Daily DEVO

HOW TO SHARE THE GOSPEL

1 SAMUEL

Chapter 1

1 Samuel 1 Daily DEVO She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord and wept bitterly. 1 Samuel 1:10- Know that in whatever state of mind and heart you’re in right now, you can come to God. Often we think we have to get our life perfected before we can come to God or we can’t pray to God unless we sound like a preacher or poet. Yet look at the story here with Hannah. She was deeply troubled and was weeping bitterly to God. She wasn’t even speaking any words but just praying from her heart. She came to God as she was with her troubles and so can you. Don’t feel like you have to hide your struggles from God so you can talk with Him. He knows everything going on in your story and He knows the struggles fighting within you as well. He’s open to having all of you, struggles and all, come to Him, talk with Him, and find rest in Him. Stop letting the enemy deceive you into thinking that what’s in your life is something God doesn’t want to walk with you through. If Jesus was willing to die to be with you, He’s also willing to walk with you through what you’re dealing with right now. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 401

  • Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there. 1 Samuel 1:28 – Lent here means to give over fully. She wasn’t simply giving Samuel over to God for a day, nor even till the next time they came to worship, but wholly and completely giving Samuel over to the service of God. What I hope we notice today is the exchange that took place. Hannah asked of God, God heard her plea, then He gave her Samuel. What she asked for God blessed her with. As a response to the blessing she dedicated the gift God gave her to be used for His purposes. What are you praying for? Also, as God begins to answer those prayers, what are your plans to give back to Him because of His blessing? Let’s have a heart that doesn’t just expect to receive but plans to use the blessings God puts in our life for His purposes. He lent those blessings to us, let’s lend them back for His glory. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1626
  • Now this man used to go up year by year from his city to worship and to sacrifice to the Lord of hosts at Shiloh, where the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of the Lord. 1 Samuel 1:3 – With no context, this verse seems simple and uninteresting…so let’s bring in the context. All this is happening at the end of the season of Judges, where like we just studied was a time where God was not their King, the nation had abandoned the Lord, and done was what right in their eyes instead. We also see Hophni and Phinehas were priests at this time, and these men abused their power as priests, taking sacrifices for themselves and even forcing women who came to the temple to have sex with them (not holy priests at all). Yet, despite a nation abandoning the Lord and despite having corrupt leadership in the church, Elkanah, the man being spoken of in our passage, faithfully came each year with his family to worship the Lord and give his offering. So when the world around you isn’t following God, see that you still can. When the leadership in the church is corrupt, see that you can remain faithful. When there is family drama happening, you can still come to church and worship. Elkanah had some legitimate reasons to not go and worship like he did, but he went still and remained faithful. Sadly, we see today believers embracing far less legitimate reasons to skip worship of the Lord. Rather than listing them out, likely you’ve heard them before or even used them yourself. Instead, let’s commit ourselves to worship. For our family may have issues, and our church may have issues, and our nation may have issues, but that doesn’t mean God is not worthy to be worshipped. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2878
  • Chapter 2
    • 1 Samuel 2 Daily DEVO If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him? But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death. Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man. 1 Samuel 2:25-26 – What we see in our passage is the story of how the priest Eli’s sons acted sinfully and continued to act sinfully even after being directed not to by their father. All the while, being in the middle of all this is Samuel. Who while being surround by these sons of Eli, who were unfaithful, continued to grow in the Lord. The people around Samuel and the lives they chose to live didn’t determine the direction Samuel was going to make on how to live his life. That goes for you to. You may be surrounded by people at work or school that don’t follow God, but that doesn’t mean you don’t have to either. You may be at a church that many of the congregation isn’t living with a heart to share the Gospel, that doesn’t mean you have to live that way. This example Samuel set for us shows its possible to not go with the flow of unfaithfulness. Yes, family, friends, and even the masses might not be themselves following God, but that’s no excuse for you not to. It’s begins with you. While you may be the only one in your setting following after Jesus, as we saw in Hannah’s prayer earlier in the passage, God has all the power to strengthen and lift you up. You’re not alone in your walk. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 402
  • And Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; my horn is exalted in the Lord. My mouth derides my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation.” 1 Samuel 2:1 – Lean deeper into the scene here. Hannah was barren for years and was ridiculed for it over and over again. Her longing and prayer was that she would have a baby so her shame could be removed. Now she is standing at the footsteps of the temple watching her son ministering to the Lord. Of course she is going to rejoice! Her deepest longing is now right in front of her. All because of God’s goodness. Today is something you prayed deeply for now in front of you? If so, rejoice! God heard your cry, leaned into your story, and blessed you. Give Him praise today for what He has done for you. For me what that looks like is I can stand in my driveway of my house because God heard my prayer for a home. I can look at my left hand and see my wedding band because God heard my prayer for a wife. I choose today to rejoice that I have a God who hears and leans in to my story. I hope you will too. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1627
    • The Lord kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up. 1 Samuel 2:6 – In the first two chapters of 1 Samuel, we are introduced to two different situations. First a barren woman who pleads to the Lord for a child and God blesses her with a son. Second, we get the story of Hophni and Phinehas, two priests that greatly mishandled their role and God spoke of how their lives would end. The verse above is a part of Hannah’s song of praise to the Lord and in it we see a powerful truth spoken. God is the one who is ultimately over life and death. Life does not come without God’s blessing and death does not come without God’s allowance. With Samuel, the baby that was born, God was the one who brought about his life. For the two corrupt priests, it was God who brought about their death. Life and death is in the hands of God alone. No power can create life without God allowance, and no power can cause death without God’s allowance. Why is this important to remember? It reminds us that God is fully sovereign over all things. If God holds the power over life and death, why would we ever serve anything other than Him? Why would we fear any enemy? Even Satan and all his demonic forces can’t bring us death if God says no. Let us then be overjoyed that the God of salvation, the God of love, and the God of creation is the one true God holds the power over life and death. With such power He has looked at us and not condemned us to death but made a way for us to have His life through Jesus. While He could had sent us all to Hell like we deserved, He is using His power to save. What a mighty God we serve! I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2879
  • Chapter 3
    • 1 Samuel 3 Daily DEVO Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. And the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision. 1 Samuel 3:1 – It’s often in the quiet times when our faith is truly tested. It can be easy to follow God at a summer camp when you’re surrounded by worship. It can be easy to follow God when you see God moving in your own life mightily. Yet how about the times when “camp” is over or the times when you don’t see God moving at all? We see Samuel devoting himself to the work God was calling him to and he was doing it even when the moving of God was rarely seen. He stayed faithful in the quiet times and so can you. As we see later in the chapter, just because God was quiet doesn’t mean He’s wasn’t watching what was happening in their story or being inactive in it. Know quietness from God and confusion because it seems like you’re not getting the answer you’re praying for isn’t a sign He’s not there or not listening. Trust He is working still and continue following Him during the quiet times. God is continuing His faithfulness to you at all times, so should we with Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 403
  • The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 1 Samuel 3:3 – One thing that brings me joy is when I see someone crash out asleep at my place. Sure, maybe it’s it’s because I was too boring, or maybe they just had a long day. Whatever their reason they must have felt safe enough there and comfortable enough with us to fall asleep. Here Samuel was lying down in the temple of God. He felt safe there and comfortable enough there in the God’s presence to rest. When we live faithfully we too find a peace to rest in the presence of God. We aren’t constantly on watch trying to cover up our sins or too shameful to even approach Him. We know our lives are honoring Him and we feel a comfort in His presence. Know your ability to be in the presence of God isn’t dependent on your faithfulness, that’s all on Jesus and His sacrifice He made on the cross. Yet how we feel in the presence of God depends on how faithfully we are following Him. So today, could you sleep in God’s house? If not, why not? Talk with God about just that so you can rest with Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1628
  • Therefore Eli said to Samuel, “Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.’” So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 1 Samuel 3:9 – At this time it is believed Samuel was around 12 years old, he is living in the temple, serving there daily. We learn up to this point Samuel didn’t know the Lord and didn’t yet have God’s word revealed to Him, which says something about the religious state of Israel if someone living in the temple of the Lord for 12 years didn’t know the Lord. While Samuel didn’t know the Lord, the Lord knew Samuel and was desiring him to be His servant. The Lord calls to Samuel three times, yet the boy doesn’t realize it’s the Lord, nor would he know how to answer the Lord anyways, so he goes to his teacher instead. Thankfully Eli, his teacher, clues into what’s going on and properly guides Samuel on how to answer the Lord’s call. We too ought to strive to be people that guides others on how to follow the Lord. We live in a culture that doesn’t know the Lord and we even attend churches that have individuals that don’t know how to respond or follow the Lord. Let us be like Eli in this passage and take the time to speak into the life of someone that doesn’t currently know how to respond to or follow Jesus. This is what discipleship, making disciples, is all about. As a coach would train up an athlete or a boss guides an employee, let us lean into other’s lives so they know how to live for Jesus. Who then is someone in your life right now that may not know how to live for Jesus that you can begin walking alongside of? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2880
  • Chapter 4
    • 1 Samuel 4 Daily DEVO And when the people came to the camp, the elders of Israel said, “Why has the Lord defeated us today before the Philistines? Let us bring the ark of the covenant of the Lord here from Shiloh, that it may come among us and save us from the power of our enemies.” 1 Samuel 4:3 – God is not a vending machine. What we have here in our story in a group of people not having success. What do they do? They turned to religious practices that worked in the past to try to force God’s presence into their situation. They assumed that if they brought the ark this would make God come and fight for them. Yet what did they really need to do to find success? They needed to humble themselves and ask for forgiveness of the sin they were letting stay in their lives. For us, let’s make sure we aren’t trying to force God to act in our stories like this. Where we think if we start going to church more or start being nicer to people that God then is obligated to make things happen for us now. That’s not how this life with Him works. It’s not about doing all the right things to get God to do things for us, it’s about doing the right things because God has done things for us. It’s about living a life of gratitude rather than living a religious life to corner God into blessings us. Know God wants to work on your behalf, but it’s not something we can force. Follow Him and His ways because of what He’s done for you already, after that trust that He loves you enough to keep working for your good. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 404
  • And she said, “The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured.” 1 Samuel 4:22 – What sorrow is written down here in this passage. Eli when he hears all the news he falls back in grief and breaks his neck. The wife of Phinehas gives births and dies after receiving the news of what happened on the battlefield. Yet look at this last verse, the center of their grief was because the ark was not longer with them, meaning in their minds God was no longer with them. Yet while we see God’s presence attached to the ark throughout the Old Testament, the ark wasn’t God. Just because the ark was gone didn’t mean God was removed from their story. Today we must not have this same heart of grief and despair when things and places like this are removed. Say our church building is destroyed. Or the new pastor stops using the old pulpit. Or even if your Bible gets burned, we never have to grieve like we read in this chapter because God is not in those things. His Holy Spirit is within us! As sad as it would be for any of those things to happen, God is never removed from among us and never will be. Take heart knowing you never have to live in a space where God isn’t anymore if you’ve placed your faith in Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1629
  • Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. 9 Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight.” 1 Samuel 4:8-9 – In our chapter Israel is waging war against the Philistines and as a strategic, yet unholy, move, the Israelites bring the Ark of the Covenant to battle with them. What’s shocking is that the enemy Philistines understood that the God attached to the ark was the God who saved the Israels from the Egyptians. They knew the stories and they knew the power of God. Yet while there was an acknowledgement of God’s power, there was still no submission to it. Knowing that God had the power to part the Rea Sea and blot out the sun, the Philistines still choose to attack. Knowledge of God doesn’t always mean there will be submission to God. Sadly what we see with the Philistines is taking place all over the world today. Where the power of God and the works of God and even the salvation being offered by God is known by people, yet there still isn’t a submission to the Lord. Believers in Jesus are called to make such things as the power and salvation of the Lord known to the lost world around them, but believers must also recognize there will many who will acknowledge such things of the Lord, but reject it still. In those cases, stay encouraged. Keep sharing and keep fulfilling the mission. Pray that knowledge of the Lord within their life will lead to an embracing of the Lord, but don’t be defeated because someone didn’t accept the Lord just yet. While they may have no desire for the Lord yet, God has a desire for them, and He isn’t done in their story. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2881
  • Chapter 5
    • 1 Samuel 5 Daily DEVO And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. So they took Dagon and put him back in his place. But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 1 Samuel 5:3-4 – Our enemy will always fall to the power of our God. This Dagon was a false god to the philistines and while they may have placed the ark in its temple for God to worship this Dagon, God chose to show them who really has the power and who deserves to be worshiped. For in Romans 14:11, “for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.” How does all this play into our life today. Know that every problem in your life is subject to the power of God. Know that every enemy you have is outmatched by the power of God. Know that at the end of it all, all who persecute you because of your faith will be bowing next to you as you bow before our God. Resize the way you see God today. Remind yourself that He is the God who spoke the universe into existence and holds all life together. While our enemies may seem to gain victories in our story, don’t let it discourage your view on God’s power. One day the whole entirety of creation will acknowledge His power. Let’s make sure we are acknowledging it today in our lives. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 405
  • And when the men of Ashdod saw how things were, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for his hand is hard against us and against Dagon our god.” 1 Samuel 5:7 – The ark wasn’t meant to be with them and they saw how devastating it was to their life that something that shouldn’t be in their story was in their story. We see the panic that comes later on as other cities begin to have the ark brought to them. What’s our attitude then towards the sinfulness in our story. We know it shouldn’t be there. We know it’s causing devastation, even if we don’t want to admit we know it. Yet are we treating it like the Philistines were with the ark? Are we doing everything we can to remove it from our story? Let’s think deeply on this today, how active are you in removing the sin in your story? If there is anything you know shouldn’t be in your story, you must begin the process of removing it so it can stop causing havoc in your story. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1630
  • But when they rose early on the next morning, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord, and the head of Dagon and both his hands were lying cut off on the threshold. Only the trunk of Dagon was left to him. 1 Samuel 5:4 – After acquiring the Ark after the battle with the Israelites in chapter 4, the Philistines chose to place the ark in the temple of their idol Dagon. Yet God was not pleased to be placed in the temple of an idol and chose to demonstrate His glory over that of some idol. God knocked the idol to the ground, breaking off its head and hands. Yet did the Philistines accept the truth that God was greater than Dagon and begin worshipping Him instead? No, they choose to send the Ark away. They saw fastening the broken idol back together as easier than a complete life change of following God. And they were right, it is easier to just keep going down our sinful path than to lay our life down at Jesus’ feet, carry our cross, and follow Him. It’s far easier to just keep putting back together our broken pieces to remain in our sinful life, but the end destination of that easier path is where no one wants to go. Following God does mean changing things in our life, it does mean turning from sinful habits, and it does mean submitting to God’s lead in our life. Following God leads us to a path of life and peace, not death like sin leads us to. Jesus said it Himself, the pathway to death is wide and easy, but the narrow gate to life is hard. Will we though choose ease in this life and eternal pain after this life, or will we choose to carry our cross daily, following the Lord with our life, and experiencing the beauty of Heaven when this life is over? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2882
  • Chapter 6
    • 1 Samuel 6 Daily DEVO Now the people of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley. And when they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, they rejoiced to see it. 1 Samuel 6:13 – The very thing God’s enemies couldn’t stand to have around them is the thing that God’s followers rejoiced to see in their presence. We have enemies of God’s people scrambling to figure out how to get rid of the ark from their land because it’s causing so much trouble for them. Yet when they do send it on it’s way, and it comes into the town of some of God’s people, rather than fear it like the enemies they rejoiced at seeing it coming. Isn’t that so much like how Jesus’ life was. Those opposing God couldn’t stand to have Him around yet those who followed Him rejoiced at His presence. Let’s grow from this passage. Examine yourself where you land on this; do you rejoice or grumble when you see God moving? When a sinner is forgiven at your church how do you feel about that? When a family joins how do you feel? When God takes control of your life how do you feel about that? As followers of God our heart should be thrilled to see God working in our midst, but if our selfishness is leading us instead often those moves of God can become a burden to us. Make sure your heart is after God so that when He moves it moves you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 406
  • Why should you harden your hearts as the Egyptians and Pharaoh hardened their hearts? After he had dealt severely with them, did they not send the people away, and they departed?1 Samuel 6:6 – Here the Philistines, the enemies at the time of God’s people, are remembering what God had done for Israel and remembering how He dealt with their enemies. No, this isn’t Israel speaking and sharing amongst themselves the work God had done for them, this was their enemies recalling it and sharing the work God did. For me the challenge I get from this is I don’t want the work of Jesus to be more on the lips of those who don’t even follow Him than mine. That non-believers, or even those who hate God, speak more of Him and His work than me. I, a follower of Jesus, should be the loudest voice proclaiming His work and goodness. Yet, is that the truth in my story? How about in your story? Let’s make sure today the voices speaking of, remembering back on, and celebrating the work of Jesus the most is those who follow Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1631
  • And the cows went straight in the direction of Beth-shemesh along one highway, lowing as they went. They turned neither to the right nor to the left, and the lords of the Philistines went after them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh. 1 Samuel 6:12 – In order to make sure that it truly was the Lord behind the calamity that was upon the Philistine people, the Philistine leaders came up with a test to figure out if it truly was the Lord. They were going to send the ark back towards the direction of Israel on a cart, pulled by two mother cows that had never been yoked to pull a cart before. It would be a miracle if this worked. First, these cows had never been trained to pull like this, and second, their calves were taken from them so they would want to be going towards them, not away. Yet we see the cows immediately go straight towards Israel, never going off track, and taking it right where it was supposed to go. We see that the Philistines watched it the whole way, but we don’t see their reaction to the proven test. What else though would they have needed to prove to them that the Lord was the true God? Dagon their idol couldn’t save them, all their efforts to rid themselves of the plagues didn’t work, and their cart test proved that it truly was the Lord behind all this. While it would have been foolish for the Philistines to not accept the Lord as God after all this, so is it foolish for people in our day with all the scriptural evidence to the reality of the Lord to still reject Him. Be in prayer for those with stubborn hearts to the Lord, who see what we see about the realness of the Lord but choose to reject it. Pray their hearts will be softened towards the Lord and that they would embrace the Gospel truth. For while their rejection of God may seem good to them now, the moment after they take their last breath will show them how false they were in their beliefs. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2883
  • Chapter 7
    • 1 Samuel 7 Daily DEVO And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines. And the people of Israel said to Samuel, “Do not cease to cry out to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 7:7b-8 – Finally, the people of God turned to God in their moment of need. We’ve seen far to often in scripture people following God, then when things get rough leaning on something other than Him to get them through. Yet here in the moment when the enemy is at their doorstep they choose to turn to God for their rescue. While possibly you’ve ran to other things when times got rough in the past, know it’s fine to change things up and run to God now instead. It can be easy to lose heart and lose faith when your enemy attacks, yet like in our story, maybe you’ve ran to other things up till now but now you can make the choice to trust God instead with your need. Whether it’s a first time or a returning time, allow God to show you He’s the better one to run to. I guarantee you will not be disappointed by putting your trust in Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 407
  • And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the Lord and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 1 Samuel 7:3 – If. That part is key to the message Samuel had for Israel. “If” you are returning, then… That if they truly were turning back to follow after God then some things were going to have to change. No longer could they serve and worship false gods if they were going to follow the Lord. For us, the questions is the same. If we truly are committing to this thing of being a follower of Jesus then some things in our story can’t be in our story anymore. Some things are going to have to change. So today if you are returning to the Lord with all your heart, then put away the things that God wants out of your story. Let’s be fully for Him with an undivided heart. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1632
  • So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 1 Samuel 7:9 – The nation of Israel was finally having a repentant heart, turning away from their idols, and seeking after the Lord. This would be the first time this took place in such a holy way in possibly centuries! Yet, in that heart change of the people, the enemy shows up seeking to strike fear and end this pursuit of the Lord. What does Samuel do in response to the enemy’s presence? He takes an innocent lamb, kills it, and sacrifices to the Lord. Now why would he do such a mean thing like this? What did the lamb do to deserve this? Nothing, but Samuel knew that while the outward change of the people was holy and good, in order to be right with God and to hear from the Lord, a sacrifice had to be made. Such is our story with Jesus. John 1:29b tells us this, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” Jesus was as innocent as the nursing lamb was that Samuel offered but was still killed and sacrificed on our behalf. While it is sad to see a little lamb sacrificed, and its heartbreaking to think of our Savior on the cross, let us be thankful that because of Jesus’ sacrifice, it no longer is us that has to be the ones facing death. Our sin has been covered by the blood of Jesus, and because of Jesus we can cry out to the Lord and hear the Lord answer us. Praise the Lord that our Savior was willing to take our place and die our death so that we could have His life. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2884
  • Chapter 8
    • 1 Samuel 8 Daily DEVO And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 1 Samuel 8:7 – If God isn’t enough for you in your story, then there is something wrong with the direction your story is going. When the embodiment of love isn’t enough, when the creator of life isn’t enough, when the one who died for you isn’t enough, something isn’t right. See the only times that God’s not going to be enough is if your desires are after sin rather than Him. Because He isn’t going to give into your lust and He isn’t going to comfort you in your unforgiveness. When your desire is what sin offers, He won’t fulfill those wants. Yet when your desire is Him, that’s when you experience the overflow of His blessing. So if right now you are feeling unsatisfied with your life with God, check to see if you’ve allowed some sinful habits to creep in and camp out in your story. When sin is giving the directions, God will never seem enough. Yet when our eyes see past the deception of sin, we begin to see that not only is God better than sin, but He is everything we could ever ask for. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 408
  • Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them. 1 Samuel 8:9 – There will be times in our efforts to help people where we can no longer keep them from their choices. They’ve made their mind up and have chosen their path. In times like this all we can do is make sure they are aware of the consequences of their choice. After that it’s up to them what they do. Here the people wanted a king and Samuel laid out for them the consequences. The new king would take their children, take their fields, take their servants, and take their flocks, all for himself. All Samuel could do now was let them know what would happen if they kept walking down their path. We too will have people who have their mind made up and all we can do is let them know what they will face on that path. Maybe it’s a refusal to let go of a bad relationship or to never place their trust in Jesus. Share what they need to hear with love, but don’t sugar coat it either. They need to know what will be coming in their story. Then pray for them. We may not be able to change their hearts but God can. As much as possible be the voice in their story helping them shift over to a better path. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1633
  • He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day. 1 Samuel 8:17-18 – Israel tells Samuel that they want to be like all the nations around them, that God told them to separate from, by having a king over them. They were rejecting God as their king and seeking to have a human king over them which wasn’t what God wanted for them at this time. God though allows it to take place, but has Samuel warn Israel prior to the cost of choosing this path. The king would take much from them. He would take their sons and daughters for his service and take their lands for himself. He would take from their flocks and fields, and they would even become his slaves. In Israel’s mind a king would solve all their worldly problems, but God wanted Israel to know that choosing a worldly fix to worldly problems is only going to increase your problems. This same truth applies to our life today as well. God has provided for us holy ways to handle our problems in life such as going to His word, going to our church family, or going to Him in prayer. Yet when a worldly issue arises we too can handle it like the Israelites and rely on worldly fixes to fix our worldly issue. Yet, as with the words of Samuel, such a choice is only going to lead to more problems. Instead let us come before King Jesus with our problems. Trust in the means He has blessed us with to deal with the issues that arise in our life. Know God’s heart is for you to find the help you need, but that help is found in Him alone. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2885
  • Chapter 9
    • 1 Samuel 9 Daily DEVO As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, do not set your mind on them, for they have been found. 1 Samuel 9:20a – Our majors are minors to God. Don’t ever think that this means that God doesn’t care about the things we care about, He just doesn’t respond the things the same way we respond to things in our story. Like Saul, we can get overwhelmed and frustrated with situations in life and the resolution of those situations can be all consuming to us. Yet God never gets overwhelmed, He never gets frustrated because He can’t figure things out, and He never gets consumed with problems. We have to realize what we make a major issue in our story is something God sees as a handleable thing. Trust He’s able and trust His wisdom and insight over your situation. If He says don’t worry, then don’t worry. He’s not clouded with confusion like you might be, He’s over all this. Aren’t you glad our God doesn’t get caught up in life’s struggles like we do! Lean on the one who is steady in the struggle. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 409
  • And Samuel said to the cook, “Bring the portion I gave you, of which I said to you, ‘Put it aside.’” So the cook took up the leg and what was on it and set them before Saul. And Samuel said, “See, what was kept is set before you. Eat, because it was kept for you until the hour appointed, that you might eat with the guests.” So Saul ate with Samuel that day. 1 Samuel 9:23-24 – For us living years after all this it doesn’t seems too crazy that this happened. Saul was going to be king so it just made sense that he was treated like this and given the best food. Yet remember, Saul didn’t know this, he was just out looking for his dad’s donkeys. God though knew what was ahead of Saul and even when Saul was unaware of it himself God was giving him what he needed for his next chapter. Giving him a taste of glory and food to replenish him. Know we may have no clue as to our future, but God does and He’s already investing in it. He’s already been preparing you for your next chapter, even if you don’t know what that next chapter is. So fear not the future, your God has already been working in your story setting you up for tomorrow. Not saying tomorrow won’t be difficult, just know God’s been readying you for tomorrow all throughout your yesterday. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1634
  • Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel. 1 Samuel 9:15 – This chapter introduces us to Saul and his journey to become the first king of Israel. What we also see is how God’s hands were intimately woven into every single aspect of this journey. God was able to use Saul’s family’s donkeys escape to bring him to the very city where Samuel was at. God prepared Saul’s arrival by letting Samuel know the day before that the man to be king was coming the next day. Every single step of the process we see that God’s hands were the ones who directed it and that God knew what would take place long before it took place. Whether you were Saul or Samuel in this chapter, it would be so amazing to see God’s sovereignty play out like this. Know today as intimately woven as God was within the events of this chapter, He is with the events of your life. He knows what’s going to take place later this afternoon for you. He already prepared for what’s going to take place in your tomorrow before you were even born. He is over all and in all aspects of your life. If then the Lord is so perfectly and intimately woven into each aspect of our life, why do we still worry about tomorrow and worry about today? If we are faithfully following Him like He commands and if we trust He is truly the same God today that we see in Scripture, worry ought to be the last thing on our minds when it comes to our life. God is with you and God has already taken care of what’s ahead of you. Walk in faith today knowing that the God of scripture is over your life and able to handle your tomorrow. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2886
  • Chapter 10
    • 1 Samuel 10 Daily DEVO Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 1 Samuel 10:7 – If you today are really trying to discover God’s will for your life, then let this passage be God sharing with you what you’re looking for. We see God sharing through Samuel to Saul saying that as you go, do whatever you do and know God is with you in it. The command wasn’t wait till I place you somewhere new to begin following me, it was wherever you are at do what you know to do because God is with you there. We know what God commanded us to do, to love Him and to love people. Often though we think we have to wait till that “next step” to begin really living for God. We say, “Once I’m in that new job,” or, “Once I’m out of school,” or, “Once I find someone special,” then I’ll start following God. God though says to start now, where you’re at now, and begin to follow Him. You don’t have to wait for that next step to begin loving God and begin loving the people around you. God is with you now and He’s calling you to live for Him now. You don’t have to wait to live for Him. How can you expect to be prepared to faithfully follow God in the next step if you never really did it in the previous one? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 410
  • And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything. 1 Samuel 10:16 – Don’t let the fear of what others may say or think about your calling keep you from embracing your calling. Here Saul didn’t share with his uncle the new path God had for him. Whether it was fear or something else, he didn’t share it nor embrace it proudly. For you God will be calling you to many things. Maybe it’s to start leading a ministry at church, maybe it’s to begin sharing your story over social media to start encouraging others through it, maybe it’s to adopt a teenager. Your calling will be unique and exciting and something you shouldn’t fear to embrace, especially in front of others. Yes, as with Saul, some will say things and refuse to accept what you’re doing. Dwell on those that will be encouraged to lean into their calling because they see you doing it first. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1635
  • So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” 1 Samuel 10:22 – Saul had everything he needed to see that the raising him up to be king was from God. He had a miraculous encounter with Samuel while searching for his family donkeys. He was anointed with oil by Samuel as king. God gave him multiple signs of confirmation after the anointed to make sure that Saul knew this was really coming from God. God’s Holy Spirit came upon Saul and he began to prophesy right along with the other prophets. They cast lots and it landed on Saul and he had the support of most of the nation who was ready to proclaim, “Long live the king!” Yet where do we find Saul? Hiding among the baggage, unwilling to show himself to the nation as the king God raised him up to be. We to can have all the confirmations and signs from the Lord pointing us in a certain direction. He can use things from scripture to some random signs on a coffee shop wall to make it clear what it is that He is calling us to. We can be 1000% certain that this is what God wants for us…but still hide among the baggage when our name is called to step into whatever it is that God wants for us. When that fear to step out rises, dwell on what God was about to do with Saul after he stepped out. God blessed Saul and made Saul a blessing to God’s people. If God is calling you to something, know He will bring blessing to us if we are faithful to follow that call. He also will use us to be a blessing to others because of our faithfulness. Fear not then when the call arises, get out of the baggage, and step into whatever He is leading you into. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2887
  • Chapter 11
    • 1 Samuel 11 Daily DEVO And the next day Saul put the people in three companies. And they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. And those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. 1 Samuel 11:11 – We see in our passage God establishing Saul and saving His people. Something else though we can see is a clear definition of what defeat looks like. It said after the enemy was defeated, they were scattered and no two of them were left together. They became isolated and distant from each other and that was proof of their defeat. I can’t help but connect that to being “defeated” in church. Our enemy wants nothing more than to separate us from one another. To breaks the bonds of unity and family and turn our backs to each other. This is when we are the most weak and vulnerable, when we don’t have each other to support us. So be aware of attitudes, thoughts, and actions that are divisive that tend to creep into your relationships with your church family. Those are attacks from your enemy because he knows that if he can separate you all like we see in our passage, that’s a defeat on us. Find forgiveness for them and show love even when it’s hard, do what needs to be done to keep us together. Us together is a victory, don’t allow your attitude to change this very possible victory into a defeat. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 411
  • But Nahash the Ammonite said to them, “On this condition I will make a treaty with you, that I gouge out all your right eyes, and thus bring disgrace on all Israel.” 1 Samuel 11:2 – Don’t make a treaty with the enemy. He doesn’t have your best interest at heart so know there is always more to what he is doing. Take what happened here. Maybe you’re like at least they’ll have their left eye to see. What you may not know about these men is that they were trained to carry their large shields with their left hand. This would make the vision from their left eye mostly blocked when fighting so they would rely heavily on what they could see through the right eye. So what if the right eye was gone? They now couldn’t fight well anymore, exactly how the enemy wanted them. Know there is always hidden agendas with our enemy, don’t trust him. As we see in our story, even if the enemy seems overpowering and close by, choose still to run to God because He can always come through for you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1636
  • And they said to the messengers who had come, “Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh-gilead: ‘Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have salvation.’” When the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh, they were glad. 1 Samuel 11:9 – An enemy had come to a city of God’s people and was threatening them. God’s people would either be killed or surrender and have their right eye gouged out…neither option sounded great. Fearful of their future, they sent messengers all throughout the land of Israel to see if anyone would save them. Word got to their new king, and he rallied the troops, and came to their rescue. When word that the king’s forces were heading their way to save them, the people of the threatened city “were glad.” And rightfully so, when you know that your savior heard your cry and you know salvation is coming, “glad” is a proper way to feel! Today then, we ought to be the gladdest people on the planet! For Jesus, the Savior of the world, has heard our cry. He came Himself, defeated the enemy that was threatening us, and brought to us the salvation we could never earn ourselves. While today you may still be navigating some of the heaviest of things life offers, even in the midst of that heavy we can still be glad in the Lord for what He has done. The devil that was at your door, condemning you to death, has been defeated. The rescue you cried out for and sought after and thought would never come, has come through the power of Jesus. Freedom and salvation are yours because of Jesus, and that’s a solid reason to be glad. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2888
  • Chapter 12
    • 1 Samuel 12 Daily DEVO Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 1 Samuel 12:23 – The people are worried that Samuel is going to quit praying for them and being a spiritual leader for them because of their sin. What we see in Samuel’s answer is something I want us to talk about today. We see Samuel telling them that their sinful behavior isn’t going to lead him to sin by not praying for them. That their choice to sin isn’t going to make Samuel start to sin too by not still helping them to follow God properly. For us, the sin in someone’s life should not be a reason for us to not share with them how to follow God properly. Maybe we’re nervous of the rejection we may get if we say something, or we think it won’t do anything even if we do say something. Like Samuel though, their sin should not lead you to sin by not helping them know God’s love. They may not listen and may not change, but that’s in God’s hand. Your role is to set an example of what living for God looks like and sharing when you can with them about how they can take part in that sort of life too. That’s not judging them, that’s loving them. Make sure you don’t take the easy way out and use their sin as an excuse to not share God’s love with them. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 412
  • And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king. 1 Samuel 12:12 – Samuel is speaking to the people of Israel here. He reminds them of how when trouble came in the past they ran to God and each time they did He came through for them. Yet now, when a new trouble arises, they demand a king to be made instead to save them. They chose to handle their trouble like everyone else who didn’t have God chooses to handle their troubles. They had God, but the reached for less. How do people without God tend to deal with their troubles? Do the ways you handle troubles in life mirror those of people who don’t have Jesus in their life? If you are a follower of Jesus, you don’t have to reach out for help from the things non-followers of Jesus reaches out to. You have the God of all provision and help waiting to be called upon and He desires to be active in your story. Yes, a “king” is available to reach out to, but the God who has walked with you every step of your life is too. Who are you going to reach out to? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1637
  • Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king. 1 Samuel 12:24-25– Samuel had a serious chat with the people of Israel. They were foolish and sinful in their request for a king. God had always provided for them every step of the way. Whether it was rescue from slavery in Egypt to the most recent battle they all witnessed with their own eyes, God Himself was worthy to be their King. Yet they sinfully chose to reject God as their king and God allowed an earthly king to be chosen. What’s glorious though is that God doesn’t condemn them forever because of this sinful choice, but tells them that while unwise in the past with these choices, they can choose today to follow Him and He will bring blessing to them. Yes, they made the wrong chose in the past, but if they choose today to follow the Lord, the Lord will honor that and bring blessing. How amazing is it that we aren’t forever condemned because of our past sinful choices! That yes, we were foolish and made wrong choices in our past, but God is still allowing us today to make a new choice of following Him. If we still have breath in our lungs, the choice to begin following after God is still available to us, no matter the immensity of our past decisions. If then you have never chosen to follow Jesus, know today can be your day. Maybe yesterday was choosing the worst of the worst paths, but today can be different. Each of us have to make that call on who we are going to live our lives for. Let that call be to following Jesus today. If that’s something you want more details on, reach out. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2889
  • Chapter 13
    • 1 Samuel 13 Daily DEVO He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. 1 Samuel 13:8-9 – It still stuns me when I’m leading a group in an area they’ve never been before how often one or two kids run up ahead rather than following behind me. They have no clue where they are going or when to take the next turn. Most of the time they have to backtrack a good distance because they got so far ahead of me and didn’t wait for my instruction. That’s our problem in our passage. Saul got ahead of God. While Saul may have had the right intentions, his timing was off. He let the pressures around him make a decision on his time table rather than God’s. Make sure in your story that you are being patient wait God. The pressures sometimes to move on ahead can be staggering high, but don’t let the pressures push you ahead of God. Trust that even when you aren’t seeing things moving God is still moving. His layout for your story, and the timetable that tags along with it, is the best one for you. It’s when we begin to look at the movement of everything around us that we can begin to get impatient with the speed of our movement. Like with Saul though, don’t miss out on the story God is planning for you because you choose to run off ahead of Him. Wait on the Lord because while you don’t know what’s ahead, He does. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 413
  • But every one of the Israelites went down to the Philistines to sharpen his plowshare, his mattock, his axe, or his sickle…1 Samuel 13:20 – If all you knew about this story was this verse what would you think is happening here? Most likely that the Israelites went to their buddies the Philistines to sharpen their garden tools. Sounds fine, but that’s not at all the story. The Israelites had few actual fighting tools like swords and spears so they went to sharpen their garden tools into weapons to fight their enemy the Philistines. So…they went to their enemy to make weapons for them to fight their enemy. How humiliating and how sad. Let us not turn to our enemy for help when his attacks come our way. We have Jesus here ready to “sharpen our tools” for us so we no longer have to turn to the enemy for anything. How then have you been turning to the enemy for help? Maybe the better question is what have you not been turning to Jesus for help with? Seek your sharpening from one who wants to help you win. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1638
  • So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them. 1 Samuel 13:22 – Newly made King Saul gathers up Israel and creates its first real army in the new kingdom. They attack the oppressing nation of the Philistines seeking to free themselves from subjugation, but what that stirs ups is a mess. The enemy musters its troops and the result is thousands of chariots, thousands of horsemen, and thousands of troops that are now coming against Israel. They were fearful of such a massive enemy, and to make things even worse, the Philistines didn’t allow Israel to have weapons, so Israel was coming to battle with farm tools. Having far less troops than the enemy and having far less useful of weapons than the enemy can certainly cause us to fear the enemy like we see the people of Israel fear the Philistines. What Israel needed to remember was that if God was fighting with them, they would win with no army and no weapons. The lesson we see taught in this passage is to continue being faithful to the Lord even when the situation we may find ourselves in is pushing us to take matters into our own hands. There is no situation in life that we may encounter that justifies sinning as our only resort. The enemy will seek to corner you and convince you that sinning is the only choice you have to get out of his hand but know that coercion is a lie. God is with you, God is stronger than the enemy, and what He is seeking from us is a faithful life even amid enemy pressure. Trust in the Lord, turn to the Lord, and wait upon the Lord. He will take of those who wait upon Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2890
  • Chapter 14
    • 1 Samuel 14 Daily DEVO Then Jonathan said, “My father has troubled the land. See how my eyes have become bright because I tasted a little of this honey. How much better if the people had eaten freely today of the spoil of their enemies that they found. For now the defeat among the Philistines has not been great.” 1 Samuel 14:29-30 – Sometimes our leaders will make poor decisions. The words they say and the directions they give can lead those under them into some terrible times. That’s exactly what we see unfolding in our story when Saul makes this rash vow. While you and I will never have perfect leaders who will always make the right decisions, we can know that God always leads us correctly. He never makes the wrong choice and never gives bad directions. Never is His commands done out of selfishness and never are they given carelessly. He is our perfect leader. Know that in our world our leaders will fail, but the leadership that God gives will always be true. Be sure to follow His lead however He gives it to you and to wherever it takes you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 414
  • Then Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night and plunder them until the morning light; let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” But the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” 1 Samuel 14:36 – Who is someone like this for you? Saul wanted to go down after the enemy and the masses were saying “Sounds good to us, let’s go!” The priest though stood in the way a reminded Saul to seek out God’s direction first before taking a step. So who is a “priest” like this in your story? Someone that isn’t afraid to speak up to remind you to keep your focus on Jesus? Message them a thank you for being there for you and ask them to continue. Now for us to be this for others it will take us investing in other’s lives now to have the sort of relationship needed where we can speak up. Maybe that’s a coffee date and listening to all that’s going on with them. Maybe it’s a call on the phone. We see the priest was already moving with Saul so when the time came to speak up he was there. Let’s be the one who redirects the focus back on Jesus for someone. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1639
  • One day Jonathan the son of Saul said to the young man who carried his armor, “Come, let us go over to the Philistine garrison on the other side.” But he did not tell his father. 2 Saul was staying in the outskirts of Gibeah in the pomegranate cave at Migron. The people who were with him were about six hundred men, 1 Samuel 14:1-2 – This chapter highlights the difference between King Saul and his son Jonathan. We have a massive enemy army that has come against the Israelites, and the choice of King Saul was to hide in the caves until the enemy left. Jonathan though, knowing the strength of the Lord, went up against the enemy himself while his father remained hiding in a cave. Each step of the way we see Jonathan behaving in a faithful manner, seeking God’s direction on what to do, yet with Saul we see him foolishly make decisions that either were absent of God’s leading or made with the impression of wanting God’s direction. Let us see from Jonathan’s example what God can do when we trust him with our enemies. He can provide wonderous victory, He can provide the sustenance we need to brighten our eyes in battle, and He can surround us with the support we need to protect our life. Yes, when the enemy comes, we can make the choice to sit in fear, forgetting the power of God and trusting in our own hands to provide our victory. What a foolish choice to make though when we have the God who provided such victory for Jonathan in our story with us today. Be willing each step of the way to seek out God’s direction, and when the path is towards the enemy, boldly take that step knowing the Lord is with you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2891
  • Chapter 15
    • 1 Samuel 15 Daily DEVO Saul said to Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.” 1 Samuel 15:24 – We see a character flaw in Saul being identified here that caused and will continue to cause problems for Saul the rest of his life. He was consumed with the way others saw him. There was an insecurity in himself that was only resolved by getting the approval of those around him. How could he have gotten over this and saved himself from many of the mistakes he made? By finding his worth in the way God saw him rather than how people saw him. For you, if Saul’s struggle is a struggle of your’s, that message is one you need to hear as well. Trying to find your worth in the eyes of those around you will be a constant trip of failures. We’ll never meet every need and we’ll never be enough for everyone. That then will cause us to hate ourselves and lead us into doing some drastic things to win their approval. Or, you can choose to find your stamp of approval from God instead. God says you’re worth everything to Him and in Jesus you are more than enough. The approval of others is like chasing the wind, the approval of God is a gift freely given to you. Why dedicate your life to going after something you can never reach when what you really need is being handed to you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 415
  • And Saul said to Samuel, “I have obeyed the voice of the Lord. I have gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me. I have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and I have devoted the Amalekites to destruction. But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the best of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.” 1 Samuel 15:20-21 – Is the voice you are obeying God’s voice or the version of God’s voice you want to obey? God laid it out clear for Saul on what to do, to devote everything of the Amalekites to destruction leaving nothing behind. Saul though did what He though was the better way to handle the directions. There’s a reason why in verse 22 God says it is better to “listen” than even the sacrifice of rams. For sure God loves our sacrifices to Him, but if they are handled in a way He never said for us to handle them, especially if the way we handle them is in conflict with His directions, He’s not honored by our sacrifice. Listen then and obey. Don’t listen then obey the version of God’s directions that fits your lifestyle best, but obey God however He speaks. This is the life that is pleasing to Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1640
  • And Samuel said, “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 – Why this message was spoken to King Saul was due to his disobedience to the Lord clear directions. God commanded Saul to utterly destroy a city, yet Saul chose to only partly obey the command for he left the best of the animals alive (proposing he did so to offer them as sacrifices to the Lord). While giving the Lord offerings and sacrifices are great, what we see in this passage is a humbling truth. God would rather have our obedience to His word than to give Him the greatest of sacrifices. Applying this to our day, God would rather you listen and obey what He says in scripture than for you to give a billion dollars to church. God would rather you love your neighbor, love your enemy, and share the Gospel than for you to give some offering to the church. Yes, God is honored by our sacrifice and offerings to the church, but when such things come in place of our obedience to the Lord, God is not honored. Before then we bring our offerings to the Lord then, can we evaluate how well we are being obedient to His Word? Let us begin to dive daily into scripture, uncovering what the Lord’s directions are for us, and begin faithfully and fully following His commands. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2892
  • Chapter 16
    • Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” (v.19) – It’s hard to understand why God would see someone so gifted and give them the label as king, and keep them in a sheep field. There is something thought we need to understand. God didn’t see David’s gifts or give him the label of king just to leave him in the fields watching sheep. It just wasn’t the right time yet for David to move into his throne room. Same for you, God sees your gifts and has given you the labels you need to move. He knows though when you should move and won’t direct you away from your current sheep field until that time arises. We can get ahead of God so easily and press forward into our throne room before the time is right. When that happens we miss two things. 1. The personal development that was designed for us in the sheep field to prepare us for the next. 2. The service for God in that sheep field that is missed when we move ahead before the appointed time. God has put that spirit of ambition in you to move forward and to grow, but wait to take those ambitious steps until God leads you. You might be feeling dissatisfied, unneeded, and held back where you are at. You see what you are capable of and see it over-qualifies you for the place that you are at. Just understand there is a reason why God has kept you in your sheep field and hasn’t opened the doors yet to your throne room. Rather than striving to reach that next step when God hasn’t opened the door for it yet, pour out that ambition into seeking what is God wanting you to accomplish where you are at now and completing it. – Daily DEVO 6
  • 1 Samuel 16 Daily DEVO The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.” 1 Samuel 16:1 – God doesn’t dwell on issues that are in the past. We see here Samuel still so caught up with the mistake of making Saul king and the sin that Saul committed, yet at the same time God is saying He’s moved past all that and is ready to not let all that keep Him from moving forward. We need to be more like God in this if we too want to move forward. If we ever want to move forward in a relationship we have to move past the mistakes they made. If we want to move forward in our walk with God we have to move past our sinful life before we met God and the guilt we carry because of it. If we don’t we won’t move. God though is moving because He’s not held down by the past. Let go of what you need to let go of. Forward is the direction God is calling you to, if something is keeping you from moving forward after God then cut the ties you have to it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 416
  • Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” 1 Samuel 16:19 – David was with the sheep. Yet what just happened in David’s life? He was just anointed king of Israel! Where then did David go after being anointed king? Back to take care of his flocks! Yes he had the blessing, the talent, and even the title to take the throne, but God hadn’t brought him there yet so he gave his focus to what God had placed in his care. You, like David, may have the blessing and talents to move out of and away from the spot in life you’re in. My encouragement to you is follow David’s lead here. Until God moves you, pour deeply into where He has placed you. Handle well the responsibilities God has already given you and trust the next step will come when He’s ready to move you there. God will move you from the sheep field to the throne room when the time is right. Yet if we push it and neglect the sheep in our field, how likely will God move us into the throne room over a kingdom? Pour out where you are and trust the movement forward with God. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1641
  • Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the Lord rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah. 1 Samuel 16:13 – After Samuel grieved the loss of Saul as king, God sent Samuel to the house of Jesse to pick one of his sons as the new king of Israel. After seeing all of David’s brothers and not one of them receiving the blessing from the Lord, David is finally brought in from the fields to stand before Samuel. As we see in the verse, David is chosen as king. Samuel anoints David as king, pours oil over his head, the Holy Spirit rushes upon David…then Samuel leaves… David is left at his family’s house and likely goes right back to watching the family sheep, just now as king over all of Israel! God will sometime move in ways and move at times that don’t make sense. Why would God anoint David as king and then just leave him in the sheep field? Why would God lead Israel out of Egypt only to be trapped by the Rea Sea? Why would God have His Son die on a cross? These are ways of God moving in the past that likely didn’t make sense to those experiencing them, but we can look back and see why. Allow yourself then to trust God still knows what He is doing when He moves in ways that just makes no sense at all. For a God who knows all and is not held captive by time, it’s clear to Him why He is working the ways He is. Trust that when you are left in the sheep field, He knows what’s ahead and He is today preparing you just that. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2893
  • Chapter 17
    • And David said, “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.” And Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.” (v.37) It is far too easy to find ourselves frustrated and impatient with God over our current situation. Maybe we have been in this position far too long at work and want a promotion. Could be the single life is destroying your self-esteem and all you can dream for is the day prince (or princess) charming steps into your picture. Maybe its middle school and all you can focus on is the big day when you’re able to call yourself a freshmen. Whatever the case may be, the question of why is God leaving me here so long isn’t the easiest to answer…but I’ll give you one. You’re not ready yet for the next step. I don’t believe God is trying to stop you from moving on, He just loves you enough that He wants you to be able to handle the next step when you get there. Rather than throwing you into that promotion, He’s going to teach you where you’re at now what is needed to manage the responsibilities in that next step. Rather than putting a ring on your finger today, He’s going to teach you how to be the best partner for that special someone that they need and you need. He’s not stopping you, He’s shaping you. God wants for you to move forward, but when the time is right and when you can handle it. Allow God the time He needs to shape you into the person you need to be for your next step. Trust He knows what He is doing. – Daily DEVO 16
  • 1 Samuel 17 Daily DEVO Now the Philistines gathered their armies for battle. And they were gathered at Socoh, which belongs to Judah, and encamped between Socoh and Azekah, in Ephes-dammim. 1 Samuel17:1 – With our chapter today being over the iconic story of David and Goliath, the routes we could take with today’s devotion are many. But what I want us to focus on is something we can learn from verse one, even before Goliath shows up. It’s says the enemy gathered at a place which belonged to Judah. Meaning, before the epic battle started, there had to be a time where they let the enemy enter their land. That the reason they had a Goliath to face was because they allowed the enemy to step into their land to start with. We too can end up with a “Goliath” to face if we let the enemy into our life even in small ways. Make sure that you aren’t allowing the enemy to have space in your life even in seemly harmless ways.  What you don’t realize is that little allowance you’re giving the enemy into your story is his way of bringing a Goliath of a problem into your life. Trust that if you’re already facing the Goliath God has you covered if you lean on Him, but begin now keeping the enemy out when he seems small and harmless. It only takes a small spark to create a wildfire that can destroy everything. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 417
  • And Jesse said to David his son, “Take for your brothers an ephah of this parched grain, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to your brothers. Also take these ten cheeses to the commander of their thousand. See if your brothers are well, and bring some token from them.” 1 Samuel 17:17-18 – You may not be fighting a battle but we should always care for those who are. At this point in the story David wasn’t on the battle lines. He was simply taking a break from watching the family’s sheep to go bring supplies to his brothers who were fighting. He may not have been on the battle field with them, but that didn’t stop David from investing in the welfare of his brothers. Who right now in your bubble of people is fighting some sort of battle? You may have no fight in it, but that doesn’t mean you can’t care for them still. Pray for them, bring them a dessert, babysit their kids so they can have a date night. Maybe our part isn’t a daily battling alongside them, but they need to know they aren’t alone on the battlefield. Seek out somehow today to care for someone who is fighting a battle today. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1642
    • And David said, “What have I done now? Was it not but a word?” 30 And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke in the same way, and the people answered him again as before. 1 Samuel 17:29-30 – Chapter 17 holds the iconic story of David and Goliath. While we read about the seemingly impossible victory that the Lord gave to David against the giant Goliath on the battlefield, we also see another battle that David faced within this chapter that likely was far more difficult for him. This was the battle against his own people. For when David begins to speak boldly and faithfully saying he’d be willing to take on the enemy, how does Israel respond? His own brother rejects him, insults him, and claims David is here only with evil intentions. King Saul looks at David and flat out tells David that he couldn’t win against Goliath. Before David stood before Goliath, David had to stand up to the discouragement and lack of faith of those around him. This too can be where our greatest battles are faced. Not against the enemy, but against those around us who discourage us and speak their unfaithfulness to the Lord over us. How then did David handle this? He stood firm in his faith and turned away from such people. Sadly in your walk you will have people, even people who are followers of Jesus, be a discouragement to your pursuit of Jesus. When this takes places, stand firm in what the Lord has given you and be willing to step away from their negative influence. While they are content with remaining in a posture of doubt and fear, that’s not where you are. You know the power of our God and you know He is worthy to follow. Stay strong, stay focus on Jesus, and stay the course. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2894
  • Chapter 18
    • 1 Samuel 18 Daily DEVO And Saul eyed David from that day on. 1 Samuel 18:9 – We choose to stay stuck in our sin. If you have a relationship with Jesus, all the chains that would be a hinderance to you breaking away from the sin in your life are long gone. Like in a beautiful song a friend of mine wrote, sin had you in prison, but Jesus opened the door and made a way out for you. So if you’re still in the prison cell, it’s not Jesus’ fault, it’s your choice. Saul chose to be filled with distain and hate towards David. Like Saul, if we find ourselves still in the worry, or still in the addiction, or still in the hate, that’s our choice. Am I saying the journey out of the prison cell will be quick and easy, absolutely not. What I am saying though is that journey is an option open for you to take. Start with praying and telling God you want to begin this journey away from this sin. It’s going to be hard and scary at times, but know this journey is one that Jesus died for you to be free to take. Jesus doesn’t want you held back by sin any longer, choose today to begin walking out of the prison cell to experience the true freedom Jesus bought for you to have. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 418
  • Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually. 1 Samuel 18:29 – Just because they see you as an enemy this doesn’t mean you have to see them as one. Saul was intimated by how God’s hand was on David and not himself. David had the admiration of the nation, had the love of Saul’s own family, and had success in everything. This caused such envy and anger in Saul towards David, yet what we see from David is honor towards Saul. For us, someone in your story may truly just despise you. The temptation then is to reciprocate the feelings back, but know we can choose not to. Just because they hate you doesn’t mean you have to hate them. Jesus set that example perfectly when He prayed for forgiveness for the very ones nailing Him to a cross. Choose to respond to their hate, envy, and distain with love, just like Jesus would. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1643
  • And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice. 1 Samuel 18:11 – Envy is the theme of this chapter. King Saul grows envious of David’s fame in the kingdom and the enemy fanned that sinful flame. As Saul was raving due to a harmful spirit, the general and war hero David humbly came back to his original job in the kingdom to play music for the king to calm him down. Yet Saul in his sin thought he could find victory over David and regain his glory by killing David with his spear. We see the king missed, but what’s even crazier is apparently David was willing to remain serving even after a murder attempt, for Saul tried a second time to kill David! In this passage we see the stark contrast between someone confident in the Lord compared to someone seeking the approval of people. Saul was led to a maddening envy that ruined his family and reign, while David was able to remain faithful to the Lord and see wonderous success. When our desire is to please the Lord and we find our approval in Him alone, it opens the doors for us to serve humbly and be a blessing to all people like we see with David in this chapter. Yet when we are caught up with the gaining of fame and glory and approval from the people around us, humble service is impossible to do. As when Jesus humbled Himself to wash His disciples’ feet, as when David sat down after an attempted murder to continue serving as he did as a child before the king, so should we be willing to humbly serve. Find your value in the Lord and allow Him to be the giver of your worth. When He is the One we find our worth in, it opens the doors to begin washing the feet of others like Jesus did. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2895
  • Chapter 19
    • 1 Samuel 19 Daily DEVO And he too stripped off his clothes, and he too prophesied before Samuel and lay naked all that day and all that night. Thus it is said, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 1 Samuel 19:24 – Understand here Saul isn’t completely naked like we’d understand it. It’s referring to the fact that Saul removed his royal robe and laid it down. Without it he was naked like maybe a police office would say they’re naked without their gun. For Saul, that robe was a symbol of pride and standing; it meant he was king. Yet as God’s Spirit got a hold of Saul the very thing that Saul’s pride was wrapped up in was the very thing he shed and laid before God. So should it be with whatever your identity is in other than God. As we move closer to God’s heart in our walk with Him, there needs to be a humbling of ourselves. There needs to be a stripping off of whatever is building this pride in our life. If there is something you’re too afraid to lose because you know it will change the way you’re seen, that’s what’s holding your pride. Like Adam and Eve’s figs leaves, or Saul’s royal robe, begin to shed what’s keeping you from being able to be completely open and seen by God. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 419
  • And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night. 1 Samuel 19:10 – You can be doing everything right and God still bring a change in your story. Don’t always equate change with God punishing you. Here David was being faithful yet is being forced to flee his home, wife, and run for his life. You may get a demotion or fired. You may lose someone in your life. You may not get the college acceptance letter. The path you’re on may change even if you’re faithful on that path because change isn’t a punishment. Sometimes our story has to have a change in it for us to get to where God is leading us. So when an unexpected change comes, take a look at your walk. If we’ve been living unfaithfully then seek to see what the change is supposed to teach us. If though we have been faithful, trust God is using this change for your blessing even if it doesn’t seem that way in the moment. God isn’t about hurting those who are faithful to Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1644
  • Saul said to Michal, “Why have you deceived me thus and let my enemy go, so that he has escaped?” And Michal answered Saul, “He said to me, ‘Let me go. Why should I kill you?’” 1 Samuel 19:17 – Truly what a sad phrase to come out of King Saul’s mouth. As he was speaking with his daughter about why she let her husband David escape from the king’s attempt to assassinate David, the king labels David a new name…my enemy. How though could David be seen as such? He defeated Goliath for Saul, he won battle after battle against the Philistines, and he willingly humbled himself to be the king’s musician to calm him down when the evil spirit came over the king. Nothing about David was an “enemy” to Saul, but when Saul allowed sin to be the lens he saw the world through, suddenly even those around him that loved and supported him became “his enemy.” Be wise and do not allow sin into your life. We see one horrible side effect to sin is beginning to see those around you wrongly. Rather that friend, you see enemy. Rather than supporter, you see hater. Rather than family, you see stranger. As the wrong glasses would cause you to see the world incorrectly, so does sin cause us to see people differently. We may be surprised to discover that when we set aside the sin in our life, many of the individuals that we have distanced ourselves from and even postured ourselves defensively against begin to appear differently to us. How changed could the story have been if King Saul set aside the sin, and how different our stories could be if we too set aside the sin. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2896
  • Chapter 20
    • 1 Samuel 20 Daily DEVO And he (David) rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city. 1 Samuel20:42b – This separation of two close friends had to take place because of the hatred and envy of Saul. If you are ever in a conversation where someone is telling you their sin doesn’t hurt anyone else but themselves, tell them this story in chapter 20. Yes, Saul’s sin is obliviously hurting him, but it’s range of pain is far more than just himself. So is the sin within our stories too. Our common enemy has a lie he often uses to deceive us with which is that our sin only effects us. Yet from this story, and from possible personal stories too, you know this not to be true. Others hurt as well because of your sin. So my plea to you today is to step away from the sin in your story. Not only for yourself and your walk with God, but for the other people in your life to. Let’s dwell less on the ways to satisfy our desires and dwell more on the way our life is influencing the lives of others in a healthy way. Saul’s kingdom fell apart because of his sin, your story doesn’t have to have that same ending. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 420
  • And Jonathan said, “Far be it from you! If I knew that it was determined by my father that harm should come to you, would I not tell you?” 1 Samuel 20:9 – Jonathan thought it beyond crazy that if he knew his father was going to hurt his friend that he wouldn’t tell his friend about it. If he knew that his friend was in danger nothing would stop him from making sure his friend knew about the danger. Today, our non-Christian friends are in danger. If they were to die today they would find themselves in eternal pain. You though have the message that could save them from that. Will you share it or let them continue walking towards danger? Let the message of the Gospel be poured out of your mouth and into the lives of those in danger. If we truly love our friends like we say we do, then we’ll muster up the courage and set aside the worry and tell them about the danger ahead of them and the rescue plan Jesus has made for them. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1645
  • And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” 1 Samuel 20:37 – To the boy that was picking up Jonathan’s arrows, this response from Jonathon that the arrows were a little beyond him would have meant nothing, yet for David it would have been the phrase he hated to hear and that changed his whole life. That phrase meant that indeed King Saul was seeking David and that it was no longer safe for David to say in the palace. David would have to leave his home, his wife, his friends, his army, and his people. Instead of eating at the king’s table and leading the army of Israel, David would now be a fugitive and outcast for years until the death of Saul. What David said to Jonathan at the start of the chapter makes this even harder, “What have I done? What is my guilt?” David was innocent, yet still was forced to make such a hard change. We too may find ourselves stepping away from a blessed season and into a hard one. It may come along with phrases like, “the results are in, you have cancer,” or “I don’t love you anymore.” And we may also be guiltless in all this, yet still finding ourselves experiencing this unwanted life change. When this happens, know it’s alright to weep for what is being left behind, just like David did. Trust through God is still on the throne and trust all this is being handled by Him. He will never leave you nor forsake you, and if a change like this is occurring in your life, God is aware and God is going to use it somehow for His glory. Remain faithful and remain in pursuit of Jesus. Changes like this are never easy, but have confidence that the Lord will always be with you in whatever season He takes you into. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2897
  • Chapter 21
    • 1 Samuel 21 Daily DEVO And David answered the priest, “Truly women have been kept from us as always when I go on an expedition. The vessels of the young men are holy even when it is an ordinary journey. How much more today will their vessels be holy?” 1 Samuel 21:5 – This passage connects so well with a favorite verse of mine. 1 Peter 3:15 speaks of always being ready to give an answer concerning the hope that you have. Meaning if someone asked you about your hope in Jesus, at all times we need to be ready to answer. Like for the men David was speaking of, they were kept ready for God not only for the big journeys, but for the ordinary ones too. We’re being challenged here to not only be ready for God to use us in the “big journeys” in our life such as Sunday mornings, retreats, or summer camps, but to be ready to be used even on the most common of days. This takes a daily commitment to stay steady in your walk with Him. Not just reading the Bible or praying on the weekend, but living life with God daily. Just realize God works in our world more than just on Sunday. He wants to use you in His work, but He can’t if you’re not available to Him. Challenge yourself to be ready each day to be used by God however He leads. Today might just be an ordinary journey, yet when we are ready for God on the ordinary journey, God knows He can use us for the world changing journeys as well. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 421
  • And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.” 1 Samuel 21:9 – When David fought Goliath, even King Saul’s armor was too big and clunky for him to use well, imagine then what Goliath’s armor and weapons would be like on young David? Yet here, years later, David is able to carry the sword of Goliath. In our walk with God there will be things God knows we aren’t ready to carry yet. It’s not the right time or maybe He knows it will be too much for us. We must not let this frustrate us and knock us off God’s path. Yes, maybe that door didn’t open that you longed to be open, but it wasn’t the right time. As with Goliath’s sword, God will bring the big things we’re called to carry in our story when we’re ready to carry them. That may come long after we think we’re ready, or long before. Just know if God isn’t giving you Goliath’s sword right now it’s for a good reason. Trust His timing and trust His provision when the timing seems off to you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1646
  • And David took these words to heart and was much afraid of Achish the king of Gath. 13 So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane in their hands and made marks on the doors of the gate and let his spittle run down his beard. 1 Samuel 21:12-13 – David, on the run from Saul, finds himself alone, hungry, and weaponless. Sadly, this is a chapter where we see David make the poor choice to lie to cover up the truth of what was really happening; lies we see him regret later on. He lies about being on a mission for the king and lie about his sanity to the king of Gath. Yet despite his choice to be deceptive, we see God’s hand of blessing and protection over David every step of the way. David even writes about this time in his life in Psalm 34 and 56. These psalms have reminders like ‘the Lord delivered me from all my fears’ and ‘the Lord is near to the brokenhearted.’ While this was likely one of the hardest seasons for David to go through, we see he could look back and write these psalms of praise to the Lord for it was evident to him that the Lord never left his side. Maybe you too are navigating right now a very difficult season in life. It feels as if control is lost, the future is so uncertain, and you may even feel so alone in what you are going through. Today, find time to read through Psalm 34 and 56. Remember these were written when David was in a season much like yours. God is with you, God is in control, and God has tomorrow handled. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2898
  • Chapter 22
    • 1 Samuel 22 Daily DEVO And the king said to the guard who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and they knew that he fled and did not disclose it to me.” But the servants of the king would not put out their hand to strike the priests of the Lord. 1 Samuel 22:17 – It is sad how far away we can let our hearts get from following after God. It was not that long in our readings that Saul was clinging so tightly to the robe of the priest Samuel for help that Saul ended up tearing a piece off because he couldn’t stand to see Samuel walk away. Now though, this same Saul is commanding his servants to kill an entire family of priests. What changed? Sin got in the mix of Saul’s story. It’s sad how we play it off that sin isn’t really that big of deal and doesn’t impact our lives in any big way. Thankfully God has given us the full-life stories of people like Saul in scripture to see how sin in peoples lives, even if it starts out as simple envy and worry, ruins everything for them. I challenge you with the sin your battling to zoom out on your life. Yes, maybe in 5 minutes the effect of that sin won’t have much of an impact on you or anyone else, but what if you continued that for 5 years? How would that sin impact you, the people around you, and your story in the long term? Begin to look further at the long term hurt this sin brings. Sin is all about immediate pleasure and long term pain. You know this, so let’s begin together to see the sin in our story with long term views. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 422
  • And David said to Abiathar, “I knew on that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell Saul. I have occasioned the death of all the persons of your father’s house.” 1 Samuel 22:22 – Today’s takeaway, don’t be a Doeg. For a lot of reasons as we  see in this passage, but especially for what we see David say here. Just seeing Doeg around David knew Doeg was going to only add trouble to the situation. For us, how do people think of us when we’re in a situation? Are they grateful we’re there because we add good thing like peace and joy or frustrated because we only add negative things like worry and fear? We see Jesus everywhere He went adding to the lives of people. Adding to the joy, strength, understanding, peace, and love. Let’s seek to be known for that too. If we typically are the one to add fear and worry, what can you change to stop that? What’s a gathering of people you’ll be with today and what’s something good you can add to it? Let’s be the type of people that other’s long to have close by. For when we are close we can share with them the source of where we get our joy and strength, Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1647
  • And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men. 1 Samuel 22:2 – David is on the run. Saul is paranoid that all those around him have betrayed him, he thinks his own son had conspired against him, and he even commands a city of priests to be slaughtered because he believed they helped David. David was hiding in a cave alone, unsure of what’s to come and where to go next. Yet somehow word got to his family and to many who were in need as to where David was, and they came to him in the cave. About 400 men came to him and surrounded him. They were those in distress and bitter about what was happening in the kingdom, so they came to walk along David and eventually became mighty soldiers for him. While these men likely weren’t the valiant soldiers David fought with in the kingdom, they were the men that showed up when he was alone in the cave. We too may not have the people we assumed would show up for us actually show up but let us embrace and be thankful for the people that do show up when we are in our times of need. Yes, it can be hard when the people we think should show up for us don’t, but when the Lord still provides a helping hand, let’s take it and be grateful. Often it’s in our hurt in the “cave of Adullam” where we find out who truly cares and truly is willing to walk alongside us. Instead of rejecting the hand of someone because they aren’t the one you hoped would show up, embrace it and thank the Lord that He saw you in the cave and provided. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2899
  • Chapter 23
    • 1 Samuel 23 Daily DEVO …And Saul sought him (David) every day, but God did not give him into his hand. 1 Samuel 23:14b – Your enemy may come at you relentlessly everyday, but our God is able to shelter you from any and every attack that may come your way. In our passage Saul is tirelessly chasing David. Yet as we see in verse 14, never did David slip into Saul’s hands. So will it be for you as you continue to walk faithfully after God. Know that if you continue to follow Jesus and set your life to growing closer to Him, God promises to protect you from the attacks of our enemy. Not that the attacks won’t come, but He will shelter you during them. It’s when we begin to choose to walk away from Jesus that we begin to step out of the shelter and feel the weight of the attacks. Know that either choice you make the enemy is still going to be working. So make the choice to step under the shelter that God is providing by choosing to follow Jesus. You don’t have to take on the weight of the enemy’s attack, God’s willing to take that for you if you let Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 423
  • And Jonathan, Saul’s son, rose and went to David at Horesh, and strengthened his hand in God. 1 Samuel23:16 – This whole chapter is about Saul continually trying to get to David yet God blocking his way every time. Yet here Jonathan, a friend of David, was able to find David and come close to encourage him. We learn here that God is able to keep our enemies away yet at the same time keep our supporters close. God can create a mountain between us and those that want to do us harm yet make a clear path for those who are wanting to encourage us. Really what we see here is that God is bigger than anything else. Bigger than our enemy’s plans, bigger than our fears, big enough to control the situation we’re in. Let’s seek to stay faithful on God’s path and trust God with our enemy. Take the encouragement and support when it comes. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1648
  • Saul went on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other side of the mountain. And David was hurrying to get away from Saul. As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them,27 a messenger came to Saul, saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land.” 28 So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. Therefore that place was called the Rock of Escape. 1 Samuel 23:26-26 – While running from Saul, David found himself the closest to being captured up to this point. Saul and his crew were on one side of a mountain (more likely just a large hill) and David and his crew on the other. The gap between was closing, when suddenly a messenger shows up and brings a message that completely redirects Saul and David escapes. Coincidence? Not a chance, this was all heavenly blessing and protection. Know you may hear your enemy on the other side of the mounting getting closer to you. You may feel as if all is lost and the defeat you’ve been avoiding is now at your doorstep. If though God is leading you and you are seeking at faithful life after Him, you have nothing to fear from any enemy. As God provided for David, He’ll provide for you. God will make straight your paths, and He will provide for you even in the midst of your enemies. So do not fear when the enemy’s footsteps are heard behind you and the escape seems gone. If God is for us, who can be against us? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2900
  • Chapter 24
    • 1 Samuel 24 Daily DEVO And the men of David said to him, “Here is the day of which the Lord said to you, ‘Behold, I will give your enemy into your hand, and you shall do to him as it shall seem good to you.’” Then David arose and stealthily cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 1 Samuel 24:4 – Compare this passage to yesterday’s passage we looked at. Yesterday Saul continued daily to try to get David in his hands but never could. Here though today we have David not even trying and God bringing Saul into David ‘s hands. What I see unfolding within these passages is a beautiful picture of the blessing that comes from following God and the emptiness that comes from not following Him. Saul never found the fulfillment he was seeking because his sights weren’t on God, yet David, who chose to put God first, found all that he needed being placed in front of Him. Today I want these passages to open your eyes to the lack you’ll have when not following God and the fill you’ll have when you are following God. Settle today which you want and who you’ll follow. God has blessed you with the freedom to choose. To choose to run after anything other than Him or choose to run after Jesus with your life. Today you’ve learned the outcome of both choices, now it’s up to you to make your choice and I’m sure you know which one I’d lead you towards. I love you, but Jesus loves you more! – Mac – Daily DEVO 424
  • And he came to the sheepfolds by the way, where there was a cave, and Saul went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were sitting in the innermost parts of the cave. 1 Samuel 24:3 – We must be careful where we go to find rest and reprieve. Here Saul walks right into a spot that could have led to his death. Maybe we don’t find ourselves walking into a cave that hides our enemies in the shadows, but we can find rest in places that will only give us harm instead. Like we find rest in the bottom of the bottle because it pushes aside all the worries for awhile. We can find rest with the wrong people. We can lean on the wrong mindsets for rest. All these and more can place us in a very dangerous spot and give us the opposite of the rest we actually need. This is why in Matthew 11 Jesus says to come to Him if we are weary and He will give us rest. Where you rest matters. Where then when you need rest do you first go? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1649
  • And afterward David’s heart struck him, because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the Lord’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the Lord’s anointed.” 1 Samuel 24:5-6 – God brought to David the opportunity like no other. The enemy that was hunting him and that had ruined his life was now alone and defenseless in the very cave David and his men were hiding at. David could kill Saul easily, but David knew this was not the reason God brought about this opportunity. We too must be willing to prayerfully discern why God allows opportunities to come our way. For the seemingly obvious reason may not be the most holy reason, as with David killing Saul. Whether it’s a new job opportunity, a new person steps into your life, or a new diagnosis, let us take time to come before God with this new thing and ask Him how He’d like us to handle it. Maybe how God wants you to handle that new job opportunity is to give it to someone else you know needs one rather than the obvious reason of you taking the job. Maybe how God wants you to handle this new diagnosis is differently than how others are telling you to handle it, and you choose to handle it peacefully. We are thankful that the Lord brings about into our story opportunities like this, but let us also be willing to humbly approach the Lord for discernment on how He would like us to handle these opportunities. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2901
  • Chapter 25
    • 1 Samuel 25 Daily DEVO …And he is such a worthless man that one cannot speak to him. 1 Samuel 25:17b – This small phrase is why we even have our story in chapter 25. David seeks help from a wealthy man, Nabal, and immediately Nabal rejects David and refuses to help in any way. Realize too that this phrase of Nabal being called worthless wasn’t being said by David in his anger. It was spoken by one of Nabal’s servants and even later again by his wife! Yet what I want us to see is what they meant by worthless; that no one could speak to him. That Nabal was so closed minded that no one could influence him or change the way he thought on things. While I realize there are things we need to stay steady with and not change on, if we refuse to listen and get the reputation by those around us that we are unwilling to listen and take in possible other ways of seeing things, we’ve closed off those relationships from growing any deeper. Especially with God, we need to be open to letting His Word change us so we can grow deeper with Him. If we refuse to change or refuse to listen to Him, how much growth will happen there? Unlike Nabal, be willing to listen and even change. To listen to your fellow brother and sister in Christ, listen to God, and even be willing to hear out those who don’t know Jesus yet. Your openness to listening to what they have to say will go a long way in them being open to what you have to say. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 425
  • Now David had said, “Surely in vain have I guarded all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged to him, and he has returned me evil for good.” 1 Samuel 25:21 – Sometimes people won’t give to you like you’ve given to them. Here David was watching over this guy name Nabal’s shepherds the whole time they were out in the field. So David went to Nabal and asked for some food for his guys as a thank you for watching over Nabal’s men. Instead of showing kindness back to David’s kindness, Nabal rejected to help out David. Know this too will happen in our story, where someone will respond to our kindness with harshness. We must though not let this create bitterness in our heart towards them or keep us from showing kindness to others in the future. I know, much easier said than done, but this is the life of a follower of Jesus. Jesus offered life people and those very people crucified Him, yet He still showed them love and grace. If Jesus rose from the grave to show grace to even those who hurt Him, we can rise up out of our pity party to show love once again to the people who hurt us. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1650
  • Now then, my lord, as the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, because the Lord has restrained you from bloodguilt and from saving with your own hand, now then let your enemies and those who seek to do evil to my lord be as Nabal. 1 Samuel 25:26 – David and his men are on the run and send word to a very wealthy man named Nabal to ask for provisions. While David’s crew had done him a blessing of keeping his servants safe, Nabal blew off David and refused to help. Infuriated at this, David takes his sword and is heading to Nabal’s house to wipe him out. Thankfully, Nabal’s wife comes out to David on his war path and pleads with him. She reminds David that this action would be sinful and would be taking matters into his own hands rather than trusting the Lord. We must understand that a sinful action done to us doesn’t give us a pass to sin in return. People will say harsh things, but that doesn’t mean we are allowed to say harsh things back. People will take from us, but we aren’t allowed then to take from others. We are to repay evil with good. We are to turn the other cheek. This can be so frustrating and difficult to do, but God is calling His followers to behave differently towards the sin done towards us. Trust Him with the revenge, show forgiveness to those who sinned against you, and be willing to pray for your enemies. Do not see this as the weak way out of dealing with conflict, see this as the holy way to handle conflict. Responding with holiness to the sin that is dealt towards us is what Jesus did, let us then behave like our Savior. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2902
  • Chapter 26
    • 1 Samuel 26 Daily DEVO Then Saul said, “I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no more do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Behold, I have acted foolishly, and have made a great mistake.” 1 Samuel 26:21 – If you remember, only a couple chapters ago Saul said something very much like this and also said he’d stop chasing after David. Yet here we are again, Saul being directed by his envy and anger and falling back into sin. Clearly Saul didn’t repent. See repenting is more than just being sorry for something you did, it’s making the commitment and changes to make sure that you don’t make that same mistake again. Sure Saul was sorry the first time, but he didn’t make the changes in his life to make sure he didn’t make the same mistake of chasing David in anger again. For you, what is it that you keep doing again and again that you know you shouldn’t be? How many times have you said you’re sorry to God for it yet still fallen back into that same sin once again later on? My encouragement to you is don’t just be sorry about it, repent. Choose to make whatever changes are necessary to not fall into that sin again. Maybe it’s letting go of a relationship, maybe it’s deleting an app, maybe it’s quitting a job. Saul needed to let go of his insecurities and jealously, what do you need to let go of so you don’t fall into that sin again? If you want to change, you have to make a change. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 426
  • Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai the son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” And Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” So David and Abishai went to the army by night. And there lay Saul sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head, and Abner and the army lay around him. 1 Samuel 26:6-7 – I didn’t catch this at first, but did you notice how David asked two people to go down with him, yet only one came along? He asked Ahimelech and Abishai to come down with him into Saul’s camp, but we only see Abishai speak up and go with David into the enemy territory. It’s very easy to focus on those those don’t come with you, but we must not forget the people who did choose to walk with you. Yes, sometimes the people that choose not to be in our story anymore are ones we think should be like parents or certain longtime friends. While that may be our situation, we must remember the others who have chosen to be a part of our story permanently. Maybe they are a Christian brother or sister, or a pastor, or a unlikely friend. You’re not alone, even if the enemy is trying to make you believe you are. Maybe certain people didn’t go down with you, but some are. Celebrate those who are choosing to walk with you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1651
  • And David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him, or his day will come to die, or he will go down into battle and perish. 11 The Lord forbid that I should put out my hand against the Lord’s anointed. But take now the spear that is at his head and the jar of water, and let us go.” 1 Samuel 26:10-11 – Righteous actions often seem ridiculous. Here David is once again being hunted by Saul who after their previous encounter, when David spared Saul’s life in the cave, Saul was remorseful of his actions and said he’d stop hunting David. Saul was now asleep, surround by his army, with David standing over Saul able to end him with no issue. Once again though he refuses to kill the king and end this manhunt. Both of these times where David spared Saul’s life would have seem completely ridiculous to David’s men. All of their troubles could have been over with one stab of a spear, and while an easy and ridiculous not to go down path, it wasn’t the righteous path to take. While killing Saul would have ended the manhunt, it would not have pleased the Lord. You as well will be invited down many easy paths in life, paths that to many would seem ridiculous not to go down. These paths though are not righteous ones that bring glory to the Lord. If you’re aim in life is ease in this world, then go down those paths. If though your aim is pleasing the Lord with your life, choose a different path than these, as ridiculous to some as that choice may seem. You are about something greater and something higher than just this life. Let every choice you make and every path you walk down be about Jesus and what would please him the most. While that is ridiculous to the world, its pleasing to the Lord, and what could be a better aim in life than to live a life pleasing to the Lord. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2903
  • Chapter 27
    • 1 Samuel 27 Daily DEVO And the number of the days that David lived in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months. 1 Samuel 27:7 – Every period of time has a period at the end. Every chapter ends to allow a new one to start. Yet that doesn’t mean that chapter you’re reading now can be skipped. Its essential for the rest of the story to be understood that you stay in this chapter for how ever longs it takes to get through it. For David, his chapter in life was staying over a year in the land of his enemies while being hunted by his own people. This chapter would not go down and his favorite or most successful, but it was still a chapter of his story. You as well might be spending some time in a chapter of your life that isn’t your favorite or most successful. You feel like you are stuck in the middle of enemy territory and all you long for is a way out. Know that just like with David, that time you’re in does end. When and how is only known to God, but every chapter in life closes to open a new one. What you need to do though now is learn all you can from this chapter to prepare you for the next. The lessons being taught in this chapter are the foundations to getting through your next chapter properly. Don’t rush through and discount this current chapter because it’s not the next chapter. God brought you here and kept you here for a reason. Seek out why, seek out what you are called to learn in this chapter, seek His will where you are at. While living within “enemy territory” for a chapter isn’t ideal, what you can learn from that time are the keys to finding victory in the next chapter. I love you, but Jesus loves you more -Mac – Daily DEVO 427
  • And David would leave neither man nor woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “lest they should tell about us and say, ‘So David has done.’” Such was his custom all the while he lived in the country of the Philistines. And Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.” 1 Samuel 27:11-12 – What’s happening here? David is living in enemy territory, and to ensure things are good with the enemy leader David has to lie. David is going out and attacking the enemy yet telling the enemy leader he’s attacking people of Israel instead. To cover David’s lie, David has to kill everyone so nothing can get back to the enemy leader as to what he is doing. See here the progression of sin. Lies grows into death. Sure this is a story from scripture, but let’s not think our sin doesn’t progress. Our “simple” sins can have the same destruction as we see play out in this passage. Death, pain, and brokenness, all are not only possible when sin is involved, they should be expected. Please seek to identify where the sin is in your story and do whatever is needed to cut it out now before the hurt increases. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1652
  • And David would strike the land and would leave neither man nor woman alive, but would take away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the garments, and come back to Achish. 1 Samuel 27:9 – This was a low spot for David. Greatly discouraged due to Saul’s never-ending manhunt, David goes to the Philistines to find refuge. While there, he deceptively goes out and murders entire villages and cities of Israel’s enemies. While yes, these were Israel’s enemies, these actions were not given by the Lord, nor do we see anywhere that David sought out the Lord in this time. Like with the husband of Bathsheba later in David’s life, we see David willing to murder to cover up his sin, for he left no one alive in these cities to share of his actions. We too can find ourselves at such a low space in life where we are willing to go to the extreme to cover our sinfulness. We’ll lie, we’ll hurt, and we’ll destroy so that our sin isn’t revealed. What the Lord is calling us to do instead is to bring all our sin to Him and lay it all at His feet. Yes, He’ll see it all, but remember He already knows it all. Have confidence He will forgive for He’s forgiven every one of your sins. Find yourself no longer seeking refuge in the enemy’s home, existing in a cycle of sin and deception to cover your sin. Confess all sin to the Father having the full confidence He will not reject you. If Jesus was willing to go to the cross for your sin, He is willing to take you in when we repent of our sin. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2904
  • Chapter 28
    • 1 Samuel 28 Daily DEVO And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, either by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. 1 Samuel 28:6 – First off, what a depressing chapter. How far has Saul gotten that he claims to still follow God yet leans on mediums and evil to find his way. For Saul though he was in a tight spot. He needed direction now and heard nothing from God. Maybe you’ve been at that same place to where you’re seeking direction and none is seemingly given. Here’s the thing, it’s hard to see God or hear His voice in your time of need when you haven’t been walking with him all along. It’s like calling someone to help you when you’re stuck on the side of the road. It’s much easier to remember a number that you’ve called daily than one you haven’t dialed in over a year. My encouragement to you is to begin calling on God daily so when the break down happens you know where to call. What if though right now you’re car is stuck and you haven’t been calling on God daily but you still need His direction? I would say it’s never too late to begin a daily calling on Him. Start with a humble praying of asking for forgiveness for the lack of investment you’ve given to this relationship and begin today following His will of loving Him and loving people. While that might not be the answer you were looking for that’s the answer you need. Because if God is truly then one who has your answers, then you need to begin doing everything you can to draw closer to Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 428
  • So Saul disguised himself and put on other garments and went, he and two men with him. And they came to the woman by night. And he said, “Divine for me by a spirit and bring up for me whomever I shall name to you.” 1 Samuel 28:8 – It can be difficult sometimes to know whether a path we walk down is the right one or one sin is leading us on. One way to tell is by how you approach the path. Here Saul is going down a path, but he disguises himself and goes at night. He doesn’t wants anyone to see what he’s doing. If that’s our mindset going into a path, likely it’s not something God would be wanting us to do. Think if the path you’re about to walk down would be one you’d be embarrassed to be seen on by a brother or sister in Christ or you would be ashamed if you were tagged on Facebook for being there because everyone would see, then likely it’s a path you shouldn’t go down. What parts of your life then are ones you don’t want people to see you on? What parts do you cover your true self so no one will recognize you on? Ask yourself then if these are paths that you honor God on or are ones that lead you further from communion with Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1653
  • Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams. Therefore I have summoned you to tell me what I shall do.” 1 Samuel 28:15 – We have a very unique chapter here where Saul consults a medium to bring Samuel up from the dead to speak with him. While there are many opinions on this chapter, mine is that God allowed the real Samuel to actually return and meet with Saul to proclaim His word one final time to the rebellious king. Yet we see in the above verse why Saul went to this extreme, it was because God wasn’t answering him. Why did the Lord not speak to Saul when he sought the Lord? Think of it this way, if I were to tell you that I wanted you to go to bed 20 times, but all 20 times you rejected me. Yet after all that you asked me, “where do you want me to go,” and I don’t reply, is my silence any surprise? I’ve already made the answer clear; you just didn’t listen. God had made the future clear to Saul, yet Saul rejected it over and over. So when Saul sought the Lord for direction, the Lord was silent. Maybe for us we are seeking an answer from the Lord, and the reason we aren’t getting any word now is because the Lord has already made it clear what we should do and we haven’t listened yet. If you are in that place, begin doing the things you know for sure God is calling you to do…love others, forgive, share the gospel, etc. If we aren’t faithful with the things He has already told us to do, likely we’ll experience silence to our requests. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2905
  • Chapter 29
    • 1 Samuel 29 Daily DEVO The commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul, king of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years, and since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.” 1 Samuel 29:3 – Reproach  is an expression of disapproval or disappointment. Like maybe the look you got many times from your parents growing up after you did something you shouldn’t have. What we are seeing though in this passage is that Achish, a philistine enemy, could not find any reason to look on David with reproach. David’s life with him was so above reproach that even his enemy couldn’t find any fault in him. What a challenge for us is this for us to take. That we strive to live the sort of like that not only those close to us but even those against us can’t find any reason to hold guilt over our heads. That we mirror the life of Jesus in our life so well that those who are against us have to make up a reason to be mad at us because we aren’t giving them any real reason to. Begin with one relationship and allow your life with them to be above reproach. Where you aren’t giving them a reason to be mad or resentful at you because you have acted so selflessly and loving towards them, like Jesus would. If this would be a big change for you, then know this has to happen. Not only for you to begin living more like you’re called to, but for the witness you’ll have on those around you seeing you make this change. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac -Daily DEVO 429
  • And David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?” 1 Samuel 29:8 – The philistines were going to battle Israel, God’s chosen people, the people of David. Is David here actually disappointed he can’t go fight against his people? Is David trying to keep up the lie he has been making this whole time while staying with the enemy? Either way, it doesn’t seem like David’s heart is in a good place. Nevertheless, God was watching out for him. If David actually wanted to hurt his own people then God stopped that from being able to happen. If David was stuck in his lie, God provided a away for him to not have to lie anymore. God provided, even when David wasn’t following well. God will still provide and offer paths back to Him for those that are His own. When we get off course, God remains faithful in our story. He stays connected to us and remains a constant in our story we can fall back into and return to. So today if the path your on isn’t one God led you down, know He hasn’t left you and He is still there to guide you back onto the path He has for you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1654
  • So go back now; and go peaceably, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines. 1 Samuel 29:7 – David is in a dark place in this chapter of his life. He is not only existing with the enemy Philistines, he is beginning to think and behave like them. He was ready to fight alongside them against God’s people. We see that one of the Philistine kings spoke favorably of David saying that he had found no fault at all in David that would convince him that David wouldn’t kill God’s people. We see in our verse above that David was being asked to not displease the lords, and David listened. What a massive change in David’s heart! Could you imagine David’s response if someone back when he fought Goliath stopped him and said, “Oh David, you better not do that, you might displease the Philistines.” His goal was to displease the Philistines! And how sad that David’s life amongst the Philistines gave them no indication that he would be faithful to the Lord in this battle and fight against the Lord’s enemies instead. This chapter spurs us to look at our life. Would the non-Christians around us say we are one of them by how they see us live amongst them? Are we so concerned with displeasing non-Christians that we set aside our faithful walk after God? Let us read this chapter and rekindle our passion for living faithfully after Jesus. Let those who aren’t yet believers see you are clearly a believer by how you exist with them. Be displeasing to the enemy and even be displeasing to those actively in sin who are turned away from God. When we look so much like the world that the world can’t distinguish us from the world, that’s a major problem for a Christian. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2906
  • Chapter 30
    • 1 Samuel 30 Daily DEVO And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 – While God’s set up for us is to find support and love from our church family around us, that’s not always what we find. Sometimes our church family isn’t in the right mindset because they have even let sin run active in their own lives. When they’ve allowed their focus to get off God, they can’t be the support spiritually we need them to be. Thankfully though our walk with God doesn’t have to crumble just because those around us aren’t walking faithfully. David sought out God himself and found strength in God in his time of need. While this should be something we always do, a church family is an amazing avenue that God can use to strengthen us. Yet, what I see here being said is that God can still encourage you even when your church family isn’t. Don’t just assume that if your church family isn’t strong in Christ that your walk with God has to be weakened. If you aren’t finding the support you need from your brothers and sisters in Christ during a time because they are struggling themselves, know God is still available to run to and He is always ready to have to lean on Him for strength. What I challenge you to do then is use your strength that God has given you to strengthen your hurting church family. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 430
  • David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken, and David rescued his two wives. Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken. David brought back all. 1 Samuel 30:18-19 – All. David brought back all. Throughout scripture David often gives us an example of Jesus. Here David hears of his own being swept away by the enemy and taken captive. David then rushes into enemy territory to rescue his own and recovers all. Jesus did the same for us. Jesus saw us in deadly captivity due to our sin. He rushed into the world, conquered the enemy and death, and made a rescue plan for all. Know rescue has been made for you by Jesus. We were the ones caught in captivity and Jesus came to our rescue. Today if you want to know more about this rescue please reach out, I would love to tell you all about it! I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1655
  • And David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in soul, each for his sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God. 1 Samuel 30:6 – David was as low as one can get. He’s been ran out of the kingdom, leaving his family, friends, and life behind. The king and his nation are on a manhunt to kill him. The philistines who he sought refuge in have rejected and kicked him out. And now his new home city has been completely burned to ground, his wives captured, and the small group of people that were supporters of him have turned and spoke of killing him. Everything in this world had either abandoned him or been taken away from him. Yet at that desperately low place of rejection and abandonment, David remembers there is one who had never abandoned him nor turned him away…the Lord. After not seeking out the Lord for a season in his life, David in his despair turns to the Lord and finds Him ready to offer strength and life. Let us remember when all in the world has left us or been taken from us, the Lord will always be there to turn to. He never leaves and He never forsakes. We may have left and forsaken Him for a long season, but He never does the same to us. If then today you are in your own season of despair like David, remember the source of your peace, love, joy, and strength is found in the Lord who has never left your side. Seek Him and you will find Him for He is close. What a great blessing it is that we have a God like this within our story. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2907
    •  
  • Chapter 31
    • 1 Samuel 31 Daily DEVO Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. 1 Samuel 31:4 – Such a sad story to end a book on, but there is something here I’d love for us to take away from it. Even in your darkest hour, when all hope seems lost, you can continue to lean on and trust in God because He will never leave you. For Saul, his situation was very grim, and he made the choice to handle things himself. Yet even in that moment Saul could have still humbly turned to God and so can you in your moments of great distress. Often we can get ourselves into some rather large messes, or those messes just find us. Either way know that God isn’t too far from you to turn to and ask for help. Today, take away from this sad chapter in Saul’s life that your story doesn’t have to end like his. Your life doesn’t have to be controlled and protected by your hands alone. There is a God who loves you immensely and is greater than you can imagine that wants to fight for you and give you the shelter you’ve long awaited for. All it takes is you turning from the direction you have been going and choosing to follow after Him instead with your whole life. While this is a big commitment from you, you want the commitment that God’s going to give you in your life because of it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 431
  • And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 1 Samuel 31:5 – How we handle our troubling times will teach others how to handle their own troubling times. King Saul choose to kill himself when faced with the bleak situation he was in. What do we see happen next? One of King Saul’s men chooses to kill himself too, just like the king did. Are you aware people are watching how you handle your struggles? Are you aware some will mirror how you handle your struggle when their own struggles come up? If you respond in anger, so will they. If you respond with self harm, so will they. If you respond with leaning deeply into Jesus, so will they. So first check yourself on what is your response to troubling times in your story. Then ask yourself who is watching how you respond and if they did exactly as you did would they be drawing closer to Jesus? Sometimes the best witness can be made without even saying a word. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1656

So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. 1 Samuel 31:9 – As we close out the book, we also put a close to King Saul’s life. Saul and all his sons died in this battle, and the enemy was thrilled at that fact. So much so that they sent messengers all throughout their land proclaiming the good news to all people. The Hebrew word used here for good news is “basar,” and it is the equivalent to the Greek work “euangélion” where we get our word “Gospel.” Simply put, they shared their “gospel.” Victory had been won over their enemy and they made sure everyone in their land knew the good news. What we see here is humanity is designed to proclaim good news. When something marvelous happens in our story, or when we see something truly wonderful, we struggle to keep that message to ourselves. We long to share it to those we love and anyone that has ears that will listen. If then we would be willing to proclaim the good news that an enemy is defeated, or the good news that our team has won, or the good news that someone is healed, how much more should we be about the good news of the Gospel? For nothing compares with the goodness of the Gospel. Death is defeated, all sin is forgiven, Jesus is alive, and we can be too through Jesus. That’s really, really good news! Know then you are designed to share good news, be about sharing the greatest news there is that Jesus came, died, and rose again and now through Jesus a pathway to the Father and forgiveness is available. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2908