Then he said, "I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God." So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord. – 1 Samuel 15:30-31
At this point in the book of 1 Samuel, Saul's right to be king over Israel has been taken away from him. God has had enough of his pride. Although Samuel had to deliver this message to Saul, Samuel turned back toward Saul, that his soul might be saved, if he were to truly repent.
In my own life, I'm finding the need to look to God more often as I grow in my faith. Reading the scriptures, on the prideful fall of Saul has shown me that I do not want to end up the way he did. Though I have not been given rule over an entire nation, God has put me in a leadership role at my current job, and it is easy to be prideful in that position. However, there is more to the story.
In the passage, Samuel turns back to Saul in hopes that he will have meaningful worship with God, and that God may save his soul. In chapter 15, we find that Saul actually never truly repents of the sin that lost him the kingdom, yet Samuel grieves over that. Samuel is a faithful servant of the Lord, and not a "dispassionate messenger of God's word" (Trapp), meaning he knew there was value in support of others' faith, as little as it may be.
God may not have plans for me to be a great profit, as Samuel was, yet I know that (through Christ) my soul has been saved, and he wants me to set aside my pride and support the faith of those who need it. I will pray for anyone reading this; that your faith may increase each day and you may support those in your life who are lacking faith.
Saturday, November 2, 2019
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Before and After
Only fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. – 1 Samuel 12:24
My faith has been growing, yet I am still experiencing "spiritual warfare" as some warn against. As I find myself leaning on the scriptures, I keep hearing more excuses in my own thoughts as to not get up early to read and pray. In the midst of a new relationship I find myself staying up later than we both would like to, yet somehow I still find the energy (most days) to get up before work to spend time with the Lord.
Before I began keeping this "journal", I was at a point where I thought things were going great and I had everything figured out. Little did I realize, God was at work to bring me closer to him. Though I am not perfect at serving Christ first, I have seen my desire to spend time with the Lord increase over the past year. I know that the only way I can overcome the desires of my flesh is by trusting in Him.
At first, I wanted to address a verse from 1 Samuel 13 where God tells Saul (through Samuel) that he lost his family's right to continue ruling over Israel. God informs them that he will find someone after His own heart, and not someone who is selfish like Saul was. God has a plan for us all, and intends on getting us to a point that we can serve him, yet what prevents us from getting there is simply, ourselves and our desire to do what we want before God's will.
Though it is not the easiest to deny our own desires to serve God, that is the calling we all have. God's will for us may be different in our circumstances, yet is the same in the fact that he wants us to "fear him and serve him faithfully with all our heart", and to remember the great things he has done for us. That is the main reason I started this journal. Though I may not be doing much different than leading youth, while working in a grocery store, I have learned a lot about the Lord, since this journey began.
May God speak to you through his Word today, and may you fear and serve him with all your heart.
Amen.
My faith has been growing, yet I am still experiencing "spiritual warfare" as some warn against. As I find myself leaning on the scriptures, I keep hearing more excuses in my own thoughts as to not get up early to read and pray. In the midst of a new relationship I find myself staying up later than we both would like to, yet somehow I still find the energy (most days) to get up before work to spend time with the Lord.
Before I began keeping this "journal", I was at a point where I thought things were going great and I had everything figured out. Little did I realize, God was at work to bring me closer to him. Though I am not perfect at serving Christ first, I have seen my desire to spend time with the Lord increase over the past year. I know that the only way I can overcome the desires of my flesh is by trusting in Him.
At first, I wanted to address a verse from 1 Samuel 13 where God tells Saul (through Samuel) that he lost his family's right to continue ruling over Israel. God informs them that he will find someone after His own heart, and not someone who is selfish like Saul was. God has a plan for us all, and intends on getting us to a point that we can serve him, yet what prevents us from getting there is simply, ourselves and our desire to do what we want before God's will.
Though it is not the easiest to deny our own desires to serve God, that is the calling we all have. God's will for us may be different in our circumstances, yet is the same in the fact that he wants us to "fear him and serve him faithfully with all our heart", and to remember the great things he has done for us. That is the main reason I started this journal. Though I may not be doing much different than leading youth, while working in a grocery store, I have learned a lot about the Lord, since this journey began.
May God speak to you through his Word today, and may you fear and serve him with all your heart.
Amen.
Friday, September 20, 2019
Wants and Needs
And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them." – 1 Samuel 8:7
The Lord always works in ways that are for our good, but only if we let him. This is what we see here in the book of 1 Samuel, when Israel is at a point where they want to be independent from God. Their wants exceed their needs... I read from chapter 9 today, and Saul is about to be appointed king of Israel, yet he is questioning to Samuel why God wants him to be king.
Today, there are a lot of people rejecting God in their life and want to do things their own way. I find that it is pretty easy to say we want something our way, and neglect to let God have full control of the situation. However, as Israel will find out, doing things "our way" does not always end up with the best results. If only they (and we) had submitted to God's plan in the beginning, all the strife could have been avoided from the start.
My wants included moving somewhere else and finding a girl I could settle down with, however after two dead-end relationships, I found myself right where I had been in the beginning. Now, after months of prayer and an effort to wait on God, I am slowly seeing things work out for my good that I would have not expected, all while staying in the same town.
Sometimes in life we look for change to avoid problems from the past. Yet if only we had faced them (with God's help) from the beginning, could we have saved ourselves from the stress we know now.
The Lord always works in ways that are for our good, but only if we let him. This is what we see here in the book of 1 Samuel, when Israel is at a point where they want to be independent from God. Their wants exceed their needs... I read from chapter 9 today, and Saul is about to be appointed king of Israel, yet he is questioning to Samuel why God wants him to be king.
Today, there are a lot of people rejecting God in their life and want to do things their own way. I find that it is pretty easy to say we want something our way, and neglect to let God have full control of the situation. However, as Israel will find out, doing things "our way" does not always end up with the best results. If only they (and we) had submitted to God's plan in the beginning, all the strife could have been avoided from the start.
My wants included moving somewhere else and finding a girl I could settle down with, however after two dead-end relationships, I found myself right where I had been in the beginning. Now, after months of prayer and an effort to wait on God, I am slowly seeing things work out for my good that I would have not expected, all while staying in the same town.
Sometimes in life we look for change to avoid problems from the past. Yet if only we had faced them (with God's help) from the beginning, could we have saved ourselves from the stress we know now.
Wednesday, August 14, 2019
Sorrow and Love
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit – Matthew 28:19
Today I am beginning a study of the book of 1 Samuel, as I have just finished studying Matthew. With the intention of reading all four gospels, I could have been well educated on the ministry of Jesus. Yet the past few weeks, I have felt called to study Samuel after teaching a couple lessons in youth group from the book of 1 Samuel. I have been learning so much from the word of God these past four months, and God has brought me through the sorrow of my past and, until recently, I was unable to see the magnitude of His love for me.
My scripture reference from today is known as the Great Commission, given by the resurrected Christ to the remaining eleven disciples, in Galilee. It took me some time to finally get to this point, yet God has worked so much in my life following the sorrow brought on by my past. I could explain things, but as I mentioned in an earlier post, I want this to be less about my personal life than about ministry.
The sorrow I had was mainly from broken relationships, and unfulfilled promises. However while reading the gospel of Matthew, I simultaneously began to see the Lord working in my life and was able to be more willing to carry out God's will for my life. When we rely too much on other people for fulfillment of life, we will always be disappointed. Yet, when we begin to trust in God alone, we can begin to understand (and experience) the love that he has for us.
The passage I read today was 1 Samuel 1:1-7; setting the scene for the development of Hannah's faith through trials. Here is the main point: when God allows trials in our life, it is not because he wants us to suffer, rather he wants us to lean on him and be joyful for the work he is doing (James 1:2). When we begin to look to him, instead of our sorrow for comfort, we can finally start to see the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives. Our sorrow can finally be turned to joy, and the living water (John 4:10) will begin to pour out of us... God has recently blessed me with new situations in my life, and I can only credit His love and the trials he allows me to experience for the blessings.
If you happen to be struggling in a situation today, or this week, ask God what he wants you to see in that, and to open your heart to the things you need to change. After all, when we experience discomfort in life, it is not because of the imperfections of Christ's love for us.
Today I am beginning a study of the book of 1 Samuel, as I have just finished studying Matthew. With the intention of reading all four gospels, I could have been well educated on the ministry of Jesus. Yet the past few weeks, I have felt called to study Samuel after teaching a couple lessons in youth group from the book of 1 Samuel. I have been learning so much from the word of God these past four months, and God has brought me through the sorrow of my past and, until recently, I was unable to see the magnitude of His love for me.
My scripture reference from today is known as the Great Commission, given by the resurrected Christ to the remaining eleven disciples, in Galilee. It took me some time to finally get to this point, yet God has worked so much in my life following the sorrow brought on by my past. I could explain things, but as I mentioned in an earlier post, I want this to be less about my personal life than about ministry.
The sorrow I had was mainly from broken relationships, and unfulfilled promises. However while reading the gospel of Matthew, I simultaneously began to see the Lord working in my life and was able to be more willing to carry out God's will for my life. When we rely too much on other people for fulfillment of life, we will always be disappointed. Yet, when we begin to trust in God alone, we can begin to understand (and experience) the love that he has for us.
The passage I read today was 1 Samuel 1:1-7; setting the scene for the development of Hannah's faith through trials. Here is the main point: when God allows trials in our life, it is not because he wants us to suffer, rather he wants us to lean on him and be joyful for the work he is doing (James 1:2). When we begin to look to him, instead of our sorrow for comfort, we can finally start to see the work that the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives. Our sorrow can finally be turned to joy, and the living water (John 4:10) will begin to pour out of us... God has recently blessed me with new situations in my life, and I can only credit His love and the trials he allows me to experience for the blessings.
If you happen to be struggling in a situation today, or this week, ask God what he wants you to see in that, and to open your heart to the things you need to change. After all, when we experience discomfort in life, it is not because of the imperfections of Christ's love for us.
Friday, August 9, 2019
Old and New
Today, I read from the book of Matthew, where the Pharisees paid the Roman guard to lie about what happened to Jesus' body the night of his resurrection. If you're interested, it's chapter 28.
I have been posting a verse with the past few entries, but today I want to focus on one main point: redemption.
That's mainly what the Gospel is about, turning from our old ways and being brought to a new life in Christ. I think a lot of people never really get there. Sure, there are people out there who have been Christian all their life, yet still seem to give in to whatever the world may be tempting them with. I have been there myself. I have believed in God about two-thirds of my life, yet I cannot say that I have always followed Christ. Sure, I accepted His son for salvation, but I only in this past month or so, have I began to truly understand its meaning.
In my case, girls and popularity have always been a focus for me. I never had a lot of money growing up, so having whatever was cool at the time was never really an option unless I hung out with one of my friends who had what I wanted. Also, I felt that if I had the right girl around, everything would be great, yet I could never seem to make it work with them. Even my most recent, dead-end relationship, was supposed to last a long time, and she thought the same thing. Turns out God had different plans.
Today, I have a car that I bought for $800, I live with my mom because I owe money from college, and I just entered into a relationship with a girl I barely knew, yet she went to the same high school. However that stuff is not that important. The girl is great, and we get along really well. I have a good job, but because of my loans, I do not need an expensive car. Not to mention, I am capable of living on my own, though my mom offered me cheap rent, so I just plan on saving for a house eventually.
At the end of the day, I made some poor choices in regard to my faith, and would take them back if I knew what was coming, yet the results have brought me to where I am today. God has shown me so much in my life that needs work. I do not have it figured out yet, though I know there is no reason for me to have any of the old habits I did growing up. I have recently began to understand what it means to have a new life in Christ, and mainly because of my previous relationship, I was able to see the definition of that change in someone's life. She is doing well, and ultimately, I'm proud of her for being where she is. I cannot take back the choices her or I made, though I know God has used them to prepare me for a life of serving Christ.
Thank you for reading, and may God bless you in your life, as he has blessed me.
I have been posting a verse with the past few entries, but today I want to focus on one main point: redemption.
That's mainly what the Gospel is about, turning from our old ways and being brought to a new life in Christ. I think a lot of people never really get there. Sure, there are people out there who have been Christian all their life, yet still seem to give in to whatever the world may be tempting them with. I have been there myself. I have believed in God about two-thirds of my life, yet I cannot say that I have always followed Christ. Sure, I accepted His son for salvation, but I only in this past month or so, have I began to truly understand its meaning.
In my case, girls and popularity have always been a focus for me. I never had a lot of money growing up, so having whatever was cool at the time was never really an option unless I hung out with one of my friends who had what I wanted. Also, I felt that if I had the right girl around, everything would be great, yet I could never seem to make it work with them. Even my most recent, dead-end relationship, was supposed to last a long time, and she thought the same thing. Turns out God had different plans.
Today, I have a car that I bought for $800, I live with my mom because I owe money from college, and I just entered into a relationship with a girl I barely knew, yet she went to the same high school. However that stuff is not that important. The girl is great, and we get along really well. I have a good job, but because of my loans, I do not need an expensive car. Not to mention, I am capable of living on my own, though my mom offered me cheap rent, so I just plan on saving for a house eventually.
At the end of the day, I made some poor choices in regard to my faith, and would take them back if I knew what was coming, yet the results have brought me to where I am today. God has shown me so much in my life that needs work. I do not have it figured out yet, though I know there is no reason for me to have any of the old habits I did growing up. I have recently began to understand what it means to have a new life in Christ, and mainly because of my previous relationship, I was able to see the definition of that change in someone's life. She is doing well, and ultimately, I'm proud of her for being where she is. I cannot take back the choices her or I made, though I know God has used them to prepare me for a life of serving Christ.
Thank you for reading, and may God bless you in your life, as he has blessed me.
Saturday, July 13, 2019
Faith and Reward
His master said to him, "Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master." – Matthew 25:21
When God gives us something, we have the choice to either use it for ourselves, or use it for His glory. It is not unusual to see ourselves, or someone we know, to waste the gift that God has given.
In Matthew 25, we read the parable of the talents (currency) and see how each servant uses the talents given to them. The first two who received talents invested them and doubled their return. The last, buried it in the ground so that it would not be lost. Each servant was given a reward based on their efforts while the master was away.
This past year or so, God has taught me a lot about faithfulness and how we truly can trust him through everything, though we still seem to neglect his love at times. If nothing else, I have gained wisdom from the Holy Spirit by spending an hour in the morning to focus on the Lord. There was a time when my faith was not in the Lord, but in my own desires. Looking back, I really lost my chance at ministry with some of the choices I made, and the people involved may never see the Lord in me. However, more recently, I pray that God will use me for His purpose and that he will help me to not focus on my own will, but on his through all things.
As the servants received a reward for their work with the talents, we will also receive a reward for our work with what God has given us. We are now in a time where the Master is away, but will return with the expectation of some result from his servants. We are called to serve Christ and it will take a commitment everyday to go out and invest our "talents", whether it be our money or our skills. When the Lord returns, he will look at our faith, and reward us based on our effort while he was away. Therefore, if nothing else, we must do the very least as to gain some interest on our "talent" (v27), so that the Lord will be given the glory. As Ecclesiastes shows us, nothing is worth our time unless it is being done in service to the Lord. Trust in God and seek the reward he has for you.
When God gives us something, we have the choice to either use it for ourselves, or use it for His glory. It is not unusual to see ourselves, or someone we know, to waste the gift that God has given.
In Matthew 25, we read the parable of the talents (currency) and see how each servant uses the talents given to them. The first two who received talents invested them and doubled their return. The last, buried it in the ground so that it would not be lost. Each servant was given a reward based on their efforts while the master was away.
This past year or so, God has taught me a lot about faithfulness and how we truly can trust him through everything, though we still seem to neglect his love at times. If nothing else, I have gained wisdom from the Holy Spirit by spending an hour in the morning to focus on the Lord. There was a time when my faith was not in the Lord, but in my own desires. Looking back, I really lost my chance at ministry with some of the choices I made, and the people involved may never see the Lord in me. However, more recently, I pray that God will use me for His purpose and that he will help me to not focus on my own will, but on his through all things.
As the servants received a reward for their work with the talents, we will also receive a reward for our work with what God has given us. We are now in a time where the Master is away, but will return with the expectation of some result from his servants. We are called to serve Christ and it will take a commitment everyday to go out and invest our "talents", whether it be our money or our skills. When the Lord returns, he will look at our faith, and reward us based on our effort while he was away. Therefore, if nothing else, we must do the very least as to gain some interest on our "talent" (v27), so that the Lord will be given the glory. As Ecclesiastes shows us, nothing is worth our time unless it is being done in service to the Lord. Trust in God and seek the reward he has for you.
Monday, June 17, 2019
Faith and Works
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
– James 2:26
If you know your NT scriptures, you probably could have guessed the scripture reference just by the title. On the surface, James essentially contradicts Paul's teachings that works cannot earn you salvation. If you want a better understanding of this "contradiction", click here for an article that might help. Regardless of who thinks either teaching is right or wrong, they are both right. This is the word of God and he does not contradict himself. In short, Paul is saying that the Mosaic Law (10 Commandments and OT traditions) can no longer earn you a spot in heaven. Rather, we have been offered the grace of God through Jesus' death and resurrection. That being stated, James is not disagreeing with Paul that God's grace cannot save us, rather he is continuing Paul's instruction. James teaches the reader that with the grace we have received, we cannot be on the sidelines of our faith. In order to show our faith, we must get in the action and perform faithful works as Christ did on earth. Hopefully by now you get it, because I would rather not make this post into a sermon (I almost did anyway, keep reading). Instead, I will give you some of my own thoughts on this.
Mainly, I am at a point in my life, or my faith, where I know I can do more but I seem to be settling in to my circumstances. I have been investing more time into prayer, and though I am an easily distracted person, the Lord is teaching me a lot during my time with Him. I think that James is a fitting book for me right now because I am looking at the facts that I am not really doing a lot of "work" for Christ. I work a full-time job and mostly put my service to the church second. After praying and opening the Bible to this chapter, perhaps God is really telling me to trust him, and move closer to serving him before myself.
Though that is the point of this chapter, I am struggling with the conflict of serving myself in this comfortable job, or trusting him to lead me into the unknown... Typically I end with encouragement, I would like to stick with that, though before I end today's entry I would ask if you would pray for me to be led by the Holy Spirit and to commit fully to God's will for my life over my own will.
Being on the bench, or the bleachers, during a sporting event never allows us to be involved in changing the end result of the game. If we live our lives simply waiting for God to do his work in the world while we watch, then we cannot truly experience the blessings he has for us when the final point is scored. James 2:22 supports that saying "you see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works." So go on and trust that God has a better plan for you... Get out there and work for His glory!
– James 2:26
If you know your NT scriptures, you probably could have guessed the scripture reference just by the title. On the surface, James essentially contradicts Paul's teachings that works cannot earn you salvation. If you want a better understanding of this "contradiction", click here for an article that might help. Regardless of who thinks either teaching is right or wrong, they are both right. This is the word of God and he does not contradict himself. In short, Paul is saying that the Mosaic Law (10 Commandments and OT traditions) can no longer earn you a spot in heaven. Rather, we have been offered the grace of God through Jesus' death and resurrection. That being stated, James is not disagreeing with Paul that God's grace cannot save us, rather he is continuing Paul's instruction. James teaches the reader that with the grace we have received, we cannot be on the sidelines of our faith. In order to show our faith, we must get in the action and perform faithful works as Christ did on earth. Hopefully by now you get it, because I would rather not make this post into a sermon (I almost did anyway, keep reading). Instead, I will give you some of my own thoughts on this.
Mainly, I am at a point in my life, or my faith, where I know I can do more but I seem to be settling in to my circumstances. I have been investing more time into prayer, and though I am an easily distracted person, the Lord is teaching me a lot during my time with Him. I think that James is a fitting book for me right now because I am looking at the facts that I am not really doing a lot of "work" for Christ. I work a full-time job and mostly put my service to the church second. After praying and opening the Bible to this chapter, perhaps God is really telling me to trust him, and move closer to serving him before myself.
Though that is the point of this chapter, I am struggling with the conflict of serving myself in this comfortable job, or trusting him to lead me into the unknown... Typically I end with encouragement, I would like to stick with that, though before I end today's entry I would ask if you would pray for me to be led by the Holy Spirit and to commit fully to God's will for my life over my own will.
Being on the bench, or the bleachers, during a sporting event never allows us to be involved in changing the end result of the game. If we live our lives simply waiting for God to do his work in the world while we watch, then we cannot truly experience the blessings he has for us when the final point is scored. James 2:22 supports that saying "you see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works." So go on and trust that God has a better plan for you... Get out there and work for His glory!
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