Blog Posts from 2016

2130 of 57 items

1 Chronicles 19–20. Seek forgiveness

by slpcenglish

21–27 August 2016. 1 Chronicles 19–20 (click to read). If there’s one thing we all have in common, it’s that we make mistakes. We all try to make the best decisions we can, but somehow things still go wrong. But while making mistakes is normal, the important thing is how we react to those mistakes. […]

1 Chronicles 7–8. God knows your name

by slpcenglish

14–20 August 2016. 1 Chronicles 7–8 (click to read). In the New Testament we have four gospels which all tell us about Jesus but from different perspectives. Here now in the Old Testament we also see the same thing. The writers of Samuel and Kings gave us one version of Israel’s history, and now Chronicles talks about […]

2 Kings 23–24. Re-devoting our lives to God

by slpcenglish

7–13 August 2016. 2 Kings 23–24 (click to read). When people come to the English Ministry, they notice that during the service we have a special prayer: the Communal Confession. It’s a time when we admit that we haven’t always lived up to God’s expectations. We confess those failings together, and then hear God’s promise […]

2 Kings 11–12. The right time

by slpcenglish

31 July – 6 August 2016. 2 Kings 11–12 (click to read). In English, we say: “Time flies when you’re having fun!” When everything is going well, time goes by so fast. Of course the opposite is also true: a boring class (or sermon) seems to drag on forever! When we go through dark times […]

1 Kings 19–20. Calmness, not violence

by slpcenglish

24–30 July 2016. 1 Kings 19–20 (click to read). The prophet Elijah is about to find out that in life things are never easy or uncomplicated! In chapter 19:14 we read that he only wanted to do something good for God – but it all went so wrong! In his zealous passion for God he turned […]

1 Kings 9–10. Things aren’t always as good as they seem

by slpcenglish

17–23 July 2016. 1 Kings 9–10 (click to read). In the book of Kings, one of the morals that the writers want to teach us is that sin always has it’s price. Sooner or later, God’s punishment catches up with people. That’s what happened to Saul and David, and that’s what’s coming for Solomon too. On the […]

1 Kings 1. God’s plan will succeed

by slpcenglish

10–16 July 2016. 1 Kings 1 (click to read). In the ancient world, people believed a king’s power to rule was linked to his sexual abilities. That’s one reason kings and rulers had so many wives. So 1 Kings opens with a serious problem: David is now so old and weak, even his sexual abilities […]

2 Samuel 15. Are we good role models?

by slpcenglish

Bonus Devotional Text, July 2016. 2 Samuel 15 (click to read). King David’s story began with so much hope. Finally here was a king who was listening to God, defending justice, and doing what was right. But how quickly it all fell apart. David becomes an adulterer and a murderer, and the sin in his life […]

2 Samuel 4–5: One law for everyone

by slpcenglish

3–9 July 2016. 2 Samuel 4–5 (click to read). In 2 Samuel 5, David finally becomes the ruler of both Israelite kingdoms, Judah in the south and Israel in the north. It’s the start of a new chapter in Israel’s royal history. But what type of king will David be? Will he be like many […]

1 Samuel 26. Leaving the way of revenge

by slpcenglish

26 June – 2 July 2016. 1 Samuel 26 (click to read). When people do horrible things to us, straightaway we start to think how we can get back at them. How can we make them suffer for hurting us so badly? Sometimes people even think that taking revenge is what God wants them to […]