This Week’s Devotional (Mon–Fri)
McLean Bible Church | May 17, 2026
Sermon Title Religion God Rejects
Series Kingmaker
Speaker Pastor Mike Kelsey
Primary Passage 1 Samuel 4:2 - 7:2
DAY 1
When Me and God Disagree
1 Samuel 4:3 “Why has the LORD defeated us today before the Philistines?”
Meditation: The sermon begins with a hard but freeing question: when we come across something in God’s Word that disagrees with us, what do we refuse to change? Do we refuse to change the Bible, or do we refuse to change our previously held beliefs, opinions, and preferences? Pastor Mike pressed us to remember: “When me and God disagree, I just assume I’m wrong.”
That is not anti-thinking. It is actually the most reasonable response if God is really God. He is omnipotent, omniscient, everlasting, and holy. He knows everything, and He is always right. The danger is that we often make God in our image instead of submitting to the God who made us in His image.
But God has not left us in the dark to guess who He is. He has revealed Himself in His Word. And even when His Word confronts us, that confrontation is mercy. God loves us enough to rescue us from a version of Him we made up in our minds and bring us to Himself as He truly is.
💭 Where am I most tempted to reshape God’s Word around my own beliefs, desires, or preferences?
🙏 Father, thank You for revealing Yourself to me. Help me not to make You in my image, but to receive You as You truly are. When Your Word confronts me, give me humility to trust You. Amen.
✅ Try this today: Read 1 Samuel 4:1–11 slowly and ask: “Lord, what are You correcting in how I see You?”
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DAY 5
What Looked Like Defeat Was Victory
1 Samuel 7:1–2; 1 Samuel 5:3–4
“And the men of Kiriath-jearim came and took up the ark of the LORD…”
Meditation: Chapters 4–6 are heavy. They show God’s holiness and call us to fear Him. But Pastor Mike reminded us that fear can change behavior, but it cannot change the heart. Fear can make us do what is right, but it cannot make us want what is right. So God does not leave us only with His holiness. He gives us His grace so that we love Him and worship Him.
In the story, Israel’s sin brings judgment, loss, and exile. The ark, the symbol of God’s presence, is carried into enemy territory. At first, it looks like God has been defeated. But what looked like humiliation was actually the beginning of victory. God marched into enemy territory and overthrew His enemies from the inside out.
And that is what we see in the gospel. Jesus, the eternal Son of God, took on the judgment we deserved. At the cross, it looked temporarily like victory for the enemies of God. But in reality, He was purchasing victory for us. He died in our place, shed His blood for our sins, and rose from the grave to demonstrate that He has no rivals. In Him, the fear of God becomes love, worship, grace, and forgiveness forever.
💭 How does the grace of Jesus turn my fear of God into love and worship?
🙏 Jesus, thank You for bearing the judgment I deserved and winning the victory I could never win. Help me see You as holy, gracious, and worthy of all my worship. Amen.
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