Jesus' familiar parable of the Good Samaritan was shocking to His Jewish audience, challenging their prejudices and self-serving interpretations of God’s law. It is still today a powerful statement of what it means to love your neighbor.
If our joy is determined by responses to our ministry efforts, we have a flawed perspective on God's work. Jesus reminds us that our joy is not dependent on our work in the world but on God's work in us and for us.
We are all part of the Lord's plan. And as with the seventy-two disciples Jesus sends out to proclaim His message, He offers us sound principles to follow that will give us realistic expectations and a clear focus that will help us successfully complete our mission.
As followers of Jesus Christ, we are sheep under the care of our Good Shepherd. We can rest in the truth that He knows us, loves us, and desires and initiates a relationship with us. How could we be any more blessed? How could we be any more obligated to serve and worship Him?
When rejected on earth, we need to remember that is the common lot of God’s children. What is important is that, by God's grace, we are accepted by Him. Jesus' healing of a blind man offers an encouraging illustration.
Like Jesus, we live in a world that is content to remain in the darkness of sin, ignorant of the freedom they can have in Him, the Light of the World. What are we doing to let His light shine forth brightly in this needy world?
Those who see sinners simply as people to be condemned and used are as guilty as those they condemn. Like Jesus, we should not excuse sin, but we should act with love and compassion toward those who need His forgiveness. An incident in John 8 highlights this perspective.
Who is Jesus? Is He Israel's Messiah and God in the flesh? Or is He simply a man, not God but one who taught wonderful truths and provided the greatest of all examples to follow? This is the most important question a person can answer: Who is Jesus?
Jesus Christ is Lord. If we fail to follow Him, it is not because He has given us no reason to do so but simply because we place our own desires ahead of Him. Three would-be disciples with typical excuses demonstrate this sad truth.
The church cannot function effectively and in unity without dealing with sin in its midst. The church body as a whole and individual believers must be committed to confronting offenders, boldly and lovingly seeking confession and reconciliation and offering genuine forgiveness.
Psalm 51 records David’s heartfelt confession after his sin with Bathsheba, and Stephen Davey explains it as a model of genuine repentance. He begins with David’s petition—a plea for mercy based on God’s steadfast love. Aware of the weight of his guilt, David asks God to blot out his transgressions, wash away his iniquity, and cleanse him from sin. The second step is admission: David accepts full responsibility, refusing to blame others and acknowledging his fallen nature. His sin, he admits, flows from the sinful heart of humanity inherited from Adam. Next comes restoration: David pleads, “Create in me a clean heart, O God,” recognizing that only divine power can renew what sin has corrupted. Finally, his resolution is to teach others from his failure—to lead sinners back to God through honesty and repentance. Davey concludes that true confession involves humble honesty, complete dependence on God’s mercy, and a transformed resolve to live transparently before Him, proving that no sin is too great for God’s restoring grace.
In The Voice of Creation (Psalm 19:1–8a), Stephen Davey contrasts Carl Sagan’s hopeless view of a silent universe with David’s joyful proclamation that creation declares the glory of God. Davey explains that the heavens continually reveal God’s signature, wisdom, and grace—a universal testimony to His power and creativity. The beauty, complexity, and order of nature point unmistakably to a Designer, but this general revelation alone cannot save; it must be joined with the special revelation of God’s Word. David moves from calling God El (Creator) to Yahweh (personal Redeemer), showing that Scripture revives the soul, makes the simple wise, and causes the heart to rejoice. Davey concludes that while creation proves God’s existence, His Word reveals His character and plan of redemption. Believers, therefore, should worship the Creator revealed both in the world around us and in the inspired Word that leads us back to Him.
Psalms 42–44 open the second book of Psalms, where Stephen Davey explains that God invites believers to pour out their hearts to Him with complete honesty. The sons of Korah—descendants of a rebel who chose faithfulness—wrote of spiritual dryness and discouragement: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.” Davey notes that even when God seems silent, He is never absent. These psalms teach believers to trust and wait for the Lord, declaring, “Hope in God; for I shall again praise Him, my salvation and my God.” In Psalm 44, this personal trust expands to national suffering as Israel endures consequences for sin yet clings to God’s covenant faithfulness. Paul later cites this psalm to remind believers that suffering is not abandonment but evidence of spiritual maturity. Through these lessons, Davey encourages believers to be honest with God, steadfast in hope, and confident that even in dry seasons, God remains their salvation and strength.
This lesson from Deuteronomy 16–26 emphasizes God's righteousness as the standard for all of life. Moses reviews the importance of righteous leadership—judges, kings, priests, and prophets—who are called to uphold justice and truth. God's laws are revisited to guide Israel in holy living, covering areas like inheritance, morality, and societal order. These commands act like protective boundaries, showing how a righteous person should live. Finally, Israel’s worship is tied to gratitude and public acknowledgment of God's faithfulness. The lesson encourages believers to live righteously, not just privately but visibly, so the world sees God's wisdom and character through them.
In Psalm 56, Stephen Davey portrays David as “flying in the dark,” surrounded by danger and fear but learning to trust God’s Word as his instrument panel. Hiding in Gath—the hometown of Goliath—David faced overwhelming threats, yet confessed, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in You.” Davey emphasizes that faith and fear often coexist; trusting God doesn’t remove fear but steadies the heart in it. He draws three principles from the psalm: God’s Word is always relevant and reliable in trouble, God Himself is fully aware of every step and sleepless night, and God is compassionate, collecting every tear in His bottle. Davey explains that just as ancient people kept tear bottles to express sorrow, God lovingly keeps record of every believer’s tears—proof that no pain is unnoticed. He concludes that one day, God will empty those bottles forever, wiping away every tear. Until then, believers can rest in His presence, knowing He sees, cares, and sustains them through every trial.
