THE WORD FOR TODAY
1 Samuel 28-30
 
1 Samuel 28-30
 
1 Samuel 30:8 8 So David inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I pursue this troop? Shall I overtake them?” And He answered him, “Pursue, for you shall surely overtake them and without fail recover all.”
 
Have you ever made the wrong decision?  I have, not once but many times.  Some of those wrong decisions have been very costly.  Others of them had little impact.  It is important that we not complicate our life with poor decisions that muddy our life making it impossible to see the way before us.
 
David had a huge decision before him.  The Amelikites had invaded the land kidnapped his family.  Logic would tell you, “Hey it’s a no brainer.  Run em down and get your family back.”  But David didn’t make an impulsive decision.  He sought the face of God.  His question, “Shall I pursue this troop?”  God guided him and assured him in the task that he would be victorious.  So David set out with confidence of a living God empowering him.
 
For some time I have encouraged God’s people to be a people who “Pray First”.  If we, just like David, pray before we make decisions in life it could significantly reduce the number of bad decisions we make.
 
Yes it means that we have to be sensitive to the Spirit of God.  To be sensitive to the Spirit of God we must be connected to Him…walking in relationship with Him. 
 
Got a tough decision?  Ask God first. 
 
Father, we seek Your wisdom as we walk, work and witness in this world.  Help us as we seek to honor YOU with all of our decisions and to do what YOU deem best for our life… …In Jesus Name…AMEN!!!
 
Blessings
Brother William
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THE WORD FOR TODAY
1 Samuel 25-27
 
1 Samuel 25-27
 
1 Samuel 25:1 1 Then Samuel died; and the Israelites gathered together and lamented for him, and buried him at his home in Ramah. And David arose and went down to the Wilderness of Paran.
 
The sanctuary was full of people paying their respects to a great man.  That man was Elmer Jefcoat.  Mr. Elmer as he had been called by so many had passed away after a lengthy battle with Alzheimer’s.  It had been very difficult for everyone who knew him to experience his struggle in those last months of his life.  Our grief was running deep…but so was our gratitude for Mr. Elmer’s love for Jesus and his passion for winning people to Christ.
 
Another great man died.  His name was Samuel.  Israel’s grief was real.  Samuel had been stabilizing force for a nation in turmoil.  He was a strong tower in a time of transition.  The people grieved his loss.
 
Our loss is really our gain.  I gained so much from Mr. Elmer’s life.  My prayer life was impacted.  My willingness to share the gospel of Christ was strengthened because of his testimony for Christ.
 
We all leave a mark on the world behind us.  The question is what kind of mark will we leave?  What kind of memories will linger when we have gone home to the Lord?  Will I leave the people I love and that love me in a better place?  Will the testimony of our life show our LOVE for Jesus?
 
It’s easy to be concerned about leaving our children and grandchildren an “inheritance”.  That is all well and good.  The greatest inheritance I can pass on after my time is over is a testimony of “love for Jesus”.  Every time I think of Samuel and Mr. Elmer and the many saints whose funerals I have presided I remember their common love for and commitment to God.  What a great memory.
 
Father, we love You and we pray that our life would show LOVE for YOU…In Jesus Name…AMEN!!!
 
Blessings
Brother William
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THE WORD FOR TODAY
1 Samuel 22-24
 
1 Samuel 22-24
 
1 Samuel 22:4 4 Then the men of David said to him, “This is the day of which the LORD said to you, ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.’” And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe.
 
The desire for revenge is a powerful emotion.  When it consumes a person they will often say and do things that are completely out of character for them.  The desire for revenge can consume a person.
 
David had the opportunity for revenged.  His enemy, Saul, was in a cave in the most vulnerable of positions.  David could have killed Saul on the spot.  With one thrust of his sword he could have killed the king of Israel.  But he didn’t…he just cut off a small portion of Saul’s robe.
 
What would I have done?  David teaches us the value not taking revenge.  In fact he felt guilty for cutting Saul’s robe.  He teaches us that revenge isn’t the answer.  The Apostle Paul taught, “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.”
 
It is so easy to get revenge.  It is so easy to write down the names of our enemies.  It is so easy to be consumed with hatred.  But it is another thing to bless those who mean us harm.  It is another thing to turn the other cheek.  Peace with others isn’t easy…nobody ever said it would be.
 
Father, deliver us from the spirit of revenge and fill us with yourself…protect us from the desire to get even and help us to trust YOU.  Grant us wisdom to bless those who would persecute us with peace.  Help us to turn the other cheek…to go the extra mile…to trust YOU with our emotions…In Jesus Name…AMEN!!!
 
Blessings
Brother William
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THE WORD FOR TODAY
1 Samuel 19-21
 
1 SAMUEL 19-21
 
1 Samuel 15:4 4 So Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.”
 
Friends!  There was a highly successful television show about friends and friendship.  These people all hung out together.  They got into trouble together.  They were supposed to be there for each other through thick or thin…but that is Hollywood’s version of friendship.
 
Jonathan said to his friend David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.”  David was having huge problems with King Saul.  Saul wanted to kill him.  David had escaped once and he knew that Saul would be relentless.  Jonathan was Saul’s son as well as David’s friend.  The depth of loyalty between these two friends is so hard to imagine…but it can be had.
 
Jonathan was willing to do anything in his power for his friend.  This prompts me as reminder for my friends.
 
It reminds me to do the right thing with them…the right thing from pure motives.
 
It reminds me that true friendship crosses all boundaries.  Jonathan knew Saul, his father meant bad for David…yet he sided with David.
 
This beautiful story of friendship reminds me that I need good friends who will be there through the best and the worse of my life.
 
The wisdom writer was correct when he said in Proverbs, “A cord of three strands is not easily broken.”  Truly two are better than one.  I hope that you have GOOD friends that desire God’s best for your life. 
 
Father, give me Christian friends who will pray for me and nurture me and help me.  Thank you for all those friends over the years who influenced my life.  Thank you for their love and the sacrifices they made on my behalf…thank you for the greatest friend I have ever had…my friend JESUS…In Jesus Name…AMEN!!!
 
Blessings
Brother William
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THE WORD FOR TODAY
1 Samuel 16-18
 
1 SAMUEL 16-18
 
1 Samuel 15:7  7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the LORD does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
 
The first time I met Steve I had the impression that he was one of the most prideful and arrogant people I had ever met.  The opinion was based on the things I saw outwardly and they shaped how I related to him.  In our sophomore year of college together Steve came to me.  He floored me with an apology.  I shall never forget it.  He said, “William, I have sinned against God and against you with my prideful and arrogant spirit please forgive me.”  I had to ask him to forgive me for my attitude toward him.  To this day we are great friends because we saw each other’s heart and experienced God’s healing power.
 
God was selecting a new king for Israel.  Saul had been a huge disappointment.  The main criteria, “The Lord looks at the heart.”  Outward appearance was not going to do it for next king.  His heart for God and for the people would be the deciding factor.
 
It is so easy to leave our heart unguarded.  It is so very easy to allow awful thoughts and feelings to control how we related to others.  It is a completely different thing to allow GOD to change our heart and make it new.
 
God knows our heart.  He knows what we desire.  And HE is the absolute best heart surgeon that is available…all it costs is our life…completely turned over to HIM.
 
Father, my heart is in YOUR hands.  My hope rests in YOU.  My future belongs to YOU.  Change my heart for YOUR glory my LORD…In Jesus Name…AMEN!!!
 
Blessings
Brother William
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THE WORD FOR TODAY
1 Samuel 13-15
 
1 Samuel 13-15
 
1 Samuel 13:11-12  Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12 then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.”
 
It is so easy to impatiently get ahead of God.
 
Just ask Saul.  He was preparing for battle.  He needed the prophet Samuel to offer a burnt offering.  The prophet’s driver was running just a little bit late.  So Samuel in impatient haste felt…”compelled, and offered the burnt offering.”
 
This was a costly mistake for Saul.  He in a moment lost his kingdom.  The beginning of the end was then.
 
It is costly for us to get ahead of God.  Trust demands that we work and move and make our decisions based on guidance by His Holy Spirit.  Trust requires that we wait on God.  You know God always answers our prayers.  He answers, “Yes.”  We love that answer…most of the time.  He answers, “No.”  We don’t like that answer oftentimes until later on.  And He answers, “Wait.”  Wait…are you kidding me “WAIT!”  There is no way I can wait.  Oh please don’t make me wait.  But God says, “WAIT.”
 
It is so easy to impatiently get ahead of God.
 
Father, by Your Spirit’s power, slow our steps when we walk in haste, slow our words when we speak as we mustn’t…teach us to trust YOU and wait for Your guiding and powerful hand to guide us…In Jesus Name…AMEN!!!
 
Blessings
Brother William
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THE WORD FOR TODAY
1 Samuel 10-12
 
1 Samuel 10-12
 
1 Samuel 10:9  9 So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart; and all those signs came to pass that day.
 
It is hard to believe that medical technology has the ability to change a person’s heart.  As long as everything is compatible for the recipient then the person needing a heart transplant can enjoy a longer life with better heart. 
 
God has been in the business of changing heart for thousands of years.  1 Samuel records an amazing heart transplant...Saul was being prepared to be king over Israel.  As a part of that preparation scripture records that God gave him another heart.
 
That new heart caused Saul to things he had never done before.  He prophesied as different man than anyone had known before…that is the product of a changed heart.
 
We sing a song in church sometimes, “Change my heart O God, make it ever true, change my heart O God, May I be like you.”  We need Him, I need Him to change my heart…my desires, my drives, my motivations, my passions, my focus…we all need HIM to change us.
 
He is the best heart surgeon in existence.
 
Father, change my heart oh God, make it ever true, change my heart oh God may I be like you…In Jesus Name…AMEN!!!
 
Blessings
Brother William
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THE WORD FOR TODAY
1 Samuel 4-6
 
1 Samuel 4-6
 
1 Samuel 5:4  4 And when they arose early the next morning, there was Dagon, fallen on its face to the ground before the ark of the LORD. The head of Dagon and both the palms of its hands were broken off on the threshold; only Dagon’s torso was left of it.
 
We serve an awesome and powerful God.  We serve a God that above anything that mankind could ever dream or imagine.  We serve a God that displays HIS power in ways that are amazing…and for some people very frightening.
 
The Philistines had something that didn’t belong to them.  They had seized the Ark of God.  They knew that it was special for the children of Israel…but now they would find out the hard way. 
 
After seizing the Ark of God they took it to their temple, the house of Dagon.  They set the Ark of God by Dagon.  The second day, Dagon lay face down before the Ark of God and his hands and head were broken off.
 
They should have gotten the message then but they were stubborn.  After incredible sickness and death…seven months later…they returned the Ark of God to the Israelites.
 
God cannot be mocked.  He is Holy.  He is above anything that we as humans could ever create or even imagine in the most creative moments.  Dagon couldn’t stand before HIM.  I can’t help but think of the scripture that is very clear, “Every knee will bow before Me and every tongue will confess to God.”  Romans 14:11
 
Father, You are God…You are Lord…we confess that before YOUR awesome presence this day…In Jesus Name…AMEN!!!
 
Blessings
Brother William
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THE WORD FOR TODAY
1 Samuel 1-3
 
1 Samuel 1-3
 
1 Samuel 1:11  Then she made a vow and said, “O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head.”
 
I remember like it was yesterday, the doctor said he was going to have perform emergency cesarean surgery on my wife.  Our little girl was being a bit stubborn about entering this world.  I remember the tremendous wave of anxiety that swept over me.  Will my wife we alright?  Is the child safe?  How will all of this work out?  So I did what literally thousands have done…I began to pray.  I made a deal with God.  I said, “God you get my wife through this and I will always go to church.  I will always be faithful to you.”
 
Well God did get her through that surgery.  But I didn’t keep my word.  In fact I don’t even think I went to church the following Sunday.
 
Hannah was desperate for a child.  She made a deal with God.  She told the Lord, “I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life…”  To fast forward the story…God did give her that child and she did give him in service to the Lord.  Samuel her son would be a powerful man of God all the days of his life.  She kept her word.
 
In the midst of crisis we are so quick to make deals with God.  For safety and security and hope we will offer almost anything.  Then when all is well…that promise is yesterday’s news.  If God got mad at every broken promise can you imagine how angry HE would be? 
 
Let’s be a people who keep our word with the Father.  Let’s also remember that HE has our best interests at heart and will do His work in ways that we can never understand and even imagine.
 
Father, forgive me for my broken promises to You over the years.  Help me to be firm in my commitment to YOU and to Your call on my life.  May we all depend on YOU during the trial and tribulations, joys and excitement of this life…In Jesus Name…AMEN!!!
 
Blessings
Brother William
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THE WORD FOR TODAY
Ruth 1-4
 
 Ruth 1-4
 
Ruth 1:16-17  16 But Ruth said: “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. 17 Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”
 
I love reading the words of Ruth as she spoke to Naomi, “Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”
 
The depth of commitment in these words is uncommon.  Ruth had every reason to return to her country.  She had experienced loss.  She had borne tragedy.  She was heart broken.  And yet she possessed an uncommon commitment to stay by Naomi’s side no matter what her own needs might be.
 
What a great word of encouragement in this “throw away society” of today.  Commitment in our relationships is so very important.  It gets people through the rough and tumble of turmoil and trouble.  Commitment enables a stability that help moms, dads, children and grandchildren weather any wind that may be blowing through their lives.
 
Read the words of Ruth to Naomi one more time, Entreat me not to leave you, Or to turn back from following after you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, And your God, my God. Where you die, I will die, And there will I be buried. The LORD do so to me, and more also, If anything but death parts you and me.”  Write these words on the doorposts of your heart.  Resolve to live by them.  Replace uncertainty and indecision with a FIRM COMMITMENT in all of your relationships.
 
Father, bless every relationship that is impacted by this devotion with a greater commitment.  Encourage us to live like Ruth with an uncommon commitment.  Help each of us to stand strong by the side of the people we love…In Jesus Name…AMEN!!!
 
Blessings
Brother William
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