KINDNESS 3 – Be kind and calm in conflict, even when others aren’t.

Kindness 3 - English files

Nächstenliebe 3 - German files 

Devotional Thoughts about 1 Samuel Chapter 25

David spent years fleeing from place to place with King Saul in constant pursuit. Some 400 outcasts and misfits joined David in the cave of Adullam, and with no contest, he became their leader (22:2).

He enforced his high code of ethics, even insisting on a hands-off policy regarding Saul, his arch-enemy (24:10), because God had once appointed him as king.

However a new temptation awaited in the person of Nabal, a coarse, belligerent sheep tycoon in the wilderness. David and his men had been good to Nabal’s flocks and shepherds while in the area, protecting them from all predators.

David sent messengers to greet Nabal at sheep-shearing time, requesting the customary material acknowledgement of their service (feeding what had increased to be 600 men while on the run was surely a constant challenge). Nabal refused him flatly, dismissing him as a runaway servant.

That pushed all of David’s buttons. He told his men to get their swords, and 400 of them set out for Nabal’s ranch to kill everyone. In the meantime, one of the shepherds informed Abigail, Nabal’s wife, of the impending slaughter, including the backstory.

Abigail acted immediately, rustling up a large amount of food and having it loaded onto donkeys. Then she set out with them in the direction of David’s whereabouts. When she saw him, she got off her donkey and fell to his feet.

She humbly acknowledged her husband’s offence as if it were her own, offered David’s men the provisions and said that once he was king, he’d be grateful he hadn’t shed innocent blood. Abigail’s affirmation and generosity cooled David’s rage and turned him back from his murderous intent.

Abigail is a great example of how benevolence and good sense can help defuse a dangerous situation. Lord, when tempers around me get high, please help me to be the adult in the room and show Your kindness and wisdom.

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KINDNESS 2 - Be kind to your family!

Kindness 2 - English file

Nächstenliebe 2 - German file 

Devotional Thoughts about Ruth Chapter 2

We might need to go back as far as Terah, Abraham’s father, to find a common ancestor for Ruth and Naomi (as the Moabites descended from Abraham’s nephew Lot – see Genesis 19:36,37). Yet Ruth chose to follow her mother-in-law to her hometown of Bethlehem to worship the God of Jacob with her and to live as an Israelite.

Braving any racism she might encounter, she took advantage of the Hebrew gleaning law (see Leviticus 23:22) during the barley harvest to support herself and Naomi by collecting the excess grain lying in the fields. That’s how she ended up in a field belonging to Boaz.

He inquired about her and found out that Ruth stood out by providing for an in-law of a different culture. Naomi was probably suffering at least depression after the deaths of her husband and sons. Undeterred by that layer of sorrow and her own grief over her husband, Ruth cared for her like a thoughtful daughter.

Boaz told his workers be kind to her and to make her job easier by letting yet more barley fall on the ground as they harvested.

Lord, help me be kind to others, and especially to those at home or with whom I interact daily.

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KINDNESS 1 - Be friendly and helpful!

Kindness 1 - English file 

Nächstenliebe 1 - German file

Devotional Thoughts about Rebekah     Genesis Chapter 24

Abraham took God’s promise to him seriously when he decided to find a wife for his son Isaac who would not lead him into idolatry. When Abram had left Haran 60-some years earlier, there must have been some of his family members remaining there who also worshipped the true God instead of idols.

Being old and probably unable to travel himself, Abraham sent a trusted servant to Nahor's city in Mesopotamia. At the well there, this servant prayed for guidance as he saw the women of the city approaching. Rebe­kah appeared before he had even finished praying. When he asked, she gave him a drink and then offered to draw water for his camels of her own volition.

The servant praised God as Rebekah ran to tell her family, and soon they were all sitting around the table. The family all agreed that God had led him there and intended for Rebekah to become Isaac’s wife. She went to Canaan and was married to Isaac, who loved her very much.

It almost sounds like a fairy tale in which all live happily ever after, but these were real people who were sinners just like every one of us. If you read on in Genesis, you’ll discover some of their problems.

Rebekah most likely gave the servant a drink and drew water for ten camels because she was a kind, helpful person, for she wasn’t aware of of the signs the servant had requested from God. Lord please help me to show your love by being thoughtful and caring to others.

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PATIENCE 5 - Think about God's promises while you wait.

 Patience 5 - English files

Geduld 5 - German files 

Devotional Thoughts about Jesus’ Presentation in the Temple (Luke 2:22-38)

This is one of the lesser well-known stories surrounding the Incarnation. Some people on the sidelines of Jesus’ birth—such as Herod and the population of Jerusalem men­tioned in Matthew 2:3—were taken off guard and seemed threatened by it.

But the two people introduced in this story were waiting for the event, recognized its significance and praised God for it. Among all their ancestors who’d spent their lives anti­ci­­pating the fulfillment of the promise, these two were given the privilege of seeing the Messiah with their own eyes.

Mary and Joseph went to the temple to dedicate their firstborn son to God (see Exodus 13:2 and Leviticus 12:8 for the instructions), and the Holy Spirit clearly arranged Simeon’s coinciding visit. Simeon was thrilled when his own personal promise came true that day. His prophecy was surely com­forting as well as alarming for Mary.

We’re told Anna was always in the temple, so she had a front row seat for the encounter with Simeon. She thanked God for what she’d seen and told others who were also waiting.

Lord, please help me to wait and also to tell people about what You’ve promised and have already done.

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PATIENCE 4 - Wait—as long as it takes!

Patience 4 - English file 

Geduld 4 - German file

Devotional Thoughts about David’s Wait to Become King

As Saul was the only other king of Israel in David’s lifetime, he may have compared himself to his predecessor and expected to have a similar ascent to the throne. If so, he was surely very disappointed

Saul’s gradual ruin grew out of his own increasing distance from God, but it was exacerbated by his envy and fear of David. As king, Saul was in a position to make David suffer, and he did so with a maniacal thoroughness that hardly gave him a chance to breathe.

Looking back at the story, we can see that God wasn’t ready for David to become king immediately, either. He used the persecution intended to destroy him to build his skills and character instead.

David’s personal history would have turned out very differently without his conviction that God’s choice must be respected, even at the cost of his own disadvantage. Otherwise he would surely have killed Saul at first opportunity.

The plaintive question “How long?” recurs over and over again in the Bible, especially in the Psalms and in Jeremiah’s prophecies. Waiting for the day when God will overturn injustice has always been painful. Lord, please help me trust You as I wait.

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PATIENCE 3 - Abram Tries to Shorten his Wait

Patience 3 - English files  

Geduld 3 - German files

Devotional Thoughts about Abram’s Wait

Abram may have thought that since God had singled him out and led him to Canaan, He would immediately start building for him the family necessary as the base for the nation He’d promised to make—especially since Abram had gotten quite a late start at the age of 75.

But it didn’t happen that way. As year after year went by, there was no pregnancy, no child. Whenever Abram and Sarai thought or talked about it, questions must have plagued them: “Where’s the child?”, “Isn’t God going to make good on His promise?” and “Did we just imagine it all?”

It’s interesting that Sarai was the one who came up with the idea of a surrogate mother, because the practical reality turned out to be intolerable for her as well as for Hagar. The family lived on in discord, and the child in their midst was not the progenitor of the promised nation.

One year out, God changed their names, instituted circumcision and spoke concretely of the coming baby, even naming him Isaac. Both Abraham and Sarah laughed, unable to imagine the fulfilling of their dreams at this late date. But sure enough, Isaac was born at the promised time, and they laughed for joy.

By the time God directed that Isaac be sacrificed, Abraham seemed to have learned enough through his waiting to be able to trust that God would care for the implica­tions of His promise (see Hebrews 11:18,19), and of course He did.

We humans hate waiting and are slow to see its benefits in our lives and in the circumstances around us. Lord, please help me to trust You and to wait for Your help.

Downloading lesson files  

If you're interested in the lesson files, simply click on the appropriate link above to download them in the desired language. See the Informational Pages in the right column for more about the lesson series. The next post and the next lesson will be the fourth in the topic Patience.