Thought for thought

Saul waited there seven days for Samuel, as Samuel had instructed him earlier, but Samuel still didn’t come. Saul realized that his troops were rapidly slipping away. So he demanded, “Bring me the burnt offering and the peace offerings!” And Saul sacrificed the burnt offering himself. 1 Samuel 13:8-9 NLT Saul showed a number of things here:…

Time for time

But before dawn the next morning, Saul arrived, having divided his army into three detachments. He launched a surprise attack against the Ammonites and slaughtered them the whole morning. The remnant of their army was so badly scattered that no two of them were left together. 1 Samuel 11:11 NLT Procrastination is not generally a…

Thorn in my side

The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word,  but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. Mark 4:18-19 NLT Although this parable is referring to people who hear…

Mixed values

Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, “Let’s go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!” 1 Samuel 9:5 NLT It’s not used so much now, but one of the definitions of the word ‘dear’ is expensive. Nowadays it is used…

Ignorance is miss

If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honoured. Proverbs 13:18 NLT Whenever I discover by myself that I am doing something wrong or the wrong way, I correct it. I simply treat it as an adjustment to my ways. However, when someone else points…

Good King, bad king

“This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots.” 1 Samuel 8:11 NLT Too often, I put something over my relationship with God. Other things become more important and take precedence over…

Splinters

Similarly, a family splintered by feuding will fall apart. Mark 3:25 NLT So much of the world is in turmoil today because of sectarian or tribal strife. Such strife wrought havoc in Europe during and after the Reformation and I saw so much trouble in my childhood and youth, just because of Protestant and Catholic…

Now I see it!

And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!” Mark 2:12 NLT The people were all amazed because they had seen Jesus perform a miracle. They had never seen anything like it, but now…

Ever so humble

“Stop acting so proud and haughty! Don’t speak with such arrogance! For the Lord is a God who knows what you have done; he will judge your actions. 1 Samuel 2:3 NLT When the New Year honours list was announced, I found it odd that so many of the people who had been honoured day…

Needs must

As she was praying to the Lord , Eli watched her. Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!” “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and…