Saturday, January 25, 2020
Time vs. Repentance
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 28:16-18, Then Samuel said: “So why do you ask me, seeing the LORD has departed from you and has become your enemy? 17 And the LORD has done for Himself as He spoke by me. For the LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hand and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the LORD nor execute His fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore the LORD has done this thing to you this day.
In the previous devotional we pointed out that Saul already had the answers to the questions he had for Samuel. In answering Saul, Samuel was even more specific in what the consequences for his disobedience were. In 1 Samuel 15:28, Samuel said to Saul, “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.” Now, about fifteen years later, when Samuel reiterates God’s message, he confirms what Saul probably already knew, that the man to whom the kingdom would be given to was David. What is truly sad about this situation is that many Christians today think the way Saul was probably thinking in this instance. It would seem that Saul was saying to himself, “Some time has gone by. Maybe God has changed His mind.” The truth of the matter is that God does not change His mind about our sins and the consequences of our sins, simply because time has passed. Just because time passes, from the time that we committed our sins against God, does not lessen the severity of the sin or take away the consequences God has chosen to allow for those sins. Letting time pass is not the same as repenting and getting right with the Lord. We do not get right with God by simply letting time go by. Far too many of us fail to see sin the way God sees sin, and therefore we do not mourn over our sin as we should. In Matthew 5:4 Jesus said, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.” In James 4:7-10, “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” Saul had hardened his heart and refused to acknowledge his sin of disobedience, but now that he felt that he was in grave danger, he sought answers from God without humbling himself before the Lord. I encourage all of us today to take inventory of our lives and ask God to show us if there is some sin(s) that we need to mournfully repent of and confess before the Lord. Let us not be fooled into thinking that time passing is the same as repenting and confessing our sins. I will leave us with this verse from Proverbs 28:13, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Thursday, January 23, 2020
Are We Living for Earth or Heaven?
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 28:15, Now Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” And Saul answered, “I am deeply distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God has departed from me and does not answer me anymore, neither by prophets nor by dreams. Therefore I have called you, that you may reveal to me what I should do.”
There have been many opinions about whether or not it was really Samuel who appeared to the witch and to Saul. Based on the reaction from the medium, it is more likely that it was really Samuel who appeared. When Jesus was on the Mount of Transfiguration, both Moses and Elijah appeared before the on looking disciples (Matthew 17). So it certainly is possible that God would bring one of His servants back to communicate God’s message; if He so chose to. Nonetheless, what I would like to focus on is Samuel’s question to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Lest we give this witch, or even Saul, more credit than they deserve in this, let us make one thing clear; the only reason Samuel reappeared was because God had a direct message for Saul, and an indirect message for the witch. The witch should have quickly realized that playing with the supernatural is no joke. It boggles my mind when I hear that a born again child of God is willing to go to a palm reader, tarot card reader, or a psychic. Going to someone like this is no different than what Saul did. Let us make no mistake about where God stands in respect to dealing with people who partake in these evil practices. Leviticus 20:6 clearly states, “And the person who turns to mediums and familiar spirits, to prostitute himself with them, I will set My face against that person and cut him off from his people.”
Saul was looking for answers to questions that he already had answers to. It was obvious that he would have no choice but to fight against the Philistines. What he was likely seeking was the outcome of this unavoidable war. God had departed from Saul, and he already knew this. It became even more evident when God became silent. He was probably hoping for a change in the consequences of his disobedience. Instead what he received was a message of his death sentence, which left him paralyzed with fear (v. 19-20). Why disturb Samuel to get answers to questions that were already answered? We must be extremely careful to avoid putting ourselves in positions where sin can bring forth consequences that are far too much for us to bear. God is gracious, merciful, and forgiving, but He will not always remove the consequences of our sinful actions. There is an even greater observation to be taken from Samuel’s question. Why would anyone want to return to this God-forsaken world, once we have gone to be with Jesus? Why would we want our life with Jesus, once we are before Him, interrupted to come back to this place? This brings a question to mind that we all need to answer. “Do we love this life more than the life that lies ahead, where we will be reunited with our Savior?” Some of us may vehemently insist that we love the Lord and the life to come, but our focus, actions, and the things we deem as important in this lifetime says something completely different. Sadly, far too many of us live this life looking to gain all that this corrupt world has to offer. We shipwreck our walk with Jesus in pursuit of material gain, status in society, and the accolades of men. There are many who are perishing, and will perish, because they have rejected Jesus’ offer of eternal life. Some insist on trying to earn passage into Heaven, even though God has made it clear that salvation comes by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), and only through Jesus, His only begotten Son (John 3:16; 14:6). The fact of the matter is that what we have here on earth now, even if God is allowing us to enjoy the riches of this world, does not compare to what Jesus has in store for us when we are finally with Him. With that said, we must live life here with a view of how it will affect our glorious life there, when we will serve Him and worship Him for all eternity. What are we doing here and now that has any eternal value? Are we serving selflessly, giving to others, loving one another, and doing all we do out of our faith and gratitude for the salvation God has given us so freely in Christ Jesus? I can guarantee this…once we are with Jesus, there will be no reason why we would want our time with Him interrupted to come back to this earth. We need to take inventory of our lives now and ask God to show us if we are living a life that truly reflects our love for Him, and hope we have of being with Him, by the words we speak, our actions, and the deeds we claim to do in His Name.
Saul was looking for answers to questions that he already had answers to. It was obvious that he would have no choice but to fight against the Philistines. What he was likely seeking was the outcome of this unavoidable war. God had departed from Saul, and he already knew this. It became even more evident when God became silent. He was probably hoping for a change in the consequences of his disobedience. Instead what he received was a message of his death sentence, which left him paralyzed with fear (v. 19-20). Why disturb Samuel to get answers to questions that were already answered? We must be extremely careful to avoid putting ourselves in positions where sin can bring forth consequences that are far too much for us to bear. God is gracious, merciful, and forgiving, but He will not always remove the consequences of our sinful actions. There is an even greater observation to be taken from Samuel’s question. Why would anyone want to return to this God-forsaken world, once we have gone to be with Jesus? Why would we want our life with Jesus, once we are before Him, interrupted to come back to this place? This brings a question to mind that we all need to answer. “Do we love this life more than the life that lies ahead, where we will be reunited with our Savior?” Some of us may vehemently insist that we love the Lord and the life to come, but our focus, actions, and the things we deem as important in this lifetime says something completely different. Sadly, far too many of us live this life looking to gain all that this corrupt world has to offer. We shipwreck our walk with Jesus in pursuit of material gain, status in society, and the accolades of men. There are many who are perishing, and will perish, because they have rejected Jesus’ offer of eternal life. Some insist on trying to earn passage into Heaven, even though God has made it clear that salvation comes by grace alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), and only through Jesus, His only begotten Son (John 3:16; 14:6). The fact of the matter is that what we have here on earth now, even if God is allowing us to enjoy the riches of this world, does not compare to what Jesus has in store for us when we are finally with Him. With that said, we must live life here with a view of how it will affect our glorious life there, when we will serve Him and worship Him for all eternity. What are we doing here and now that has any eternal value? Are we serving selflessly, giving to others, loving one another, and doing all we do out of our faith and gratitude for the salvation God has given us so freely in Christ Jesus? I can guarantee this…once we are with Jesus, there will be no reason why we would want our time with Him interrupted to come back to this earth. We need to take inventory of our lives now and ask God to show us if we are living a life that truly reflects our love for Him, and hope we have of being with Him, by the words we speak, our actions, and the deeds we claim to do in His Name.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Monday, January 20, 2020
They May Eventually Turn to Us
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 27:11, Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” And he said, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
Interesting that of all people to turn to, Saul chose to turn to Samuel. While still alive, Samuel lived in Ramah, which was not far from Gibeah where Saul dwelt. Yet, Saul cared not enough to visit with his old friend. Samuel’s alliance to David may have made Saul feel insecure about confiding in Samuel. Yet, here, after Samuel is no more, Saul is seeking to get answers from the one with whom he did not bother with while he was still amongst the living. So it is with us who boldly proclaim the Name of Jesus, and choose to live for the Lord. People will shun us, persecute us, and even mock us, but when the trials come and the troubles land on their front steps, quite often we are the ones they turn to for prayers and answers. I have often experienced that people who did not want to hear about God, or who were critical because I chose to do things based on God’s Word, were eager to ask for prayers when things were going wrong in their lives. For this reason, it is of utmost importance that we maintain a good Christian testimony whether at work or at play. I am not saying that we have to be perfect, because in this lifetime that is impossible, as Jesus is the only One who is perfect. However, people will take note, even if they are the ones persecuting us, when we do our best to live a life that truly honors Christ. Of all the people Saul could have turned to, he knew that Samuel, as God’s prophet, had a genuine relationship with the Lord. For us, that means living a life that is dedicated to Jesus, without hypocrisy. Far too often, we proclaim the Name of Jesus before others, especially in the one place we spend most of our waking hours, at work; yet, we are usually the ones who have the worst work ethic. We are consistently late, we take longer breaks than we should, and we are the ones who are often complaining the loudest. We walk around with a “whoa is me” attitude, and are often unapproachable, but are the ones who are quick to rebuke or criticize that person in our circle of influence who uses fowl language. Sadly, we are also the ones who participate in the inappropriate conversations, laughing at crude jokes, and freely listening to and sharing gossip. How do we expect to be light in this world or salt on this earth (Matthew 5:13-16), if we do nothing to set ourselves apart from the world? 2 Corinthians 6:14-17 clearly commands, “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: ‘I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.’ 17 Therefore ‘Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you.’” If that leads to our persecution, then be of good cheer, because in Matthew 5:10 Jesus said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” The bottom line is that we must do all we can to maintain a testimony that honors Jesus, and make ourselves available to those who today might persecute us, but tomorrow, because of adversity in their lives, may seek us out. God might very well choose to use us to reach the same person who wanted nothing to do with the Lord while things were going well for them. Are we ready to be used by the Lord, in that way, for His glory? The condition of our testimony will answer that question.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
Sunday, January 19, 2020
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