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Christian Devotional – July 21, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 15 VERSE: 1 Samuel 15:22–But Samuel replied, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.” TRUTH: Saul had disobeyed God. God gave him specific instructions and Saul disobeyed them. Samuel came and when he pointed out Saul’s disobedience, Saul quickly tried to recover and give a pious sounding reason for his disobedience. He indicated that he was going to offer a sacrifice with the objects of his disobedience. Samuel responds with this verse. When God calls us to do…
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Christian Devotional – July 20, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 14 VERSE: 1 Samuel 14:6–Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act on our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.” TRUTH: Jonathan knew and understood a valuable truth about God. God is able to save and He’s not dependent on circumstances or people to make it happen. God is able to save whether there are lots of adversaries or a few adversaries. When we are facing difficulties today, we can know that God has overcome and that He is able to meet people where…
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Christian Devotional – July 19, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 13 VERSE: 1 Samuel 13:14–But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command. TRUTH: Saul was disobedient to God, even after God had been very clear about his need for obedience. As a result, God explains that Saul’s reign will not endure and his children will not be king after him. God is always looking for a person after His own heart. Are we someone who is constantly seeking after the heart of God? RESPONSE Father, I desire to seek after You…
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Christian Devotional – July 18, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 12 VERSE: 1 Samuel 12:23–As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. TRUTH: Do we realize that we are to pray for one another and that if we don’t we are sinning? Samuel let the people know that even though they had disobeyed God, he would continue to pray for them. However, he doesn’t just leave it there. He also states that he will spend his time teaching the people the way that is good and right. We can start by…
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Christian Devotional – July 17, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 11 VERSE: 1 Samuel 11:6–When Saul heard their words, the Spirit of God came powerfully upon him, and he burned with anger. TRUTH: Saul heard what the evil people wanted to do to some people of Israel and that is when God’s Spirit came upon him. He became angry. Often we assume that god doesn’t get angry, but when things go against Him and people are sinning, God does get angry. Do we get angry about the things God gets angry about? Anger is not a sin. The reasons for the anger and the actions that we take while angry are where we must be careful…
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Christian Devotional – July 16, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 10 VERSE: 1 Samuel 10:27–But some scoundrels said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no gifts. But Saul kept silent. TRUTH: Two things stand out here. First, even though God gave Samuel permission to do exactly what the people asked, not all the people were happy about it. It doesn’t matter what we try to do, if we are doing it to please people, we’ll never be successful and never will everyone be happy with us. We must work to please God and Him alone. Second, Saul was offended and he had every right to get upset about it, however,…
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Christian Devotional – July 15, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 9 VERSE: 1 Samuel 9:6–But the servant replied, “Look, in this town there is a man of God; he is highly respected, and everything he says comes true. Let’s go there now. Perhaps he will tell us what way to take.” TRUTH: Whenever we are feeling lost and uncertain, the best course of action is for us to seek out God for our direction. Saul didn’t know what to do, so his servant gave him this advice. When we are having difficulty know what way to go, do we stop and seek God? RESPONSE: Father, I will stop and seek You. My life gets so busy…
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Christian Devotional – July 14, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 8 VERSE: 1 Samuel 8:22a–The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.” TRUTH: When we pray and beg God for things, sometimes God gives us what we want. In this case, having a king did not turn out well for the people. We must be careful what we are praying for and make sure that it is in line with God’s will for us. If not, God may give us what we ask for, and we end up wishing He hadn’t. RESPONSE: Father, I want You , so I will pray to have more of You. I desire You in my life. Thank…
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Christian Devotional – July 13, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 7 VERSE: 1 Samuel 7:5–Then Samuel said, “Assemble all Israel at Mizpah, and I will intercede with the Lord for you.” TRUTH: The people had sinned and Samuel was willing to stand in the gap between the sinful people and a holy God. Samuel called the people to come and assemble together so that he could pray for them. Thankfully, we have One who intercedes on our behalf as well. In Hebrews, the author discusses how Jesus Christ came to intercede on our behalf and stand in the gap between our sin and a Holy God. We can come to God through Jesus Christ who stands…
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Christian Devotional – July 12, 2015
Read 1 Samuel chapter 6 VERSE: 1 Samuel 6:20–And the people of Beth Shemesh asked, “Who can stand in the presence of the Lord, this holy God? To whom will the ark go up from here?” TRUTH: The Philistines got so sick and tied of God’s ark that they gave it back to Israel and it came to the town of Beth Shemesh. While there, the people rejoiced, but some of them were disobedient and looked into the ark. Since it was considered the place of God’s presence, they were not allowed to do that because they were not holy and those people were killed. We must remember that even…