Exercise Patient Obedience

# 169 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 13:11,12 “And Samuel said, "What have you done?" And Saul said, "When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, 12 "then I said, 'The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.' Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering." (1 Sam 13:11,12) Saul has sinned. He did not do as the Lord commanded. When confronted with his sin, by Samuel, Saul breaks out his excuses. Let's not be too hard on Saul though, we very often do the same thing. His first excuse was that he felt like he was the only one. All the people had scattered. Sometimes when we feel abandoned, we are especially vulnerable to sin. Next, he felt abandoned by God. Samuel had not shown up early enough for Saul, and so he let impatience take over. How many times do we act impatiently because we are not hearing from God. How many times do we take the silence of God as a green light to plow ahead with our own plans. Plans that often are in violation of God's commands. And how many times does temptation press in on us as the Philistines were pressing in on Saul, and we panic and do something stupid. Saul paid a severe price for his sin as we shall see. Sin has consequences. It would be so much wiser for you and I to exercise patient obedience. And it also would be wise to put a sock in our mouth when it comes to excuses. How much better to imitate David when he was confronted with his sin with Bathsheeba by Nathan. He didn't whine about the fact that he was alone while the men were out to war. He didn't say, “she was bathing in full view, I'm only human,” No! He said, "I have sinned against the LORD." And Nathan said to David, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die. (2 Sam 12:13) I pray, we all can say no to temptation, but if we do fail, let's fess up like David did and receive God's forgiveness.

The Welfare State

# 168 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 13:9-11a, “So Saul said, "Bring a burnt offering and peace offerings here to me." And he offered the burnt offering. 10 Now it happened, as soon as he had finished presenting the burnt offering, that Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might greet him. 11 And Samuel said, "What have you done?" ( 1 Sam 13:9-11a) Saul had been told to wait for Samuel for seven days, and when Samuel didn't arrive early in the day, Saul decides to take matters into his own hands and offer up the sacrifice. In so doing he crossed a line. He mingled the duties of the church with the duties of the state. This is always a recipe for disaster and I believe its one of the reasons that we have such a massive debt problem in our land today. Somewhere along the line, the church has voluntarily relinquished its mandate to care for the poor and given it to the government. What we use to do with 10% of our income, the king needs over 30%. I suppose it started in the depression when the government was compelled to step in and help out, but it seems the church liked it that way so much that they let it continue until it grew into the messy welfare, debt accruing, state we have today. It's much easier to let the king do it, and it frees our money up for bigger buildings. And we get so far in debt that we can't even take care of the poor in our own congregation, much less those outside. Author George Grant has written that when the communists took over in Russia, the first thing they outlawed is charity. They wanted the people to be beholding to them, rather than the church. With all the squawking we are hearing about our national debt, maybe we need to start in our own congregations. Let us learn to operate within our own budgets, and may a substantial portion of that budget be set aside to first of all help our brothers and sisters, and then move on to help others as well. It's our job, let's roll up our shirtsleeves and do it! Jas 1:27a Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble,”

The Proof Is In Your Desire To Be Obedient

# 167 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 13:8 Then he waited seven days, according to the time set by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal; and the people were scattered from him.' God's command to Saul was to wait for Samuel for seven days. The seventh day dawned and no Samuel. The Philistines were getting ready to attack. This was a major test for King Saul. How will he react? Will he wait the full seven days? Testing. It's something we don't like to talk about. Yet we cannot deny it. Sometimes, God allows circumstances into our life that force us to make a choice concerning obedience. Will we remain obedient to Him in times of trial? For example, in Ex 16:4 we read, “Then the LORD said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. This was a simple test for the people. They were commanded to take a specified amount of manna, to take more or less would be disobedient. Obedience flows from people who have experienced the love of God through forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ and subsequently truly treasure God's commands. This is the crux of Jesus' statement, in Joh 14:15 ¶ "If you love Me, keep (treasure) My commandments. Luther said that God permits us to be tested, “in order that it may be seen whether we have true faith, love, and patience.” This test is for our benefit, not God's. True faith is marked by our God-given desire to be obedient, or by godly sorrow when we aren't. Just think of some of the pressure situations that people face on a regular basis. The temptation to engage in sexual sin, or the temptation to be dishonest, or drink to excess. These are opportunities to break God's commandments and sin. They are tests. But listen to the promise of God, for those who prevail, “ Jas 1:12 Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, (demonstrated genuine faith) he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. It's quite simple. Love of God is proof of salvation. And as Jesus said, “If you love me keep (treasure) my commandments.

The Way Out of Your Trial

# 166 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 13:5-7, “Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven. 6 When the men of Israel saw that they were in danger (for the people were distressed), then the people hid in caves, in thickets, in rocks, in holes, and in pits. 7 And some of the Hebrews crossed over the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. As for Saul, he was still in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling. ( 1 Sam 13:5-7) The Philistines have amassed a mighty army against the Israelites, and we read words like, “danger, ””distressed,” and “trembling.” The people were so fearful that some hid in caves, just like the way they did in the days of Gideon. Others just beat feet, trying to get as far away from the enemy as possible, and those who stayed with Saul did so with trembling hearts. Fear arrived, when the men of Israel saw that they were in danger. The King James says, “they were in a strait.” (As in strait jacket if you will.) They were being “cramped in, hemmed in, pressed in on all sides. Have you ever felt like that? Have you ever felt the circumstances of your life pressing in? Like your soul is in some sort of a trash compactor. When trials come your way to test your faith, you have some options. You can revert back to your old ways, (hide in caves) You can run away from the trial and medicate yourself with addictive behavior, or you can wait it out with your King. 1Co 10:13 says, “ No temptation (trial) has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted (trialed) beyond what you are able, but with the temptation (trial) will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear (endure) it.” Friend, believe this verse, hold to this verse before you revert back to your old ways or seek to medicate your trial through addiction. “GOD IS FAITHFUL! THE WAY OUT OF YOUR TRIAL IS ENDURING. I know it's scary, but stay with King Jesus! He is faithful and will pull you through!

A Mighty Fortress

# 165 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 13:5 Then the Philistines gathered together to fight with Israel, thirty thousand chariots and six thousand horsemen, and people as the sand which is on the seashore in multitude. And they came up and encamped in Michmash, to the east of Beth Aven. (1 Sam 13:5) Kind of a fearful situation isn't it? And rightly so. Look at the ridiculous numbers used to describe the might of the enemy. 30,000 chariots? 6,000 horsemen? Soldiers numbered with the sand by the sea? Are you kidding me? There is no chance here for the Israelites, king or no king. These numbers were used for effect on the Israelites and for effect for you and I. Our enemy and his legions of demons are strong. We are no match for them in our own flesh. Luther captured this truth so well in the hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” Listen again to his words: A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing; our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing For still our ancient foe, doth seek to work us woe his craft and power are great, and armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal. Did we in our own strength confide, our striving would be losing, were not the right man on our side, the man of God's own choosing. Dost ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth, his name, from age to age the same, and he must win the battle. And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear, for God hath willed his truth to triumph through us. The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; his rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure; one little word shall fell him. That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth; the Spirit and the gifts are ours, thru him who with us sideth. Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; the body they may kill; God's truth abideth still; his kingdom is forever. I really can't state it any better than that. May these words be a source of encouragement for you today Because, we have no chance of victory in our flesh, but with Jesus on our side, we cannot lose. Look to Him in all your encounters with the enemy today, remembering that: 1Jo 4:4 You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. (1 Jn 4:4)

We Are At War

# 164 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 13:1-4, “Saul reigned one year; and when he had reigned two years over Israel, 2 Saul chose for himself three thousand men of Israel. Two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mountains of Bethel, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin. The rest of the people he sent away, every man to his tent. 3 And Jonathan attacked the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the Philistines heard of it. Then Saul blew the trumpet throughout all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear!" 4 Now all Israel heard it said that Saul had attacked a garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel had also become an abomination to the Philistines. And the people were called together to Saul at Gilgal.” As we begin a new chapter, the Holy Spirit sets the scene for a very important event. These circumstances would lead to Saul offering the unlawful sacrifice which would cost him dearly. In this chapter we meet Saul's son Jonathon for the first time. Jonathon is given 1000 men and Saul orders them to attack the Philistines that were in Geba. He defeats them, but it was a little like poking a beehive. The Philistines get riled up. The Israelites literally became a stench to their nostrils, and they begin to amass for war. Saul blows the trumpet, that is, he calls all the able-bodied Israelites to come to Gilgal to prepare for battle. Is there a lesson here for us today? I think the lesson for us is the simple reminder that we too are engaged in a spiritual battle with an enraged enemy. In Re 12:17, we read, “And the dragon (the devil) was enraged with the woman, (the church) and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. This is the reality. We are at war. We need to hear the trumpet and get into the battle, remembering that, “we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,” (2 Cor 10:3) The Word of God, the Spirit, and prayer are what we need to enter the fray and have victory in our daily battles.

Like A Broom To A Pile of Dust

# 163 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:23 "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; but I will teach you the good and the right way. 24 "Only fear the LORD, and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you. 25 "But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king." Samuel says, I will pray for you, but I will also keep teaching you the good and right way to live. The word “teach” here is interesting, it means to aim like an arrow. When you consider that to sin is to miss the mark, you get a great picture of what teaching from the Word of God is meant to do. Samuel seeks to teach in such a way to keep the people on target. And here is the good and right way. Fear the Lord alone. Don't give your reverence or loyalty to anyone or anything else. Serve Him, be like a slave to Him without hypocrisy, and with all your heart. Considering all the great things He has done for you will go a long way in providing the necessary incentive to keep those arrows pointing in the right direction. Take time often to reflect on what God has done for you. A good place to start is the cross. But if you do wickedly, that is, if you count what He has done for you as nothing, or we might say, despise His grace, then you will be swept away. The idea of being swept away is to be scraped off, gathered into a pile and scattered to the wind with the swift motion of a broom. Let's not be foolish enough to think that God doesn't mean what He says here. For He did just that to His people when they turned away from Him. He swept them out of their land and into captivity, dispersing them to the wind, like a broom to a pile of dust. Not a pretty picture, and not the way I want to end up, how about you? Let us consider the cross anew today and get back on target.

The Sin of Prayerlessness

# 162 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:23a "Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you; (1 Sam 12:23a) It was back in verse 19, that the people begged Samuel to “pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die.” This intercessory prayer for others is so important that Samuel calls the neglect of this prayer a sin against the Lord! Whoa! A sin? This not just some one shot deal restricted to Samuel either! This is for you and I, and all who claim to be followers of Christ. Listen to what the Apostle Paul says to Timothy in regards to intercessory prayer, “ I thank God, whom I serve with a pure conscience, as my forefathers did, as without ceasing I remember you (Timothy) in my prayers night and day,” (2 Tim 1:3) What is he thanking God for? That he remembers to pray for Timothy! Point 1. When the Holy Spirit brings someone to mind to pray for....thank God! Why? Because you are serving God with a pure conscience just as Samuel did, and just as Paul did, and just as everyone does when they pray for others. To have a pure conscience in a matter is to not have guilt over it. It is, as Samuel put it, to not “sin against the Lord.” These prayers are a matter of obedience! I don't know about you, but I find myself greatly convicted here. How many times have I told someone I would pray for them and then, “out of sight, out of mind?” I just forget! I know better. I know the proper thing to do when someone asks for prayer is to stop what I'm doing and pray! To neglect to do this is to invite sin. Well, thankfully as with all sin, it is forgivable. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness, (1 Jn 1:9) Holy Spirit, help me to heed any and all of Your calls to prayer.

Some Thoughts On Boston

Just 8 years old. As we watched the televised reports of horror come in from Boston we were all numbed and in shock. Then the first of three fatalities was identified as an 8 year old boy. There seemed to be an extra punch to that announcement, an even lower blow than the other pieces of news we were receiving. You could pick it up in the tone of the announcers, and you could feel it penetrate to your own soul. So young. So much of life ahead of this young boy, and now it is gone, snuffed out by a senseless act of terrorism. Anger, sadness, grief for the family, and more prayers rising to heaven from all of us. I found myself wondering about the boy. What kind of joys, sorrows, experiences had he been able to taste in his eight short years? We're told that he liked to climb trees in the neighborhood and play outside his home. Ah, the simple and carefree joys of an eight year old. Then I thought about the millions of other children who never had the opportunity to experience even these simple joys because their lives were snuffed out by legalized abortion. The results of this gruesome procedure (as we have been finding out at the trial of Philadelphia abortionist Dr Kermit Gosnel) not all that different from the carnage we have witnessed in Boston. Where is the outrage, the sadness, the grieving, the prayers for the plight of the unborn? When does the outrage, sadness, grieving and praying stop? At seven years of age? One year of age? Six months? One month before birth? Six months before birth? Conception? The only thing keeping these unborn children from experiencing life is time. Time that has been stolen from them simply because it is legal and viewed as the expedient thing to do. Shame on us. May God have mercy on whoever plotted and carried out the act of terrorism in Boston, and may He have mercy on us for the acts of terrorism that we have carried out on the unborn since legalized abortion began in 1973.

Because of His Great name

# 161 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:22 "For the LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. What a great promise. The Lord will not forsake His people. It certainly isn't because we are deserving. It is only because of His great name and good pleasure. I am reminded of the time when the Israelites were about to enter the Promised Land, but were fearful of the “giants in the land,” and they wanted to ditch God and return to Egypt. God told Moses that He would strike these people with pestilence and disinherit them. He was ready to forsake them because of their persistent rebellion. (Num 14:12) But Moses interceded for them and said, "Now if You kill these people as one man, then the nations which have heard of Your fame will speak, saying, 16 'Because the LORD was not able to bring this people to the land which He swore to give them, therefore He killed them in the wilderness.' (Nu 14:15,16) God heard the prayer of Moses, and for His great name sake, did not forsake them. We have the same promise from Jesus for the church today. In Mt 28:20, He said to His disciples, “Lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” God will not forsake His church. Even though some may forsake Him chasing after other gods, pursuing false doctrine, or ignoring His Word, God will always preserve a remnant. Admittedly, sometimes it looks pretty bleak for the church today, but it looked very bleak in the days of Elijah too. Elijah was thoroughly depressed because he felt he was the only believer left in the land. He said in 1 Kings, 19:14, “I alone am left.” But God said in 1 Kings 19:18, “ Yet I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him." Sometimes you can be in a situation where you might feel like Elijah. Take heart, you are not alone and never will be. God has preserved other believers for you to fellowship with. But remember, it's not because of YOUR great name, it's because of His great name. It's because of His grace. Thank Him for it today!

Thou Shalt Not Loiter

# 160 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:21, "And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.” (1 Sam 12:21) Samuel again reminds the people of their need to serve God alone. Looking to anything other than God for deliverance or increase in value (profit) is idolatry. Sometimes, in our modern and enlightened world we think we are not guilty of the sin of idolatry. I mean who bows down to images made with human hands? But here we have an excellent definition of idolatry. To “go after” something in the Hebrew language used here, is to loiter. To engage in idolatry then is to “hang out” with things that are powerless to deliver you, or give you anything of lasting value. Here's the thing about loitering. When we loiter after worthless things, it keeps us from pursuing that which has true worth. What are you “hanging out” with that is keeping you from a pursuit of Jesus? What is keeping you from “seeking first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness?” Where are you loitering instead of pressing on? Loitering is a great enemy of the faith, it leads to idolatry. But the Holy Spirit speaking through the Apostle Paul has a remedy. Php 3:12b, “but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. 13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Press on beloved. Just pretend that Officer Holy Spirit has come up to the street corner where you have been loitering and says, “okay people break it up,” there is nothing here of lasting value for you.” Then move on, leaving your idols and pressing on with Paul seeking to lay hold of that for which Jesus Christ laid hold of you.

Spiritual Breathing

# 159 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:19,20 “And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die; for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves." 20 Then Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Samuel has called on God to deliver a miraculous thunderstorm, and God did just that. This thundering caused the people to fear both God and Samuel. This “thunder” is a good picture of the Law of God. One of the purposes of the Law is to strike fear in the hearts of men. The Law showed the people their sin. This fear causes godly sorrow over sin, and a desire for someone to intercede on behalf of the sinner, lest he die. And here Samuel serves as a type of Jesus for these people. Note his reply to those afflicted with godly sorrow, “Do not fear,” which is another way of saying, you will not die, your sins are forgiven.“ And now, that they have a new lease on life, Samuel reminds them to not turn aside from following the Lord and to serve Him (be a slave to Him” with all their heart. The phrase, “turn aside” in the Hebrew means to stretch or spread out, to bend away. This is a simple reminder to not go chasing after other gods. Seek to serve and love God alone with all your heart, soul, and might. Remember the woman caught in the act of adultery? Jesus told her, “I do not condemn you, go and sin no more.” In other words, go and henceforth, walk a straight path with God, don't bend away from Him and His righteousness.” This bending away is a natural tendency of our flesh and should be dealt with on a daily basis, as we are convicted of our sins by the Law of God, (reading of God's Word) have godly sorrow over them, which leads to confession, and the gospel words of absolution, “fear not, your sins are forgiven in Christ, ” and then the admonition to “go and sin no more.” This is the daily breathing process of a follower of Jesus. It is our life! Embrace it

God Means Business

# 158 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:16-18, "Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the LORD will do before your eyes: 17 "Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the LORD, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking a king for yourselves." 18 So Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. (1 Sam 12:16-18) Whenever you see the word, “therefore” in Scripture, you need to go back a verse or two and see what the “therefore” is “there for.” Samuel had just told the people that if they refused to allow the Lord to rule over them, God's hand would be against them. Now he says, “stand still, pay attention, and I'll show you that God means business.” It was the time of the wheat harvest in Israel, a time when rain and storms were very rare. Samuel boldly states that he will ask God to send thunder and rain. If the rain and thunder come, it would be God's statement that He was not happy that the people had asked for a king to rule over them. God knew the hearts of the people, He knew their motivation for their request. He told Samuel in 1 Sam 8:7b, “they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.” This was the issue, and the people have still not dealt with it. God has granted them their desire for a king, but they must remember that king or no king God is to rule over their hearts. In this portion of Scripture, He is going to great lengths to hammer the point home to the people. The hand of God snaps His fingers and produces a miraculous storm out of nothing. Is this the hand that you want working for you or against you? Are there sin issues in you life that you have not yet dealt with? Areas of your life where you are resisting God's rule? Confess them as sin, seek to turn from them, receive God's forgiveness, and with the help of the Holy Spirit allow Him and His Word to rule Supreme in your life.

When God's Commands Are A Grace

# 157 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:14,15, "If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God. 15 "However, if you do not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as it was against your fathers. (1 Sam 12:14,15) It's not that bad to have a king rule over you. It still boils down to our own personal relationship with God. If we are willing to fear, love, serve, and obey Him, we have no need to fear judgment from God or the king. But if we choose to rebel against God's rule, His hand will be against us in judgment, king or not. Let me use the open hand of God illustration again. When you and I, by the grace of God, put our faith in Christ, we are placed in the open hand of God. He does not hold us with a clenched fist. As long as we remain in His hand no one can pluck us away. Though God's hand is open, He has placed His commands like a fence around the outer edges of His hand. This fence is designed to slow us down, to protect us, and help keep us from straying away from Him. It is a grace to have such a fence, but the fence is not grace. It can't save us. We were saved the moment we put on Christ through faith. And now these commands or fence, matter to us because of our love for Him. It is now our Holy Spirit given desire to please the Father, to live in accordance with His holy will. But if we habitually ignore them, and seek what we perceive to be greener grass on the other side of that fence, we show a disdain for His rule in our lives. We are basically saying, that we don't like living in the confines of His hand and we place ourselves in danger of leaving His protection. By now, you should know, that these commands are impossible to keep with our own strength, but God wants you and I to remain in His hand so much, that He has given us the Holy Spirit (the Helper) to help us live according to His will, and to lead us to confession and forgiveness and restoration when we fall short.

Got A Problem With the Government, Take It Up With God

# 156 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:12-14, "And when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, 'No, but a king shall reign over us,' when the LORD your God was your king. 13 "Now therefore, here is the king whom you have chosen and whom you have desired. And take note, the LORD has set a king over you. 14 "If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and do not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God. (1 Sam 12:12-14) “Note THE LORD HAS set a king over you.” I can't repeat phrases like this in Scripture enough because they emphasize the truth of Ro 13:1, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” It saddens me to see professing Christians mock our leaders. Their words often border on outright personal hatred. Instead of speaking ill of those whom God has appointed over us. We would do well to remember, to “note” that God has set the king over us. Got a problem with the king? Take it up with God, He's the One who put him there. To speak ill of the king is to speak ill of the one who put him there. Are you miffed about the way things are going in our country? Guess what? According to this passage, it's not the king's fault. Listen carefully to what God says, "If YOU fear the LORD and SERVE Him and OBEY His voice, and do not REBEL against the commandment of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will continue following the LORD your God. The road back to a godly nation is paved with individuals who fear the Lord, serve the Lord and obey the Lord. We build it one brick at a time through personal and corporate repentance. Father forgive us for casting blame on others, when the problem is with our own relationship with You. Help us by the power of Your Spirit to fear, love, serve, and obey You from this day forth.

Safe In the Hand of the Father

# 155 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:10,11, “Then they cried out to the LORD, and said, 'We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and Ashtoreths; but now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You.' 11 "And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety.” ( 1 Sam 12:10,11) The history lesson continues. God had set the Israelites up in the Promised land, but they “forgot” Him, became oblivious to Him, left His hand of protection and chased after other gods. He then gave them over to their enemies. In the hands of their enemies and miserable in their sin, the people would come to their senses and cry out to God for deliverance, with a renewed promise to serve God alone. God in His unfathomable mercy heard their pleas and sent them deliverers time after time after time. When will this cycle end? In one sense it ends with Jesus. No need to send deliverer after deliverer any more. Jesus is our once and forever Deliverer. However, the cycle of forgetting God and then crying out for mercy is an ongoing struggle even today. Think of your existence as a choice of living in two hands. One hand is the hand of God, and the other is the hand of the enemy. Through faith in Jesus we are placed in the hand of God. It is an open hand. He does not hold us with a closed fist. As long as we remain in the faith, we are safe from the enemy. Jesus reminds us of this truth in Joh 10:29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father's hand. But when we become oblivious to God, we have chosen to walk out of the protection offered by His hand, and we fall into the hand of the enemy. He's not so kind. He seeks to keep you in his clenched fist, and only God is able to pry his fingers off of our soul. God is willing and able to do that for those who cry out for mercy. Cry out today, and then seek to live out your life in the safe hand of God.

Oblivious To God

# 154 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:9 "And when they forgot the LORD their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them. ( 1 Sam 12:9) Samuel now gives the people a history lesson starting with the events after the passing of Joshua. When the people forgot the Lord their God, He sold them, that is, gave them over to slavery to the enemy. The thing about history is, if we don't learn from it, we are going to repeat our mistakes. Understand the implications here. The Philistines and Moabites are a type of the devil and his calling card of sin or rebellion against God. Forget, God and He will give you over to slavery to sin. This is His consistent history throughout Scripture. How did this happen? The people, under Joshua defeated the enemy, the promised land was theirs, they were secure all around their borders. In their security and prosperity...they forgot God. The word forgot means to mislay or become oblivious to. What makes you think that it will be any different for you? When you and I lose our awareness of God, He will give us up to slavery to sin and the devil. Ro 1:21-24 says, “because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Professing to be wise, they became fools, 23 and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man--and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. 24 Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, What happened? They stopped giving God glory for their security, their prosperity, their very salvation. They stopped being thankful, they became “oblivious” to God and so God “gave them up” to slavery to sin. A thankless people soon become a godless people. History has proven this time and time again. Break the cycle, ever give glory and thanks to God!

Remember Your Deliverance

# 153 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:6-8, “Then Samuel said to the people, "It is the LORD who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. 7 "Now therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD concerning all the righteous acts of the LORD which He did to you and your fathers: 8 "When Jacob had gone into Egypt, and your fathers cried out to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place.” ( 1 Sam 12:6-8) Samuel's farewell address begins with the beginning. Your kingdom story, my kingdom story begins with our deliverance from sin. Egypt symbolizes the days in which you and I were slaves to sin as opposed to slaves to righteousness. We were spiritually dead, dead in our trespasses. Eph 2:1says, “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins,” (Stuck in Egypt) We read more of our personal deliverance in the Book of Romans: Ro 6:17,18,21,22 “But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. 18 And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. 21 What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. 22 But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore. Because of these things I encourage you and I to heed Samuel's advice and “stand still” before the Lord. Yes, I know you have a lot to do today. You have a lot on your mind, but take the time, today, right now, to take in the deliverance of God. In fact take the time to consider His deliverance every day, lest you take it for granted and find yourself forgetting that you are His, bought with a price! He loved you and I so much that He sent His only begotten Son to die on a cross to pay the wages of our sin and deliver us from its death grip. Stand still! Take it all in beloved. It will go a long way in guarding your heart from being enslaved to sin once more.

Another Aspect of Church Discipline

# 152 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:2b-5, “ I have walked before you from my childhood to this day. 3 "Here I am. Witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, or whose donkey have I taken, or whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed, or from whose hand have I received any bribe with which to blind my eyes? I will restore it to you." 4 And they said, "You have not cheated us or oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from any man's hand." 5 Then he said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." And they answered, "He is witness." Samuel's farewell address. He reminds the people that in all his service as judge and priest, he has not cheated anyone nor has he perverted justice for the sake of a bribe. He has judged Israel with impeccable integrity and honesty. Then he says something that is a little disturbing. He says, “The Lord is a witness AGAINST you this day.” He didn't have to say that. He could've just said, “the Lord is my witness,” but he throws in the word “against.” What was the Lord testifying to here that is “against” the people? He was testifying against the people's desire to have an earthly king rule over them. He was saying that there is no need for an earthly king, when your leaders follow the Lord and His ways. God's Word and the Holy Spirit are sufficient to rule in our lives. I am reminded of an incident in Corinth that we read about in 1 Cor 6. In verse 1 we read, “ Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?” Now, I understand that there are times when civil laws are broken, and when that occurs, God has given the government the sword to take care of it. But many times we go running to the earthly king to settle our disputes rather than allowing the church to work out differences in accordance with the Scriptures. This is another aspect of “church discipline” that seems to have been forgotten by the church.

Church Discipline

# 151 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 12:1,2a, “Now Samuel said to all Israel: "Indeed I have heeded your voice in all that you said to me, and have made a king over you. 2 "And now here is the king, walking before you; and I am old and grayheaded, and look, my sons are with you. (1 Sam 12:1,2a) Farewell addresses would be a great topical Bible Study. Moses gave one, Joshua gave one, Jesus gave one, and I'm sure there are others. What makes them powerful is God uses them to highlight matters of importance. He usually reminds us where we have been and if necessary tells us of important things to come. Did you ever take a walk on a state park trail and see the map that says, “You are here?” That's how Samuel begins his farewell address. He says, “you've got the king you asked for, and I am getting ready to leave this earth, and consequently my office as judge and priest. Then he mentions the fact that his sons are with the people. We've talked about this before but let's cover it again. Samuel's sons were stinkers just like his predecessor Eli's sons. We read in 1 Sam 81-3 that Samuel had appointed his sons as judges in Israel, but “his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.” The mention of his sons here as being among the people tells us that unlike Eli, Samuel dealt with his sons and removed them from their position of authority. Corrective action was taken by Samuel. This kind of corrective action is necessary and falls in the realm of what we would call church discipline today. The goal always being restoration of the sinner. This discipline was important enough to be included in Samuel's farewell address and we would do well to make note of it in the church today. Sin in the camp is to be dealt with, as the Apostle Paul moved by the Holy Spirit wrote in 1Co 5:6b,7a, Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened.” The proper procedures for church discipline have been laid out in Mt 7, and 18. We would do well to follow them.

Today Is the Day of Salvation

# 150 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 11:12-15, “ Then the people said to Samuel, "Who is he who said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, that we may put them to death." 13 But Saul said, "Not a man shall be put to death this day, for today the LORD has accomplished salvation in Israel." 14 Then Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there." 15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they made sacrifices of peace offerings before the LORD, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly. If you recall the time when Saul was selected as king over Israel, there were some rebels who despised him and refused to let him reign over them. This is very similar to an attitude of some people that Jesus spoke of in a parable in Luke 19. Lu 19:14 says, "But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, 'We will not have this man to reign over us.'” At the end of this parable, which He used to illustrate the fact that one day He would return in judgment, He said, Lu 19:27 'But bring here those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, and slay them before me.'" Judgment Day is coming! This incident with Saul is a picture of the reality that we live in today. Jesus has died and risen from the dead, ascended into heaven and one day will return in Judgment, but TODAY is the day of salvation. It is the time of grace, a time for the rebels to come to repentance and be saved before it is too late. Saul's grace extended to the rebels is the same grace that Jesus extends today. Are you a rebel? Are you resisting the reign of King Jesus in your life? I beg you to listen to these words from Heb 3:15-19, “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion." 16 For who, having heard, rebelled? Indeed, was it not all who came out of Egypt, led by Moses? 17 Now with whom was He angry forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose corpses fell in the wilderness? 18 And to whom did He swear that they would not enter His rest, but to those who did not obey? 19 So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief.” Surrender to the lordship of Christ and live!

Allow The Triune God To Fight Your Battles

# 149 - Today's Du-votional comes from: 1Sa 11:10,1, “Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do with us whatever seems good to you." 11 So it was, on the next day, that Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning watch, and killed Ammonites until the heat of the day. And it happened that those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together. The men of Jabesh had just received word that they would have help in their battle against the Ammonites. No need to tell the Ammonites this fact. So they tell them that they will meet them on the next day and the Ammonites can do to them whatever they wish. Imagine the scene in the Ammonite camp at this time. There would be no fight from the men of Jabesh, and tomorrow would be a day of eye-plucking and so they make their preparations. ( I don't even want to think about how you prepare for such a thing. Watch Three Stooges movies?) So, the people of Jabesh come out to the Ammonites, but what a surprise. The Ammonites are greeted by 330,000 warriors, and by noon the eye-plucking Ammonites are thoroughly defeated and scattered by Saul's three-pronged attack. Father, Son, and Holy Ghost have set the enemy running! I am reminded of Ps 68:1-4, “Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him. 2 As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God. 3 But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. 4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him. I am struck by how many times we see the word “let” in these verses. The idea of “let” is to allow. We allow God to arise and fight our battles as we surrender to Jesus and stand up to our enemy. Allow God into your battles today. Stop relying on your flesh and step aside to observe Him in action, then allow yourself to sing His praises as He gives you the victory.