At times life seems to offer one hurt after another. Circumstances arise that we would never choose. Trials come that seem to have the power to end us. They rob us of our breath—sometimes even our will to breathe. But David shows us the way to peace and victory.

Have you noticed how easily we get offended? Taking offense and harboring bitterness in your heart will keep you from experiencing the grace of forgiveness in your own life. When we trust God to keep His Word and surrender our bitterness, a beautiful thing happens.

There’s no getting around it. Scripture calls us to work—giving it all we’ve got. But, God’s far less interested in the work itself than the motivation behind it.

1 Samuel 3:19 says that God let none of Samuel's words fall to the ground. Wow! Most of us are careless with our words. We let accusations fly without thought. We put others down and call it humor. We’re often quick to say things we don’t mean. But that’s the difference between most of us and Samuel, dear one. His words weren’t careless. Samuel’s words echoed those flowing from the mouth of God Himself, and that brought about some amazing results.