Beth Duncan

July 28, 2024

The power of words…. (devo reflection)

1 Samuel 3:19 The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.

I feel certain that I am not the only one who sometimes speaks and wonders if anybody is actually listening, if anyone is hearing the words coming out of my mouth. The idea of none of my words falling to the ground (v19) is actually quite appealing to me….

1 Samuel 3:20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognized that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord.

…but when I truly think about that idea–none of my words fall to the ground, the all hit their mark–I realize that being heard is a powerful thing, and I’m not always careful with my words–especially when I am angry, frustrated, bitter, tired–so sometimes I intentionally lob words intended to wound. I don’t want those words to land. I don’t even mean those words beyond my fear or frustration.

1 Samuel 3:21a The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh,

Precious Savior, Thank You for the power of words. Help me to be more careful with the words that I say–especially when I am upset, angry, bitter, tired. I want my words to edify, to build up others, to point them to You. I don’t want my words to hurt or tear down. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

1 Samuel 3:21b …and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.

Have a blessed day.

July 27, 2024

How beautiful is that?

1 Samuel 3:17a “What was it he said to you?” Eli asked.

According to tradition, Samuel is 12 years old in this chapter. Can you imagine delivering the news he had to deliver to Eli at 12 years old? I cannot. Interestingly, in my church devos this week, we are in the latter verses of Luke 2, when Jesus is 12 years old and His parents inadvertently leave Him at the temple.

1 Samuel 3:17b “Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you.”

Those two twelve year olds have me thinking about children, God, growing up, capability, trust. Twelve seems so young, I think definitely younger now than in biblical times, yet God’s got our kiddos–those we gave birth to, those we helped raise, those we love and want the best for, those who pluck our last nerve–He’s got them all. He’s leading and guiding them, even now. And He allows us to assist Him and them. How beautiful is that?

1 Samuel 3:18a So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the many, many young people You have placed in my life over the years. Thank You for allowing me to assist You and them as they grow. Help me, as a responsible adult who loves You and loves others, to help them find their feet, to help them learn to trust themselves, to help them see the value of course-correcting when they see they have veered off course. Amen.

1 Samuel 3:18b Then Eli said, “He is the Lord; let him do what is good in his eyes.”

Have a blessed day.

July 26, 2024

Setting my plans…. (devo reflection)

1 Samuel 3:13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons blasphemed God, and he failed to restrain them.

I am so thankful for the sacrifice of Jesus. It is because of His sacrifice that we no longer face the fate of Eli and his sons. They no longer had the time or space to repent. Their fates were now sealed. I am so grateful that Jesus changed that reality, giving me the space to grow and change.

1 Samuel 3:14 Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’ ”

I am stubborn, often pigheaded. I set my plans and am often determined that that is the way things will go. I am terrible about saying, “Hey, God, I know You’ve got a plan, but I think mine is better….” It’s ridiculous, I know. Yet I also know that a good handful of folks reading this reflection will be nodding and saying, “Yep. Me, too.” Thankfully, Jesus knows our hearts and loves us fiercely.

1 Samuel 3:15 Samuel lay down until morning and then opened the doors of the house of the Lord. He was afraid to tell Eli the vision,

Precious Savior, Forgive me for those times that I am so committed to my own way that I don’t even stop to listen to the words that You are whispering to my heart. Help me to listen, to hear, to respond. Thank You for Your Son and for His sacrifice. Give me wisdom and strength to grow and mature as I go through each day. Amen.

1 Samuel 3:16 but Eli called him and said, “Samuel, my son.” Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

Have a blessed day.

July 25, 2024

Speaking to respond instead of speaking to listen…. (devo reflection)

1 Samuel 3:10 The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!”

I love Samuel’s reply here: “Speak, for your servant is listening.” I wish I could say that my replies to God are always as eloquent, but they aren’t. Sometimes I snap, “WHAT?!?” Sometimes I am distracted, “Hmmm?” Sometimes I think *I* have the situation in hand, so my response is more, “Hey, God, I know You have a plan, but here’s what we need to do here….”

1 Samuel 3:10b Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”

As a people, we are bad about speaking to respond instead of speaking to listen. Many times, we aren’t actually listening. We latch on to one point in the conversation to formulate our reply instead of actually listening. We are so busy trying to get our point across that we don’t actually hear what’s being said.

1 Samuel 3:11 And the Lord said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears about it tingle.

Precious Savior, Help me to listen with the sole purpose of hearing. Help me to listen when You speak. Help me to listen when others speak. Help me to listen to hear not simply listen to respond. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

1 Samuel 3:12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end.

Have a blessed day.

July 24, 2024

Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening…. (devo reflection)

1 Samuel 3:8a A third time the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.”

What strikes me about today’s verses is the patience and perseverance of God. In verse 8, Samuel is called for the third time, and while he responds to every call, he responds to Eli because he thinks that is who is calling him. It takes Eli a while to catch on as well. It isn’t until the third call that Eli realizes that since he isn’t calling Samuel, it must be the Lord.

1 Samuel 3:8b Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy.

Even when Eli makes that realization, he doesn’t panic. “OMG! That must be God calling. Go back to your room! Listen! Hope He calls again!” Eli says, *if* He calls you (for a fourth time), say, ‘Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening.’

1 Samuel 3:9a So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.’ ”

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your patience and perseverance. Thank You for calling until we figure out that it is Your voice we are hearing. Help us to listen. Help us to hear. Help us to respond. Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening. Amen.

1 Samuel 3:9b So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

Have a blessed day.

July 23, 2024

To listen, to hear, to respond…. (devo reflection)

1 Samuel 3:4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.”

Once again, the last verse is the one that has caught my attention: “Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.” I know over the years there have been times when I read God’s word and thought, “What in the world is this saying?!?” and there have been times I’ve read His word and thought, “This! He hears me. He knows me. He’s got me. Thank You, Jesus!”

1 Samuel 3:5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.

And there have been times when I have felt God calling me to deal with a certain situation or trait or issue, one that I continue to struggle with or still haven’t dealt with. Part of that, I think, is Christian maturity. He calls me to tasks as I have matured enough to handle them. Part of that is human fallibility. I should have dealt with that last time I encountered it, but I didn’t, and here it still is. Regardless, I am thankful that He continues to call us until we listen, until we hear, until we respond.

1 Samuel 3:6 Again the Lord called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for revealing different aspects of Your personality to me over the years as I continue to grow and develop as Your deeply loved child. Help me never to lose the wonder of Your first call. Help me to listen, to hear, to respond. Always. Amen.

1 Samuel 3:7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.

Have a blessed day.

July 22, 2024

A sense of wonder…. (devo reflection)

1 Samuel 3:1a The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli.

The second part of verse 1 caught me off guard this morning. “In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.” I know I am guilty more than once of thinking how often folks had visions in the Old Testament and wondering why we don’t see God like that any more. Apparently, my perception was off as the second part of verse 1 indicates it was not very common then either.

1 Samuel 3:1b In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

1 Samuel 3 is the scripture that my church focused on last week during devo reflections. The theme of the week was WONDER. As I mentioned yesterday, the opposite of wonder is EXPECTATION. I have come to realize in the past few days that I am so guilty of approaching life, approaching God with expectation instead of wonder. Jesus, Help me.

1 Samuel 3:2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.

Precious Savior, Thank You for opening my eyes to the fact that I have fallen into the trap of expectation. Help me, daily, to approach You with wonder and not expectation. Help me to see You, experience You, and introduce You to others with every breath. Help me never to lose my childlike wonder for You. Amen.

1 Samuel 3:3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was.

Have a blessed day.

July 21, 2024

Grace is wonder…. (devo reflection)

Romans 5:18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people.

According to one source on Google, “the opposite of WONDER is EXPECTATION.” That fact resonates as I read today’s verses. Sin seems to be EXPECTATION–This is what *I* want. This will make *me* happy. This might hurt others, but what does that matter if the end result is about me, me, me?

Romans 5:19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

Grace is WONDER. Even as He was dying, Christ prayed for those who persecuted Him. “Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.” How can Christ be so grace-filled at the hour of His death and to the people who caused it? It is literally beyond me, but as a sinner saved by grace, I am so incredibly grateful for His mercy, grace, and love.

Romans 5:20 The law was brought in so that the trespass might increase. But where sin increased, grace increased all the more,

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your fierce mercy and grace. Thank You for the wonder of Your love. Thank You that there is nothing I can do that You will not forgive, that Your grace will not cover. Help me to have the sense and the strength to accept Your grace and turn from my sin. Help me. Amen.

Romans 5:21 so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Have a blessed day.

July 20, 2024

Freedom of choice…. (devo reflection)

Romans 5:16a Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation,

Reading commentary on today’s verses has been quite interesting. Commentary mentioned the term Federal Theology–the idea of Adam and Jesus as two representatives of the human race–Adam representing humanity’s sinfulness and Jesus representing humanity’s salvation.

Romans 5:16b …but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification.

Of course, with an election creeping ever closer, the idea of Federal Theology, party representatives, has me thinking that this vote would be a no-brainer. However, as fleshly, fallible humans, we choose sin again and again. What is wrong with us? Thankfully, “God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ” is available to us even when we continue to make the wrong choice.

Romans 5:17a For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man,

Precious Savior, Thank You that You give me the freedom of choice. You don’t want me to be a slave to You. You want me to choose You, freely, again and again. Forgive me when I make the wrong choice. Help me to choose You. Always. Amen.

Romans 5:17b …how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!

Have a blessed day.

July 19, 2024

All for one and one for all…. (devo reflection)

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—

I want to focus today on verse 15. The gist is, essentially, all for one and one for all. Through Adam, we are all sinners. Through Christ, we are all forgiven. Yesterday’s scripture reminded us that we are celebrated when we return, but that those who never stray never lose access to Christ’s presence, a priceless gift in itself.

Romans 5:13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law.

The all for one and one for all nature of Christ’s sacrifice–He died for all of us; His grace and mercy is available to all of us–has me thinking about the many, many ways we separate ourselves as human beings. *I* am worthy. You are not. *We* are chosen. They are not. That’s not how God works. Nadia Bolz-Weber once said, “Every time we draw a line between us and others, Jesus is always on the other side of it.”

Romans 5:14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.

Precious Savior, Forgive me when I try to draw lines of division, when I try to establish that I am on “Your” side and those “others” are somehow not. Thank You that You love all of Your creation even those who do not recognize or accept You. Help me to see as You see, to love as You love. Help me. Amen.

Romans 5:15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many!

Have a blessed day.