May 31 2 Samuel 7-9 Psalm 68:1-6 Proverbs 14:30-32 John 21 Tranquility “A tranquil heart is life to the body, but jealousy is rottenness to the bones.” Proverbs 14:30 LSB Tranquility is a term that has been stolen by Satan and twisted into something that is very different from its original meaning. When we hear the word tranquility, images of a luxurious spa come to mind or perhaps we envision Eastern mysticism and yoga poses. We think of someone sitting crisscross

May 30 2 Samuel 5-6 Psalm 67:5-7 Proverbs 14:28-29 John 20 Quick-Tempered “He who is slow to anger has great discernment, but he who is quick-tempered raises up folly.” Proverbs 14:29 LSB Anger has the potential to damage and destroy families, friendships and work relationships in ways that leave deep wounds and permanent scars. A quick temper is ultimately a lack of self-control. Those who are quick-tempered react with no thought of consequence. The slightest spark c

May 29 2 Samuel 3-4 Psalm 67:1-4 Proverbs 14:26-27 John 19 King Of The Jews “And when the soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and put a purple robe on Him and they were coming to Him and saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ and were giving Him slaps in the face….And Pilate also wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It was written, ‘Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.’ Therefore many of the Jews read this inscription…So the chi

May 28 2 Samuel 1-2 Psalm 66:16-20 Proverbs 14:24-25 John 18 Trusting In God’s Timing “In the course of time, David inquired of the Lord. ‘Shall I go up to one of the towns of Judah?’ he asked. The Lord said, ‘Go up.’ David asked, ‘Where shall I go?’ ‘To Hebron,’ the Lord answered. So David went up there with his two wives…Then the men of Judah came to Hebron, and there they anointed David king over the tribe of Judah.” 2 Samuel 2:1-4 NIV In our reading today, we

May 27 I Samuel 29-31 Psalm 66:10-15 Proverbs 14:22-23 John 17 Jesus’ Prayer “Jesus spoke these things; and lifting up His eyes to Heaven, He said, ‘Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that the Son may glorify You, even as You gave Him authority over all flesh, that to all whom You have given Him, He may give eternal life. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. I glorified You on Earth, having f

May 26 I Samuel 26-28 Psalm 66:1-9 Proverbs 14:20-21 John 16 Conviction And Truth “And He, when He comes will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged…but when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will no

May 25 I Samuel 24-25 Psalm 65:9-13 Proverbs 14:17-19 John 15 Purity Of Heart “Then the men of David said to him, ‘Behold, this is the day of which Yahweh said to you, ‘Behold, I am about to give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it seems good in your eyes.’ Then David arose and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. And it happened afterward that David’s heart struck him because he had cut off the edge of Saul’s robe. So he said to his men, ‘Far b

May 24 I Samuel 22-23 Psalm 65:1-8 Proverbs 14:15-16 John 14 With You And In You “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate, that He may be with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him. You know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.” John 14:16-17 LSB The night before Jesus’ death, He shared a meal with His disciples, washed their feet and then tried to explain to the

May 23 I Samuel 20-21 Psalm 64:7-10 Proverbs 14:13-14 John 13 The Bond Of Friendship “So Jonathan cut a covenant with the house of David, saying, ‘May Yahweh require it at the hands of David’s enemies.’ And Jonathan made David swear again because of his love for him, because he loved him as he loved his own soul…when the young man was gone, David rose from the south side and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed each other and wept togeth

May 22 I Samuel 18-19 Psalm 64:1-6 Proverbs 14:11-12 John 12 The Light Of The World “So Jesus said to them, ‘For a little while longer the Light is among you. Walk while you have the Light, so that darkness will not overtake you; he who walks in the darkness does not know where he goes. While you have the Light, believe in the Light, so that you may become sons of Light….I have come as Light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me will not remain in darkness

May 21 I Samuel 16-17 Psalm 63:6-11 Proverbs 14:8-10 John 11 He Stayed “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when He heard that he was sick, He then stayed two days in the place where He was….Martha then said to Jesus, ‘Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever You ask from God, God will give You.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Your brother will rise again.’” John 11: 5-6,21-22 LSB John said in verse 5 that

May 20 I Samuel 15 Psalm 63:1-5 Proverbs 14:5-7 John 10 The Good Shepherd “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep… I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other sheep, which are not from this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd. For this reason

May 19 I Samuel 13-14 Psalm 62:9-12 Proverbs 14:3-4 John 9 Power, Love And Justice “One thing God has spoken; two things I have heard: ‘Power belongs to You, God, and with You, Lord, is unfailing love; and You reward everyone according to what they have done.’” Psalm 62:11-12 NIV God’s attributes are infinite and we cannot even begin to understand Him, but in this verse David does a good job of giving us an accurate, concise place to start. A look at God’s power, Hi

May 18 I Samuel 11-12 Psalm 62:1-8 Proverbs 14:1-2 John 8 Slaves To Sin “Jesus replied, ‘Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” John 8:34-36 LSB John uses strong language here to convey the effect of sin on our lives. We can all understand how some sins can lead to slavery. Excessive alcohol and drug use can

May 17 I Samuel 8-10 Psalm 61 Proverbs 13:24-25 John 7 The Rock That Is Higher Than I “From the end of the Earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength before the enemy. Let me sojourn in Your tent forever; let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” Psalm 61:2-4 LSB I like the beach, but my happy place is definitely the mountains. The beach at sunset is peaceful

May 16 I Samuel 6-7 Psalm 60:6-12 Proverbs 13:22-23 John 6 God Looks At The Heart “But God said to Samuel, ‘Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but Yahweh looks at the heart.” I Samuel 16:7 LSB There are many instances in the Bible where God chooses people to use in mighty ways that men would have overlooked. In this passage, God sent Samuel to

May 15 I Samuel 4-5 Psalm 60:1-5 Proverbs 13:19-21 John 5 Witnesses “But the witness I have is greater than the witness of John; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness about Me, that the Father has sent Me. And the Father who sent Me, He has borne witness about Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time nor seen His form. And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. You

May 14 I Samuel 1-3 Psalm 59:14-17 Proverbs 13:17-18 John 4 Hannah’s Prayer “And she, bitter of soul, prayed to Yahweh and wept despondently. And she made a vow and said, ‘O Yahweh 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 seed amongst men, then I will give him to Yahweh all the days of his life and a razor shall never come on his head.” I Samuel 1:10-11 LSB

May 13 Ruth 3-4 Psalm 59:6-13 Proverbs 13:15-16 John 3 Whoever Believes “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son o

May 12 Ruth 1-2 Psalm 59:1-5 Proverbs 13:13-14 John 2 Loyalty And Faithful Service “But Ruth said, ‘Do not press me to forsake you; for where you go, I will go, and where you lodge, I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. Thus may Yahweh do to me, and more, if anything but death separates you and me.’” Ruth 1:16-17 LSB This passage is often read at weddings because it gives us the per