he?”

And Ziba said to the king, “He is in the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar.”

Then King David sent and brought him from the house of Machir the son of Ammiel, at Lo-debar. And Mephibosheth the son of Jonathan, son of Saul, came to David and fell on his face and paid homage. And David said, “Mephibosheth!”

And he answered, “Behold, I am your servant.”

And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.”

And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?”

Then the king called Ziba, Saul’s servant, and said to him, “All that belonged to Saul and to all his house I have given to your master’s grandson. And you and your sons and your servants shall till the land for him and shall bring in the produce, that your master’s grandson may have bread to eat. But Mephibosheth your master’s grandson shall always eat at my table.”

2 Samuel 9:1-10a

It reminds me of my 2024 Word of the Year, “ENOUGH” and the refrain of Dayenu, a traditional Passover song, “it would have been enough.” Click here to read the full lyrics.

  • If David had allowed Mephibosheth to continue living in Israel, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
  • If David had given Mephibosheth a daily allotment of bread to eat, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
  • If David had given Mephibosheth a small plot of his land, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
  • If David had given Mephibosheth a single servant, Dayenu, it would have been enough.
  • If David had allowed Mephibosheth to eat at his table once a year, Dayenu, it would have been enough.

What a picture this is of what Jesus has done for us!

Jesus has given us more than a meager portion of bread and a scant cup of water. He has given us the living bread of His Word and the living water of His Spirit. He has prepared a bountiful table before us. He has filled our cups to overflowing.

Jesus has given us more than a corner in a godforsaken land. He has brought us to His own banqueting table and spread His banner of love over us. He has even gone to prepare a place for us in the glories of eternal heaven.

Jesus has given us more than a mere human servant. He has given up His own life for us. He Himself has washed our feet, laying down His own life in our place. He has sent His Holy Spirit to dwell in us and to walk with us as our ever-present counselor and comforter.

Jesus has made us more than His slaves. By His own blood, He has made us His friends and His children. He has invited us to live in His home and to eat at His table forever and ever.

“See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God;”

1 John 3:1a ESV

Have you received this gift? If not, what are you waiting for?

If so, who does God want you to share it with?

The gift of salvation is the gift that keeps on giving. Our Father’s table is large enough to fit people from every tribe, tongue, and nation. Let’s go out to the streets and bring them in to join us at this feast.

A Prayer for my Children from Colossians 2

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Colossians 2

On Monday I’ll be beginning the second year of my Read Through the Bible in 2 Years plan. Get more information here. I hope you’ll join me!

This week we have a teenage international student staying with us while his school is on Christmas break. When I invited everyone to pray after reading our chapter in Colossians, he commented that he didn’t know how to pray. I remember what that felt like when I began my life in Christ as a new believer almost 30 years ago. I encouraged him to talk simply and honestly to God about whatever he’s thankful for as well as what he needs.

On that note, Colossians is a great place to learn to pray. I’m praying for my children, but you might be praying for yourself, your husband, your future husband, or someone else. I hope these words would help bend your heart and life toward God.

Heavenly Father, thank You for each of the children that You have given me as well as their spouses and children. Each of them is a gift from Your good hands. I pray that their hearts will be encouraged and knit together in love with one another and with You. I pray that they may reach all the riches of the full assurance of faith through the understanding and knowledge of Jesus Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. Protect them from those who want to deceive and confuse them with worldly philosophy and plausible arguments. Give them insight through Your Holy Spirit and through Your written Word. Please, Father, be with them while we are apart and put strong Christians into their lives. Help them to walk faithfully in Christ, being rooted and built up in Him, established in their faith as they have been taught, with hearts full of thanksgiving. Grow their faith in Jesus Christ who is the head of all things and the head of the church and in whom the whole fullness of deity dwells. I pray that they would put off their fleshly desires and put on Christ, being clothed in His righteousness and made alive with Him. Help them to hold fast to Jesus from whom the whole body is nourished and knit together that they might grow wise and strong in heart, mind, and body. For the glory of God and the building up of the body we pray in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Advent Day 6 – All Nations Will be Blessed Through Faith in Messiah Jesus (Jacob’s Ladder + Luke 6)

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Luke 6

Wednesday night, our family read the sixth advent devotional in “From Creation to Christ” along with Luke 6. If you don’t have your own copy, you can order your own a Kindle version instantly, while you wait for the paper copy to arrive.

When we read the story of Jacob dreaming about a ladder set up on earth reaching to heaven, let’s pay careful attention to Genesis 28:13-14, where the Lord repeats the promise He had made to Abraham, Jacob’s grandfather, telling Jacob that, “The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed.”

I was reminded of Galatians 3.

“And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” … Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, “And to offsprings,” referring to many, but referring to one, “And to your offspring,” who is Christ. … But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

Galatians 3:8, 16, 25-29 ESV

Friends, though there are many children of Abraham, there is only one ladder by which anyone can reach God, that is Abraham’s one offspring, Christ, the Son of God.

Then, turning to Luke 6, I noticed in verses 17 and 18 that “[Jesus] came down with them and stood on a level place, with a great crowd of his disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases. And those who were troubled with unclean spirits were cured.”

According to Got Questions, “Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities north of Israel.” And in Luke 10:13, Jesus compares the cities of Galilee (Chorazin and Bethsaida) with these Gentiles cities, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes.” (You can read more about Tyre and Sidon in Matthew 11:20-24, Matthew 15:21-28.)

Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6) It is by faith in Him that we can come to the Father now and for all eternity. All the nations will be blessed through the faith of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, through Messiah Jesus, the Promised, Long-Awaited Seed.

Heavenly Father, I pray that You will use me to bless the nations of the world. Draw all men to Yourself by faith in Jesus Christ, Your Only Begotten Son. Send Your children out to preach the good news in the corners and in the marketplaces, from the rooftops and through the airwaves. Bring the nations in! We want heaven to be filled with every nation, tribe, people, and tongue to the praise of Your glorious name. In the Name of Jesus Christ who is the Only Way to You, Father, we pray. Amen.

O Holy Night in English, Arabic, and Hebrew

Advent Day 5 – God Provides A Ram in Isaac’s Place (Genesis 22 + Luke 5)

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Luke 5

Tuesday night, our family read the fifth advent devotional in “From Creation to Christ” along with Luke 5. If you don’t have your own copy, you can order your own a Kindle version instantly, while you wait for the paper copy to arrive.

I tried to put myself in Abraham’s place, imagining how it would feel to lay my own son on an altar and prepare to give him up as an offering to God. This was particularly difficult for me to wrap my head around since God would never want a person to kill their own child. If I had such a thought in my mind, I would quickly and immediately dismiss it as clearly not from the Lord. Yet, here’s Abraham, obeying God even to the point of traveling for three days to sacrifice his own son.

It’s much easier for me to imagine my gratitude at God sparing my child. Suddenly, all of my confusion is taken away, the clouds part, and I see God’s glorious goodness in technicolor as a ram appears, caught in a nearby thicket. I understand, now, Father! You are so good! You are the great provider!

Then, we followed our advent reading with Luke 5. Again I tried to imagine myself in the events of the passage. I pictured myself a weary fisherman, having toiled all night without catching a single fish. When a man asks to get into my boat so he could teach the people, I oblige willingly enough, thinking, “Eh, what can it hurt?” But, then, when he tells me to go back out into the water, to keep fishing, to let down my nets again, it’s almost more than I can bear. Yet, I obey Him. And then it happens, I catch an unimaginable number of fish, to the point that my nets are breaking and my boat begins to sink. I’m blown away. How is this possible? Who is this man?

But, wait, what’s this? How does Simon Peter respond?

“But when Simon Peter saw it,
he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying,
“Depart from me,
for I am a sinful man, O Lord.””

Luke 5:8 ESV

Heavenly Father, How good You are! Your mercies are so great and so glorious! And oh how sinful am I! Who am I, Lord, that You would spare my life and not strike me dead in an instant? Who am I, Lord, that You would invite me into your presence, to sit at Your feet, to read Your Word, to be taught by You? Father, You have done so much for me. You have blessed me so, so much. You have filled my nets to their breaking point. You have filled my boats to the point they would sink with Your mercies. My cup indeed overflows. You have brought me to sit an Your banqueting table. You have invited me to the eternal wedding supper of the Lamb. You have provided for Yourself the offering, the spotless Lamb to die in my own place. You have given Your own Son. For me, not a righteous woman, but a sinful one. You have so clearly demonstrated Your love for me in that while I was yet a sinner, Christ died for me. Thank You, Lord. In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior, I pray. Amen.

Jesus Paid It All – Shane and Shane

To Obey is Better than Sacrifice: Thoughts from 1 Samuel 13-15.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Samuel 13-15.

“Has the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams.”

1 Samuel 15:22 ESV

Am I as faithful to obey God in the little things as I am to obey Him in the “big ones”?

I go to church every week without fail, but am I as faithful in reaching out to a hurting neighbor or stranger in need?

I read my Bible every single day, but am I as diligent in being patient and kind to my husband and children day after day?

I answer each and every question in my Bible study workbook, but am I as conscientious in sharing the gospel and making disciples of the lost.

I try to take every opportunity I have to teach others the goodness of God, but am I as careful on praying without ceasing and seeking the Lord’s guidance in my own daily life.

There are some areas of my life that I find easier to obey than others. How about you? What is easier for you to obey and where do you struggle?

I think some of the things that are easier for me to obey are because they are more enjoyable for me. I simply enjoy reading and singing and studying more than I enjoy serving and listening and being kind. But I’m afraid that some of the things are easier for me because they are more visible. Other people see me at church. Other people hear me teaching or participating in Bible study.

Oh, Father, help me to live for Your “well done.” Protect me from seeking man’s praise rather than Your praise. I want to live for an audience of One. You are my perfect judge. Your opinion is what matters. Help me to trust and obey. Day by day. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Galatians 1:10 ESV — For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.

Colossians 3:22 ESV — Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.

Matthew 6:1-34

For the Lord’s Great Name’s Sake. The Knowledge of the Holy and 1 Samuel 12.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Samuel 12

I have recently begun reading A.W. Tozer’s “The Knowledge of the Holy” for the fifth time. Other than the Bible and C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia series, I’ve never read the same book again and again. The first chapter of “The Knowledge of the Holy” is entitled, “Why We Must Think Rightly About God.” I’d love to just quote the whole chapter for you, but instead I’ll share a few sentences and urge you to get the book for yourself.

“We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God.”

“Compared with our actual thoughts about Him, our creedal statements are of little consequence.”

“All the problems of heaven and earth, though they were to confront us together and at once, would be nothing compared with the overwhelming problem of God: That He is; what He is like; and what we as mortal beings must do about Him.”

I was thinking about these ideas while reading 1 Samuel 12, especially this verse:

For the LORD will not forsake his people, for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you a people for himself.

1 Samuel 12:22 ESV

Questions like, “Does God exist for my pleasure or do I exist for His? Does God see me, know me, and care about me? Is He in charge or am I? Will God keep His promises? Why?” run through my mind. The answers to these questions are found – must be found – in God’s Word rather than our emotions, logical conclusions, or Google searches.

Pray with me.

Heavenly Father, I know that You are all-powerful and all-knowing and holy and righteous and good because Your Word and Your Creation confirm it. You have created me and redeemed me for Your pleasure, for Your Name’s sake. I want to live for Your glory. I want to glorify and magnify Your Name. Help me. Strengthen me. Enlighten me. Draw all men to Yourself that there might be a great cloud of witnesses praising You for all eternity. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Speak, Lord, for Your Servant Hears – A Prayer from 1 Samuel 3

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: 1 Samuel 3

Heavenly Father, You are the Lord, the only Lord, Supreme ruler over heaven and earth. I am Your servant. You created me. You redeemed me out of sin and out of the kingdom of the evil one. You bought me with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the unblemished, perfect Lamb of God. You own me. I am Yours.

Speak to me, Lord. Speak truth into my soul. Speak peace into my mind. Speak life into my weary heart. Speak to me.

You have said that Your sheep hear Your voice and they follow You. Make me an obedient, submissive, gentle sheep.

Help me to hear, to listen, to understand, to trust, and to obey. Keep my mind from distractions and confusion. Help me to be attentive to Your voice, especially when it is not much louder than a whisper. Give me discernment to clearly recognize Your voice in the midst of the cacophony of distractions that the enemy has buried like land mines all around me.

Thank You for the pure milk, the pure light, the pure water of Your Word. Fill me. Wash me. Guide me. For the glory of Your Name and the edification of Your body.

In the Name of Jesus Christ, my Savior and Lord, I pray. Amen.

What does Redeemed Mean? Thoughts from the Book of Ruth

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Ruth 3-4

In April 1994, I was having another discussion about religion with a young man I was interested in. For the dozenth time I was arguing with him about my inability to believe in a God that I couldn’t see with my eyes or touch with my hands. Suddenly, in a brief moment of humility, I asked a simple question, “What do you mean when you say, ‘saved’?” To me, “save” was a word associated with money and stray puppies, not college valedictorians. And for the first time I heard clearly explained the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Reading through the book of Ruth, I noticed the words redeem and redeemer used over and over again, but do we as 21st-century adults understand what ‘redeemed’ means?

Do we see our own abject lostness and our need for a counselor and guide to show us where to go and lead us by the hand to get there?

Or do we think we’ve already arrived, already know all the answers, and we don’t need anything beyond what hard work, Google, and the government can provide.

Do we see ourselves as hopeless, helpless beggars all searching for a morsel of bread?

Or do we see ourselves as wealthy, capable, able-bodied people in need of no one and no thing to help us?

Do we see our sinful nature and recognize our need for forgiveness and rebirth?

Or do we think we’re really pretty good, decent people who’ve never killed anybody or done anything all that bad, especially compared to all the good things we’ve done?

Naomi, a Jew, and Ruth, a Moabite, both needed to be redeemed and so do you and I. Naomi and Ruth’s earthly lives were redeemed by their kinsman-redeemer, Boaz, but their eternal souls were redeemed by looking forward to that sinless Redeemer, Jesus Christ, who paid the price for their sins with His own sins blood, something much more precious than all the gold and silver all the world over.

Have you been redeemed? Have you been washed in the blood of that Lamb? Were your sins been fully paid for when Jesus, that spotless Lamb, was nailed to the cross 2,000 years ago?

Read more about redemption at Blue Letter Bible.

Are you Washed in the Blood of the Lamb?
Redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb
I Know that My Redeemer Lives

Using God … Or Worshipping God?

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Judges 17-18

It seems that Micah is about using God rather than serving Him. He wants a priest and an ephod and carved images, not so he can rightly know and love God but so that he can get them to do what he wants.

God isn’t a genie in a lamp that we can rub when we want our wishes granted. God doesn’t live to do our bidding. We need to know God rightly so we can worship Him rightly. Wrong beliefs lead to wrong actions. Every. Time.

Heavenly Father, Thank You for Your immense mercy and grace. You didn’t have to love me. You didn’t have to save me. But You did. Thank You. I want to serve You for You are worthy. Give me discernment to recognize what is good and what is evil and give me the power to choose good. For the Glory of Your Name and Your Kingdom. In the Name of Jesus Christ I pray. Amen.

Who’s Fighting Your Battles? A Lesson from Gideon and Judges 7.

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Read through the Bible in 2 Years: Judges 7

The LORD said to Gideon, “The people with you are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hand, lest Israel boast over me, saying, ‘My own hand has saved me.’

Judges 7:2 ESV

This passage has had a special place in my heart since one night about twenty years ago when the Holy Spirit convicted me about how often I used manipulation to get my husband to do what I wanted. That night, the Lord opened my eyes to the importance of trusting Him to fight my battles, rather than trusting my own skills of argumentation to get my way. That night, I decided to quit fighting against my husband and to start praying for him. That night, I finally recognized that I might be winning these marital battles, but I was losing the war for my marriage.

Can any of you relate?

Ask yourself what weapons you’re using to fight your own battles: Nagging and complaining? Threatening and yelling? Silence and the cold shoulder? Put those weapons away, friends. They’re not the Lord’s weapons; they’re the enemy’s.

If the Lord can cause the entire Middianite army to kill one another, giving the Israelites success by merely blowing their trumpets, then surely He conquer the heart of your stubborn loved one.

Put on the whole armor of God, the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the shoes of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, and the helmet of salvation. And take up your weapon, the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, and start praying in the Spirit, asking Him to fight for you. (Ephesians 6:12-17)

Join forces with the Lord.
Remember who your real enemy is.
Quit fighting your spiritual brothers and sisters
and start fighting the spiritual forces of evil.

Heavenly Father, we need You to fight our battles for us. Open our eyes to see the spiritual battle that we are in. Make us soldiers in Your army, wielding that Sword of the Spirit, your Word, with excellence and accuracy, praying without ceasing, and seeking Your face for direction day after day. Let us not grow weary of well-doing. Give us clean hands and pure hearts. Help us to root up those spirits of bitterness and selfishness. Protect us from pride and manipulation. Make us more like You. In the Name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Brother, we pray. Amen.

Rock of Ages