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Failing the Test
Andrea Lende • July 28, 2020
I Samuel 15:24
Failing the Test
You can also listen to the meditation and prayer at: https://anchor.fm/andrea-lende/episodes/Failing-the-Test-ehbqlg
Daily Word:
I Samuel 15:24
“And Saul said to Samuel, I have sinned; for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.”
It is difficult to be a leader.
God chose Saul to be king over His people.
The Lord sent the prophet Samuel to Saul who said, “The Lord sent me to anoint you king over His people Israel. Now listen and heed the words of the Lord.”
God wanted Saul to avenge His people regarding Amalek.
The Lord’s command was clear that Saul should take no prisoners and destroy everything including all the livestock.
Saul did lead the Israelites to victory, but he took their leader as prisoner and kept the best livestock for his people.
His excuse for not following God’s commands to the letter was that he listened to the people around him.
I’m sure it would have been difficult to not heed the cries of the people who saw the best of the livestock and wanted to keep it for themselves.
I’m sure they looked upon the best of the best and then greed took over as it would because we are all human.
However, Saul was to be guided by the Lord, not the people.
He saw his mistake, but it was too late.
The Lord found a flaw in the king He had chosen and knew He had to choose another.
More difficulties arose through the fall of Saul’s kingship and the rise of David, the shepherd boy who loved God.
As I read this story again, I was truly convicted.
Although I truly love the Lord and want to serve Him, I wonder if the choices I have made in life have prevented me from His best.
I asked for forgiveness for being selfish and wanting to go my own way.
It seems that it has take almost a lifetime for God to wrangle my strong will and truly serve Him.
As the world churns and turns in chaos, I am also convicted about listening to Him and only Him.
I need to silence all the noise that is constantly bombarding me and listen to the Lord.
This is my responsibility.
Today I choose to tune out the noise of this world and tune in to the Lord and His voice.
May you find that as you quiet the noise around you that you will be able to clearly hear the Lord’s voice and have the strength to follow Him.
Daily Prayer:
O Lord, my God, thank You for counseling me this morning. Thank You for showing me that I need to listen to You and quiet the noise around me that is trying to bend my ear. Please lead me to Your feet. Help me tune out the noise of this world and focus on You, Father. Help me make time to sit with You and soak up Your Holy Spirit so that I am filled with Your love, grace, and mercy. I can then help others and serve as You desire me to serve. Strengthen me so that I can withstand the cries of the world and listen only to Your voice. Help me hear Your whispers clearly and obey all that You tell me to do. Thank You for loving me so much that You have made a perfect plan for me. Help me walk into that plan. Help me obey You in every way so that no more time is wasted. May Your will be done over mine. May Your Name be glorified, Lord God Almighty! Help me bless someone this day. Thank You for hearing my prayer.
Answer: I AM strengthening you so that can do My will, My child.
Response: Help me be obedient to You in every way.
We start a New Year! How exciting! Paul had just finished telling the Ephesians to put off their old nature. They had been run around by their feelings and desires. He told them to be renewed in their spirit. The Amplified Bible defines this to be “having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude.” As we say goodbye to this year, let us put on the new and leave the old behind. We have an opportunity to reflect on what to bring forward into this New Year.
This is a great message for the New Year. We can be in control of our own words. As a mother, I used to tell my children to use their words to explain what was happening in their minds. I tried to help them find the right words. Words that would help the situation and not make it worse. I must do the same thing when talking to them. It’s important to use words that do not damage their spirits. Words that lift up instead of tear down. Even though my children have grown, I still want to be careful how I speak to them because my worlds will impact them for the rest of their lives.
As we approach the New Year, it is a perfect time to take inventory of what part of our lives, our hearts, and our souls are not bearing fruit. What can we give up as this year comes to a close? What do we need to give to the Lord for His cleansing and pruning? The answers to these questions take time. Time with the Lord. We are creatures of routines and habits which serve us well. But we can also change our routines and habits to serve us and the Lord better. So, we can ask God to show us what He wants us to give up so that He can have more of us.
I cannot think of a better verse to meditate on as we approach the New Year. Jesus said, "the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]." For so many years I believed I had to wait to go to heaven to experience the kingdom of God. I have longed to step into heaven and meet the Lord and His Son. However, as we read the Gospels and study Jesus and all that He said, we begin to understand the kingdom of God is all around us. The kingdom of God is within.
Paul wrote to the Colossians and told them he was praying for them. He prayed they would be refreshed, renewed, and invigorated. He also prayed they would be strengthened. May his prayer be heard by the Lord God Almighty on our behalf today just as it was received two thousand years ago. God is the Source of all things beautiful and wonderful. There is no shortage of renewal, refreshment, or inspiration in His kingdom. And as the Creator of this universe, He continues to pour all good things into His people. Paul wrote that refreshment and strength are needed so we may have endurance.
This verse is the perfect verse to reflect on as Christmas comes to a close. The Lord sent His Son to us. He sent Him to this world as a babe. Jesus was given the task of growing up. A difficult one for all of us. He endured the awkward stages we all go through as we grow past them. I look back at old picture and cringe, yes, I cringe. This life provides plenty of opportunities to feel awkward and just plain weird, but our Father loves us as though we are perfect every day of our lives. This is why Jesus came. He came to make us perfect in God’s sight.
God made Himself flesh so He could take away the sins of the world. The story of the very first Christmas was humble, yet the most powerful and loving birth ever recorded in history. All humanity changed in an instant. When Jesus was born, love filled the earth. Love came down and lifted us up. The angels came to tell the shepherds of this beautiful birth. The stars in the heavens also told the story. As we do all tasks that we do to ensure a beautiful Christmas day, may we remember the miracle that God sent long ago. The miracle of all miracles.
The first Christmas was going to be documented, so that it could be read many times over for all Christmas’ to come. It was also documented so the prophecy of the Messiah’s birth would be known to be fulfilled. Prophets of old foretold Jesus would come from the house of David. They also prophesied that He would be born in Bethlehem. And all this came to pass. Even though Jesus would be known as a Nazarene, His beginning began in Bethlehem. God’s divine plan was set in motion with the first census while Mary was at the end of her pregnancy.
What a wonderful passage to read during Christmas week. Our passage touched my heart as I read it through the lens of Jesus’ birth. “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself.” We have so much to be thankful for in these few short words, “restoring the world to favor with Himself.” So undeserved and yet so graciously given. We are offered favor with the Lord. Imagine having favor with the almighty God, the Creator of the universe. Jesus chose to leave heaven’s door where all was perfect. He chose to be born into this dusty messy world.
Jesus had just spoken to a fig tree and deemed it unworthy to live because it had no fruit on it. His disciples were amazed when they saw the fig tree wither and die. Then the Lord talked to them about prayer and belief. He told them that whatever they asked for, if they had the faith and belief, they would receive it. I remember the day I started hearing music and lyrics. I had just bowed my head at the piano and asked if the Lord would bless praise and worship music. As soon as I prayed that prayer, the Lord bestowed the gift of song writing upon me.