June 9

1 Kings 5:1-6:38, Acts 7:1-29, Psalm 127:1-5, Proverbs 16:28-30 

Pray: Father, thank You for the wisdom from Your Word that often challenges us each day to think and live differently. May I not ignore Your insight out of my own convenience.

Read: God gave David the design for the temple and David and the people provided most of the materials, a Gentile king provided the timber, there was a Canaanite work force and Jewish. It was a team effort overseen by Solomon. God is building His temple today and still today it is a team effort to further Jesus’ kingdom and it takes all kinds of different people with different gifts. 

Edify: We can draw great encouragement from the psalmist today, he says “ Like arrows in the hand of a warrior are the children of one's youth. Blessed is the man who fills his quiver with them!" We must remember that children are a wonderful blessing and gift to us from God.

Practice: Wealth beyond measure was used to build the temple but the more important task was obedience to the Lord. God is not impressed with our buildings because He provided everything we put into them to make them. He wants our loving obedience and then He can make the building a blessing.

June 8

1 Kings 3:3-4:34, Acts 6:1-15, Psalm 126:1-6, Proverbs 16:26-27



Pray: Lord, help us to read Your Word today with wisdom. When we open the pages of Your Holy Word let us not be reading to learn something new but to adhere to the wise instruction and be changed. Amen.

Read: Probably one of my favorite stories in the New Testament is the life of Stephen. In this section of his story we read that he was full of grace and power and later it says they could not withstand the wisdom and the Spirit with which he was speaking. What was it about Stephen that had him full of grace and power and wisdom and the Spirit of God? The only details that we have to understand this comes to us by way of telling us that Stephen was among those who were serving.

Edify: Our Psalm today gives us great encouragement and reminds us that our tears are not always in vain. Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy! We have hope in our tears that God is doing something that will lead to our joy in Him.

Practice: Stephen reminds us that real power and true authority is found in the least likely places for us. May we look for those less likely places in our lives to be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

June 7

1 Kings 2:1-3:2, Acts 5:1-42, Psalm 125:1-5, Proverbs 16:25 

Pray: Father, may we meditate on the last day of our life, when we will draw our last breath. May we have peace and wellness with our souls as we prepare for that day. Amen.

Read: Death is certain. It is an appointment we all must keep unless the Lord comes and takes us home. Before he died, David gave Solomon wise counsel about the men who were a threat to the throne. It is good to know where the enemy is hiding. It is even more valuable to have a father like David who feared God and cared for more than his own legacy, but also for the people of Israel and the generations to come.

Edify: I think the lesson to be learned from our New Testament reading today is how much Jesus values His bride the Church. I believe that more than anything else Jesus wanted to protect the thriving movement of the first church. To see people trying to lie and deceive and withhold from the Lord was working greatly against the cause, not because the church needed the land but because the church needed people of integrity.

Practice: Today, I hope to count my days. In both our Old Testament and New Testament readings there were stories of death. May we be people who do not fear death but point people to the way of life.

June 6

1 Kings 1:1-53, Acts 4:1-37, Psalm 124:1-8, Proverbs 16:24



Pray: Father, would You earnestly teach me from Your Word today. May I not read for any other reason than to know You more. Guide me by Your Holy Spirit as I read and seek to draw closer to You. Amen.

Read: It must be humbling as leaders to be led and Nathan and Bathsheba did it wisely. David had given up the sword and now he must also surrender the scepter. A wise leader knows when to step aside. God had made it clear that Solomon was God’s choice for the throne.

Edify: Interestingly, Adonijah fled to the altar for safety, not for sanctity. Religion was something he used only for personal profit. Unfortunately, some insincere people today do the very same thing. Our motivations in coming before God must be authentic.

Practice: What do you do when they tell you to stop sharing the Gospel? What did the apostles do? Certainly they recalled the words of Jesus and depended on the Holy Spirit to help them. May we rely fully on the Holy Spirit today.

June 5

2 Samuel 23:24-24:25, Acts 3:1-26, Psalm 123:1-4, Proverbs 16:21-23 



Pray: Lord, in today’s readings there is a beautiful picture of Your mercy. David cries out for Your mercy and trusts in Your mercy over the injustice of man. We see Your mercy working among the crippled man who Peter heals. May we look for evidences of Your mercy today as we pray, “Lord, thank You that Your mercies are new every morning.”

Read:  “I’m in a desperate situation!” David replied to Gad. “But let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great. Do not let me fall into human hands.”

¹⁵ So the Lord sent a plague upon Israel that morning, and it lasted for three days.  A total of 70,000 people died throughout the nation, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south. ¹⁶ But as the angel was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented and said to the death angel, “Stop! That is enough!” Again we read of the Lord showing mercy. David knows that if it is between relying on the Lord for mercy or other men, he will choose the Lord.

Edify: ⁶ But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold for you. But I’ll give you what I have. In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene get up and walk!”

⁷ Then Peter took the lame man by the right hand and helped him up. And as he did, the man’s feet and ankles were instantly healed and strengthened. ⁸ He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk! Then, walking, leaping, and praising God, he went into the Temple with them." The theme of mercy continues as Peter shares the love of Christ with the lame man and offers him an undeserved gift.

Practice: May we practice the mercy of God in our lives today both in word and in deed. The proverb today says “sweetness of speech increases persuasiveness." We must remember that we can be merciful with our actions and with our words. A kind word or sometimes restraining our mouths can be an act of mercy.

June 4

2 Samuel 22:1-23:23, Acts 2:1-47, Psalm 122:1-9, Proverbs 16:19-20



Pray: Father God, help me to love my coworkers deeply. Remind me that we are far better together. Help me to pour myself out for them. Before we wage war help us to build relationships.

Read: 2 Samuel 23:13 finds David reflecting about an experience he had years earlier. During a harvest season David was hiding with his men at the cave of Adullam from the Philistine army. David remarked to his key men how he would love some water from the well just outside of Bethlehem. But there was a problem. The well was in Philistine territory. Nonetheless, his key guys risked their lives and broke through enemy lines to bring this coveted water to David, who refused to drink the water and poured it out as an offering to the Lord. He saw this well water as something three of his men were willing to die on his behalf to give him.

Edify: To say that David’s men loved him and would gladly give their lives for him is an understatement. But David loved them right back by refusing to drink the very water they were willing to die to provide. David understood a leadership principle that is still very true today. “Win their hearts and one day they will win you wars.”

Practice: Practice recognizing just what others have done for you. Celebrate with them just how much they mean to you. Don’t fear expression. Vocalize appreciation.

June 3

2 Samuel 20:14-21:22, Acts 1:1-26, Psalm 121:1-8, Proverbs 16:18



Pray: God, get me ready to turn things that I head up and lead over to others. Help me to perceive the times, the seasons, and the circle of life.

Read: David and his men were at war throughout Israel. But David had aged over the years. On more than one occasion he had almost been killed. His young leaders urged him “to stay home.” He was too valuable to be lost in battle. Great men of God do get older, they do get tired, and they cannot continue at the pace they kept as young men. At first, David would not step aside. But as time passed David realized that his young leaders were right. He represented stability and the blessing of God.

There comes a time where we must yield…whether it is to younger leaders or our own children. Knowing when to do so and how to do so, well, no seasoned leader finds it easy. But yielding allows those that will one day rule get some hands-on experience with wise oversight.

Edify: The Lord watches over you now and FOREVER. We are not temporary. We are eternal. We don’t have a beginning and an end. We have a beginning followed by forever. Death is just a transition. The psalmist simply shares that God watches over us now (in this life) but also forever (in the next life). The psalmist is affirming that forever is real.

Practice: Practice delegating authority. Let others step up and begin to make decisions. And after they make decisions practice sitting down with them and evaluating what they did and why.