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1 Kings 2:1-9; 2 Samuel 23:1-7; 1 Kings 2:10-12; 1 Chronicles 29:26-30; Psalm 4-6; Psalm 8-9; Psalm 11<\/strong><\/span> Dramatic readings in First Kings today!\u00a0 David\u2019s final instructions to Solomon include some strong words about how Joab & Shimei should die.\u00a0 And later in today\u2019s readings, these words come to fruition.\u00a0 An image is below for David giving his final instructions to Solomon in today\u2019s readings:<\/span><\/p>\n In 1 Kings 2:10 in today\u2019s readings, we read this simple verse that concludes our readings of David\u2019s life (for now\u2026 we\u2019ll read more about David later in the Bible this year) \u2013\u00a0 \u201cThen David died and was buried in the City of David.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Psalm 4 is a wonderful Davidic Psalm.\u00a0 Verse 7 stood out to me today\u201d \u201cYou have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and wine.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Do you believe that God\u2019s Spirit can give you greater joy than any amount of money or material goods or even human love can give?\u00a0 Will you seek a deeper relationship with God this year and ask God for this holy joy?<\/span><\/p>\n I love Psalm 5 verse 3: \u201cListen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my requests to you and wait expectantly.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 This is a great reminder to pray in the mornings \u2013 before we start the hustle and bustle of the day.\u00a0 I know that many of you are reading the One Year Bible readings in the morning, which I think is a great way to start your day!\u00a0 I do see a huge positive difference in my day if I do pray to God in the morning and pray specifically about the upcoming day \u2013 and pray for others that I will interact with that day as well.\u00a0 Praise God for the morning!<\/span><\/p>\n Actually, while I\u2019m talking about the morning here, let me go off on a tangent if you don\u2019t mind\u2026 \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 I honestly have lived much of my life as a \u201cnight owl.\u201d\u00a0 I went to bed late and woke up late.\u00a0 And I had all kinds of good \u201creasons\u201d of why I was a night owl.\u00a0 But, I will be honest here \u2013 I don\u2019t think being a night owl was good for me.\u00a0 I honestly believe there is so much wisdom in the old adage of \u201cearly to bed, early to rise, helps make a person healthy, wealthy and wise.\u201d\u00a0 I personally think that being a night owl was a lack of discipline on my part.\u00a0 I don\u2019t mean to say all this to make you other night owls out there feel guilty\u2026\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 But, I do want to encourage you, in that if you think you are stuck being a night owl the rest of your life, I don\u2019t think it is true.\u00a0 I believe you can make the transition to being a morning person.\u00a0 I am an example of someone who has transitioned from being a late-night person to an early-to-bed person.\u00a0 (well, yes, I\u2019m still a bit in the transition phase sometimes it seems\u2026)\u00a0 And I am here to tell you, mornings rock!\u00a0 Early mornings are so beautiful and peaceful!\u00a0 They really are an amazing time of the day to connect with God\u2026\u00a0 \u00a0Praise God for the morning!<\/span><\/p>\n As I read Psalm 6, it seems very penitential to me \u2013 like David was making a confession of sins and praying for forgiveness from God.\u00a0 \u00a0As you read through these verses, have you ever felt like this?\u00a0 I have.\u00a0 And it ain\u2019t fun.\u00a0 But, it\u2019s part of the healing process.\u00a0 I do think we need to allow ourselves to get fully broken before God before we get fully healed.\u00a0 We can\u2019t mask over or hide from God what\u2019s really going on \u2013 we have got to put it all out there on the table before God, for him to be able to truly fix it.\u00a0 \u00a0However \u2013 there is great encouragement and confidence from David in this Psalm in verse 9: \u201cThe LORD has heard my plea; the LORD will answer my prayer.\u201d<\/em> The Lord will hear your plea!\u00a0 The Lord will answer your prayer!\u00a0 Please plea and pray to him if you need to.\u00a0 He will listen and answer.<\/span><\/p>\n Today we read Psalm 8!\u00a0 Verses 3 & 4 I love: \u201cWhen I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers\u2013 the moon and the stars you have set in place\u2013 what are mortals that you should think of us, mere humans that you should care for us?\u201d<\/em> What I love about this verse is that before I had faith in Jesus, and even God, I used to always look toward the night sky and just be amazed by the stars!\u00a0 I would always think to myself \u2013 there is no way that this all just happened by chance.\u00a0 There\u2019s gotta be something bigger going on making all of this happen.\u00a0 The night sky was evangelizing me!!\u00a0 \ud83d\ude42\u00a0 What a beautiful thing. Have you ever had the experience of nature, God\u2019s creation, evangelizing you? When you are out in nature, do you offer up praise and thanks to God for His amazingly beautiful creation?<\/span><\/p>\n Psalm 9 verse 9 stood out at me today: \u201cThe LORD is a shelter for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble.\u201d <\/em>When we are in trouble, do we run to God for shelter?\u00a0 Or do we look elsewhere?\u00a0 Where will we ultimately find true peace and rest from the storms of life?\u00a0 Do you believe that the Bible is a haven for you in the midst of the storms of life?<\/span><\/p>\n Psalm 9 verse 18 is so true and powerful: \u201cFor the needy will not be forgotten forever; the hopes of the poor will not always be crushed.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 This is a great reminder that God\u2019s heart is for the poor in this world!\u00a0 If God\u2019s heart is for the poor \u2013 should our heart be for the poor too?\u00a0 How is your heart for the poor these days?\u00a0 How do you remember the poor and their hopes?<\/span><\/p>\n Today we read Psalm 11, which is one that you might miss the full meaning of if you didn\u2019t know some of the commentary behind this Psalm.\u00a0 Basically in this Psalm King David is expressing his unshakable trust in God to other people around him who are very scared of enemy attacks.\u00a0 Knowing this \u2013 check out verse 1: \u201cI trust in the LORD for protection. So why do you say to me, \u201cFly to the mountains for safety!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Like David, do we really trust in God for our protection?\u00a0 Or do we sometimes rely on others or our own cunning \u2013 or, our own fear \u2013 for protection?\u00a0 Are there times when we are faced with a challenging situation that we feel like running away from it?\u00a0 \u201cFleeing to the mountains\u201d for safety?\u00a0 When, instead, should we simply trust in God for our protection and move forward in spite of the fear within us?\u00a0 Is there an area of your life where you need to turn over more trust in God for ultimate protection?\u00a0 Will you flee to God only instead of fleeing to the mountains?<\/span><\/p>\n Worship Video:<\/strong>\u00a0 Psalm 5:3 in today\u2019s readings reminded me of the wonderful worship song \u201cA New Hallelujah\u201d by Michael W. Smith. Here\u2019s a great live version of the song featuring the African Children\u2019s Choir from Uganda!<\/span><\/p>\n \n
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