Devotion
Obey God’s command
David Jacobs
One of my best friends asked me to do a favor for him for his girlfriend's birthday. I needed to help him make the cake and bring it to the party. I tried to ask him some questions about what type of cake to get, but he never got back to me, so I asked his girlfriend directly what type of cake she would like. When my friend heard about this, he was very mad at me, because now she knew that he did not get the cake himself. I was trying to make the situation better, but by disobeying my friend and taking liberty with my interpretation of his request, I made the situation worse.
Saul is described earlier in 1 Samuel as a very good and devout man (1 Samuel 3). Samuel also has a great impression of Saul, and is happy that Saul will inherit the throne. God gives Saul a command via Samuel to utterly destroy the Amalekites. Saul does destroy the weak members of the Amalekites, but he spares some others and takes the livestock back, partially to make a sacrifice and partially to use. He made his own judgment thinking that it was the best decision to be made, but in doing so, like I did with the cake, he directly disobeyed orders. Similar to my situation, the person giving the order was furious.
The relationship between my friend and I as well as between Saul, Samuel, and God, was changed as a result of our decisions. My friend felt that he could no longer trust me, and God felt the same way about Saul. It hurt Samuel that Saul made this foolish decision, and he was punished, losing his claim to the throne.
Prayer
Although our intentions may have been good, losing the trust of someone that we care about is worse much more than a tasty cake or some livestock. I regretted my decision, and we have only begun to understand how much Saul will grow to regret his.
Devotion
Abraham is Father of All
Frances Taylor
There are questions in every age about the importance of the Old Testament for Christians. Abraham is considered to be the Father of Faith for Jews, Christians and Muslims. We forget that it was Abraham who believed in the doctrine of only one God. It is through him and his descendants that this tradition comes down to us. Another fact that we can overlook is that Jesus was Jewish. He was born a Jew, lived as a Jew, died, rose and ascended into heaven as a Jew. Because we believe that he was the Messiah, the Christ, and we follow him, we are called Christian. Without the Old Testament, we wouldn't understand the promise of salvation; we wouldn't understand why it was important for Jesus to be of the family of King David. We would not understand his teaching either, because Jesus quoted from Scripture – the Old Testament – frequently. He told us that he came to fulfill the Scriptures, not to abolish them. In the same way, we can ...
Morning Prayer
Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
Inspiration
We have a responsibility, as Christians, to abstain from the sinful practices we partook in before we became saved. While it may be a gradual process of change, we should ensure that we are putting in our best to play our part in resisting temptation. God enables us to resist temptation, but it is up to us to actually resist.
Prayer
Dear God, I pray that I will always be a person of action. Father, I take delight in my new life in you and I do not desire otherwise. I pray that in times of temptation, may I act on the strength you have given me to flee and/or resist. May I never rely on excuses or procrastination, Lord. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Night Prayer
Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.
Inspiration
We have chosen to surrender our lives and serve the Lord. We serve Him by witnessing, completing missionary projects, and ministering to those in need. There is always work to do and a world full of people to help. We will look for opportunities to provide for our brothers and sisters in Christ by any means necessary. We are servants to one another as a service to the Lord; He will never forsake us.
Prayer
Dear God, Help us see the world through Your eyes. We desire to serve those around us by reflecting Your love through our actions. You will never forsake us, and we will continually lift praises of thanksgiving to You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
