Chapter 1
2 Samuel 1 Daily DEVO And they mourned and wept and fasted until evening for Saul and for Jonathan his son and for the people of the Lord and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword. 2 Samuel1:12 – What we have here in this chapter is a perfect example of Jesus’ teaching of loving your enemies being followed. As we have seen over the past few weeks, Saul, being filled with hate and envy, has be chasing David down constantly and trying to kill him. Saul devoted his life to the pursuit of David’s death. I’d say that classified as an enemy. Yet here we have David hearing about the death of Saul and his heart is shattered. Of course it makes since David would be broken over Jonathan’s death, but we see that same brokenness being given over Saul’s death too. David still cared about Saul and was broken to hear his life had been taken even though Saul put himself as an enemy. For us, the people that give up the most problems, we shouldn’t celebrate at their misfortune. If they or their family finds themselves in a struggle, our heart shouldn’t be to rub it in their face and praise God for their trouble. We should want the well being of even our enemy. This is what loving your enemy looks like. While I haven’t yet gotten this down perfectly, thankfully God has given us this passage in 2 Samuel to learn from and begin modeling after. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 432
Then David said to the young man who told him, “How do you know that Saul and his son Jonathan are dead?” 2 Samuel 1:5 – Check the truth behind the message that will change everything for you. Here a message was given to David that if true would not only place him on the throne but break his heart deeply. Yet before reacting physically or emotionally, David pauses to check the truth behind the words he is hearing. This new year that habit may be the best one you can begin. Examples? When someone says to you that Frank (or whatever name you want) doesn’t like you, is mad at you, doesn’t want your best…rather than believing it and tailoring your relationship with Frank around those words, go talk with Frank first to find the truth. When satan begins telling you you’re unwanted, unloved, worthless, invisible, and/or unneeded…rather than believing those words and living your life as such, go find the truth in scripture about what God actually says you are. Find the truth first. You can ruin beautiful relationship and halt your pursuit of Jesus all because you believed a lie too quickly. It’s not too late though to seek the truth. What’s a message you’ve been told that as a result changed your connection with someone or the way you live? Have you taken the time to find the truth about it? Some amazing freedom can start right there. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1860
Chapter 2
2 Samuel 2 Daily DEVO After this David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” And the Lord said to him, “Go up.” David said, “To which shall I go up?” And he said, “To Hebron.” 2 Samuel2:1 – At this moment David is at a huge turning point in his life. The king who has been chasing him for so long is dead. The chance for him to take his rightful place as the king is available. So what does he do? He asked God for direction. This needs to be us not only in our turning point moments but with the everyday decisions as well. We see David getting pretty direct answers from God, and if things happened like that we might ask God more. What we must understand is God still talks with us. If we seek Him out in His Word, pray diligently, and converse with other believes, that direction we’re seeking will come. How and when is up to God, but we just need to begin the process by seeking Him out for that direction. As we’ll continue to see with David, often the way he lived is something we should follow. Seeking God’s direction is one habit of David’s we should make our own. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 433
Abner said to him, “Turn aside to your right hand or to your left, and seize one of the young men and take his spoil.” But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 2 Samuel 2:21 – Asahel had a mission, to reach and defeat his enemy Abner. In the middle of his pursuit his enemy sought to deter him, asking him to turn away from coming after him, but Asahel remained steadfast. Sadly the story for Asahel didn’t end well, but his drive for what he was called to do was something to admire. In this new year, you too have a calling to pursue. A mission that you are to go after like Asahel after his enemy. That mission is to grow in your walk with God and to help others in their pursuit of Jesus. In that mission know your enemy will seek to deter you from it, wanting you to turn away to so many other things. You though need to be hyper-focused on why you’re here, dismissing the temptations of our enemy to get you off pursuit. Be aware then that as you run this race that you will have an enemy seeking to get you off track, but the mission is far too important to shift directions on. Stay steady on the course, remain focused on the mission, and let’s get after it with what God is calling us to do. I love you, but Jesus love you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1861
Chapter 3
2 Samuel 3 Daily DEVO And when Abner returned to Hebron, Joab took him aside into the midst of the gate to speak with him privately, and there he struck him in the stomach, so that he died, for the blood of Asahel his brother. 2 Samuel 3:27 – We must understand people do change. I do though understand why Joab handled it way though. For him as a general he comes back home after a fight and finds out that the enemy general has been speaking with the king and was allowed to leave with nobody watching him or anything. He acted how his mind was telling him too. He though never took the time to hear out Abner’s story. I wonder how many people we’ve stabbed in the stomach with our words or actions because we never have them a chance to change. Remember God saved you and changed you from who you once were. God can do the same in others as well. Give even your enemies a chance to allow God to change them. Our goal in life isn’t to give people what they have coming to them for their past, we’re here to help them know they can have a changed future through Jesus. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 434
Abner also spoke to Benjamin. And then Abner went to tell David at Hebron all that Israel and the whole house of Benjamin thought good to do. 2 Samuel 3:19 – Abner was the commander of the army that was the enemy of David. After an issue with the enemy leader, Abner chose to switch sides and seek to help David rise to be king. This move of Abner was an essential piece in moving the hearts of the people of Israel that weren’t following David. Abner chose to use his position, influence, and blessing for the purposes of God and as a result David soon was able to fully take the throne. What could take place if you chose this year you use all you had for the purposes of God? If you used your position at work could you begin to change the culture there? If you used your influence in your family could your family actually begin seeing Jesus like they ought? If you used even some of the overflow of your blessings for others could some of the people around you begin stepping out of their bondage and into life with Jesus? What all could happen if you chose to use what you have for God’s purposes rather than your own? Maybe what that will mean is your position, influence, and amount of blessings will change as a result of using them this way, but the amount of lives being changed for Jesus is worth it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1862
Chapter 4
2 Samuel 4 Daily DEVO But David answered Rechab and Baanah his brother, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As the Lord lives, who has redeemed my life out of every adversity, when one told me, ‘Behold, Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and killed him at Ziklag, which was the reward I gave him for his news. How much more, when wicked men have killed a righteous man in his own house on his bed, shall I not now require his blood at your hand and destroy you from the earth?” 2 Samuel4:9-11 – Make sure you’re actually following God when you say you’re following God. We see a couple guys here thinking they are doing what’s right by killing one of Saul’s sons. Yet what they come to find out is while they thought they were doing right, they were doing the very thing that was going to give them the punishment of death. So how can we make sure we’re really following God with our decisions and actions and not just falling prey to an enemy deception? One way is to read scripture and pray more than ever. The more you become consistent in those things the more likely it will be you’ll find clarity from God on your choices. Also surround yourself with people who are trying to follow God too. Let the people going in the direction you want to go be the flow you go with. Then when you come to a big decision and your aren’t sure which is the God-honoring choice, check it against scripture and the people you’re walking with. Big point is check yourself before you wreck yourself. Don’t just assume you’re following God, make sure you’re checking yourself daily against scripture and good Christian counsel. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 435
Now the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, Rechab and Baanah, set out, and about the heat of the day they came to the house of Ish-bosheth as he was taking his noonday rest. And they came into the midst of the house as if to get wheat, and they stabbed him in the stomach. Then Rechab and Baanah his brother escaped. 2 Samuel4:5-6 – Iso-bosheth, the guy who was stabbed, was the enemy of King David. These two men thought that if they killed the enemy of the king they’d earn the king’s favor. What they found out quickly was earning the favor of the king their way, discarding how the king said his favor can be found, didn’t end well for them. Today, how are you seeking to earn the favor of God? Are you seeking God’s favor like these two men were with King David? Are you going after it through all the ways you think it should be given to you? By being good, by going to church, by giving your offerings. Scripture tells us the favor of God comes on us not through those avenues, but only through placing our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus. If we only seek God’s favor through our means, discarding how God said His favor is given to us, our story will end in death just like the two men in our passage. The favor of God is available to you, yet only through the way God established. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1863
Chapter 5
2 Samuel 5 Daily DEVO And when David inquired of the Lord, he said, “You shall not go up; go around to their rear, and come against them opposite the balsam trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, then rouse yourself, for then the Lord has gone out before you to strike down the army of the Philistines.” 2 Samuel 5:23-24 – What we see unfolding in this passage is the reason why it is so important to come to God and ask Him direction rather than just move forward how we think God would lead us. See just previously David had a battle and he asked God how to handle it and God directed David in the way to go. Now that same enemy has come back for more battle in the same place. David could just go and handle the fight like God told him to last time, but David chooses to ask God again for direction and this time God leads him in a different way to handle the enemy. What we see is that God is going to be for us, but the directions He gives us will change with different situations. That’s why creating a habit of coming to God for direction every day is key because how God wants to use you today may be different than how He used you yesterday. While the path was different for David the second time, the ending for both was victory; so will it be for you each time you choose to follow God’s direction. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 436
And the Philistines left their idols there, and David and his men carried them away. 2 Samuel 5:21 – If it didn’t help your enemy win his battle don’t believe it can do anything different for you. We see King David’s enemies bringing their idols to battle with them. A very common thing in that day to do for they thought they would intimidate their foes and help them in the fight. Clearly though neither of which happened. Our passage says David and his men carried away the idols and in 1 Chronicles 14:12 tells us what they did with them, they burnt them. David was wise enough to know those idols would do nothing for them. They didn’t help the Philistines in their time of need and they wouldn’t help him. It can be tempting though to believe that what the enemy leaves behind will help you. The enemy will leave behind pathways to sin, open doors to certain ways of thinking, the ammunition you need in your fight with someone, etc. What the enemy leaves behind will not help you, it’s only good for the fire. What actually gave the victory to David? Following the voice of God. Be wise enough to leave the things alone that the enemy leaves behind. If they didn’t win the fight for him, it won’t for you either. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1864
Chapter 6
2 Samuel 6 Daily DEVO And David returned to bless his household. But Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, “How the king of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants’ female servants, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!” 2 Samuel6:20 – Don’t judge someone else’s way of worshiping God as wrong or lesser than your’s. We see Michal observing how David chose to worship and give praise to God and she despised it and made her feelings well known to David. We too can despise how other people worship and hold it over them. We have to understand each person has an unique relationship to God and is able to worship Him their unique way. Maybe they’re a carpenter and they choose to use their skill to create things that bring glory to God. Maybe they love to share stories and choose to use that passion to share God’s story. Worship is more than just songs on Sunday, it’s a lifestyle. We can come together and find common grounds on things of worship like where we meet on Sunday and what songs we sing, but if worship is more than just church services and it connects with the entire life of each individual in the church, then worship is free to be expressed in a variety of ways. For today’s lesson though, be sure to not discount someone’s worship as less than your’s because it’s different. While your worship might be large, what they’re giving to God might be all they have. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 437
And when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah put out his hand to the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen stumbled. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God struck him down there because of his error, and he died there beside the ark of God. 2 Samuel 6:6-7 – As a commentary I read shared, “Coming close to God’s will isn’t enough even with the right motives.” You’re not alone in your thinking if when you read this passage you were shocked at God’s response to Uzzah’s action of trying to catch the ark from falling. What we must remember is God is very clear in His word to us. In Numbers 4:15 we see God state plainly if anyone touches the ark they will die. What Uzzah’s motives were in that moment and what he thoughts on the ark were have been debated by scholars for years, but what we do know is God isn’t playing around with His Word to us. Today, God’s will for you and His Word to you is to share the gospel with the people around you. There’s no confusion attached with that command. If then we just think about sharing, if then we just share when it’s comfortable, if then we just share when the time is good for us, that is simply “coming close” to God’s will and not a full, radical obedience to it. Know God isn’t honored by a coming-close-to-it obedience. What brings Him pleasure and glory is when those who say they follow Him actually follow Him fully. How then have you been “coming close” to fully following God but haven’t committed entirely? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1865
Chapter 7
2 Samuel 7 Daily DEVO And yet this was a small thing in your eyes, O Lord God… 2 Samuel 7:19a – Once again we see this short phrase being said of God. Last time God’s people were dying of thirst and being surrounded by enemies. This time it’s looking back at all the amazing things God did to take care of David up until now. While for David all that had happened would have been an impossible feat for him to achieve, David realizes that for God all this was just “a small thing” in God’s eyes. Meaning God is so powerful and wise that while it would have been impossible for David to do all this it was a simple thing for God. We must take hold of this and be reminded again by scripture that God is so much bigger than you and can do things we can’t. Finding a resolution to that problem, healing that torn relationship, bringing unity to a church family; all may seem impossible to us with our own resources. Yet God looks at it as something not only manageable but even easy in His eyes to handle. Let’s try to remember when the situations in life are impossible for us to handle our God has it all under control. Find peace in the fact that while our eyes can’t even see the ending to our struggle, it’s a small thing in God’s eyes. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 438
And Nathan said to the king, “Go, do all that is in your heart, for the Lord is with you.” But that same night the word of the Lord came to Nathan…2 Samuel 7:3-4 – Just because a path appears right, that doesn’t automatically mean it’s the one God is calling you down. Here Nathan responded to David as a godly man, not as a prophet of God. It seems good and right from a humanly understanding to build a house for the ark, but that wasn’t God’s plan. This is why it’s so key we bring our plans before God first. For as Proverbs 14:12 states, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but it’s end is the way to death.” While building a house for the Lord sure didn’t appear to be a sinful action that would lead to death, it was a path God didn’t want David going down. Bring your plans always before God. The only things you can have confidence in moving forward with always are the things God has already stated plainly in His Word to do. Like if someone is in front of you and you’re debating, “Should I show them love?” Yes, always, you don’t have to question that path. Or if an opportunity to share the Gospel arises and you’re wondering should you take it…yes, always take it. If it’s something God has already spoken to you to do through His Word you can has confidence in that path, but if you don’t have that clarity bring it to Him. God very well might have vastly different plans than your own, even if your plans do seem good and are coming from a holy heart. It is better to be on the right path with a humble heart than the wrong path with holy intentions. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1866
Chapter 8
2 Samuel 8 Daily DEVO …And the Lord gave victory to David wherever he went. 2 Samuel 8:6 – That’s the outcome of the battles, but from what we’ve seen about David’s life so far, how did he handle everything else about the battles? He sought God’s direction before each battle to know if he should fight and how he should fight. He was willing to show respect to kings and armies that sought peace with him. He also gave God the credit for the victory and gave offerings of thanks to God as well. We see why David had victory. Yes he was good at fighting and had a good crew of fighters with him, but the reason he found victory was because the Lord gave it to him because he was faithful everywhere else too. For us, we to can find ourselves being handed victory in our life by God. That though takes a commitment to walk faithfully in all others parts of our life. This type of victorious life isn’t one that comes when we just run to God when life gets too hard to handle. This life comes when everyday for everything we’re leaning on and trusting in God for help. If you want this victorious life like David had, you need to give your whole life to God like David had. Now will these victories always come in the way you think they should? No, but as we give ourselves over to the plans and guidance of God daily, we’ll see the outcome of our battles and our life seeing the victory that we need and desire. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 439
After this David defeated the Philistines and subdued them, and David took Metheg-ammah out of the hand of the Philistines. 2 Samuel 8:1 – The Philistines were defeated. God brought victory for David in his battle against the Philistines. Now as we read this chapter it’s easy to get caught up in the bloody deaths and battles and miss this first verse and the impact of it. The Philistines had been a serious enemy for Israel for so long. Goliath was a Philistine and David was a young man when he fought him. Now this long term enemy has been defeated and what was taken from them by this enemy has been brought back. This is what God can do in your story. What enemy would you love to claim as defeated this year? Fear, worry, a sickness, worthlessness, depression, addiction? What has it taken from you? Your battle may have been long term with this enemy but God is able to defeat them and bring back what’s been taken from you. Trust His will and understand victory may look different than you currently imagine it. What we can take from this passage is victory, while maybe different in appearance, does comes through God. What a mighty God we serve. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1867
Chapter 9
2 Samuel 9 Daily DEVO And David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan, and I will restore to you all the land of Saul your father, and you shall eat at my table always.” 2 Samuel 9:7 – As we have progressed through 1&2 Samuel, we’ve seen many admirable qualities of David, and today, we’re seeing another one of those qualities unfold. David had all that right reasons to go back on his word to Saul. David promised Saul that he would take care and remember Saul’s household when he came into power. No one though would have blamed him for not keeping that promise after all that Saul did to him. David though not only kept his word but sought out Saul’s family and pursued ways to help them. Yet where David got his example of this level of honesty is where we can get our example from to. God never goes back on His Word. While we have given Him every reason and excuse to not, He has chosen to stay true to us with His promises. My encouragement to you is remember that God will never fail on His promises to you and also to follow in the footsteps of David of keeping your word always. As we settle our lives on that God will never go back on His Word to us, we can find the strength and freedom to keep true to our word as well even if it’s tough. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 440
And he paid homage and said, “What is your servant, that you should show regard for a dead dog such as I?” 2 Samuel 9:8 – If you didn’t read the story attached to this verse, here’s a summary. King David is seeking to find someone from Jonathan’s family to show kindness to. He hears that his close friend Jonathon had a son so David brings that son close to him, gives him land, let’s him eat at his table, and honors him as a grandson of a king and a son of a prince. All that compassion though contradicted how Jonathan’s son saw himself; we see that in our verse. That contradiction though should be what we are all about. We should be in the work of changing how people see themselves. Life, our enemy, and even ourselves can be our biggest deceivers in what we believe about ourself. So many lies can be spoken and we take them to heart. Like that we aren’t wanted, we’re worthless, we’re ugly, we’re of no help to anyone, and God doesn’t love us. Lie after lie that can be held as firm truths in our story and we then seen ourselves accordingly. If you can relate to what I just said, know the person around you can as well. They have been listening to lies and living under such lies. We then need to be actively seeking out ways to remind them who they truly are in Christ. Loved, seen, wanted, chosen, child. Worth dying for. Dwell today on how you can be a part of tearing down those lies and reminding the truth. Be a name changer. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1868
Chapter 10
2 Samuel 10 Daily DEVO But the princes of the Ammonites said to Hanun their lord, “Do you think, because David has sent comforters to you, that he is honoring your father? Has not David sent his servants to you to search the city and to spy it out and to overthrow it?” 2 Samuel 10:3 – What we see here in our chapter is the damages listening to the wrong voices can bring. Hanun had, through his father, an agreement of peace with David. Yet these princes whispered into his ear making him believe David wasn’t coming to help him but hurt him. When we listen to the wrong voices we can find ourselves walking into our own type of damages in life. Wrong voices include those that only want to discourage you. Wrong voices are those that aren’t seeking God out themselves. Wrong voices are the ones that speak into your life directing you away from where God is leading. Yes, this will be a simple message today, but don’t listen to the wrong voices. While the wrong voices aren’t often the majority, they for some reason end up being the loudest and ones we remember the most. Settle on not listening to their advice and to not let their words sway you. If the voice is telling you something different that what God has spoken, then it’s not worth listening to. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac- Daily DEVO 441
So Hanun took David’s servants and shaved off half the beard of each and cut off their garments in the middle, at their hips, and sent them away. When it was told David, he sent to meet them, for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Remain at Jericho until your beards have grown and then return.” 2 Samuel 10:4-5 – We need to be actively helping others move past their shame. Here Hanun, a new king of a kingdom that was friendly with David, just took the throne after his father died. David in his kindness sent servants to Hanun to comfort him during this time of grief. Hanun though, after listening to poor counsel, believed David’s servants had ulterior motives and shamed them like we see in our passage. What I hope you focus on is David’s actions. He took his servants and sought to help them move past this new shame they had found themselves in. Shame is a heavy burden to bear and is becoming increasingly more common. Our enemy loves the weapon of shame because it can be so crippling. Recognize shame and the effects of it are most likely somewhere within the story of the people you care about. Often it has laid unaddressed for so long and it’s has just festered for possibly decades. Be willing then to lean into the messy conversations about that shame others are feeling. Be willing to invite others to see your shame if you are the one crippled by it so they can walk with you. In Christ, we are shameless before Him. He has covered every wrong and He made us clean. Our role is to help others see Jesus can wipe away their shame. How are you being a part of this process in someone else’s story? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1869
Chapter 11
2 Samuel 11 Daily DEVO In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. 2 Samuel 11:1 – David found himself in the worst of trouble by not being where he should have been. Rather than being out with his men, fighting like other kings, he remained back in his palace; a very uncharacteristic thing for him to do. Be careful yourself to be where you are supposed to be at. What we can find is ourselves in the middle of a mistake we never meant to be in when we refuse to be where we need to be. If we’re being led to step out of a dating relationship but don’t, we can find ourselves making some very wrong choices. If we refuse to make it a habit to be in community with other Christians like God calls us to, we can find ourselves weak and easily tempted. So ask yourself, where does God want you right now? Are you staying back in the palace when you should be out at war? Be careful to not rationalize your reason for not moving when God has told you to move. Our common enemy loves to take advantage of a stagnant, isolated Christian. Find yourself where God wants you at. There the strength you need will be the strongest and the temptations the easiest to overcome. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 442
And the woman conceived, and she sent and told David, “I am pregnant.” 2 Samuel 11:5 – Sin always gives birth to something. Here King David chose to say yes to the temptation in front of him and quickly we see in the passage the true result of that choice. Sure, a small amount of the result that came out of this choice was then pleasure in the moment, but that came and went and now he was left with the long lasting results of his choice that aren’t as enjoyable. Every sin we say yes to gives birth to something in our story as well. What can come out of us saying yes like David did? Broken relationships, distrust, pain to others, feelings of worthlessness, shame, harm to ourselves, and even death. These are just a few things that come out of our yes to sin. Be wiser than the enemy is sneaky. You know he is going to always point your focus to the pleasure of the moment and try to hide from your focus the true results of saying yes to sin. It’s like a car salesman seeking to sell you a car, pointing out the shiny new tires yet never raising the hood to show you there isn’t even an engine. Be wise enough to check the hood before saying yes. For I truly believe if we all took a true glance under the hood, we truly looked and saw the trauma we’d cause to others and the pits of death we’d freely be walking into, our saying yes to sins wouldn’t be as often. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac- Daily DEVO 1870
Chapter 12
2 Samuel 12 Daily DEVO And the Lord sent Nathan to David. 2 Samuel 12:1a – God isn’t about us staying blind to how sin is hurting us and hurting our walk with Him. David, after his mistake with Bathsheba, seems to be trying to live as if everything he did was alright, or at least covered under the rug. Yet God isn’t about to let David continue down this path with this unresolved sin hanging inside David’s life so God brings Nathan in to open David’s eyes to the damage he had caused. God brought someone into David’s life to help David see what sin had blinded him too. So will God do in your story. Sin has such a way of blinding us to the real damage it’s causing in our lives. We overlook the infection that’s growing in our lives due to sin because we’re blinded by the pleasures of it. So God, in His love for us, will use the people in our lives to open our eyes to the infection we aren’t seeing. So when someone approaches you like Nathan did for David in our story and opens your eyes to a problem in your life you didn’t see, don’t shut them down, be willing to check yourself first. See if anything they say is true. God very well might be using them to help you overcome an infection of sin that you didn’t know was there. Just know when God calls out your sin, it’s not to guilt trip you with shame, it’s to call you to repentance and back into His loving arms. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 443
Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate. 2 Samuel 12:20 – Apart from the rest of the passage this verse could be taken as simply as maybe David tripped or was just sitting on the ground for a bit then got up and washed. But it wasn’t that simple. David’s baby was dying and for days he laid face down on the ground praying and fasting, asking God to bring healing. Yet, when word came to David the baby died, David arose, cleaned up, and went to worship the Lord. There is so much here, but today let’s just focus on one thing. We can still worship God even when the moves God makes don’t align with our prayers. Why allowing this baby to die as the consequences of David’s sin was God’s choice I don’t fully understand, but we do see this changed David’s heart for the remainder of his life. As difficult as is it can be to do, seek to trust God’s decisions as holy. Choose to worship Him when those decisions align with our prayers, and especially when they don’t. Nothing God does is absent of love, wisdom, patience, or purpose. We might not fully understand, but we can still choose to worship the God who has demonstrated great love towards us when we were far from Him. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1871
Chapter 13
2 Samuel 13 Daily DEVO And Amnon was so tormented that he made himself ill because of his sister Tamar, for she was a virgin, and it seemed impossible to Amnon to do anything to her. 2 Samuel 13:2 – When sin is given freedom in your life to influence and direct, you will find yourself tormented by it. See how much pain came about in this story. Everyone involved was effected by this allowance of sin to be present in Amnon’s life. Relationships were torn, futures were crushed, and life was even ended all because of sin. This is the real ending to all sin. Our common enemy will play it off that there will only be pleasure attached to sin. What we see is whatever pleasure Amnon found in what he did was overshadowed with all this torment and pain. Amnon needed to see the bigger picture of sin and so do we. Allow yourself to see the all the things that sinfulness is going to bring into your story. Is that pleasure worth all the pain that will come as well? Never let sin direct you or influence you. Lean on Jesus to give you the strength you need to say no. For you, for others, for your future, for God…say no. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 444
So Tamar went to her brother Amnon’s house, where he was lying down. And she took dough and kneaded it and made cakes in his sight and baked the cakes. 2 Samuel 13:8 – Our faithfulness to what we’ve been called to do doesn’t equal safety from all evil. Here Tamar is directed to go take care of her “sick” brother and she does exactly as told. What she did not know what she was walking into the room and pain that would change her life forever. We too can be faithful to all we are directed by God to do yet still walk straight into to worst hardships we’ll ever experience. Why is this so? Because we weren’t rescued from our sin to be settled in a place of serenity, we have been saved so we can lean into the fight for the hearts of those we love to be turned to Jesus. In that fight, things will get messy, hard, and painful. Understand then saying yes to Jesus most likely will be a path to the hardest, most exhausting seasons of life one can experience, but you will have a loving Father with you every step offering you what you need to keep fighting. Yet why would we then purposely choose a path like that knowing what lies ahead of us if we do? Because we love the people in our story and we can’t imagine allowing them to enter eternity away from Jesus without us at least doing all we can to change that. So as sad as this story is from our passage allow it remind you that being faithful doesn’t equal an absence of evil in your story. You though have a good Father who can heal you, bring purpose to your pain, and even use your story to save others. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1872
Chapter 14
2 Samuel 14 Daily DEVO We must all die; we are like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again. But God will not take away life, and he devises means so that the banished one will not remain an outcast. 2 Samuel 14:14 – We see here that God is all about the return. That God longs for those who are far off to not stay far off and die away from Himself. He longs for them to return back to Himself and no longer be labeled an outcast because of their sin but a child due to His mercy and grace. This was a lesson David was having to learn for himself after his own mistakes. He also was learning that he needed to reflect that sort of love to others as well. How about you, is this a message you need to take in? That God doesn’t want you to stay far away from Him. That, in fact, He desires you to come close and stay close to Him. That He sacrificed His only Son in order to be able to bring you back to Himself. That’s how much God loves you. Today realize God isn’t about keeping you at an arms distance away because of your sin. God want to cover your mistakes with His love and grace and invite you to come close to Him. The invitation has been given to you, how will you respond? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 445
Then the king said to Joab, “Behold now, I grant this; go, bring back the young man Absalom.” 2 Samuel 14:21 – Notice the way King David refers to Absalom. At first when I read this I assumed he still had an unforgiving attitude towards Absalom because the king didn’t refer to him as a son. Yet after some studying I saw that wasn’t the case. When he says “young man,” this wasn’t a way of him pushing Absalom away as a son, but giving Absalom grace for his actions. David was saying he understood; young men are passionate, hot-headed sometimes, and act often before they fully think. David was willing to see past the hurt, past the hurtful actions, and truly see the person behind all that. Are we willing to do the same with those who have hurt us? Yes, there has been some deep pain caused and we aren’t going to cover that up, but can we look past the pain and see the person? Ask was the hurt truly a mistake on their part. Ask why they did what they did. Be open to exploring grace in this situation. Does that mean you need to immediately bring them close. No, we don’t even see that happen in our passage with David and Absalom. What we see though is grace being brought into a deeply painful, broken relationship. As a result, two who were far off have been brought together. Where does grace need to be added in the relationships of your life? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1873
Chapter 15
2 Samuel 15 Daily DEVO Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel. 2 Samuel 15:6 – We must pick up on the key word “stole.” Often when referring to someone who fought valiantly for God we’d see scripture say they “won” the hearts of the people. Meaning through their efforts and God working through them, they rightfully deserved the people looking highly upon them. Here though that’s not what we read. Steal here means he stealthily took from them; it even could mean he kidnapped theirs hearts. He was trying to keep them from seeing and knowing about what he was doing. What I believe we can learn from this is if you have to hide what you’re doing from others it probably isn’t pleasing to God. Outside of you trying to worship God under persecution, if what you’re doing you fear others finding out about then I’d advise you to check whether that should be something in your life. Example, if you fear people touching your phone because you don’t want them seeing the photos you have on it then maybe you shouldn’t be taking those photos. Or if you speak words outside of church that you’d never speak inside church, why is that ok? I want to challenge you to look at the way you act, talk, and think. What things are you trying to keep hidden? Know that everything that’s hidden will eventually come out into the light. Let’s live the sort of life that if any aspect of our life has a light shone on it we be comfortable letting it be seen by others and God. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 446
Then the king said to Ittai the Gittite, “Why do you also go with us? Go back and stay with the king, for you are a foreigner and also an exile from your home. You came only yesterday, and shall I today make you wander about with us, since I go I know not where? Go back and take your brothers with you, and may the Lord show steadfast love and faithfulness to you.” But Ittai answered the king, “As the Lord lives, and as my Lord the king lives, wherever my Lord the king shall be, whether for death or for life, there also will your servant be.” 2 Samuel 15:19-21 – It’s important that you have people in your story reminding you of who you actually are. The circumstances that King David had found himself in were causing him to question his role as king, he even in this passage refers to someone else as king instead of him. Yet notice God didn’t entertain that way of thinking. When referring to David, scripture continues to say king, God also brought the voice of the faithful around King David who as well spoke the truth about who he was. You might as well forget who you are due to the circumstances you found yourself in, but God hasn’t. Nor has those who are faithful to God forgotten who you are in Christ. Circumstances can cause you to believe you’re alone, unwanted, hated by God, forgotten by God, and no longer a child of His. Just know though labels aren’t coming from the voice of Jesus but the voice of your enemy. Listen to the words of scripture and the voice of those who are faithfully following Jesus around you to remind you of who you truly are in Christ. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1874
Chapter 16
2 Samuel 16 Daily DEVO And the king, and all the people who were with him, arrived weary at the Jordan. And there he refreshed himself. 2 Samuel 16:14 – The fact they arrived at their destination weary isn’t a surprise at all. Wouldn’t you be exhausted if for an entire journey you had someone following you, cursing you and your family, throwing rocks at you, and flinging dirt at you? As with David and this chapter of his story, we too will have people in our story who just seem to want to discourage us and bring us down. Let’s learn and follow how David handled his discourager. One, he trusted God to handle the punishment given to the discourager. Two, he sought out places and people to refresh him. Today, learn to let God handle those in your life that are discouraging you and seek out places and people that will encourage you. Unfortunately we will have individuals who are just discouraging to us in our story. Let’s not battle them with our words or attitudes, but learn to trust God with them and pour ourself into the areas that fill us rather than the process of stopping the drains. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 447
And David said to Abishai and to all his servants, “Behold, my own son seeks my life; how much more now may this Benjaminite! Leave him alone, and let him curse, for the Lord has told him to. It may be that the Lord will look on the wrong done to me, and that the Lord will repay me with good for his cursing today.” So David and his men went on the road, while Shimei went along on the hillside opposite him and cursed as he went and threw stones at him and flung dust. 2 Samuel 16:11-13 – This is long suffering. David has all the power, the reason, and right to come at this guy who was cursing him and throwing rocks at him. Yet he chose to continue walking, entrusting everything to God’s hands. Be wise enough to pause and think in situations like this if your reaction should be quick and swift or patient. You may have the power, the reason, and the right to react in a way that quickly handles the situation, but that may not be God’s will. Choose long suffering. Yes, the words are what they mean, that means you may have to suffer as a result of this choice…and for a long time. What you are doing though instead is entrusting justice to God and trusting God will use all this for good somehow. Be willing to pause, seek God’s counsel on your next move, and if the direction is to do nothing in reaction to the hurt, be willing to follow that direction. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1875
Chapter 17
2 Samuel 17 Daily DEVO I will come upon him while he is weary and discouraged and throw him into a panic, and all the people who are with him will flee. I will strike down only the king. 2 Samuel 17:2 – What we can learn from today’s passage is how our common enemy works. Look at the different things said in this verse and see how they match up to how our enemy fights. The enemy will wait till we are weary and discouraged because then we are more likely to find strength in places we would have never gone to if we were rested and encouraged. The enemy wants to throw our world into panic and worry because we don’t think as clearly and we end up doing things rashly rather than with a level head. The enemy wants to separate us from the people that are with us because isolation is the opposite of where God wants us. Then the enemy strikes to kill. He isn’t playing with us, he wants to destroy us. I want to highlight all this to remind you of the importance of daily pursuing God with your life. The enemy is real and is being sneaky as to how to bring you down. Yet, if we continue to find our refreshment each day in God, continuing to find our strength and encouragement in Him, we’ll respond very differently to the attacks of our common enemy. So ask yourself what refreshes you daily in your walk with God. Seek that out and other things as well. Let today be a day of refreshment for you and know that God is here waiting to give that to you. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 448
And Absalom and all the men of Israel said, “The counsel of Hushai the Archite is better than the counsel of Ahithophel.” For the Lord had ordained to defeat the good counsel of Ahithophel, so that the Lord might bring harm upon Absalom. 2 Samuel 17:14 – Absalom, who had taken over the role of “king” of Israel unjustly and temporarily, had a guy named Ahithophel on his side. Ahithophel was one of the smartest guys in Israel, his role was to give great advice to the king. What we see here is smart advice being given by the smartest man and if followed could have placed David in a bad spot, but God was more powerful. God was able to change the course Absalom was going down, defeat the “smarts” of Ahithophel, and save David all in one move. In our day it can seem like evil has everything they need to succeed and it can seem like that will be what happens. God though is not afraid because God is in control. He’s smarter, He’s stronger, He’s wiser, and He’s better. So yes, we aren’t dismissing the power and force the enemy can bring, we’re just acknowledging our God has more. Fear not then the moves of our enemy, even if they seem like a final blow. Our God can handle whatever comes our way and He has a way of even making something beautiful come out of it. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1876
Chapter 18
2 Samuel 18 Daily DEVO …And the king said to the men, “I myself will also go out with you.” 2 Samuel18:2b – Previously David wanted to hang back while his men went off to war. This time he is seeking to go with them. When he hung back, he found himself in the biggest mistake of his life. Maybe he has learned from his past mistakes. Have you? While none of us enjoy having mistakes as a part of our story, if we never learn from them the pain we went through and caused others was for nothing. Take the time necessary to learn from your past mistakes. Something God has taught me is that my biggest mistakes can become my deepest messages to share. Allow God to grow you from your mistakes and use your story to help others not fall in the same way you had. Know that mistakes are in everyone’s story, but it’s a choice we each have to make to either leave it a mistake or allow God to transform it into a message of life we can share to others. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 449
But the man said to Joab, “Even if I felt in my hand the weight of a thousand pieces of silver, I would not reach out my hand against the king’s son, for in our hearing the king commanded you and Abishai and Ittai, ‘For my sake protect the young man Absalom.’ 2 Samuel 18:12 – There will be times where our faithfulness to God’s directions won’t be easy. In those moments is our chance to show God we are truly in this for Him. Here Absalom, the king’s son who was causing such terrible chaos for David and his followers, was literally stuck hanging from a tree, completely vulnerable. The soldier speaking could have easily ended Absalom’s life, but chose to listen to King David’s command instead. The option to go against God’s lead is often as easy as taking the life of Absalom would have been for this soldier. There we find who truly is lord over our life. Is it us? Is it our enemy? Or is it Jesus? If we claim it to be Jesus, it’s in these moments we allow our lives to give proof to what our words are saying. Choose always to follow the lead of Jesus. When it’s hard to go off track, follow Jesus’ lead. When it’s easy to go off track, follow Jesus’ lead. If Jesus is Lord to us, then it’s His way always. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1877
Chapter 19
2 Samuel 19 Daily DEVO Because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. 2 Samuel 19:6 – Often we can get mixed up who’s really for us and who’s against us. When we get into the wrong crowd we can be deceived into thinking they have our back and want the best for us. Yet when things get bad, all they care about is themselves and you’re left hanging their alone. I see this passage reminding us to love those who are for you and set aside those relationships with those who care nothing about you. Rather than consuming ourselves with the approval seeking of those who care nothing for anything but themselves, choose to invest in the relationships with those who are willing to invest in you back. I encourage you to put the relationships you have within your life to the test. Who really cares about your spiritual growth and well being? Who wants to see you grow well? Who’s willing to invest in your life? Let those be the people you have as your close friends and influencers in your life. Don’t trash the other relationships, but also don’t elevate a person in your life as someone who is directing your life if they couldn’t care less about where your life ends up. Surround yourself with the right people. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 450
But David said, “What have I to do with you, you sons of Zeruiah, that you should this day be as an adversary to me? Shall anyone be put to death in Israel this day? For do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?” 2 Samuel 19:22 – David is finally returning to take his rightful place on the throne over all Israel. In the journey there he is met by multiple people that chose to stay back and cause trouble for David after David ran away. Yet each time David shows mercy and forgives them of their actions. Notice though that last phrase, “do I not know that I am this day king over Israel?” David recognized who he was and what he possessed by being king. As a result was able to give mercy, forgiveness, and life out freely. Remind yourself of who you are and what you have as a result. If you have a relationship with Jesus you are a child of God, an heir to Heaven, a forgiven saint, and a loved disciple of Jesus. As a result of who you are and what you have, you too can freely offer mercy and forgiveness to those who have done you harm. What you have in your position with God offers you so much more than what unforgiveness can give you. We show mercy to others because we’ve been shown great mercy. We forgive because we’ve been so deeply forgiven. We can give out deeply because we have so much in Jesus. When you know who you are, God can use you deeply to bring life to others. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1878
Chapter 20
2 Samuel 20 Daily DEVO And Amasa lay wallowing in his blood in the highway. And anyone who came by, seeing him, stopped. And when the man saw that all the people stopped, he carried Amasa out of the highway into the field and threw a garment over him. When he was taken out of the highway, all the people went on after Joab to pursue Sheba the son of Bichri. 2 Samuel 20:12-13 – While this passage is a bit graphic, I felt it had a message within it worth sharing. It asks us today what is it in our life that keeps us and those around us from moving forward in the direction God is leading us? We see in our passage the body of Amasa causing everyone to stop and stare, keeping them from moving forward. That is until someone moved the body off the path; then it no longer kept them from moving forward. I’d encourage you to do the same with whatever is in your path keeping you from moving forward. Self doubt, sinful habits, unforgiveness; all these and others things can have this negative effect on our walk with God. Lift whatever is in your path up to God and have Him begin the process of helping you remove it from your story. We must keep moving forward after God and whatever is holding us from that needs to go. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 451
Now there happened to be there a worthless man, whose name was Sheba, the son of Bichri, a Benjaminite. And he blew the trumpet and said, “We have no portion in David, and we have no inheritance in the son of Jesse; every man to his tents, O Israel!” So all the men of Israel withdrew from David and followed Sheba the son of Bichri. But the men of Judah followed their king steadfastly from the Jordan to Jerusalem. 2 Samuel20:1-2 – How quickly do you follow the voices of others? How do you know if their voice is one to follow quickly? Here the people of Israel simply heard the voice of one of their own saying to go in a certain direction and many followed it without question. While we have the whole story given to us in scripture and we can see the wrong-ness of their choice to follow the voice of Sheba, which voice have you been following too quickly and how do you know if you should be following it? Here are some voices you could be following: your heart, culture, a friend, what’s comfortable, wisdom, scripture. How do you know if you should listen to them? Ask are the words they are saying something Jesus would say? Jesus would never say, “follow your heart,” scripture says our heart is deceitful. Jesus would never say, “do what feels good.” There’s a lot of voices saying a lot of things that Jesus would never say. Those voices are voices we should not follow. Yet, those voices that speak the words of Jesus into our story, listen deeply to their words and be willing to follow. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1879
Chapter 21
2 Samuel 21 Daily DEVO You shall no longer go out with us to battle, lest you quench the lamp of Israel. 2 Samuel 21:17b – There are times we have to realize we need to move on from something. We have some of David’s men telling the king that due to his age he no longer should be coming out and fighting like he once did. So how can we know when we too should move on from something? Listen to the people close to you and that know you best. Often we can be blind to the fact we need to move on. Blinded by “love” in a bad relationship. Blinded by this need to achieve at work. Blinded by unforgiveness with a brother in Christ. Be open to the counsel of those around you. They may be able to see your situation in a way you can’t. If you have someone who loves you telling you to move on somehow, pray to see if what they are saying is from God and be willing to move even if you don’t fully understand right now. Sin can blind us so easily, yet thankfully God has given us amazing people in our lives to help us see what we can’t. Don’t shut their counsel down just because you don’t understand it, it might be the very thing you need right now. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 452
There was war again between the Philistines and Israel, and David went down together with his servants, and they fought against the Philistines. And David grew weary. 2 Samuel 21:15 – Within the next few verses the phrase “there was war again” comes up four separate times. War, battles, fighting, and enemies didn’t stop coming for them, nor will they just stop coming in our story either. When we finish one battle, another may come very soon. When we overcome one enemy, another can quickly raise their hand against us. This is the reality of the broken world we live in. With that being the truth of our life, what do you need in this life to fight well? Things that point your focus onto your Savior. That means having community that will point your eyes to Jesus, structuring time in your day for scripture reading, and developing a strong prayer life. These are essentials if you want to fight well in the battle you are in now and if you want to win in the battle that’s to come. What then can you begin investing time into today to help you better handle the battles of tomorrow? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1880
Chapter 22
2 Samuel 22 Daily DEVO For who is God, but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? 2 Samuel 22:32- I see the whole of David’s song be summed up in this verse. Who was the one who blessed them? Who was the one who saved them from their enemies? Who was the one who heard their cries and came to their rescue? The answer is the same for all, the Lord God. David was able to remind himself and all who heard this who it was who really got them to where they were at. For you and I this reminder is important too. Who was it that gave to you breath the breathe today? Who set in motion your life and orchestrated it all to how it is today? We have to give all the credit to God. Today realize you are who you are and have what you have and can do what you can do because of God. You are smart, but it’s because God designed your brain. You are talented because God gave you that skill. It’s all from God so let’s be sure to give Him all the glory that’s directed at us. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 453
In my distress I called upon the Lord; to my God I called. From his temple he heard my voice, and my cry came to his ears. “Then the earth reeled and rocked; the foundations of the heavens trembled and quaked, because he was angry. Smoke went up from his nostrils, and devouring fire from his mouth; glowing coals flamed forth from him. He bowed the heavens and came down; thick darkness was under his feet. 2 Samuel22:7-10 – Last night I took the family out to see “Sing 2” at the theater here in Augusta. In the movie was a scene where the main characters were getting pushed around by the villain so one of the singers got on his phone, calls his dad, and asked for help. The response from the dad? You hear knuckles cracking, his truck revving up, and him say he’s on his way. That’s the image I’m getting from this passage. David calls out for help from his Heavenly Father and God shows up big time. Even the earth couldn’t handle the arrival of God when He showed up for David. While we might not literally see God come down like this, know David didn’t either yet He still truly believed God was for Him and the source of his salvation. God is for you and comes to our rescue. It can seem like that’s not true and feel like God doesn’t care sometimes, but feelings aren’t reliable and what we see isn’t always the truth. Bet on the truth of scripture instead of our feelings and what we see. Scripture clearly shows God takes care of His own and is available to be called upon anytime. You are not alone in your fight. While things look that way, the situation feels lost, and the enemy is often shouting so loud we can’t think of anything else than what he is saying, know God is here with you. He loves you and He’s going to fight for you. If the vapor of His breath can create galaxies, imagine what He can do to the enemy who’s coming after His beloved child? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1881
Chapter 23
2 Samuel 23 Daily DEVO Uriah the Hittite: thirty-seven in all. 2 Samuel 23:39 – This thirty seven being talked about were the men called “David’s Mighty Men.” These were the valiant warriors that stayed close to David and kept him safe. They were willing to give up everything for the king and the king’s desire. Yet, the last mighty man listed was Uriah the Hittite. Does that name sound familiar? Uriah was the husband of Bathsheba, the lady that David saw bathing and slept with. Uriah was the husband that David sent out into the battlefield to be killed to try and sweep his mistake under the rug. Uriah was one of David’s mighty men. My message today is seek out the best for those seeking out the best for you. Thankfully, each of us have people in our story that care deeply about us. Let’s be sure we reflect that same sort of care back into their lives from us. If nothing else remember how deeply God loves and cares about you. Let Him be one you choose to show love and care back too. Don’t allow the love and care being shown to you in your life to go unreciprocated. Let those who pour into you know you’re about pouring back into them as well. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 454
These are the names of the mighty men whom David had: Josheb-basshebeth a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three. He wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he killed at one time. 2 Samuel 23:8 – I remember seeing a sign when I was younger that said, “Live the sort of life the pastor at your funeral doesn’t have to lie about.” These mighty men of David sure didn’t have to worry about that. As you read through this chapter the feats these men did were unbelievable. This though was the story they left behind with the life they lived. What will be your story? What will be said of you when your time on earth is over? Will it be said you were really dedicated to your job? That you loved taking care of your lawn? That the Chiefs had your heart? While it can be convicting, it’s healthy to pause and think what will be the one thing people remember me by when I’m no longer here. My hope is the legacy and memory we all are leaving behind is someone who was an all-in, devoted follower of Jesus who made it there goal to tell as many people as they could about the Gospel. That’s the sort of life you would have nothing to be ashamed about leaving behind. What then can you do today to begin that being what you are remembered for? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1882
Chapter 24
2 Samuel 24 Daily DEVO “But David’s heart struck him after he had numbered the people. And David said to the Lord, “I have sinned greatly in what I have done. But now, O Lord, please take away the iniquity of your servant, for I have done very foolishly.” 2 Samuel 24:10 – What was the problem with David numbering his people? It was David’s pride. See up until now David had made it clear that he was putting all his trust in God alone for his success, yet this numbering of his people was showing his new place he was putting his trust in, his army size. Where are you putting your trust in for your success? Clearly we see in this passage that God only approves of us placing our trust in Him. Our talents, our money, our people, those things shouldn’t be where we place our trust. Check yourself today to see where you are placing your trust in. What are you relying on to get you through till tomorrow? Whether it’s tomorrow or even the afterlife, make sure it’s God that you’re relying on. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 455
Again the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, “Go, number Israel and Judah.” 2 Samuel 24:1 – An important thing to note here in this passage is the “he” in he incited David isn’t God. We see in 1 Chronicles 21:1 that it was actually Satan doing the tempting here that led David to act sinfully. Our enemy loves to take advantage of us in any season he can. He especially loves to come at us in our seasons where we feel distant from God. Learn from this passage that our enemy’s goal is to expand the gap between us and God. In any way he can and every time he can if he can make us feel further away from our Heavenly Father he will. Know these sort of attacks are coming. Know God though isn’t going to leave you defenseless. Notice how in this story before the sin was done and even after the mistake had been made God offered David people to help guide him in God’s ways. While attacks are a sure thing, God’s help in our story is even more sure. God will offer us a way out of temptation, people to walk with us, and He’ll even make clear the path back to Him when we walked away. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1883
Daily DEVO 