Reading: I Samuel 12 - 15
My Verse: "And turn not aside after vain and worthless things which cannot profit or deliver you, for they are empty and futile" (12:21).
This is an amazing anecdote of the downfall of a great man - a man You LORD God chose to be a leader. This story illustrates how very sad it is when a person becomes so full of themselves they forget from whence they came. They forget who is truly responsible for their position of authority. "For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God" (Romans 13:1). When this happens, how the great crash and burn for life is so much more than just the physical!
This anecdote also speaks to our part in the greater scheme of things. Yes, You LORD God choose people to do certain things. You enable us to do and be what You require of us. BUT - we, each of us need to respond to You. We need to obey You and acknowledge You as our LORD God and Supreme Leader.
Samuel gives Saul and the Israelites a caution right off. "Only fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; . . . But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king shall be swept away" (12:24-25).
Well, Saul very quickly strays. He is impatient (13:9). He makes a rash, foolish and unwise oath (14:24). He compromises on how he obeys (15:9). And because Saul has chosen to be disobedient, You, LORD God, choose to withdraw Your blessing and promise from him. You, LORD God utter those most dreaded words. "I regret making Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commands" (15:11). How this grieved Samuel! When he confronted Saul with this, Saul seemed to repent. But it was obviously not heartfelt for he continued to stray and sink deeper into a dark and sad life. He died a sad death (chapter 31).
Saul chose to do what was wise in his own eyes. He chose to live a life based on the immediate circumstances. He forgot Who You were LORD God.
We still see this today, great men and women imbibed with great skills and abilities. You place them in places of great influence and then they forget, like Saul, Who You are. They begin to think they got to their position of greatness through their own power. They get so caught up in their "greatness" that they forget there is a spiritual side to their life. Slowly things begin to unravel for them as they did for Saul, and then it all falls apart. Some go out in a blaze, others kind of slowly flicker out.
Oh, LORD God, help me to not become so focused on the immediate, the tangible things of life. There is so much more to living than just the living!
"For life is more than food and the body more than clothing" (Luke 12:23).
Thank You, LORD God for this reminder.
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "And turn not aside after vain and worthless things which cannot profit or deliver you, for they are empty and futile" (12:21).
This is an amazing anecdote of the downfall of a great man - a man You LORD God chose to be a leader. This story illustrates how very sad it is when a person becomes so full of themselves they forget from whence they came. They forget who is truly responsible for their position of authority. "For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God" (Romans 13:1). When this happens, how the great crash and burn for life is so much more than just the physical!
This anecdote also speaks to our part in the greater scheme of things. Yes, You LORD God choose people to do certain things. You enable us to do and be what You require of us. BUT - we, each of us need to respond to You. We need to obey You and acknowledge You as our LORD God and Supreme Leader.
Samuel gives Saul and the Israelites a caution right off. "Only fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; . . . But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king shall be swept away" (12:24-25).
Well, Saul very quickly strays. He is impatient (13:9). He makes a rash, foolish and unwise oath (14:24). He compromises on how he obeys (15:9). And because Saul has chosen to be disobedient, You, LORD God, choose to withdraw Your blessing and promise from him. You, LORD God utter those most dreaded words. "I regret making Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not performed My commands" (15:11). How this grieved Samuel! When he confronted Saul with this, Saul seemed to repent. But it was obviously not heartfelt for he continued to stray and sink deeper into a dark and sad life. He died a sad death (chapter 31).
Saul chose to do what was wise in his own eyes. He chose to live a life based on the immediate circumstances. He forgot Who You were LORD God.
We still see this today, great men and women imbibed with great skills and abilities. You place them in places of great influence and then they forget, like Saul, Who You are. They begin to think they got to their position of greatness through their own power. They get so caught up in their "greatness" that they forget there is a spiritual side to their life. Slowly things begin to unravel for them as they did for Saul, and then it all falls apart. Some go out in a blaze, others kind of slowly flicker out.
Oh, LORD God, help me to not become so focused on the immediate, the tangible things of life. There is so much more to living than just the living!
"For life is more than food and the body more than clothing" (Luke 12:23).
Thank You, LORD God for this reminder.
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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