Author: Aaron Hufty

Re:Verse reading— 1 Samuel 20:1-17, 30-42 (day two)  ^“Therefore deal kindly with your servant, for you have brought your servant into a covenant of the Lord with you. But if there is iniquity in me, put me to death yourself; for why then should you bring me to your father?” 20:8

Only a righteous man could make such a statement. David knew the stakes and what he was asking of Jonathan. The anointing that David received was not a free pass to an easy life, and it was not a get out of sin card either. David was not perfect, but he was righteous. David was putting Jonathan in an almost impossible position, so his request had to come from a place of humility. God still asks his chosen to endure trials. He still anoints men and women to be instruments of his peace. Are you submitted to that call, and willing to endure whatever that may mean?

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 18:1-16, 19:1-7 (day two) 

Then Saul became very angry, for this saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, but to me they have ascribed thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?” 18:8

How can we expect our children or those in our care to flourish and grow if we refuse to let them succeed? Saul had done nothing to bring down Goliath, so why should he have expected any sort of acclaim for the act? We who are driven, type-a people spend most of our time getting ahead. At some point we have to stop and ask what are we getting ahead of? There ought to be some point at which we bring someone alongside to nurture, build up, and encourage to succeed. Our hope should be that they even outshine us. Insecurity is ugly for people in leadership. It never ends well. If you find yourself trapped in that cycle pray for God’s wisdom to lead you to a healthier understanding of success.

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 17:1-11, 26-32, 38-51 (day two) 

“For who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should taunt the armies of the living God?” 17:26b

This is really another way to view what God told Samuel in chapter 16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” 

The size of the king did not matter to God, so why should the size of the enemy? Surely there was no one more qualified to answer that question than David. The anointing of God was given because of his heart, and he knew that if you stood in opposition to the will of God you would surely fall, regardless of size. His confidence in the Lord was his shield, his sword, and his armor. How could he fail? Are you still looking at the size of the problem, or are you trusting the size of your God?

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 16.  (day two) 

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” vs. 7

“He has brought down rulers from their thrones,
And has exalted those who were humble.” Luke 1:52

If there is an underlying theme that we can pull from the grand narrative of scripture it might be that God’s ways are not like ours. What we value, what we honor tend to be vapid, shallow, and very often narcissistic. God is always about the long game. What withers and fades is of little use to an eternal God bent on the everlasting future of his children. It shouldn’t be too much of a surprise, then, when his choice of leader, his direction for our lives, his ultimate plans deviate from ours. Our best recourse is to recalibrate our hearts to his.

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 15 (day two) 

But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” vs. 14

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” Genesis 3:8-9

What is your first response after you sin? What happens when you are confronted in your sin by a friend, family member, or the Lord? Adam tried to cover up his shame by making excuses. Saul flat out lied. What is it in us that compels us to compound sin with sin? Whatever the case we would all do well to heed these stories as cautionary tales for our own lives. If God has given you a command, instruction, or directive – don’t deviate. His way is always better.

Easter Re:Verse reading–John 20:1-18 (day two)

 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” vs. 15a

They each came with an expectation. Whatever they thought of the divinity of Jesus before, now he was just a body to be prepared for burial. They expected a body, a dead body. Nothing in their hearts or minds could comprehend any other scenario. So when Jesus meets them he directly asks who they sought. They were looking for Jesus, but only as they expected to find him. Do you see the inherent problem there? Searching for Jesus on our conditions or agenda will only confuse us all the more when he stands in front of us challenging our expectations. They meant well, they really did, but their good intentions kept them from truly seeing the Savior. Perhaps we need to seek him as he is, not as we expect.

Re:Verse reading – 1 Samuel 13:1-14

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 9 & 10 (day two) As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed Saul’s heart, and all these signs were fulfilled that day. 10:9

You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. John 15:16

Make no mistake when the Lord calls you, he changes you. There is never an indication that we get our hearts right, or that we initiate the act of redemption. When God calls, he equips. We are wise to recognize this so that we can return the glory due him as we see his will accomplished in our lives and in the lives of others. He can take you from wherever you may be and transform you into royalty.

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 7 (day two) 

Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.” vs. 3 (emphasis added)

Repentance can be exhausting. Particularly if you have traveled so far from the Lord that your life bears little resemblance to the place he had called you. We build walls, make excuses, take shortcuts and then wonder why he has removed his blessing from us. When you finally clean house it takes a LOT of effort, but effort for the Lord is never mis-spent. God did hear and deliver Israel, and he will do the same for you. There is not amount of distance that repentance cannot bridge.

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 3 (day two) 

And word from the Lord was rare in those days, visions were infrequent. vs. 1b

Samuel was a boy whose life had been dedicated before his birth to the service of the Lord, but he was born into a people who were not attuned to the voice of God. Even Eli the priest was unaware of all the movement, or lack of movement by the Lord among the people. It was a time when God was silent. Or was he? Clearly, God keeps his own counsel and know the plans set out before the foundations of the world, but we cannot become dull to his voice. If a word from the Lord is infrequent in our lives that is likely more to do with our own heart condition. When we dull ourselves to the work of the Lord it would appear that he is uninvolved. Nothing could be further from the truth. If we stop hearing from the Lord or sensing his leadership it is time to examine what is hindering us from hearing him clearly. Beyond that how are we teaching our children to discern the voice and leadership of the Lord? He still speaks.

Re:Verse reading–1 Samuel 1 (day two) 

For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me my petition which I asked of Him. vs. 27

How many of us have this scripture somewhere in our house? Hanging in our kids room perhaps, or in a picture frame on a shelf. Hannah is our clear example of preparing for our children. Not only does she pray for a child, but she commits him to the Lord. What an act of faith! Knowing our children are a blessing is generally accepted, but committing them to the service of the Lord takes a heart that is certain of the Lord’s promises. No matter what we have planned for our kids, the Lord has more. We will spend years training, teaching, encouraging, and correcting them when necessary, but to what end? We are not in this for vocational training. We are stewards of the next line of defense for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Be encouraged and courageous. Even if you have no children of your own, you can invest in this journey with others.