“Thereafter Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah.” 1 Samuel 10:17
“Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul mightily when he heard these words, and he became very angry. He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces, and sent them throughout the territory of Israel by the hand of messengers, saying, ‘Whoever does not come out after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen.’ Then the dread of the LORD fell on the people, and they came out as one man. He numbered them in Bezek; and the sons of Israel were 300,000, and the men of Judah 30,000. They said to the messengers who had come, ‘Thus you shall say to the men of Jabesh-gilead, “Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you will have deliverance.”’ So the messengers went and told the men of Jabesh; and they were glad. Then the men of Jabesh said, ‘Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you may do to us whatever seems good to you.’ The next morning Saul put the people in three companies; and they came into the midst of the camp at the morning watch and struck down the Ammonites until the heat of the day. Those who survived were scattered, so that no two of them were left together.”
1 Samuel 11:6-11
There is a tendency to think of King Saul’s life as being sinister and foreboding. But Saul didn’t begin his reign as a baneful terrorist. The Bible says: “...he was taller than any of the people from his shoulders upward. Samuel said..., ‘Do you see him whom the LORD has chosen? Surely there is no one like him among all the people.’ So all the people shouted and said, ‘Long live the king!’”
1 Samuel 10:23-24
Saul bore God’s anointing along with the love and respect of the people. The first obvious sign of erosion came in 1 Samuel 15 when Saul willfully disobeyed God and offered a sacrifice only Samuel was commanded to make. Pride and jealousy, combined with insecurity, led to even deeper erosion of his spiritual values. In the end, Saul’s life was void of all that was godly.
Most of us think there’s no way we would yield to such spiritual decline. Before you adopt this view, recall the life of Saul. He was a humble man when he first became king. But by the end of his life, disobedience and pride were his captors. Ask God to surface an area of erosion in your life. Then pray He would give you wisdom and the ability to make the necessary course corrections.
All sin begins with a spirit of pride.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
Friday, November 12, 2010
Standing on the Facts
“So a second time they called the man who had been blind, and said to him, ‘Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.’ He then answered, ‘Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ So they said to him, ‘What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?’ They reviled him and said, ‘You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.’
The man answered and said to them, ‘Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.’” John 9:24-33
The blind beggar would not be dissuaded. Even when the rich and influential Pharisees harassed him, trying to make him go back on his story, he refused to give in. He had been blind; now he could see! And he knew Jesus Christ was the One who had healed him. Nothing the Pharisees did made him say otherwise. Few things are more compelling than an eyewitness account. An eyewitness knows the truth. He does not depend upon someone else’s interpretation of events because he was there himself.
Like the blind beggar, the apostle John had an eyewitness, life-changing encounter with Jesus. John knew from one-on-one personal experience that Jesus is the Messiah. John was there when Jesus healed this beggar. He stood at the foot of the cross when Jesus hung there in agony. John staked his life, his very being, on the truth that Jesus is God’s Son. Eventually, the hostile Roman Emperor Domitian left John on the Isle of Patmos to die because he wouldn’t recant.
Through the Gospels, you also meet Jesus face-to-face. Have you staked your life on the truth of God’s Word? As you obey, you become an eyewitness to the reliability and power of Scripture.
Our faith is based on the sound evidence of God’s truth, not blind belief!
The man answered and said to them, ‘Well, here is an amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He hears him. Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.’” John 9:24-33
The blind beggar would not be dissuaded. Even when the rich and influential Pharisees harassed him, trying to make him go back on his story, he refused to give in. He had been blind; now he could see! And he knew Jesus Christ was the One who had healed him. Nothing the Pharisees did made him say otherwise. Few things are more compelling than an eyewitness account. An eyewitness knows the truth. He does not depend upon someone else’s interpretation of events because he was there himself.
Like the blind beggar, the apostle John had an eyewitness, life-changing encounter with Jesus. John knew from one-on-one personal experience that Jesus is the Messiah. John was there when Jesus healed this beggar. He stood at the foot of the cross when Jesus hung there in agony. John staked his life, his very being, on the truth that Jesus is God’s Son. Eventually, the hostile Roman Emperor Domitian left John on the Isle of Patmos to die because he wouldn’t recant.
Through the Gospels, you also meet Jesus face-to-face. Have you staked your life on the truth of God’s Word? As you obey, you become an eyewitness to the reliability and power of Scripture.
Our faith is based on the sound evidence of God’s truth, not blind belief!
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Growing Up in Christ
“And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” Ephesians 4:11-16
Some things are easy to measure - how tall you are, what size clothes you wear, how much you weigh. But how do you measure spiritual growth? How can you determine how far you’ve come in your walk with the Lord? God works in the lives of His children in different ways at different times. But as you pray, study the Bible, and worship regularly with other Christians, you should notice several changes.
Quick and genuine repentance - When the Holy Spirit convicts you of specific sin, you go immediately to Jesus to confess and turn away from it.
Rejoicing in trials - Spiritual battles become more intense, but you want to thank God for them.
Increasing desire to obey - Sin becomes less attractive; you find delight in following His commands.
Eagerness to share - As you discover His lovingkindness, you can’t keep the joy to yourself. You tell others what He is doing in your life.
Are you becoming more like Jesus each day? No matter where you are in your relationship with Him, you can cling to this promise: “...He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
“...and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God...” Ephesians 4:24
Some things are easy to measure - how tall you are, what size clothes you wear, how much you weigh. But how do you measure spiritual growth? How can you determine how far you’ve come in your walk with the Lord? God works in the lives of His children in different ways at different times. But as you pray, study the Bible, and worship regularly with other Christians, you should notice several changes.
Quick and genuine repentance - When the Holy Spirit convicts you of specific sin, you go immediately to Jesus to confess and turn away from it.
Rejoicing in trials - Spiritual battles become more intense, but you want to thank God for them.
Increasing desire to obey - Sin becomes less attractive; you find delight in following His commands.
Eagerness to share - As you discover His lovingkindness, you can’t keep the joy to yourself. You tell others what He is doing in your life.
Are you becoming more like Jesus each day? No matter where you are in your relationship with Him, you can cling to this promise: “...He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6).
“...and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God...” Ephesians 4:24
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Move Beyond the Milk!
“Therefore, putting aside all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander, like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation, if you have tasted the kindness of the Lord.” 1 Peter 2:1-3
As any parent knows, a new baby has a limited menu. They drink milk or a gentle formula that’s just right for their small digestive systems. As they grow, they move up to soft foods that have been specially mixed for easy swallowing. But it’s only when babies cut their teeth that the real joy of eating begins.
God designed the believer’s “appetite” for His Word to work in much the same way. As a young believer, you begin the nourishment process with the milk of Scripture, the elementary principles that lay the groundwork for deeper truths to come. Then as you mature in your relationship with Christ, you’re ready to learn more.
A baby that doesn’t progress to more substantial foods doesn’t keep growing. Something is wrong. It would be unnatural and unhealthy for the baby to drink only milk for an extended period of time. If you don’t move beyond the basics of faith, you soon become spiritually malnourished and cease to develop as God planned.
Are you growing in the Lord? Commit yourself to feeding on God’s Word each day, trusting Him to work His principles into your heart as you obey His direction. The more of His truth you absorb, the more you’ll grow to be like Christ.
Salvation is only the beginning of God’s plan for you!
As any parent knows, a new baby has a limited menu. They drink milk or a gentle formula that’s just right for their small digestive systems. As they grow, they move up to soft foods that have been specially mixed for easy swallowing. But it’s only when babies cut their teeth that the real joy of eating begins.
God designed the believer’s “appetite” for His Word to work in much the same way. As a young believer, you begin the nourishment process with the milk of Scripture, the elementary principles that lay the groundwork for deeper truths to come. Then as you mature in your relationship with Christ, you’re ready to learn more.
A baby that doesn’t progress to more substantial foods doesn’t keep growing. Something is wrong. It would be unnatural and unhealthy for the baby to drink only milk for an extended period of time. If you don’t move beyond the basics of faith, you soon become spiritually malnourished and cease to develop as God planned.
Are you growing in the Lord? Commit yourself to feeding on God’s Word each day, trusting Him to work His principles into your heart as you obey His direction. The more of His truth you absorb, the more you’ll grow to be like Christ.
Salvation is only the beginning of God’s plan for you!
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Amazing Love
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life. For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:14-18
He has a wife and three children whom he adores. He spends time with them whenever he can, going fun places and listening to their hurts and needs. His business ethics are unimpeachable; he is known by all as a fair man who goes the extra mile when nobody asks him to. And his charity work for the local hospital helped build a much needed burn treatment center.
Would you ever guess that this man has a rebellious heart? He does. It’s not easy to see by judging from external appearances. Even though he outwardly obeys the law and is concerned for the well-being of others, he is dead in his spirit to the things of God and doesn’t care what God says about his life.
Every person is born with a spirit that is disobedient to God. It is literally “bent away” from the Lord and set on its own course. Ephesians 2:1 says: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.” People who continue to go their own way, ignoring the way to God through Jesus Christ, will perish and be lost forever.
Are you camouflaging a rebellious heart? Have you asked Jesus to correct your sinful condition? Jesus is the only One who can make your heart right, inside and out.
“Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?” -Charles Wesley
He has a wife and three children whom he adores. He spends time with them whenever he can, going fun places and listening to their hurts and needs. His business ethics are unimpeachable; he is known by all as a fair man who goes the extra mile when nobody asks him to. And his charity work for the local hospital helped build a much needed burn treatment center.
Would you ever guess that this man has a rebellious heart? He does. It’s not easy to see by judging from external appearances. Even though he outwardly obeys the law and is concerned for the well-being of others, he is dead in his spirit to the things of God and doesn’t care what God says about his life.
Every person is born with a spirit that is disobedient to God. It is literally “bent away” from the Lord and set on its own course. Ephesians 2:1 says: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins.” People who continue to go their own way, ignoring the way to God through Jesus Christ, will perish and be lost forever.
Are you camouflaging a rebellious heart? Have you asked Jesus to correct your sinful condition? Jesus is the only One who can make your heart right, inside and out.
“Amazing love! How can it be that Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?” -Charles Wesley
Monday, November 8, 2010
Seeking the Lost
“Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’ So He told them this parable, saying, ‘What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!” I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.’” Luke 15:1-7
The Pharisees were appalled that Jesus associated with sinners. They grumbled about Jesus’ action publicly to show their disgust for what they called loose, disreputable behavior. Sometimes He even ate meals with these sinners and social outcasts.
Jesus responded immediately. He wanted them to understand that His real mission is to save lost mankind - all who recognize that they are separated from God by their sin and believe that He pays the price for them. Jesus wanted these Pharisees and scribes to know how much each lost soul means to Him, how much He is willing to do to restore the person to fellowship with God.
Jesus, the true Shepherd, compared His love for sinners to a shepherd boy searching for one lost sheep. This shepherd boy left his other ninety-nine sheep safe in the fold to seek the missing one. The shepherd was personally responsible for each sheep in his care. If something happened to one of them, he had to give an account to the owner of the flock. Imagine this boy’s relief and joy when he finally carried the wandering one home.
Jesus has this same love for you. He wants you to know your infinite value, to come to Him and rest in His care.
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
The Pharisees were appalled that Jesus associated with sinners. They grumbled about Jesus’ action publicly to show their disgust for what they called loose, disreputable behavior. Sometimes He even ate meals with these sinners and social outcasts.
Jesus responded immediately. He wanted them to understand that His real mission is to save lost mankind - all who recognize that they are separated from God by their sin and believe that He pays the price for them. Jesus wanted these Pharisees and scribes to know how much each lost soul means to Him, how much He is willing to do to restore the person to fellowship with God.
Jesus, the true Shepherd, compared His love for sinners to a shepherd boy searching for one lost sheep. This shepherd boy left his other ninety-nine sheep safe in the fold to seek the missing one. The shepherd was personally responsible for each sheep in his care. If something happened to one of them, he had to give an account to the owner of the flock. Imagine this boy’s relief and joy when he finally carried the wandering one home.
Jesus has this same love for you. He wants you to know your infinite value, to come to Him and rest in His care.
“For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.” Luke 19:10
Sunday, November 7, 2010
The Exact Truth!
“Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.” Luke 1:1-4
Why should we be informed about our faith? Why should we seek to know the facts behind what we believe? We’ve heard people say, “God said it; I believe it,” and abandon any attempts at apologetics - explaining their beliefs to others. Sometimes such a statement evades a perplexing question or attempts to cover up an embarrassing lack of information.
Luke knew how vital it is to be prepared with the facts, details like how, where, when, and why. Luke stressed that he had “investigated everything carefully from the beginning.” He made sure that his information was correct, right down to time and place. Why? He had a single mission in mind: demonstrating to his friend Theophilus, and to all who would read his gospel that Jesus is the one true, living God.
You have the same reason to study and learn all you can about Bible history and doctrine. 1 Peter 3:15 urges believers to “always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you...” Your reasonable, solid answers may be just what an unbeliever needs to hear.
“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7
Why should we be informed about our faith? Why should we seek to know the facts behind what we believe? We’ve heard people say, “God said it; I believe it,” and abandon any attempts at apologetics - explaining their beliefs to others. Sometimes such a statement evades a perplexing question or attempts to cover up an embarrassing lack of information.
Luke knew how vital it is to be prepared with the facts, details like how, where, when, and why. Luke stressed that he had “investigated everything carefully from the beginning.” He made sure that his information was correct, right down to time and place. Why? He had a single mission in mind: demonstrating to his friend Theophilus, and to all who would read his gospel that Jesus is the one true, living God.
You have the same reason to study and learn all you can about Bible history and doctrine. 1 Peter 3:15 urges believers to “always [be] ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you...” Your reasonable, solid answers may be just what an unbeliever needs to hear.
“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.” 2 Timothy 1:7
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