Scripture Readings: Psalm 89:1-8, I Samuel 1-2:26, Mark 10:1-31 Reflection Verses: I Samuel 1:27-28 Reflection: In today’s reading, Hannah, the wife of Elkanah, made a vow to God that if He gave her a son, she would give her son to the service of God all the days of her son’s life. Eli, the priest,…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 88, Ruth 1-4, Mark 9:33-50 Reflection Verse: Ruth 1:22 Reflection: Naomi, who had left Bethlehem during a famine, was now returning in the midst of a life of famine. Her husband and two sons had died in the land of Moab. So, Naomi, now a widow, returned to her home with Ruth,…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 87, Judges 20:19-21, Mark 9:14-32 Reflection Verses: Judges 20:47-48 Reflection: What an awful situation in Israel. Most of the valiant warriors, except six hundred men of the tribe of Benjamin was destroyed because they decided to protect the evil in their tribe rather than confronting and removing it. Beloved, sin in the…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 86, Judges 19-20:18, Mark 8:27-9:13 Reflection Verses: Judges 19:3-4 Reflection: The Levite in the text went after his wife after she left him to return to her father. Once there, the Levite and her father enjoyed each other’s company for 3 days. The Levite and his wife were reconciled back together with…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 85, Judges 17-18, Mark 8:14-26 Reflection Verses: Judges 17:5-6 Reflection: There is nothing in this scenario that suggests that Micah and his family were worshipping God. They had a silver carved image, a shrine, an ephod and idols set up for worship, with one of his sons being the priest in this…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 84, Judges 15-16, Mark 7:24-8:13 Reflection Verse: Judges 16:3 Reflection” God empowered Samson to pull up the entire gate system, put it on his shoulders and carry it to the top of the hill facing Israel. God did this to show Samson’s great strength which he had in God. The Philistines had…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 83, Judges 12-14, Mark 7:1-23 Reflection Verse: Judges 14:4 Reflection: For Samson, to even desire to be married to a pagan Philistine woman was unthinkable, because Samson was a Nazarite. However, we are told that this was part of God’s plan, when He chose Samson to judge the Philistines and free the…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 82, Judges 10-11, Mark 6:30-56 Reflection Verses: Judges 10:15-16 Reflection: In the text, the people of God repented from their sins, put away their foreign gods and promised to serve God. They asked God to deliver them in their time of distress from their enemies. And once again, God relented and rescued…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 81, Judges 9, Mark 6:1-29 Reflection Verses: Judges 9:56-57 Reflection: In today’s text, Abimelech’s rule was never sanctioned by God. He dishonored his father, Gideon, by killing his 70 brothers to establish himself as king, thus, creating a civil war. Eventually, Abimelech was killed as punishment for his sins and peace came…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 80, Judges 7-8, Mark 5:21-43 Reflection Verse: Judges 7:2 Reflection: In the text today, God was about to deliver Israel from their enemies – and God desired the glory for what God was about to do. God knew that Israel would take the glory for themselves, because they did not serve God…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 79, Judges 5-6, Mark 5:1-20 Reflection Verse: Judges 6:34 Reflection: Gideon did his best to stay out of public attention – but God’s Spirit moved on him. Gideon, emboldened and empowered by God, then blasted forth on the trumpet for all to hear and gathered an army to fight the Midianites and…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 78:65-72, Judges 3-4, Mark 4:21-41 Reflection Verses: Judges 3:27&30 Reflection: Ehud, a judge, gathered the Israelites and defeated the Moabites with the help of God. Their victory gave the land rest from its enemies for 80 years. Once again, The Lord showed Himself faithful to His people, even when they were not…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 78:56-64, Judges 1-2, Mark 4:1-20 Reflection Verse: Judges 2:18 Reflection: The people of Israel did not finish their God-given assignment to completely rid the country of all evil and the worship of other gods. As a result, the Israelites eventually stopped following God. God then raised up judges to help them get…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 78:40-55, Joshua 22:21-24, Mark 3:13-35 Reflection Verse: Joshua 24:15 Prayer: Father God, every person has to choose whether to follow You or not. Each of us have to decide whether we will serve You or serve other gods. Joshua declared that he and his house would serve You. We choose You also,…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 78:32-39, Joshua 21-22:20, Mark 2:23-3:12 Reflection Verses: Joshua 22:2-3 Reflection: In the text today, the 2 ½ tribes from the East side of the Jordan had been faithful to help their brethren in the 10 ½ tribes, gain their inheritance on the West side of the Jordan. They had done what Moses…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 78:17-31, Joshua 19:10-20, Mark 2:1-22 Reflection Verse: Joshua 20:9 Reflection: In ancient Israel, six cities of refuge were set apart to protect a person who had unintentionally killed someone. If this person could get to one of these 6 cities, they would be protected from the avenger of blood (family member who…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 78:9-16, Joshua 17-19, Mark 1:21-45 Reflection Verses: Joshua 18:8-9 Reflection: The text records that seven tribes had not been given land grants. So, Joshua dispatched those tribes to map the land in seven parts so it can be allotted to them. This says to me, Beloved, that there is always work to…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 78:1-8, Joshua 15:13-16, Mark 1:1-20 Reflection Verses: Joshua 15:17-19 Reflection: Caleb gave his daughter, Achsah, a blessing upon her marriage to Othniel. He had already given her husband a dry field which needed water. So, Achsah asked Caleb for the springs that would water her fields. Caleb blessed her with springs of…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 77:10-20, Joshua 13-15:12, Romans 16 Reflection Verse: Joshua 13:33 Reflection: Notice in the text, that Moses did not give the tribe of Levi any land grants as the other tribes had. That is because the Levites were to be scattered and live among all the tribes to be an influence for God…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 77:1-9, Joshua 10:29-12, Romans 15:14-33 Reflection Verse: Joshua 11:23 Reflection: Joshua led the nation of Israel into the Promised Land and fought against the inhabitants of that land until Israel had conquered the whole land – then they had rest from war. God had promised to give the land to the nation…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 76, Joshua 8:30-10:28, Romans 14:19-15:13 Reflection Verse: Joshua 9:24 Reflection: The Gibeonites deceived Joshua and Israel’s leaders because the Gibeonites were afraid for their lives. The Gibeonites knew they would be be killed, so they took action to save their lives. They had nothing to lose. But it should be understood that…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 75, Joshua 6:20-8:29, Romans 14:1-18 Reflection Verse: Joshua 7:13 Reflection: In today’s text, Israel lost the battle of Ai. There was sin in the camp and God had to correct the people. So, God told them to sanctify themselves to be prepared to rid themselves of this blatant sin in their community….
Scripture Readings: Psalm 74:10-23, Joshua 4-6:19, Romans 13 Reflection Verse: Joshua 4:14 Reflection: God established Joshua as the leader of His people, just as He established Moses before him. Notice that Joshua was highly regarded by the people and firmly in place as their set-leader. The people followed Joshua and carried out the instructions that…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 74:1-9, Joshua 1-3, Romans 12 Reflection Verse: Joshua 2:21 Reflection: Rahab declared her faith in God to the Hebrew spies, then she helped the spies to escape Jericho. Rahab also agreed to the terms that would bring her a new life in God. To seal this, she obeyed the instructions given to…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 73:21-28, Deuteronomy 32:39-34, Romans 11:17-36 Reflection Verse: Deuteronomy 34:7 Reflection: Moses, was 120 years old when he died. He was still in great health, sound mind and he was still seeing clearly. He finished his assignment, accomplished the work God had for him to do, and when it was time for him…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 73:12-20, Deuteronomy 31:9-32:38, Romans 11:1-16 Reflection Verses: Deuteronomy 32:37-38 Reflection: Beloved, when all is said and done, God confronts us with any decision we make to trust in the gods of this world rather than trusting in Him. The fact of the matter is this; if we pay homage and allegiance to…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 73:1-11, Deuteronomy 28:58-31:8, Romans 9:30-10:21 Reflection Verse: Deuteronomy 29:29 Reflection: God has many secret things that He has not revealed to us. However, it is required of us, that those things that God has seen fit to reveal to us, we are to obey, follow and teach to our children. Beloved, as…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 72:12-20, Deuteronomy 28:1-57, Romans 9:1-29 Reflection Verse: Deuteronomy 28:8 Reflection: In the first section of chapter 28, God promises to bless those who obey and walk with God and to trust God in all they do and how they live. God promises to bless them in everything they do and to bless…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 72:1-11, Deuteronomy 25-27, Romans 8:18-39 Reflection Verses: Deuteronomy 26:17-18 Reflection: The text reveals two proclamations. First, the people proclaimed that they would walk in God’s ways, hear God’s voice and keep God’s decrees, commands and regulations. After their proclamation, God then proclaimed that the people are His special people – and that…
Scripture Readings: Psalm 71:14-24, Deuteronomy 23-24, Romans 8:1-17 Reflection Verses: Deuteronomy 24:19-22 Reflection: God told His people to leave the overlooked crop in fields during harvest times, so that those who have nothing could gather the remainder. In doing so, God was providing for the less fortunate and it would remind the Hebrew people whence…
