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Right Start Radio is a ministry of the Grace Polaris Church of Columbus, Ohio, and was started over 40 years ago with Pastor Jim Custer producing and then delivering it to local radio stations. Today Right Start can be heard in Ohio, Northern Kentucky, Gainesville and New Plymouth, New Zealand. Right Start is an outreach ministry with a three-fold aim: 1) Stimulate an interest in understanding the Word of God among believers (Colossians 1:28). 2) Strengthen local churches by providing a teac ...
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The Almighty wants David's opinion ...on how David should be punished! The late Adrian Rogers said, "Most people want to serve God, but only in an advisory capacity." Many of us have wanted to give Omniscience the benefit of our keen insight, at one time or another. But we wouldn't want to be in the position of David, when God let him make a deadly…
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David couldn't hide this sin! In 2nd Samuel, chapter 24, we find one last, powerful, surprising lesson from the life of David. He is moved to number the people. It looks like he wanted to know how many men in his kingdom were eligible for the draft. But God had told Moses that when you conduct a census in Israel, there must be a ransom from each ma…
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Are we focused like a laser beam on the desires of Jesus? Yesterday we talked about David's Mighty Men, and the fame and glory they received. And we saw that, within this elite squad of warriors, there was a hierarchy of renown. That reminds us of our service to Christ, and our coming rewards. The difference between being the cream, and being the c…
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From losers, to legends! David wouldn't have gotten anywhere without his Mighty Men. (That's what was printed on their business cards: "David's Mighty Men," and we'll read about them in 2 Samuel 23.) But they didn't start out as "mighty." These were some of the distressed, discontented debtors who had rallied around David in the early days. If thes…
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God has a remedy for the world's ills - but the world doesn't want to take it! We won't find the ultimate answers in the voting booth, or in technology, or in education. The solution to our deepest problems is the return of the rightful, and righteous, King. When that happens, some will be rewarded. Others will be punished. Jesus had some jaw-dropp…
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About the elephant in the room.... In the words of 2 Samuel 19:10, "Why do you say nothing about bringing back the king?" It was the question on the minds of David's once-and-future subjects. And Jim will put the question to us, about a King called the "Son of David." We've been considering David, the man. Now we'll look at David, the symbol - the …
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You think your family has problems! We wouldn't minimize anyone's pain - and the wounds of our own flesh and blood hurt the most - but David took the prize for dysfunctional families! And his household secrets couldn't be concealed behind closed doors; they spilled over into the army, and the whole nation. Worst of all, David had to look at the man…
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The lust apple didn't fall far from the tree. It was bad enough that David committed adultery with Bathsheba, then engineered the death of that loyal soldier, Uriah. But that wasn't the end of the story. A couple of the king's sons had inherited the weaknesses of their father. Today we look at another shameful chapter in Israel's history, and the B…
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Let's talk about the asterisk behind David's name. The Bible doesn't try to cover up the failures of its great men and women. They're portrayed as real people - as sinners like us. And as much as we might rejoice in David the victorious king, the "man after God's own heart," we should also weep for the pain that he brought upon himself, and others.…
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Your life will be shaped more by what happens in Jerusalem, than by what happens in Washington. We're less than a month away from Election Day in the US, and some have already voted. We're in the final yards of this footrace. The October Surprises will soon be springing up, the promises will become even more outlandish - as will the accusations. Bu…
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Many experts would not rank this among the top 5 inflection points of history. But they would be wrong. The world was never the same after: the Resurrection, the Crucifixion, God's covenant with Abraham, His commandments though Moses - and the Lord's promises to David. Your list may vary, but that last item deserves a hearing. The headlines today -…
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If you plug your ears long enough, God will stop speaking. The silence that King Saul was getting from heaven couldn't have come at a worse time. The entire nation was in peril. But he had worn out the patience of the Infinite One. He had treated God's message and His messengers with contempt, and now he would know the contempt of Heaven. There is …
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David was cornered by Saul, but Saul was cornered by God. It would be more accurate to say that King Saul had painted himself into a corner by ignoring all divine instruction and correction. Now he found himself with no answers. His life had begun full of promise, but it would end in tragedy. And that's a familiar story arc, not just for kings, but…
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David lied; people died. The story told in 1 Samuel 21 and 22 is a story of treachery, tyranny, and desperation. We might judge that, under the circumstances, a little fib to save our skins would be OK. Better than OK - justified. Under the circumstances. And then comes another lie, and then a whole string of falsehoods. A townful of innocent peopl…
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King...psalmist...liar. David, David, David! The youngest son of Jesse doesn't seem like the "man after God's own heart," sometimes. He struggles with the same spiritual questions that we do, and then he takes the devil's bait and falls to temptation, just like we do. He is fallible. But, he is teachable! Our David series continues today with Part …
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If you desire God's best, you'll spend some time in the wilderness! Jesus, Paul, Moses - and the man on our minds at the moment, David - all spent a season in the desert.That isn't a coincidence. Yesterday Jim began a sermon called, Choosing God's Best, and he pointed out several characteristics of a person "after God's own heart." We'll see today …
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God can play His song through us - but only if we're "tuned." David, the "man after God's own heart," will be our subject of study for the next few weeks. And today Jim will show us what that phrase means. The "sweet psalmist of Israel" would have appreciated the illustration of an instrument tuned to the right pitch, resonating beautifully, just a…
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