The cost of choosing our own way (1 Samuel 31)
1 Samuel 31:1-13 In his imaginative book, The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis describes different characters who take a trip from Hell, a town where it is always raining, a place damp and miserable, to Heaven. Although the sun is shining…
The key to being generous (1 Sam 30:16-31)
1 Sam 30:16-31 In primary school, I had a classmate who had several brothers and sisters. Although not especially wealthy, she often brought extras to school for our meals to give away to those around her. Sometimes it was a…
Learning to rely on the Lord for strength (1 Sam 30:1-15)
1 Sam 30:1-15 How do we react to adversity? It may depend on the circumstances, of course, like how unexpected our challenge is or whether it affects us short or long-term and what we struggle with (the loss of a…
How God’s providence works (1 Samuel 29)
1 Sam 29:1-11 I love stories of God’s providence where through a string of seeming coincidences someone is rescued from a tricky situation, a financial difficulty, accident, temptation or the like. It is uplifting to know that God cares and…
How to find help from God (1 Samuel 28)
1 Sam 28:3-25 Amidst the complexities of modern life, many today turn to some sort of spirituality to fill the void, ease anxieties or lift depression. While meditation and the like may be successful in helping people take charge of…
Facing the shadowy side of our character (1 Samuel 27)
1 Sam 27:1-12; 28:2 After the high point of David’s trust in the Lord (1 Sam 26:9-10, 23-24), our reading opens puzzlingly with David’s fears that he might die at Saul’s hands (1 Sam 27:1). Has he lost faith? The…
How to grow in understanding and faithfulness to God (1 Samuel 26)
1 Sam 26:1-25 A friend complained to me that the guys she attracted and went out with seemed to have a phobia about commitment and only wanted a good time with her. Another friend had an outburst once about why…
What is the key to godliness? (1 Sam 25:18-44)
1 Sam 25:18-44 I knew a young man on the ministry team of a church I was involved in who was opinionated and a bit of a know-it-all. I found him irritating and once made some exasperated comment about him…
Handling injustice the wrong way (1 Sam 25:1-22)
1 Sam 25:1-22 Those who hold power today frequently evoke suspicion. Politicians are often assumed to use power for their own benefit, governments are suspected by conspiracy theorists of plotting to control society, bosses at work may be supposed to…
How to read opportunities (1 Samuel 24)
1 Sam 24:1-22 Interpreting correctly what God is doing in our lives is a difficult task. Sometimes situations develop, which look like opportunities: a job offer, the potential for a new relationship, a fresh direction for our life. We see…