Considering An Abortion?

# 369 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 26:20-25, "So now, do not let my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD. For the king of Israel has come out to seek a flea, as when one hunts a partridge in the mountains." 21 Then Saul said, "I have sinned. Return, my son David. For I will harm you no more, because my life was precious in your eyes this day. Indeed I have played the fool and erred exceedingly." 22 And David answered and said, "Here is the king's spear. Let one of the young men come over and get it. 23 "May the LORD repay every man for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the LORD delivered you into my hand today, but I would not stretch out my hand against the LORD'S anointed. 24 "And indeed, as your life was valued much this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued much in the eyes of the LORD, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation." 25 Then Saul said to David, "May you be blessed, my son David! You shall both do great things and also still prevail." So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place. (1 Sam26:20-25) Perhaps someone hearing or reading this is pregnant and considering abortion. Please listen to what David is saying here before you make that decision to end your baby's life. He says “do not let my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord.” It is a plea to not spill innocent blood before the Lord who is ever watching. And then he says in verse 24, "And indeed, as your life was valued much this day in my eyes, so let my life be valued much in the eyes of the LORD, and let Him deliver me out of all tribulation." Value that life in your womb and let the Lord perform His promise to deliver you out of all tribulation. He doesn't promise to remove the tribulation, only to deliver you out of it. You WILL make it through this! “But what about me?” I didn't listen to the Lord, I didn't know of this promise of deliverance?! Beloved, it may be too late to undo your abortion, but it is never too late to come to the Lord and ask for forgiveness. There is no sin that you or I have committed that Jesus did not pay for on that cross. Isa 45:22 says, "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. Father help those in crisis situations to choose life, and heal and forgive those who have made wrong choices in the past.

Keep Me From Driving Others Away

# 368 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 26:19 "Now therefore, please, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, 'Go, serve other gods.' ( 1 Sam 26:19) David wants to get to the bottom of this deadly cat and mouse game with Saul. Is it the Lord's doing, or has Saul been riled up by those around him? David makes it plain that it is not a good idea for men to be behind this. Cursed be those people who's actions drive others away from the inheritance of the Lord! Because in effect, they are saying, “Go, serve other gods!” In Prov 6:16-18 we read, “These six things the LORD hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him: 17 A proud look, A lying tongue, Hands that shed innocent blood, 18 A heart that devises wicked plans, Feet that are swift in running to evil, 19 A false witness who speaks lies, And one who sows discord among brethren. Is someone sowing lies and the seeds of discord into Saul's mind? ....Woe to them. Jesus speaks even more harshly to those who would act in such a way as to keep someone away from sharing in the inheritance of the Lord. He says in Lu 17:1,2, “Jesus said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that causes of stumbling should come; but alas for him through whom they come! 2 It would be well for him if, with a millstone round his neck, he were lying at the bottom of the sea, rather than that he should cause even one of these little ones (these children of God) to fall.” There are enough temptations and false teachings and attractions in the world to lure people away from the faith, let them never come from our own words or actions as followers of Christ. Oh God, do not let me be the cause of someone falling from the faith. Do not allow me to chase one soul away from the cross of Christ. Guard me from sending any message with my words or deeds that would excuse sin, denigrate Your Word, or trample on Your message of saving grace. In Jesus name, I pray, Amen!

Struggle, Battle, Tribulation

# 367 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 26:19 "Now therefore, please, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the children of men, may they be cursed before the LORD, for they have driven me out this day from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, 'Go, serve other gods.' ( 1 Sam 26:19) In hindsight, we know the answer to this question is that God allowed a distressing spirit to come upon Saul because of Saul's own disobedience. It was this distressing spirit of jealousy that had riled up Saul and caused this life and death cat and mouse game with David. Why would God, in His sovereignty allow such a thing to happen to His anointed? (David) It's so tempting to ask that question of God in the midst of our own trials and temptations and begin to doubt the love of God, but if we study this portion of Scripture and read the Psalms that David wrote because of this experience we can see that God desires to teach us the realities of the spiritual warfare involved in following Christ. It's true, following Christ involves struggle, battle, tribulation! Yet, if we are willing, we can learn with David that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Rom 8:28) And no matter the struggle, God's love for us is not diminished. Ro 8:35-39 says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? (Please note, these are all things that David experienced in his struggle with Saul) 36 As it is written: "For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter." 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Be a conqueror! Cling to the cross, and know that in all your perils God never ceases loving you, and never ceases His desire to spend eternity with you. Father, help me through my trials today. Conquer my fears through Jesus!

The Secret To Reconciliation

# 366 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 26:17-19a, “Then Saul knew David's voice, and said, "Is that your voice, my son David?" And David said, "It is my voice, my lord, O king." 18 And he said, "Why does my lord thus pursue his servant? For what have I done, or what evil is in my hand? 19 "Now therefore, please, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. (1 Sam 26:17-19a) David has had enough of this rift between he and Saul, and so he proposes that he and Saul send up an offering to God. I'm guessing the offering would've been a guilt offering as outlined in Le 5:17,18, "If a person sins, and commits any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the LORD, though he does not know it, yet he is guilty and shall bear his iniquity. 18 "And he shall bring to the priest a ram without blemish from the flock, with your valuation, as a trespass offering. So the priest shall make atonement for him regarding his ignorance in which he erred and did not know it, and it shall be forgiven him.” David was saying, “Look Saul, if you are after me because God has stirred you up for a sin I have committed, or riled you up because of some sin you have committed. Let's make a guilt offering (confess our guilt) to God and be done with this!” Friend, this is timeless advice from Scripture and mirrors Jesus admonition to seek reconciliation with our brothers and sisters in Christ. I shall ever remember the time when there was a rift between myself and the pastor of our church. Long story short, one evening through a God-orchestrated event, we found ourselves in church praying. In a matter of minutes we were both silently drawn to the altar, and there, kneeling before the cross we experienced the joy of tearful reconciliation. You see, when we met at the cross, we both realized that the ground was level. Neither one of us was better than the other and with this realization, we were able to press on through our differences. I hope this helps those who are struggling with reconciliation in a relationship. It set both of us free and kindled a love for each other that still burns deep today. Thank You Jesus for the cross of reconciliation.

Dereliction of Duty Part 2

# 364 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 26:13-16, “Now David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of a hill afar off, a great distance being between them. 14 And David called out to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, "Do you not answer, Abner?" Then Abner answered and said, "Who are you, calling out to the king?" 15 So David said to Abner, "Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your lord the king. 16 "This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not guarded your master, the LORD'S anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the jug of water that was by his head." (1 Sam 26:13-16) Plain and simple, Abner is guilty of dereliction of duty, and as I mentioned last time, we become guilty of the same offense when we fail to heed Jesus' command to “watch and pray.” Jesus' concern was that His followers might fall into the trap of getting so caught up with the cares of this world that they would neglect some of the basic duties of the Christian life. Those duties include such things as evangelism, (Go) giving to the poor, fasting, praying, and even taking care of those in your household. 1Ti 5:8 says, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith (been derelict in his duty) and is worse than an unbeliever.” Try to look at it this way. When you were saved by grace through faith, you became a member of the household of God. As with every household, there are chores that need to be done to keep the household running smoothly. Sometimes, the managers of the house will post a list of duties for the members of the household. The Bible has a similar list of duties for the members of God's household. What are they? Pick up the Bible, prayerfully read it, and your duties will become clear. Your willingness to participate in the chores of the household of God serve as proof of the genuineness of your faith. Faith without works (performed duties) is dead. (James 2:17) Father, thank You for Your grace that saved me, help me now to respond to Your grace with joyful service in Your kingdom.

Dereliction of Duty

# 364 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 26:13-16, “Now David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of a hill afar off, a great distance being between them. 14 And David called out to the people and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, "Do you not answer, Abner?" Then Abner answered and said, "Who are you, calling out to the king?" 15 So David said to Abner, "Are you not a man? And who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not guarded your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your lord the king. 16 "This thing that you have done is not good. As the LORD lives, you deserve to die, because you have not guarded your master, the LORD'S anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the jug of water that was by his head." (1 Sam 26:13-16) Safely out of Saul's camp, David levies the charge of dereliction of duty against Abner. Any veteran will tell you that this is a very serious offense. During times of war one could be sentenced to death if found guilty of dereliction of duty. Wikipedia defines it in part as a person who has incapacitated himself in such a way that he cannot perform his duties. Such incapacitation includes the person falling asleep while on duty. So how are you doing with our Lord's command to watch (stay awake) and pray? If the Lord returned today, could you be found guilty of “dereliction of duty? Do you not know Christian, that we are engaged in war? Do you not know that eternal life and death hang in the balance? Listen to the words of Jesus in Lu 21:34-36, "But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. 35 "For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 "Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." To be counted worthy is not about “doing,” it's about “being” found in Christ through faith! Guard your faith! Don't let it play second fiddle to partying and the cares of this life! When all is said and done, only those who have placed their faith in Jesus will be found doing their duty. Father, the world is ever luring me to sleep, drawing me away from my faith, keep me alert and on duty by the power of Your Holy Spirit!

God Has A Stun Gun, And He's Not Afraid To Use It

# 362 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 26:11,12, “The LORD forbid that I should stretch out my hand against the LORD'S anointed. But please, take now the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go." 12 So David took the spear and the jug of water by Saul's head, and they got away; and no man saw it or knew it or awoke. For they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the LORD had fallen on them. (1 Sam 26:11,12) What a miracle! David sneaks in camp and sneaks out with Saul's spear and canteen, and no one wakens because God caused a deep sleep to fall on Saul and his troops. The word sleep here comes from a root word that means to stun or stupefy, and the point I want to make here is that God has a stun gun, and He's not afraid to use it! God is capable of creating spiritual stupor. He is not a spiritual switch that we can turn off and on at our whim. Ps 76:6 says, “At thy rebuke, O God of Jacob, both rider and horse lay stunned. Don't be so haughty that you discount the fact that God can knock us off of our high horses anytime He chooses. Just ask the Apostle Paul! This same word for sleep is used elsewhere in Scripture to describe a heavenly imposed spiritual slumber. Isa 29:10 says, “For the LORD has poured out on you the spirit of deep sleep, and has closed your eyes; He has covered the prophets and your heads, the seers.” This spiritual stupor spoken of in Isaiah resulted in the Bible becoming a closed Book. No revelation! And no revelation equals no salvation, and no revival. For faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God! (Rom 10:17) Why did God bring this stupor upon His people? Isa 29:13 says, “Because this people draw near Me with their mouth, and with their lips honor Me, but have removed their heart far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the command of men;” In a word, hypocrisy and legalism invite spiritual slumber into the church and across a land. God has a stun gun and He is not afraid to use it. Let us seek to cooperate fully with the Holy Spirit to guard us against these two dangers. Lord, show me any hypocrisy in my own life, and deliver me from the poison of my tendencies toward legalism.

Let God Do the Avenging

# 362 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 26:7-10, “ So David and Abishai came to the people by night; and there Saul lay sleeping within the camp, with his spear stuck in the ground by his head. And Abner and the people lay all around him. 8 Then Abishai said to David, "God has delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please, let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will not have to strike him a second time!" 9 And David said to Abishai, "Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the LORD'S anointed, and be guiltless?" 10 David said furthermore, "As the LORD lives, the LORD shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish. " (1 Sam 26:7-10) Once again the Bible reminds us to honor those whom the Lord has placed in authority over us. If they have abused their authority, don't worry God will take care of them in due time. But there's something else here I think is worth noting, you'll find it in verse 9 when David tells Abishai, “Do not destroy!” Where have we heard this phrase before? Have you ever been to a coffee house concert and the artist will relate a personal story on how God gave them a song about it? I'm guessing here that David restrains Abishai by reminding him of a song David once wrote called “Do Not Destroy.” You'll find the song in Psalm 58. I don't have time here to read the entire Psalm, but it is introduced with the same words that David spoke to Abishai. Ps 58:1 says, “To the Chief Musician. Set to "Do Not Destroy." A Michtam of David.” In the Psalm David speaks of Saul's relentless intent to do unjustifiable harm to David, followed by a plea for God to intervene, and then finishing with the assertion that God will take care of this enemy: We pick it up in v9. “He (God) shall take them away as with a whirlwind, As in His living and burning wrath. 10 The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; He shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked, 11 So that men will say, "Surely there is a reward for the righteous; Surely He is God who judges in the earth." Harassed by an enemy? No need to retaliate, remember David's song Do Not Destroy, and trust God. He will prevail over your enemies. “God guard me from actions with my hands or my lips that would destroy others. Help me to trust, that You will take care of any injustice in Your time.

Tagging Along With Jesus

# 361 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 26:5,6, “So David arose and came to the place where Saul had encamped. And David saw the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army. Now Saul lay within the camp, with the people encamped all around him. 6 Then David answered, and said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab, saying, "Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?" And Abishai said, "I will go down with you."(1 Sam 26:5,6) Please note where Saul and Abner were sleeping. They were in the middle of their troops. The only way to get to them was to sneak through all the others. What a foolhardy mission! Yet, David decides to go down to Saul. That means that he must tiptoe through the whole camp in order to stand next to him. What is he thinking? What can such a dangerous move gain for him? What can he possibly hope to accomplish? I ask you again to think in terms of types. David is a type of Christ and Saul a type of Satan. Jesus tiptoed into our world (the devils camp) in a manger in a little town called Bethlehem. The devil, (like Saul seeking to destroy David) sought to destroy Jesus. First through Herod in Bethlehem, then through temptation in the wilderness and Gethsemane, and finally on a cross outside Jerusalem. It was in Jesus' power (as it was in David's power to kill Saul on several occasions) to destroy the devil at any time. He often demonstrated this power over the devil as he cast out demons and healed people of their diseases. But like David, He leaves the timing of the ultimate destruction of Satan to the Father. This mission of David's serves as a picture of what Jesus has done to the devil. And is clarified for us in Col 2:12-15, “buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14 having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.” Through baptism and faith we are like Abishai, responding to David's invitation to come along to the enemy's camp, confident of ultimate success, only we are confidently tagging along with Jesus. Father, thank You for reminding us again of the victory we have in Jesus.

Don't Assume, Get the Facts

# 360 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 26:3,4, “And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon, by the road. But David stayed in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. 4 David therefore sent out spies, and understood that Saul had indeed come.” Saul continues his on again off again pursuit of David. Today I want to spend a little time noting David's response. In verse three, we read that David “saw that Saul was coming after him.” Then in verse four we read “therefore,” in other words “because” David observed that Saul was coming after him, he sent out spies, and his spies then reported back to him confirming the report. “Saul indeed has come!” David noticed the activity of Saul, but even though it was likely that Saul was after him, he didn't just make that assumption. Rather, he sent spies to find out what Saul's objective was. The spies, (more than one, (two or three witnesses if you will) Were able to confirm to David, that Saul was indeed seeking military engagement. This is such a valuable lesson for all of us. It is so much easier to act on assumptions rather than getting involved to the point of actually knowing all the facts. We see it all the time on Facebook and other social media. Someone gets righteously riled up by a post and immediately re-post’s it as gospel truth. Or we hear the rumors around the water cooler at work, or in the narthex and lobbies of churches, and even in our prayer circles, and tongues start to wag. Oh the damage that is done when we speak and act on mere assumptions. We need to get a lot better at closing our yappers until we have gotten all the facts. Pr 18:13 says, “He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.” And in Pr 24:28 we read, “Do not be a witness against your neighbor without cause, For would you deceive with your lips?” And in De 19:15 we read, "One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. Father, forgive me for all the times I have spoken hastily. Holy Spirit guard my lips today from speaking before I know all the facts.

Pray For the Atheists

# 359 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 26:1,2, “Now the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, "Is David not hiding in the hill of Hachilah, opposite Jeshimon?" 2 Then Saul arose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph. (1 Sam 26:1,2) These Ziphites continue to be a thorn in the side of David. They continually seek to rile up the government (Saul) in order to remove David from their midst. They remind me of Madalyn Murray O'Hair, Annie Gaylor, Richard Dawkins, and other famous atheists who made it their mission to remove Christianity from the public square. Sometimes we Christians get all riled up against these people who seem to be so hell-bent on attacking our faith, but we should be much more concerned about their souls. The Bible has some strong words to say about atheists. Ps 14:1 says, “The fool has said in his heart, "There is no God." Ps 14:1“ and in Pr 28:26, we read, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.” In the end, the believer (one who walks wisely) is delivered while the atheist faces an eternity of torment. Unbelief is the sin, that bars one from heaven. Heb 3:12-19 says, “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God; 13 but exhort one another daily, while it is called "Today," lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. 14 For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end, 15 while it is said: "Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." 16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. Chilling words. Barred from heaven and eternal bliss, due to the hardened heart of unbelief. Father, in Your mercy we implore You to keep pursuing the lost.

The Daily Du-votional: Marriage God's Way

The Daily Du-votional: Marriage God's Way: # 358 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 25:39b-44, “And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the s...

Marriage God's Way

# 358 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 25:39b-44, “And David sent and proposed to Abigail, to take her as his wife. 40 When the servants of David had come to Abigail at Carmel, they spoke to her saying, "David sent us to you, to ask you to become his wife." 41 Then she arose, bowed her face to the earth, and said, "Here is your maidservant, a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord." 42 So Abigail rose in haste and rode on a donkey, attended by five of her maidens; and she followed the messengers of David, and became his wife. 43 David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, and so both of them were his wives. 44 But Saul had given Michal his daughter, David's wife, to Palti the son of Laish, who was from Gallim. (1 Sam 25:39b-44) If you recall, David started out with Michal, Saul's daughter as his first wife, but then Saul took her away from him and gave her to Palti. So David, now without a wife, is presented with an opportunity to remedy that and perhaps stricken by the inner beauty and grace of Abigail, asks for her hand in marriage. Abigail is no fool, she knows that the lot of the widow in these early biblical times is not good. SO she hastened on her way to become his wife. But David doesn't stop there. He also marries Ahinoam, who incidentally bears his first child, Amnon. But David doesn't stop there. We read in 1 Chron 3:1-9, of at least five more wives, and numerous unnamed concubines. Multiple wives and concubines was an accepted practice in the world he lived in, but it was never sanctioned by God, who set the standard in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve, and then reiterated it through Jesus. We read about it in Mt 19:3-6, “The Pharisees also came to Him, testing Him, and saying to Him, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?" 4 And He answered and said to them, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning 'made them male and female,' 5 "and said, 'For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? 6 "So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate." David's marital practices were greatly influenced by the world, sadly, it seems we are under the same ungodly influence today. “ Father, forgive us for our failures in dealing with this “institution that you love,” and help us to regain a right understanding of Your idea of marriage. “

The Daily Du-votional: The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

The Daily Du-votional: The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit: # 357 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 25:39a, “So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD, who h...

The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit

# 357 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 25:39a, “So when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the LORD, who has pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and has kept His servant from evil! For the LORD has returned the wickedness of Nabal on his own head." (1 Sam 25:39a) Remind me not to have David give the eulogy at my funeral! I mean, this is just not the sort of thing we say about people when they die! Think about what David is really saying here. “Thank You Lord for giving that rich old fool Nabal what he deserves for insulting me and my heritage!” This is not something that you or I have license to say about anyone, because the fact is, we are all sinners. We are all, like Nabal, rich fools who have constantly insulted the richness of God's grace with sin. We justly deserve what Nabal got. It is only by God's mercy that we have been spared. With that said, let's look a little deeper here at this eulogy of David's. David says that God has “pleaded the cause of my reproach.” In a legal sense, the phrase means to wrestle with, to grab by the hair. The picture is this: God has wrestled with Nabal, justly found him guilty of reproach, and tossed him out of the ring of life. His crime was his “reproach” of David. The word means, harsh treatment arising from haughtiness or contempt. This contempt was spewed out in 1 Sam 25:10, when Nabal said, “Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse?” Nabal should have paid more attention to David's family tree and he would've known who David, the Son of Jesse was, and who would one day come forth from his loins! Had he really known, he wouldn't have spoken so contemptuously. You see, in reproaching David, Nabal was “speaking evil” of the lineage of Jesus, and that is blasphemy. Jesus said in Mt 12:31 "Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. I know of fewer verses in all of Scripture that cause believers to wonder and tremble, “Have I committed this unpardonable sin?” But hear me. If you have any concern that you have somehow committed this sin in an irreversible way.......you haven't. Your very concern speaks of spiritual life in your soul. Father, console Your people with this truth today.

The heavenly Heart Specialist

# 356 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 25:36-38, “Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. 37 So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38 Then it came about, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died. ( 1 Sam 25:36-38,) Nabal makes his heart artificially merry by turning to alcohol, but when the alcohol wears off, the heaviness returns. We are not told what it was that Abigail said that renewed his heaviness of heart. Was it the fact that his stinginess very nearly cost him his life? Was it anger over the amount of Abigail's offering to David? I think it's safe to say that her words triggered some kind of regret in his heart. Here's the thing about regret, if dwelt on, it always produce depression, and what is depression if not a heavy heart? So how do we battle depression? Pr 12:25 says, “Anxiety (anxious thoughts over guilt and missed opportunities) in the heart of man causes depression, But a good word makes it glad.” The cure for depression then is to receive a good word. Where do you find a good word? You find it in the Scriptures. The Apostle Paul certainly had many regrets over his past mistakes, how did he cope with the fact that he had persecuted Christians to the point of death? He said in Php 3:13, “ Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,” What regrets in your life trigger a heavy heart? Bring them to the Lord! He implores you in Pr 23:26, “My son, (or daughter) give me your heart!” And in Ps 55:22, “Cast your burden on the LORD, And He shall sustain you;” Yes, He is the heavenly heart specialist. He is here to help and heal your heavy heart today! Ps 61:2 says, “When my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” “Lord, my heart is heavy today with emotions for which there are no words. You see deep within me; You know what I feel and why I feel it. Lift this heavy weight from my heart today, replace the load with Your love, peace, and joy. I trust You, healer of my heart, in Jesus Name, Amen.

Help For the Broken-hearted

# 355 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 25:35-38, “So David received from her hand what she had brought him, and said to her, "Go up in peace to your house. See, I have heeded your voice and respected your person." 36 Now Abigail went to Nabal, and there he was, holding a feast in his house, like the feast of a king. And Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunk; therefore she told him nothing, little or much, until morning light. 37 So it was, in the morning, when the wine had gone from Nabal, and his wife had told him these things, that his heart died within him, and he became like a stone. 38 Then it came about, after about ten days, that the LORD struck Nabal, and he died. ( 1 Sam 25:35-38,) Nabal has a heart issue. The only way he could make it merry was by getting drunk. Trouble is, the heaviness of heart returns when the alcohol wears off! Been there, done that! Thank You Jesus for healing this broken heart! I suspect that Nabal's underlying pain had something to do with his parents naming him Nabal which means “stupid” and the only way he experienced temporary relief from this emotional chasm carelessly created by his parents was through alcohol. Looking back on my own life, I know that I used alcohol to medicate the pain in my heart, but praise God, Jesus came to me in the midst of my heaviness and healed my broken heart. Have you not heard? One of the reasons Jesus came to this earth was to heal the broken-hearted. Luke 4:18b says, “He has sent Me to heal the broken-hearted,” Lu 4:18b Nabal had a choice. He could embrace Abigail's words and received the joyous news of his deliverance, or he could choose to remain broken-hearted. Listen, my broken-hearted brothers and sisters, to the benefit of a heart lightened by Jesus. If your heart is filled with joy and peace, it can sustain you through the painful experiences of life. But if your heart is broken, then there are no human resources to sustain you. The only recourse is for the Lord to put you on a “divine life support system” until He mends and restores your broken spirit, and this He will do, as it says in Ps 34:18 The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. Father, draw the heavy-hearted to You today.

Run It By The Taste Buds

# 354 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 25:32-34, “Then David said to Abigail: "Blessed is the LORD God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me! 33 "And blessed is your advice and blessed are you, because you have kept me this day from coming to bloodshed and from avenging myself with my own hand. 34 "For indeed, as the LORD God of Israel lives, who has kept me back from hurting you, unless you had hastened and come to meet me, surely by morning light no males would have been left to Nabal!" )1 Sam 25:32-34) Oh how happy David is that Abigail has turned him back from shedding blood without cause. He starts out by blessing the Lord God, acknowledging that it was by the Lord's prompting that Abigail came to him in the first place. Then he blesses Abigail for her advice to him, the word advice does not do justice here to what David is really saying to Abigail. The Hebrew word used here means to taste, it is the idea of having discernment. If you've ever seen an expert tasting wine, you can fully appreciate what is being said here. These experts swirl the wine around the glass, they sniff it, and move it around their taste buds to discern all the qualities of the wine, (good or bad!) By the way, this same word is used in Ps 34:8, “TASTE and see that the Lord is good! Take Him for a swirl around the taste buds of your soul. You will find that “His work is perfect; and all His ways are justice, He is a God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. ( Dt 32:4) Back to Abigail; David blesses her for her gift of discernment. She took the entire situation in and swirled it through the taste buds of God's Word and ascertained that David was about to do something terribly wrong. So she intervened. And please note, she “hastened.” she didn't dilly dally. Once she was certain that David was headed in the wrong direction, she acted! She followed our Lord's advice in Mt 18:15 "Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. Oh Father, give us the discernment of Abigail, and the courage to employ it. And help us to receive the correction of Your Holy Spirit through Your Word.

Overcoming the Guilt of Sin

# 353 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 25:30,31, “And it shall come to pass, when the LORD shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee ruler over Israel; 31 That this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: but when the LORD shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid. (1 Sam 25:30,31) Abigail has stood in the gap in an attempt to prevent David from shedding blood without cause. She was hoping to spare David any future grief. The word grief here means staggering or stumbling and it's a very real phenomena! I have personally seen grief so powerful that the woman who was experiencing it literally could not stand as she was overwhelmed by guilt from a past abortion. The Holy Spirit, speaking through this biblical account of David, and Abigail is trying to show us the very real connection between overwhelming grief and the shedding of blood without cause. Further, Abigail wanted to spare offence to David's heart, the word means a writing. If David had gone through with this it would have been like etching this wrong forever on his heart. This is the reality of the post abortive man or woman. Priests for Life has a website dedicated to women who have had abortions, listen to some of what they had to say: “I couldn't look at any kids,” “Every time the vacuum cleaner was used, I thought about how my baby died,” “I've never known a feeling so bad,” “I still grieve and it's been over 10 years, “”I would shut down or cry,” “my life went downhill and stayed there for years,” “years later it came back to haunt me,” and perhaps the most poignant, “Abortion doesn't make the baby go away.”Thankfully, there is forgiveness for this sin through the innocent shed blood of Jesus. There is a way to deal with overwhelming guilt. Hear the plea of David as he was overwhelmed with guilt over his sin of murdering the innocent Uriah, “Ps 51:14 Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation,” and then, believe with David the truth of Psa 65:3 Sins overwhelmed me, But you atoned for our transgressions. “Father, help the post abortive to receive Your forgiveness, lift the weight of guilt from their souls, and use us to lovingly prevent others from experiencing the same kind of guilt and pain.“

Getting Bundled: It's Not Just A Cable Thing

# 352 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 25:29 "Yet a man has risen to pursue you and seek your life, but the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God; and the lives of your enemies He shall sling out, as from the pocket of a sling. (1 Sam 25:29) Abigail continues with great prophetic overtones as she speaks to David. As we mentioned last time, her humble, contrite, and thankful attitude opens the door to divine revelation. We should all learn from Abigail that these attitudes or mindsets are a must as we approach and seek to understand God's Word. Here, she reassures David that even though Saul has risen up against him, the Lord will protect him and cast his enemies out as a stone is cast from a sling. (Something which David would have no problem identifying with in light of how he took Goliath down.) And what a beautiful word picture when Abigail says, “the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of the living with the LORD your God;” This word picture was so precious to the Jewish people that to this day, they understand this not only of the present life, but of the life to come, and therefore use it commonly, as an inscription on their grave-stones. "Here we have laid the body, trusting the soul is bound up in the bundle of life with the Lord." I have a cable package that includes television, phone service, and the internet. It is called a bundle. It is three in one, just as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit are bundled into one. It is mind blowing to think that as a believer in Jesus Christ, I am bundled up with the Trinity, and God has bundled me up with all the other believers in the book of Life for eternity! The Holy Spirit speaking through the prophet Daniel reminds us of this truth on the Last Day when he says, “And at that time your people shall be delivered, Every one who is found written in the book.” Bundled with the living for all eternity! What a blessed thought! Father, help me finish the race bundled with the living.

Looking For Light?

# 351 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 25:27,28, Abigail is speaking and says, "And now this present which your maidservant has brought to my lord, let it be given to the young men who follow my lord. 28 "Please forgive the trespass of your maidservant. For the LORD will certainly make for my lord an enduring house, because my lord fights the battles of the LORD, and evil is not found in you throughout your days. (1 Sam 25:27,28) I find it interesting that this Abigail knows so much about David. I mean, who told her that the Lord would one day make David an enduring house? That kind of information could only come from the Lord. This humble woman, (please note the number of times she refers to David as her lord!) This contrite woman, (Please note her plea for forgiveness) And this thankful woman, (Please note the gift that she has brought to David) has heard directly from the Holy Spirit! Could we learn from this woman? What if we were consistently humble, contrite, and thankful? Do you not think that God would reveal more of His will to us? Many times we find ourselves in situations where we long to hear from God. Well, Abigail gives us a good example and the best place to start. Humility, contrition, and thankfulness. Ps 18:27, 28 says, “ For You will save the humble people, But will bring down haughty looks. 28 For You will light my lamp; The LORD my God will enlighten my darkness. And in Isa 57:15, we read, “ For thus says the High and Lofty One Who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, With him who has a contrite and humble spirit, To revive the spirit of the humble, And to revive the heart of the contrite ones. Want your lamp lit? Need a personal revival? Start with humility, continue with confession and contrition, and then express your thanksgiving in tangible ways. Oh Father, how we need Thy guiding light. How we need Your revelation as we walk this earth. Help us to take these first steps and then patiently wait for You, trusting in Your faithfulness to lead and guide us. In Jesus Name, Amen

Kudos To the Laborers In the Pro-Life Movement

# 350 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 25:26 "Now therefore, my lord, as the LORD lives and as your soul lives, since the LORD has held you back from coming to bloodshed and from avenging yourself with your own hand, now then, let your enemies and those who seek harm for my lord be as Nabal. This past January 22nd marked the 41st anniversary of the United States Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. Since that decision, over 57 million unborn babies have lost their lives. I wonder how many more would've been lost if not for the passionate work of the volunteers at crisis pregnancy centers or the faithful prayer warriors and sidewalk counselors who have stood in the gap outside the doors of abortion clinics, or the pastors and teachers who have faithfully sounded the cry against this American holocaust, or those who have worked tirelessly in the legislative process to seek to stem this flow of innocent blood. Think about it. David was bent on taking matters into his own hands and doing away with Nabal. His reasons for ending Nabal's life seemed valid to him at the time, much like those who resort to abortion, but God sees things a little differently when it comes to what He created in His image, and sends Abigail to stand in the gap to prevent David from harming Nabal. He used Abigail to hold David back from shedding blood. God has been using the laborers in the Pro-life movement in much the same way. Abigail provided David with an alternative. She gave David a biblical reason to pause and consider what he was about to do, and that pretty much sums up the heart of the Pro-life movement as well. Pr 24:11, says, “Deliver those who are drawn toward death, And hold back those stumbling to the slaughter. This has always been the prayer of the Pro-life movement. “God, use us to hold back those stumbling to the slaughter, help us to be like Schindler. Help us to be like Ten Boom. Help us to be like Wilberforce. Help us to be like Abigail. Help us to save just one more life today and help us to spare a woman or a man the pain and the aftermath of an abortion.