February 2, 2014 – Psalms 13 & 14 – God is there!

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

As we venture through the Psalms and Proverbs portion of our reading it will take on more of a devotional thought and less of the passage teaching of the New Testament study.

There are times in life where God feels distant. There are times in life where we feel that we are on an island all alone, even though we are surrounded by people. David felt that way throughout his life. But he knew that God was there and that even though he felt distant from God he put his trust in God. He knew God’s love was never failing and that God offered ultimate salvation. When you feel alone, when you feel distant from God, remember He is there, and His love is never failing. 

January 25, 2014 – Psalms 9 & 10 – Letting Go and Letting God

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

As we venture through the Psalms and Proverbs portion of our reading it will take on more of a devotional thought and less of the passage teaching of the New Testament study.

At different times in life we develop conflict with other people. From time to time it may be our spouse, or our children, or a neighbor, or a co-worker, or another parent of a kid on our kids sports teams. Sometimes that conflict will develop to a real deep level of bitterness and possibly even to the point where an enemy is created. How do you handle that in your life? Do you seek to ruin and bring problems to that person with whom you have conflict with? Or do you turn it over to God?

David had a lot of enemies. Whether it was his father-in-law Saul, or his own son Absolom David knew what it was like to be despised. He lived a good chunk of His life on the run from these two men and their supporters. Did he go on the defensive? When it was necessary. Did he go on the offensive? When the time was right. What David mastered was letting God lead. That meant that at times David did nothing and allowed God to bring justice to both of these men. At other times David was patient and allowed God to use him to bring justice to his problems.

Where do you stand? Do you take your problems into your own hand, not relying on God to lead and guide? I think we would be wise to read these Psalms again and see where David’s heart was toward his enemies and learn from him. 

January 12, 2014 – Psalms 5 & 6 – Taking a New but Old Approach

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Please say an extra prayer today. Nearly 20 West Side Christians and Teens are in Gatlinburg for the Tennessee Christian Teen Convention. Pray that our travels home today will be safe. Pray that the challenges our teens experienced will stick beyond this weekend. Pray that any bonds created during this weekend will grow when we return home. Pray that our teens will be ambassadors for Christ in their schools.

What Does this Passage Say?

• David has an amazing ability to articulate the attributes of God. He correctly labels God’s disdain for wickedness. He also shows that God delights in righteousness and offers protection to those who chase him.

• David battles with worry and agony. While he battles he also understands where he must go … he must go to God. David has faith that God has heard him, he does not question it. He might still be in agony, but he knows this truth; God cares and hears his every longing of David’s heart.

What is this passage teaching?

• One aspect I love about the Psalms is that they teach us how to praise God. They give us so many insights into the character of God. They show us the love and care God provides. They show us the righteous judgment that God must operate under. Simply put they give us a word picture of our savior.

How can I apply this passage to my life?

• Does your prayer life struggle? Do you struggle to praise God in your time of prayer? Do you find the majority of your prayer is requests? If so spend time reading the Psalms. Even start to pray the Psalms. By doing so you will learn to praise God, worship God, and then follow up with your own personal supplication and requests. You might just see a huge change in your attitude and appreciation for God! 

January 11, 2014 – Psalms 3 & 4 – Try Making God your Source of Strength

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Please say an extra prayer today. Nearly 20 West Side Christians and Teens are in Gatlinburg for the Tennessee Christian Teen Convention. Pray that our travels will be safe. Pray that our teens will be challenged to follow Christ more closely with their lives. Pray that our youth group will bond tighter during our time away.

What Does this Passage Say?

• Psalm 3 is a Psalm of David. David was the second King of Israel after his father-in-law Saul. David famously committed adultery with the wife of Uriah the Hittite (One of David’s Mighty Men), Bathsheba. Their son conceived in their affair died. Because of this sin God allowed disruption to take place in his family. One of the major disruptions was his son Absalom stealing the heart of the people and ousting David as king. During this time David is on the run. It is with this context David writes the words of Psalm 3.
• David has found he has many enemies, but he knows who is on his side … God. He has put trust in God and is crying out to God to lead him, sustain him, and protect him.

• Psalm 4 is another Psalm of David. We are not given much context for the writing of this Psalm. David is again going through a rough time in his life. Maybe this is when he is on the run from his father-in-law Saul. Maybe it is during a war as king. Maybe it is when he is running from Absalom. We do not know when it is, but he knows this, God again is his strength and it is God he is turning to. This song of David also calls for his countrymen, other Israelites, to call on God, to make Him number one, and live for him with their lives. David will take comfort and strength from God.

 What is this passage teaching?

• Both of these passages show us where David’s security came from. David did not find strength in his own power and ability. David did not turn to others to secure him. David in his time of need turned to God.

 How can I apply this passage to my life?

• David was a beacon of light for his countrymen. He not only challenged them to turn to God he demonstrated it in his own life. Will you take David’s challenge and turn to God? Will you take David’s challenge and draw strength from God and God alone? God protected David and brought him through many storms. God will do the same for you if you will turn to him. 

November 13 – Luke 23, and John 18 & 19

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Luke 23, and John 18 & 19. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Serf Publishing Inc.

The reason the Jews chanted crucify was they felt threatened. They felt threatened by the claims Jesus made. They felt threatened that He might mess up the power they had by causing a revolt, and bringing the hand of Rome down even stronger. So to get rid of the threat, they sought Jesus death. I do not believe any of this went unnoticed by Pilate.

When Jesus was placed on the cross, Pilate had a sign simply reading … “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” (John 19:19 NLT) Did Pilate do this because he really believed Jesus was the King of the Jews? I do not believe so. Did he do this because he couldn't stand what the Jewish leaders were making him do? Possibly. Did he do this to get back at the Jews? Absolutely. I am sure he saw these people as a problem, so just to grind it in, he did something that made them mad.

And did it ever. Like little children crying to their parents to make someone else change their behavior, they objected and said … “Change it from ‘The King of the Jews’ to “He said, I am King of the Jews.” (John 19:21 NLT) They did not want people believing that Jesus was their King. But they did not get their way. Pilate told them no.

What the Jews did not understand is that what Pilate had written was the truth. Jesus was the King of the Jews. His family tree took Him all the way back to King David. His blood line was pure royalty, both as a descendent of David and as the Son of God. Now the King of the Jews was about to become the savior of the world. These men who sent Jesus to cross, who felt threatened by His claims, did what was necessary. Their fear brought salvation to the world. For that I am thankful. 

June 11 – 1 Kings 5-6 & 2 Chronicles 2-3

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Kings 5-6 & 2 Chronicles 2-3. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Clip Art

Because of bloodshed David did not get the privilege to build the Temple to become the home of God. That responsibility was left to his son Solomon. When Solomon began construction he chose the site for the Temple as the site his father David had purchased from Araunah the Jebusite to stop the plague of death that was attacking Israel. There is an interesting theme I want to draw from.

When David went to purchase the threshing floor, Araunah wanted to essentially give it to him along with everything necessary for the sacrifice. David would not have it. He replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on buying it, for I will not present burn offerings to the LORD my God that have cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24.24 NLT) David would not offer sacrifices that would cost him nothing. He had to pay for what he was going to offer to God.

Now Solomon is building the Temple of God. For portions of the construction Solomon desired to use Cedars of Lebanon to adorn the Temple. He received those from David’s dear friend, King of Tyre, Hiram. In doing so he offered to pay whatever the cost Hiram desired (1 Kings 5:6). We find later in the reading what Solomon provided for the timber and the men to cut it … annually 1000,000 bushels of wheat and 110,000 gallons of pure olive oil (1 Kings 5:11).

Solomon like his father chose to not accept anything to offer to God that he did not purchase. He did not want his offering to God (the Temple was certainly an offering to God) to cost him nothing. Let me ask you, do you seek things for nothing? Do you try and offer to God something that cost you nothing? I hope not! I hope the God you call master, savior, creator, and leader of your life is worth sacrifice; is worth offerings that cost you something.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 25 – 1 Chronicles 23-25

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Chronicles 23-25. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Every month a group from our church volunteers at the Lebanon Food pantry. The food pantry is supported by churches that are within the Lebanon School District and help families in the district. Our group that serves always serves on Wednesday mornings. On Wednesday nights there is always a group that comes in during the pantry’s open hours to help distribute food. Each time I have helped our group I am always amazed at the work they put into helping the group for that evening. They spend all of their down time stocking the shelves and cleaning the room all so that it is ready to go for the next group to come in. No matter how they find the pantry, it is their goal to leave it better than they found it ready for the next group to go right to work.

Our example above is exactly what we see David carrying out in our reading today. David knows that God is going to let someone else build the temple, but that doesn’t mean he can’t prepare for it. When he came in as leader of Israel their worship of God was certainly lacking. David corrected those issues within the nation. By the time of his death David left the nation of Israel in much better shape than he found it. I think that is a wonderful lesson for us to learn as well. How can we do that in our families, our churches, our schools, our workplace, and wherever it is you have the privilege of spending time?

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 21 – 2 Samuel 22-23 & Psalm 57

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 22-23 & Psalm 57. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

As I have written before the success of leaders is dependent upon those he or she has around them. No matter the skill set of a leader if his people are not behind him, on the same page as her, or simply helping them, no leader will be successful. David was only successful because of the men he had around him. He had his three top guys who were almost as famous and skilled as David. He had men willing to cross enemy lines to bring him a drink of water from his hometown. David was powerful and mighty because he had surrounded himself with the right men.

Are you a leader or a follower? If you are a leader surround yourself with the right men and women to help you achieve what it is you have been called to lead. If you are a follower ask yourself how are you helping your leader achieve what they have been called to lead? Their success depends on your support. Also ask yourself if you are being helpful or becoming a hindrance? Finally, not everyone is a leader and that is ok. If everyone was a leader then there would be no followers, which would result in no help for leaders, creating a vicious cycle of no accomplishments or fulfillments.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 20 – Psalms 5, 38, 41, & 42

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms  5, 38, 41, & 42. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Photo Credit: Microsoft Word Clipart

I recently read a story about a village who was struggling through a drought. Months before, the rain clouds had disappeared. The streams had stopped flowing. The lake beds were beginning to show. The crops were brittle and brown. Now the cracks in the dirt were growing into ant sized canyons. Each day the villagers went to their local church to gather to pray for rain. One day a traveler stopped by and joined the villagers in their daily prayer meeting. When the time of prayer had drawn to a close he asked an elder if he could say a few words. He was granted permission and here is what he said...

 “I have sat and heard your prayers. They were all solemn and thoughtful, but you have no faith. The item that you left at home proves your lack of faith. With this serious lack of faith you will never see the answer to the pray you so earnestly seek. What is the evidence of your lack of faith? No one in here believes in your prayers so much so that you thought to bring an umbrella!”

 David prayed with expectation. David hurts and he prays. David rejoices and he prays. When David prays he expects answers. “Listen to my voice in the morning, LORD. Each morning I bring my request to you and wait expectantly.” (Psalm 5:3 NLT). David knows that the answers might not always be what he wants, but when he prays he expects something to happen.

Let me ask you, are you praying like David … expecting results? Or are you praying like the villagers … expecting no results metaphorically leaving your umbrellas at home?

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 19 – 2 Samuel 19 -21

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 19-21. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

The heart of a father runs deep. No matter what our children do to us a good father still loves his children. We see that today in the life of David. Absalom had taken the life of one of David’s sons. He had spent four years wining the favor of the people. Absalom had even taken over his father’s throne while David was still alive. In the midst of all this he takes ten of David’s concubines and sleeps with them in a tent on the palace roof; a clear indication to all of Israel he was now ruler. When Absalom dies in battle David can do nothing but mourn.

Joab, David’s five-star general, sees David mourning and that his mourning is bringing the moral of the troops and the nation down. David’s reaction to his loss of Absalom is beginning to feel like a defeat to David loyal subjects and followers. Joab will not stand for this and he has the strength to call David to the carpet about it. David as king could have reacted many ways, but again we see his true heart in his response. David listen’s to reason and does the right thing for his nation despite his personal pain.

Good leaders are always going to be willing to listen to the wise advice of others. Foolish leaders are the ones who try to govern and lead without any help and aid. Sure turning to advisors might slow the process down but it insures that the decisions being made and the actions taken are almost always the best ones. Do you need to slow down and seek the wise advice of others?

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 8 – Psalms 25, 29, 33, 36, & 39

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 25, 29, 33, 36, & 39. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

When I was in college I learned of the ACTS structure to prayer. Is it something you have heard of or used yourself? If you have never heard of it all it is an acrostic to help you structure your prayer life … Adoration, Confession, Supplication, and Thanksgiving. It suggests starting your prayers with Adoration to God, then transitioning to Confession of what is going on in life, with a second transition to Supplication, i.e. asking for God to work in your life and the life of others, followed up by the final transition into Thanksgiving for all God has done for you and others. It is a great structure for someone at the beginner level of prayer. If you want you could even call it Biblical by matching the structure up to the Lords Prayer of Matthew 6:9-13.

I share that structure to share my thoughts from todays reading. I know for myself I am good at the confession part, I am even amazing at the supplication part, and I am also getting better at the thanksgiving part of the structure. This is true in multiple areas of my life. I have no problems doing those things with other people. When I mess up, when I am wrong, I try my best to own up to it and share that fact. I try my best to ask for help before frustration sets in. I am not the man who tries to put something together without the instructions. I also try to do a good job of saying thanks when it is needed. Of course I have room to grow in all these areas, but I feel I do them well in both life and in prayer.

The area I struggle is in showing adoration. I struggle to find the words to express my love and appreciation of things. I do not know why, but for whatever reason adjectives do not come easy to me. This is true in all areas of my life. My wife loves to hear me praise her appearance, her role as a mother, and the things she does for me. But when needed the words just do not seem to be there. To combat that I have a notebook that everyday at 2:00 I write down a “praise” of my wife. I am doing this to help build my vocabulary as well as to be conscious of her need to hear this from me.

As I was reading to day, a thought jumped into my mind … if you struggle with adoration like I do in my prayers to God, David gives us some pretty good examples throughout the Psalms. By reading the Psalms we are given a plethora of adjectives that correctly describe the character and many attributes of God. Let me challenge you to use the Psalms to enhance your prayer life.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 6 – Psalms 80, 96, 100, 101, 105, & 132

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 80, 96, 100, 101, 105, & 132. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

How do you define integrity? Many people will define it in a plethora of ways. Some people define integrity as always doings what you say you will do. Others will say that integrity is matching the public person to the private person. Still others might say integrity is doing the right thing no matter how hard, costly, or devastating it might be. In our society we hold integrity with very high value.

Sadly, too often we have seen countless examples of people who were known for their integrity, but one misstep, one thoughtless action, one lazy moment caused the integrity they had worked so hard to build to be completely shattered. In the sports world the examples are endless … Jim Tressel of Ohio State, Joe Paterno of Penn State, Lance Armstrong, etc. It does not end with sports, we find the shattering of integrity in the news media, in our government, and sadly even in our pulpits. If the people we hold in high esteem cannot foster genuine integrity, how can we?

The answer is simple … a daily walk with Christ. A great beginning place can be found in the words of David in Psalms 101:2-3 … “I will be careful to live a blameless life-when will you come to help me? I will lead a life of integrity in my own home. I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar.” (NLT) I love this. Integrity begins in your own home, it is protected even when no-one is watching, it begins with the people you love and care about on the most intimate of levels. It’s owning up to your mistakes and never trying to hide something under a rug. It’s seeking forgiveness as soon as a realization is made of wrong doing. It’s growing daily in authenticity. That’s the key … integrity begins with a daily walk with Christ.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

May 1 – 2 Samuel 5 & 1 Chronicles 11-12

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 2 Samuel 5 & 1 Chronicles 11-12. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

Welcome to May, where has this year gone already?

Every good leader needs support. Show me a leader with out people behind them, and I will show you a leader that will not succeed. There is too much to do without the proper people supporting and helping a leader become successful. Supportive people are critical.

On the battlefield David had his mighty men; roughly thirty men who were willing to do almost anything for their leader. When Saul was still alive and David was his general the chants the people sang out, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands,” was only possible because of the men surrounding and following David. When David was on the run, he remained alive, productive, and even prospered because of the men around him. When David became king, the order and strength of his kingdom was the direct result of his men.

Leaders need support. Let me ask you, in your church are you seen as a supportive person or are you seen as a thorn in the flesh to your leaders? When I mean a thorn in the flesh, I am not talking about someone who asks honest questions? I am talking about someone who complains because they do not like anything, and instead of trying to have a productive conversation, they instead simply wine. Are you helpful to your leaders, giving them needed advise, lending a hand, sacrificing time and energy all to help fulfill the task they have been given to do? Let me encourage you to be helpful, insightful, and an arm to lean on to those given the task to lead you and your church.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

April 15 – Psalms 7, 27, 31, 34, & 52

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from Psalms 7, 27, 31, 34, & 52. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word. Also above in the tabs is a link to the Bible reading plan.

One of the challenges in doing a chronological reading of the Bible is how much jumping around the Bible you actually do. That happens because the Bible is not organized in chronological order but in various groupings. So far we have been able to go in chronological order as we have journeyed through the first six books. But remember back in January after Genesis 1-11 we read all of Job. In a few places we even picked up a Psalm or two. Now that we are in 1 Samuel the chronological mix up is going to get into hyper drive. You will notice in the reading plan we may read a chapter from 1 or 2 Samuel as well as a Psalm or two. In a few weeks we might be reading from 2 Samuel, 1 Chronicles, and Psalms. A few weeks after that we might read from 1 or 2 Kings, 1 or 2 Chronicles, a Psalm, and even from one of the Prophets. This can get pretty confusing. To help you with that I have attached the Bible reading plan in a tab at the top of my blog right under the pictures. You can easily open it and download it from there.

 

Photo Credit: First Baptist Church Covington

To make following the reading plan a little easier let me share with you how I do it each day. I use You Version, which is the Bible app available in both the Apple Store and the Google Play store. The great thing with this program is its free and it syncs through a free account on all of your Android devices, Apple devices, and your PC or Mac. Once you log on you can subscribe to a reading plan and there are multiple to choose from. The one we are doing is the Chronological plan. This tool has made the Bible reading incredibly easy as I sit down with my iPad, droid phone, or even my computer to complete each days reading.

Today is going to be all about advice in making your Bible study and prayer time with God a little more meaningful. Let’s continue that theme as we look at our reading today. David is currently on the run. Saul is after his life. He is fearful that David will remove him from the throne and end up killing him and his family. David has now resorted to living in the wilderness, hiding out in dark caves, and changing his location often. Today we read from David himself in the book of Psalm’s. David can be attributed with a vast majority of the Psalms we find there.

What I love as I read the words of David is we are getting a glimpse of his prayer life. When things go wrong and when things go right David writes about it. I like to view many of the Psalm’s as David’s prayer journal. That’s something I have recently started to do. I have heard about it a lot, I have read about from others, and finally I decided it was time to start prayer journaling. Now let me tell you my words I write are no where near the poetic beauty of David’s. Also my written words are not as praise worthy of God as we find in David’s. But, the few short months I have been prayer journaling have been amazing. Let me explain why.

Photo Credit: Moleskin App Page

When I prayer journal, which does not happen every day, I am forced to slow down in my thoughts as I write them out … yes I write with a pen, not on paper, but on the Moleskine app for my iPad. I find this slows my thoughts down, because my writing is much slower than my typing. Now everything I am thinking does not end up written down. But let me tell you, when I am finished, I typically have been taken to a whole new place. I tend to feel peace and calm. I can just imagine David coming to this same place when finished, especially during the time when he is on the run. So friends, let me encourage you to start prayer journaling. It may not be for you right now, but give it a shot and see if it helps you in any way.

At West Side we believe highly in prayer. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

April 14 – 1 Samuel 21-24

Below are my thoughts from the daily Bible reading of the West Side Church of Christ. Today’s reading comes from 1 Samuel 21-24. Before reading I invite you to pray and asked God to speak to you as you read his word.

Have you ever found jealousy of another brewing in your heart? Maybe a sibling who made better grades, a co-worker that has the corner office, a neighbor who seems to purchase every new little toy, or a friend who things just seem to go good for? How did that Jealousy leave you feeling? Did your jealousy do anything positive for you?

Today we read about jealousy in the heart of Saul. He has heard the chants from the crowds … “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands,” (1 Samuel 18:7 NIV) from our reading yesterday. From there he begins to be jealous of David. Samuel has already told him that the throne will be taken from him, and David with his popularity seems like the likely candidate. So Saul wants David dead.

But what good did this jealousy do for Saul. It did none. However, it did drive him absolutely mad. It caused him to act in ways he normally would not. It caused him to be paranoid … killing the Priest for aiding David even when they were doing so out of kindness when David lied to them. It caused Saul to leave his nation vulnerable to attack while he chased David through the wilderness. Jealousy did nothing positive for Saul.

Jealousy will do nothing positive for you either. Do your best to strike it from your life. Do your best to be content with the blessing that God has given you. I bet if you find contentment you will double your happiness. No longer will you be chasing someone else’s dreams. No longer will you be trying to live up to others life styles. No longer will your heart long to be someone you are not. Go ahead, give up jealousy and try contentment.

At West Side we are beginning a new prayer partner campaign. We are asking people to join with us in praying daily for West Side. If you would like to join us please click here and subscribe to receive daily emails containing a short prayer request for West Side. We appreciate your partnership.

Wrath or Refuge

Each day I will be posting from the daily Bible Reading plan we will be doing at West Side. On weekdays we will be going through the New Testament. On the weekends we will read passages from the Old Testament books of Psalms and Proverbs. We invite you to join along.

Today begins our adventure through the book of Psalms. The word Psalm means song or a hymn. Many believe that the book of Psalms is an ancient song book of God's people. The book is authored by many different people; King David, David’s chief musician Asaph, Moses, Solomon, Korah … possible temple singers, and a multitude of unnamed people. Just like we cherish the great hymns composed by John Wesley, Fanny J. Crosby, & John Newton, the Israelites cherished these Psalms.

Today’s reading (Psalms 1 & 2) details two different worlds. One is rule by evil hearts and the other ... ruled by the love and compassion of God. We are given great insight into the comfort or distress we may have depending on which camp we reside. “For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” When we are in God, we will be taken care of, but there will be a bitter end to those who are not in God. God's protection however, doesn't come without trial, but does provide the hope of eternal life.

“For his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Where do you reside? Will you be on the side of the wrath or on the side of refuge?