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How to Be Still
Following the death of Tyre Nichols and so many other recent acts of violence and destruction Read More
Joe E. Pennel Jr. | Read 2 Samuel 11:26-27 , Read 2 Samuel 12:1-13
In the Hebrew Bible, we see two portraits of David, who is now seen as one of the towering figures of the Israelite people.
In today’s reading, we see a person who has messed up his life. Much of the Bible is about people who have botched things badly in...
Give me the strength, O Lord, to practice confession so that I can feel forgiven in my mind and heart. Amen.
David thinks he has gotten away with his sins, but God sends Nathan to tell David a story. The story angers David, but Nathan reveals that the story is really about David’s own behavior. Indeed, it can be tempting to condemn others’ sin, while we justify our own. Psalm 51 is David’s appeal to God for forgiveness and restoration. If we want to please God in our own lives, what does this look like? Ephesians tells us that the signs of a redeemed life include humility, love, patience, and building up one another (the opposite of what David displayed). In John, Jesus has crowds following him because they want a free meal. The lasting nourishment they truly need, Jesus teaches, comes through believing that God has sent him.
Read 2 Samuel 11:26–12:13a. When has someone else helped you see that you have sinned? How did you respond to that person?
Read Psalm 51:1-12. When have you felt “unclean” before God? How did God restore you?
Read Ephesians 4:1-16. What are your gifts? How do you use them to build up the body of Christ?
Read John 6:24-35. How do you feed your soul?
Respond by posting a prayer.
