The Daily Word: Friday, May 21^st, 2021
1 Samuel 29:1-31:13
John 11:55-12:19
Psalm 118:1-18
Proverbs 15:24-26
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
But one of His disciples, Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, who would betray Him, said, “Why was this fragrant oil not sold for three hundred denarii and given to the poor?” This he said, not that he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and had the money box; and he used to take what was put in it. – Jn. 12:4-6

Mary made an incredible sacrifice. She took a pound of very costly oil – worth about one year’s wages – and poured it out on Jesus’ feet. Then she took her hair and wiped His feet as the fragrance of her offering filled the whole house (v 3). You would think everyone would have been blown away by her sacrifice! Yet not everyone was happy. Judas criticized her: “Why was this fragrant oil not sold…and given to the poor?”

Judas was parading as a social justice warrior. He was virtue signaling! But notice his true motives. He didn’t care for the poor! He was a thief. He wanted Mary to deposit the money into the treasury so he could take it! And because her sacrifice didn’t meet his personal agenda, he criticized her.

There will always be people who criticize your sacrifice for Jesus because it doesn’t meet their agenda. No matter whom you help and how much you help them, they will always fault you for not helping someone else. Ignore them! Help whom God calls you to help: nothing and no one else. And know that your sacrifice reaches His throne as a sweet-smelling offering! The criticism of men on earth can never deafen the sound of celebration in heaven as you lay your life at the feet of the King.

Prayer:

Father, give me focus and vision. Tell me whom to help, and show me whom to serve! I will lay my life at Your feet. I will do what You tell me, when You tell me to do it, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Thursday, May 20^th, 2021
1 Samuel 26:1-28:25
John 11:1-54
Psalm 117:1-2
Proverbs 15:22-23
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
And David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?” David said furthermore, “As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, or his day shall come to die, or he shall go out to battle and perish.” – 1 Sam. 26:9-10

David had an opportunity to end it all. Saul was chasing and trying to kill him! But God had delivered Saul into David’s hand. David and Abishai snuck into Saul’s camp and could have killed Saul while he slept! But David wouldn’t do it. How could he stretch out his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and not end up paying for it?

David didn’t know how God was going to take Saul out of the way, but he knew that God would! So David left it to God. Because David knew one thing: it was not his right to take matters into his own hand. It was not David’s job to try and force his own ascension to the throne! It was not David’s prerogative to make his destiny happen; it was his joy to simply watch and wait as the Lord caused it all to unfold.

Your destiny matters more to God than it matters to you. Do you believe it? I can’t tell you how it will happen; but I do know that God knows what He is doing! He will make sure that every obstacle to your destiny is removed, so that you can walk into His promise for your life without distraction and without delay.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for removing the enemy from my path! I am grateful for Your timing. I am grateful for Your plan! I don’t know how You are going to do it; but I do know that You are going to do it! And for that, I am grateful, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Wednesday, May 19^th, 2021
1 Samuel 24:1-25:44
John 10:22-42
Psalm 116:1-19
Proverbs 15:20-21
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple, in Solomon’s porch. Then the Jews surrounded Him and said to Him, “How long do You keep us in doubt? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.” – Jn. 10:22-24

The Jews wanted a straight answer from Jesus. Was Jesus the Christ?! Was He the Messiah the world had been waiting for? They wanted to know. They wanted Him to tell them “plainly.” But Jesus had already shown them who He was.

When John’s disciples came and asked if Jesus was the Christ, how did He respond?

Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and tell John the things you have seen and heard: that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he who is not offended because of Me.” – Lk. 7:22-23

When the sick and lame came to Jesus, how did He respond?

Jesus said to him, “Rise, take up your bed and walk.” And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. – Jn. 5:8-9a

Why would the Jews need a straight verbal answer if Jesus had already given them definitive proof? Yet we are like the Jews! We want to know if God really exists. God, are you there? We want to know if He is with us! God, do you love me? But look what He has already done! He created a world for us out of nothing! He put breath in your lungs and love in your heart. He has done miracles in your life; and you will see them if you look hard enough.

Stop demanding a “plain” answer, and start looking at everything He has already done! God doesn’t owe you an explanation! But He will point you to proof that He is real, and that He loves you with all His heart.

Prayer:

Jesus, I believe in You! Father, give me confidence to fear You and to trust You like never before, in Jesus’ name. I know You are real! And I know You are God. I will never doubt You again, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Tuesday, May 18^th, 2021
1 Samuel 22:1-23:29
John 10:1-21
Psalm 115:1-18
Proverbs 15:18-19
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down there to him. – 1 Sam. 22:1

Family stays by your side. David and his brothers had their disagreements (see 1 Sam. 17:28); but when push came to shove, they showed up for him. They left their homes and security in Israel and came down to meet David in exile. They could have betrayed David for personal gain! Yet they honored him as their own.

Do you have people in your life on whom you can rely like this? Do you have people in your life for whom you are a blessing like this?! If you want good friends…be one. Honor other people like family, and they will honor you back. Sow in faith, and what watch you reap in Jesus’ name.

God sets the solitary in families… – Psalm 68:6

Prayer:

Father, thank You for my family. Thank You for friends in my life who feel and treat me like family! Help me to be loyal to the people I call family in my life. I am so grateful that I am counted part of the family of God, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Monday, May 17^th, 2021
1 Samuel 20:1-21:15
John 9:1-41
Psalm 113:1-114:8
Proverbs 15:15-17
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Therefore the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?” Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.” He said, “I am he.” – Jn. 9:8-9

Jesus will change you so much that your neighbors won’t even recognize you! And this is a good thing. This man had been blind from birth! But now he saw. This man had to sit and beg! But now he was mobile and productive. Jesus changed him from top to bottom, and the whole world took notice.

God wants to change you too. When you gave your life to Jesus, you became a new creation:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. – 2 Cor. 5:17

You will no longer look the same. You will no longer act the same! You will no longer talk the same. You have seen Jesus. From this point forward, you will never be the same, and there is no turning back.

Prayer:

Father, change me! Moses spent time with you and his face shone. I want to be so changed and transformed by Your presence that the people who knew me before I met Jesus don’t recognize me anymore! Change me: from top to bottom, and from the inside out, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Sunday, May 16^th, 2021
1 Samuel 18:5-19:24
John 8:31-59
Psalm 112:1-10
Proverbs 15:12-14
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Therefore Saul removed him from his presence, and made him his captain over a thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. – 1 Sam. 18:13-14

David had done nothing wrong. When Saul was troubled with a “distressing spirit” (1 Sam. 16:14), David played music for Saul and Saul was made well. When Saul faced a giant, David stepped in:

Then David said to Saul, “Let no man’s heart fail because of him; your servant will go and fight with this Philistine.” – 1 Sam. 17:32

But in response to David’s faithful service and constant victory, Saul “eyed David” (v 9). He viewed him suspiciously! Saul was jealous and insecure; and those emotions got the best of him.

But note David’s response. Saul was literally trying to kill David for no reason (v 11)! But David, “…behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him” (v 14). When people attack you for no reason, don’t retaliate! Bite your tongue from saying things you don’t really mean. It doesn’t matter who is out to get you, or what they are trying to do to sabotage your destiny! God will work it all for good.

David took the high road. He continued to serve Saul, even when Saul didn’t deserve it! And as a result, God gave David victory and favor everywhere he went. What’s more, because David proved he could be trusted to act with integrity no matter what, God gave David the kingdom:

Then all the tribes of Israel came to David at Hebron and spoke, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. Also, in time past, when Saul was king over us, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord said to you, ‘You shall shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over Israel.’” – 2 Sam. 5:1-2

Prayer:

Father, help me to behave wisely as I wait for my destiny to unfold. Help me by the power of Your Holy Spirit to swallow my pride and continue to serve with my whole heart! No matter who attacks me, I will respond with integrity, forgiveness and grace. You alone – no one else! – determines my destiny, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Saturday, May 15^th, 2021
1 Samuel 17:1-18:4
John 8:21-30
Psalm 111:1-10
Proverbs 15:11
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
“And He said to them, ‘You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.’” – Jn. 8:23-24

You were born into sin. Theologically, we – mankind – are born into the sin of Adam. David said, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me” (Ps. 51:5). Experientially, we know this to be true. I have kids, and without heavy guidance from God-fearing parents, children definitely do not do the right thing on their own. You were born into sin, and without Jesus, “you will die in your sins!”

But with Jesus, you “have the light of life” (Jn. 8:12). You will not walk in darkness anymore! Jesus – He who “knew no sin” – became sin “for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Jesus died as our sin, so that when we believe in Him we become the righteousness of God!

Do you know Jesus? If you believe in Him, tell Him. If you don’t grab a hold of Jesus before it’s too late, “…you…will die in your sin.” Death is coming for you sooner or later! The only question is, will you find Life before death arrives? Reach out and touch Jesus now, while you still can! Jesus died for us “while we were still sinners” (Rom. 5:8). He will meet you right where you are, and usher you into everlasting life.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for the gift of the Cross! Thank You for sending Jesus to die in my place, so that I would have everlasting life. I know that, in Jesus, all things have been made new! I am no longer subject to my sin nature; but instead, I have been raised to Resurrection life, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Friday, May 14^th, 2021
1 Samuel 15:1-16:23
John 8:1-20
Psalm 110:1-7
Proverbs 15:8-10
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Then Samuel went to Saul, and Saul said to him, “Blessed are you of the Lord! I have performed the commandment of the Lord.” But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?” – 1 Sam. 15:13-14

Saul had simple instructions: “Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them.” Saul was commanded to annihilate Israel’s enemy. He was to completely destroy them, and completely destroy all they had: “…ox, sheep, camel and donkey” (v 3).

But Saul didn’t finish the job. He killed all the people, but spared Agag, king of the Amalekites. He also kept “the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and [was] unwilling to utterly destroy them” (v 9). Saul destroyed what he didn’t want! But he kept what he wanted. Saul was obedient to the border of convenience! But when it was no longer desirable and comfortable to follow God’s command, he jumped ship. He “[swept] down on the spoil, and [did] evil in the sight of the Lord” (v 19). When God called Saul on his sin, Saul pretended nothing was wrong. “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord,” he said (v 20)! But God was not fooled, and He certainly was not impressed.

Don’t pretend you fulfilled God’s command if you didn’t! Don’t claim to have honored God’s will if you don’t do what He says. Now, there is room for error. There is forgiveness for mistakes! There is grace for imperfection. The blood of Jesus atones for all your sin: past, present and future. But the mature believer looks at God’s command and keeps it. He repents when he misses the mark, instead of acting like nothing is wrong. He asks the Holy Spirit for help, knowing that he can accomplish nothing on his own.

Be mature. Finish the job! Say what you mean, and mean what you say! Don’t pretend you were perfectly obedient if you were not. And if God tells you to do it, get it done in Jesus’ name.

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. – Jas. 1:22

Prayer:

Father, help me to finish the job! I want to be a doer of the word. Whatever I have left undone, strengthen and inspire me to do it, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Thursday, May 13^th, 2021
1 Samuel 14:1-52
John 7:31-53
Psalm 109:1-31
Proverbs 15:5-7
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
Now Saul said, “Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and plunder them until the morning light; and let us not leave a man of them.” And they said, “Do whatever seems good to you.” Then the priest said, “Let us draw near to God here.” – 1 Sam. 14:36

Saul was hungry for victory. The army of Israel had already sent the Philistines running. Now it was time to pursue the enemy and strike them down with a decisive final victory, once and for all. Saul was ready to go! But the priest – God’s representative – issued a timely reminder: “Let us draw near to God here.”

“Here” meant in the midst of the battle. “Here” meant in the midst of the din and noise! “Here” meant seeking God in chaos, instead of waiting for a quiet moment to regroup and listen for His voice. Before you take one more step, draw near to God. Seek His will! Ask Him what to do next. Demonstrate to Him that you trust Him, and that you will not move unless He tells you to go.

Saul avoided catastrophe. Had he rushed to pursue the enemy without first waiting to hear from God, Israel’s victory could have dissolved into defeat. But Saul had wise counselors reminding him to draw near to God – to make time to hear His voice! – even in the midst of the mayhem.

No matter where you are, draw near to God. I am issuing the same reminder to you today that Saul’s priest issued to him. You need God more than ever before! When you call to Him and ask what to do next, He will answer. And then you will have all the confidence you could ever need to step out in boldness and faith.

Prayer:

Father, thank You for speaking to me! Thank You for reminding me to stop and listen to Your voice: even in the midst of battle. There is no such thing as being too busy to stop and draw near to You. I need Your presence, and I pray that You would meet me like never before, in Jesus’ name!

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.

The Daily Word: Wednesday, May 12^th, 2021
1 Samuel 12:1-13:23
John 7:1-30
Psalm 108:1-13
Proverbs 15:4
For full text click here.

Commentary from Pastor Michael White:
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life, but perverseness in it breaks the spirit. – Prov. 15:4

Broken people have broken tongues; and broken tongues break people. The tongue is a powerful tool! “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Prov. 18:21)! Your tongue has the power to build up and to tear down. Are you living like that’s true? Are you watching your mouth so that nothing perverse or destructive comes out?

When I was growing up, we were taught this saying: “Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” It sounds tough; but it’s not Biblical! Your words are incredibly powerful and eternally important. After all, was it not the serpent’s words that tricked Adam and Eve? Were they not your words that marked the receipt of salvation (Rom. 10:9)?

A perverse tongue breaks the spirit. That has two implications for you today. First, be loving in what you say to others! Poorly-placed words can send people off on a destructive track that can take years to repair. Speak life, and never death over other people.

Second, be wise in what you speak over yourself. The more you permit “perverseness” in your tongue, the more your spirit will break. The character, integrity, and focus you once had towards God will start to erode, all as a result of your failure to watch your tongue. Don’t let it happen! Ask the Holy Spirit for help. Guard your tongue from evil, and loose it for God, in Jesus’ name.

Prayer:

Father, I want to use my tongue as a tool of life and never destruction. I pray that Your Holy Spirit would put words of life on my tongue! Fill my mouth up with wholesome words. I bind perverseness in Jesus’ name. It cannot touch me! I will speak words of affirmation and grace over myself and others, in Jesus’ name.

© Michael D. White, 2021. All rights reserved.