Month: February 2022

Not Forsaken

Not Forsaken by Kirk Hunt

I have been young, and now am old;
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken,
Nor his descendants begging bread.

He is ever merciful, and lends;
And his descendants are blessed.

Psalm 37:25-26 NKJV

Quill, scratching on parchment, David remembered his long, eventful life. “The righteous are not forsaken. Ever.” I wonder if some of the ink was smudged by teardrops.

Do not confuse hard times with being forsaken. God’s people face difficult circumstances, just like everyone else. The difference is that we know that God Himself guards us, and our folk.

David, hunted like an animal by his own father-in-law: not forsaken. David, betrayed by his own son and fleeing for his life: not forsaken. David, offering an atoning sacrifice because of his own sin: not forsaken.

You may cry hot tears, or bleed profusely, or go desperately hungry, but you remain a son or daughter of God. And in all of that, you are not forsaken. God guards you and yours. Stay faithful to our God who has already proven His faithfulness to you.

David lived to appoint his son, Solomon, to the throne with peace and prosperity. Messiah, Jesus Christ, is a king in David’s dynasty. David was never forsaken.

Son and daughter of God, your children and grandchildren will live in the peace and prosperity God gives you. Others will live better and longer because of your generosity and kindness. And all of it because you are not forsaken. Ever.

Think: “No matter how it looks, I am not forsaken.”

Pray: “Lord, help me to remember I am never forsaken by You.”

Copyright © February 2022, Kirk Hunt

This devotional is brought to you courtesy of CadreMen Press. You can purchase a copy of Blessed and Blessing: Devotionals For Gospel Champions from your favorite bookseller or directly from CadreMen Press.

Work For Good

Work For Good by Kirk Hunt

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28 NKJV

It is hard, from the middle of the chaos and confusion, to remember that God is working it out for good. Remember that “good” is not always “what I want or think.” God is always faithful to His Word, and to His fretful son (or daughter).

Events and circumstances happen to God’s people. Some, without doubt, hurt. Yet, God makes it work together for good. For mortal men and women, that can be hard to see, and harder to remember.

Sometimes we have to look past something. The legal decree is not the last word. The broken relationship is not the final chapter. The closed casket is not the end of the story. Tears, too often, are an ingredient of triumph.

No one wants to hurt, but aches and pains are part of the journey. Your heartache and soul cry are real and seen by God God’s love for you, and faithfulness in everything, is promised. No one (reputable) said we would understand on this side of eternity.

Are you fulfilling His purpose in your life? Are you pursuing your calling in His kingdom? Then it will be good. Keep working and trust how He works it out.

Think: “If it has not worked out, this is not the end.”

Pray: “Lord, help my faith and trust that You will make it good.”

Copyright © February 2022, Kirk Hunt

This devotional is brought to you courtesy of CadreMen Press. You can purchase a copy of Blessed and Blessing: Devotionals For Gospel Champions from your favorite bookseller or directly from CadreMen Press.

The Lord Rejected

The Lord Rejected by Kirk Hunt

But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

1 Samuel 15:26 NKJV
Please also read 1 Samuel 15:1-29

King Saul lost his kingship because our Lord God rejected him. God did not consult with anyone, even His great prophet, Samuel. For the record, Saul’s flagrant disobedience and unrepentant lying cost him his crown.

Leaders are men and women who have been selected by God to fulfill God’s purposes in the affairs of men. I cannot imagine nakedly disobeying an explicit, detailed, and direct order from God. Saul could. Saul did.

A Godly leader is not expected to be infallible, but they are expected to obey God’s commandments. To hear from God, and willfully decide to do something else, is not obedience but rebellion. None of Saul’s lies, excuses, or justifications could exempt him from God’s judgment.

There was no coup d’etat. No one, except Saul, staged a mutiny. Saul’s rebellion was against God, pure and simple. The results were predictable.

Men and women, even leaders, are imperfect. God extends grace to our errors, but not our willful rebellion. If you reject God’s commands, you are rejecting God. Look at Saul’s life to see the results of God rejecting you.

Think: If God rejects it, or them, or me, that is final.

Pray: “Lord, help keep me from anything that would cause you to reject me.”

Copyright © February 2022, Kirk Hunt

This devotional is brought to you courtesy of CadreMen Press. You can purchase a copy of Blessed and Blessing: Devotionals For Gospel Champions from your favorite bookseller or directly from CadreMen Press.

The Lord Rejected

The Lord Rejected by Kirk Hunt

But Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you, for you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.”

1 Samuel 15:26 NKJV
Please also read 1 Samuel 15:1-29

King Saul lost his kingship because our Lord God rejected him. God did not consult with anyone, even His great prophet, Samuel. For the record, Saul’s flagrant disobedience and unrepentant lying cost him his crown.

Leaders are men and women who have been selected by God to fulfill God’s purposes in the affairs of men. I cannot imagine nakedly disobeying an explicit, detailed, and direct order from God. Saul could. Saul did.

A Godly leader is not expected to be infallible, but they are expected to obey God’s commandments. To hear from God, and willfully decide to do something else, is not obedience but rebellion. None of Saul’s lies, excuses, or justifications could exempt him from God’s judgment.

There was no coup d’etat. No one, except Saul, staged a mutiny. Saul’s rebellion was against God, pure and simple. The results were predictable.

Men and women, even leaders, are imperfect. God extends grace to our errors, but not our willful rebellion. If you reject God’s commands, you are rejecting God. Look at Saul’s life to see the results of God rejecting you.

Think: If God rejects it, or them, or me, that is final.

Pray: “Lord, help keep me from anything that would cause you to reject me.”

Copyright © February 2022, Kirk Hunt

This devotional is brought to you courtesy of CadreMen Press. You can purchase a copy of Blessed and Blessing: Devotionals For Gospel Champions from your favorite bookseller or directly from CadreMen Press.

He Turned And Struck

He Turned And Struck by Kirk Hunt

Then the king said to the guards who stood about him, “Turn and kill the priests of the Lord, because their hand also is with David, and because they knew when he fled and did not tell it to me.” But the servants of the king would not lift their hands to strike the priests of the Lord. And the king said to Doeg, “You turn and kill the priests!” So Doeg the Edomite turned and struck the priests, and killed on that day eighty-five men who wore a linen ephod.

1 Samuel 22:17-18 NKJV
Please also read 1 Samuel 22:1-23

Even if King Saul’s order to kill the priests was lawful, it was clearly immoral. Traditional sources identify Abner and Amasa, loyal captains of King Saul, as the men who refused to kill the priests. Doeg proved himself a despicable henchman when he “turned and struck the priests.”

King Saul, God’s anointed king of Israel, gave an immoral order based on his anger and frustration. Men and women are responsible for the decisions they make as a leader of God’s people. A good leader would have re-thought his orders when loyal men (or women) refused to carry them out.

Any thug or brute can carry out a malicious order. An honorable and righteous soul is most loyal when they protect a leader from all dangers. And sometimes, a leader’s greatest danger is themselves.

Scripture does not record what happened to Doeg. Saul, who gave the order, died a miserable death, surrounded by enemies. A good leader wants good followers. Men and women who are so loyal, they will protect a leader from themselves.

Think: Even if the order is lawful, it may not be moral. Should I carry it out?

Pray: “Lord, help me to minister correctly, despite my orders.”

Copyright © February 2022, Kirk Hunt

This devotional is brought to you courtesy of CadreMen Press. You can purchase a copy of Blessed and Blessing: Devotionals For Gospel Champions from your favorite bookseller or directly from CadreMen Press.