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"Misfits, Malcontents, and Knuckleheads" March 3 Readings: 1 Samuel 21-24

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Samuel 21-24 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     The root of leadership in the kingdom of God is serving the glory of God and the real needs of other people. Loving God and loving people. This principle is highlighted both positively and negatively in these scriptures. Saul becomes increasingly self-involved and egotistical. He is not concerned about anyone but himself. No one can be a good leader who is self-absorbed like that. David's heart beat for God, and he lived to glorify him. David had an opportunity to destroy S...
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"The Difference" March 2 Readings: 1 Samuel 17-20, Psalm 11, 50

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Samuel 17-20, Psalm 11, 50 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     David and Goliath - is there a better-known story in the Bible? David has been anointed by God and is sent to take provisions to his brothers. He challenges and defeats the giant and becomes part of the royal household. This leads to Saul's jealousy and the beginning of his attempts to kill David. We begin something in today's reading that will become common from this point on. Psalms that are believed to be written in response to certain events will be includ...
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"He Sees the Heart" March 1 Readings: 1 Samuel 11-16

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Samuel 11-16 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Our reading today focuses on the downfall of King Saul, who failed to fully and conscientiously obey God, and the anointing of David as the new king of Israel. The contrast between the two is stark. Saul is tall, dark, and handsome - charismatic and impressive to all. David is so insignificant even his own father didn't bring him to the line-up when Samuel said that one of his sons would be king. But David was a "man after God's own heart" and became Israel's greatest king....
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"Anointed Failure" February 28 Readings: 1 Samuel 6-10

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Samuel 6-10 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     It is interesting how often immensely talented people end up being failures in God's kingdom work. Samson was good-looking and athletic but lacked character. Here we have King Saul - head and shoulders taller than others, charismatic and appealing, but he was not careful to obey God, and his life became a cautionary tale of failure. In today's reading, we see Saul anointed as king with tremendous promise, which we know will fail in the next few chapters. We see a flaw in Isr...
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"Magical Religion" February 27 Readings: 1 Samuel 1-5

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   1 Samuel 1-5 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     As Judges 17-21 took Israel to the nadir of its history, this passage is the beginning of the rise to Israel's greatest days. God's grace restored Israel. The irony is that when Israel reached its worst days at the end of the period of the Judges, it was only 50 to 75 years or so from its glory days under King David. It all began when one woman prayed fervently for a son and then gave that son to God. Samuel grew to lead Israel back to God and eventually anointed a young shep...
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"For the World" February 26 Readings: Ruth 1-4

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Ruth 1-4 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     Ruth is one of the truly great love stories in ancient literature. No, it is not so much a story of romantic love, but the faithful love of a daughter-in-law to a mother-in-law. It tells the story of King David's great-grandmother's migration from Moab to Israel. She is also one of the four women who appear in Jesus' genealogy in the Gospels. Daily Devotional:  For the World The fundamental failure of Israel was their failure to understand the full meaning of the blessing th...
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"King of My Life" February 25 Readings: Judges 17-21

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  Reading the Bible Chronologically in 2026 This year, we will read the Bible chronologically, as it happened, instead of simply reading from Genesis to Revelation.  The Old Testament is approximately 3/4 of the Bible, but we will give more emphasis to the New Testament, spending half the year in the Old Testament and half in the New.  Bible Readings :   Judges 17-21 In Bible Gateway, we will link to the NIV this year, though you can choose any version you prefer.  Background:     There is little uplifting or encouraging in this passage. It is the story of the degradation of Israel at its end stage, when the downward spiral of the cycle of Judges reached its nadir. Israel drifted away from God and then returned, but the direction was always downward, as is human nature, and finally, there was no obedience, no conscience, no fidelity to the God who brought them out of Egypt and gave them the Land of Promise as their inheritance.  The last verse of ...
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