April 14-18
[M] Ruth 1-2; Acts 3
[T] Ruth 3-4; Psalm 37; Acts 4
[W] 1 Samuel 1-2; Psalm 120; Acts 5
[T] 1 Sam 3-5; Psalm 23; Acts 6
[F] 1 Sam 6-8; Acts 7
Dwell Plan Day 76-80 | CSB | Digital PDF | Printable PDF
Notes from Jon & Chris
Monday
Ruth 1:16-17 | Ruth’s words in these verses are a striking declaration of faith—especially coming from a Moabite. As an outsider, Ruth had no natural claim to Israel’s God, yet she chooses to leave behind her land, her people, and her idols to follow Naomi and trust in the LORD. Her loyalty isn’t just to Naomi; it’s a heartfelt conversion to the God of Israel. In her quiet steadfast faith, we see the grace of God reaching beyond the borders of the land of Israel.
Ruth’s story is a preview of God’s larger redemptive plan—to gather the nations to Himself. Though she was once far off, she is welcomed in, even becoming part of the lineage of Christ. Her faith reminds us that God’s kingdom is open to all who trust in Him, regardless of background. The same grace that brought Ruth in is the grace that brings us in too.
Ruth 2:2 | In the Old Testament, gleaning was a built-in provision for the poor, the foreigner, and the widow—God commanded landowners not to harvest the edges of their fields or pick up what was dropped during the harvest (Leviticus 19:9–10). This wasn’t charity as an afterthought; it was justice woven into the structure of Israel’s economy. Ruth, a poor Moabite widow, enters this story by gleaning, and through it, she not only finds sustenance but is drawn into the family line of the Messiah. In God’s upside-down kingdom, the last are seen, the lowly are lifted, and the margins become places of divine encounter. Gleaning reminds us that true faith always bears fruit in care for the vulnerable—and that God often works His greatest redemption through the humble and the overlooked.
Acts 3:8 | This miracle is amazing, elevating the disciples to the kind of power that Jesus displayed. This establishes a true continuity; this is the work of a risen and living Jesus. But notice how the miracle is both healing and full restoration. There’s no physical therapy or learning to walk. We know through modern medicine how these processes are absolutely necessary in the world’s form of healing. Not in the kingdom! It’s a picture of the full reach and extent and raw power of God. Christ is making clear, and the Holy Spirit is displaying it: ask whatever you wish in My Name, and I will do it for you. And in these heady early days of this new and beautiful kingdom, huge signs and wonders are happening as proofs and encouragements. It should make us bold to hope and to ask for works that will advance his kingdom now, whatever he chooses for those to be.
Tuesday
Ruth 2-3 | In ancient Israel, the kinsman redeemer (or goel) was a close relative responsible for rescuing family members from poverty, slavery, or the loss of land (Leviticus 25). Boaz steps into this role for Ruth—not out of obligation, but with compassion and covenant love—redeeming her from her vulnerable state and securing her future. In doing so, he becomes a powerful foreshadowing of Christ, our greater Redeemer, who took on flesh to rescue us—not just from material need, but from sin and death itself. Like Boaz, Jesus didn’t redeem us because He had to, but because He loved us. And like Ruth, we bring nothing but need, and receive everything in return.
Ruth 4:17 | As we peer back through Christ’s genealogy, you get this sense of the master plan, a glimpse of the meta story that’s going on. First we see God’s caring and providing providence, putting together His story in His way to His glory! The “happenstance” of Naomi, Ruth, and Boaz’s lives are all superintended by the loving grace and choices of our God. Watch it unfold in Scripture and you’ll begin to see a similar unfolding in the “chaos” of your own life.
Next it reveals, in a backwards sort of way, the trajectory of Jesus’ love and kingdom. After all, his bloodline comes from all over—different people groups—revealing the Lord’s purpose that the nations be folded into his kingdom. We’re in that trajectory today as God’s loving kingdom is still growing in us and through us, reaching the nations. Wow, what a God, and what a plan.
Psalm 37 | This poem is a meditation on the difficulty of handling evil people in this world. It’s hard emotionally: it makes you constantly angry. It’s hard personally: they’re opportunists, waiting to take advantage of you. It’s hard mentally: they take and take and never give back. We all have people like this in our lives. We can try to get away from toxic folks, but sometimes we don’t have a choice about family or work or other circumstances. This is a poem you turn to when you’re fretting—or getting hot under the collar—about how wicked people will often look like they are “winning” at life through their despicable tactics. We might be tempted to use some of those tactics ourselves. This poem is meant to warn you and guide you through those relationships, driving you back again and again to trust in the Lord even more.
Psalm 37:11 | “But the meek shall inherit the land and delight themselves in abundant peace” | Sound familiar?
Acts 4:23-31 | This is one of my (Jon) favorite prayers in Scripture. After being released, the apostles don’t pray for safety or to avoid arrest again. Instead, with the church, they pray and focus on two things. First, they declare who God is—sovereign, creator, and in control of all things. Second, they pray for boldness to keep speaking the word. It’s an amazing prayer, and God answers it. As we keep reading Acts, we’ll see exactly what they prayed for: the people of God speaking with boldness, and many coming to faith.
Wednesday
1 Samuel 1:14 | Hannah’s earnest prayer is so emotional that the priest thinks she’s drunk. Not sure what theological point this makes, except for the startling parallel with Acts 2. The disciples were accused of being day drinkers! Again the work of God is mistaken for drunkenness. Have you been so “intoxicated” with God that someone might mistake your passion or joy for something else?
But there’s also something else here, isn’t there? Perceiving God’s kingdom is something that God has to give you. Eli is spiritually blind. We find out how badly in the next few chapters, with his inability to restrain his son's wickedness. What’s happening here? We need God’s wisdom and grace, His Spirit in us, to perceive what He is doing. Even when it’s staring us right in the face. This becomes a constant refrain—as John tells us “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him.” Let’s ask our Father to make us ready and discerning of His kingdom.
1 Samuel 2 | Hannah’s prayer here and Mary’s Magnificat in Luke 1 ring with the same melody of praise: both women magnify the Lord who lifts up the lowly and brings down the proud. Hannah rejoices in a God who gives strength to the weak and raises the poor from the dust. Mary, centuries later, sings of that same God who exalts the humble and fills the hungry with good things. The similarities show us what a godly woman Mary was. In the biggest moment of her life, what bubbles up? Scripture. Her prayer echoes the prayer of Hannah.
Both prayers celebrate not just personal blessings, but the character of YHWH—faithful, just, and merciful. These women saw beyond their own stories to the bigger picture: a God who is turning the world upside down with His grace. Their prayers invite us to trust that no one is too small for God to use and no situation too broken for Him to redeem.
1 Samuel 2 | There is also another dynamic here. The medium—in this case a nobody, a random country girl dealing with fertility issues—is also the message. Hannah reflects that her problems, which would look pretty insignificant to most folks, just aren’t viewed that way by God. She then describes how God’s upside down kingdom actually works. It values what no one else values. And so Hannah becomes the interpretive jewel for all of the histories that follow. A random country girl we never hear about again—she’s the one who understands what kings and wise men cannot. Her poem here becomes the way to interpret everything that follows. Wow. What a kingdom! And this further implies that however insignificant we might feel we are, God has other notions and a different perspective.
Acts 5:20-21a | “Go and stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this Life.” And when they heard this, they entered the temple at daybreak and began to teach. | The angel tells the apostles to go right back and do the very thing that just got them arrested. And the amazing thing? They actually do it. These are the same men who fled when Jesus was arrested—afraid, hiding, denying they even knew Him. So what changed? The only explanation is that they saw the resurrected Jesus. Nothing else could have turned their fear into fearless obedience.
Thursday
1 Samuel 3 | Read this chapter slowly and carefully, imagining all the details.
It's very quiet at night in the countryside, which you can only experience in remote areas in our time. The Scriptures talk again and again about God’s “call.” In this story, which still gives me chills all these years later, we get to see that idea of “call” fleshed out for us. This is a picture of what I pray to happen spiritually in all of us, both as we experience God in prayer, and as we read His word together. A sense of God calling you, personally addressing you, inviting you to know Him and trust Him in ways you never have before. And notice, this call to follow God is tested right away. Samuel has to tell all that God has told Him to tell. He doesn’t hold back. This is our God seeking us and chasing us and pursuing us. This reveals His invitation to us to personally know Him and how it’s possible. There it is—today, if you hear His voice, don’t harden your heart. Just tell Him “Here I am. Speak, your servant is ready to listen.”
1 Samuel 3:19 | None of his words fell to the ground. Or, in other words, everything he said came true and was true. God was behind them all. Gravity and time don’t affect God’s words—they stay standing. And if God is with a person, a man or woman who speaks His words, then the things they say will also be true and come true. It’s how you know if someone is really a prophet of God. It’s the test. You get to use that test too. One of the folks to ace that particular test is Jesus!
1 Samuel 5 | In this chapter, the ark of the covenant is captured by the Philistines and placed in the temple of their god Dagon. But instead of symbolizing defeat, this moment becomes a powerful declaration of God’s supremacy. The next morning, Dagon is found face down before the ark. The day after that, he’s broken to pieces. No one touched him—YHWH simply will not share His glory. This isn’t just a story of national rivalry; it’s a theological showdown. God is making clear that He is not one among many, but the one true and living God.
The Old Testament is filled with moments like this—clear, intentional polemics against false gods. From Egypt’s plagues, to Elijah on Mount Carmel, Scripture repeatedly shows that idols have no power, no life, and no voice. They fall before the presence of the Lord. And that same God still topples our modern idols—whether they be comfort, control, success, or self. The call is the same now as it was then: turn from what cannot save, and trust in the God who cannot be defeated.
Psalm 23 | If you do not know this poem as a treasure chest, as a spring of hope in the face of exhaustion, fear, conflict and suffering, then you have been robbed. Maybe you’ve read it too much. Then memorize it. Reading it through every once and while just doesn’t get these treasures into your heart properly. Meditate on it for a week. Rewrite it in your own words. Just make it yours so you can use it and pray it. I have prayed this while fighting panic 500 feet up a rock wall. I have prayed it while fearing for my son’s life. I have prayed it at lonely hours of confusion and fear. I have prayed it when all hope felt gone. I have prayed it when I can’t understand why things are so hard or painful. I have prayed it when I have nothing left in my tank. I have prayed it before intense meetings and in the middle of conflict. May you do the same.
Acts 6:5 | …They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip, and Prochorus, and Nicanor, and Timon, and Parmenas, and Nicolaus, a proselyte of Antioch. | This verse speaks volumes about the unity and humility of the early church. When the Greek-speaking widows felt overlooked, the church didn’t ignore the concern—they came together to solve it. And what’s remarkable is who they chose: seven men, all with Greek names. Not a balanced mix to keep everyone happy. The Hebrew-speaking believers weren’t focused on protecting their own interests, they were focused on loving their sisters in Christ. By affirming these Greek leaders, the church prioritized justice and unity over representation, and in doing so, they avoided what could have become a major ethnic divide.
Friday
1 Samuel 7:12 | After God gives Israel victory over the Philistines, Samuel sets up a stone and names it Ebenezer, saying, “Till now the Lord has helped us.” The word Ebenezer means “stone of help” and serves as a visible reminder of God’s faithfulness. When we sing “here I raise mine Ebenezer” in Come Thou Fount, we’re echoing that same gratitude—acknowledging that every step of our journey has been sustained by God’s grace.
1 Samuel 8 | In this chapter, Israel demands a king so that they could be like the other nations, rejecting God as their true King. God grants their request, but not without warning—they will get a king who takes more than he gives. This chapter leaves us longing for a better King, one who doesn’t take but gives everything for His people—and in Jesus, the true and perfect King, that longing is finally fulfilled.
Acts 7 | Stephen’s sermon in Acts 7 is the longest in the book of Acts, and it’s all about Jesus. Standing before the Jewish council, Stephen walks through Israel’s history, not to give a mere lesson, but to show how all of it leads to Christ. From Abraham to Moses to David, Stephen highlights how God was always working through imperfect people to fulfill His promises. He shows that God’s presence was never confined to a building or a place, preparing the way to reveal that Jesus Himself is the fulfillment of all these hopes.
At the heart of Stephen’s message is a bold claim: just as their ancestors rejected the prophets, so have they rejected the Righteous One—Jesus. But even in the face of rejection, Stephen’s words are full of truth and grace. He doesn’t preach to win an argument, but to bear witness. His sermon calls his hearers—and us—to see Jesus as the true Savior, the One greater than Moses, the final temple, the fulfillment of all God’s promises.
What makes Stephen’s sermon even more powerful is how it ends—not just in death, but in a vision of glory. As he is being stoned, Stephen looks up and sees Jesus standing at the right hand of God, welcoming him home. His final words echo Jesus’ own: asking God to receive his spirit and forgive his killers. Stephen’s life, sermon, and death all point to Christ—not just as a message to believe, but a Savior worth dying for.
Acts 7:60 | This is what happens when the Spirit is working in all His fullness. Stephen is filled with Christ’s own words from the cross. “Forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.” But it isn’t just words. Stephen is filled with Christ’s own heart at the cross. Stephen is filled with grace equal to and even greater than the horror and suffering of that moment. So much so that he breathes and radiates forgiving love to those who hate him, in real time as another rock smashes his head. It’s supernatural and amazing. It’s the fullness of how the Spirit makes us like Jesus that we should all ask for, that we should all seek.