Reading: I Samuel 18 - 22
My Verse: "And the king said to the guard that stood about him, turn and slay the LORD's priests . .." (22:17).
It truly is tragic when one turns their back on You, LORD God. Once that first disobedient step is taken, each step away becomes easier because if not checked, the slope downward gets steeper and easier to slide down away from Your loving precepts.
Saul was chosen by You. He started off humbly. You "gave him another heart." You sent Your Spirit to him, "The Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon Saul." He was Your chosen and You were enabling him to be the man You wanted him to be. Yet, once he disobeyed You (13:9) he started that downward slide. Each sin lead him further away from You. Soon, jealously and murder entered his heart. He even came to the point of killing Your servants. "The king said to Doeg. You turn and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests and slew that day eighty-five persons who wore the priest's linen ephod" (22:18).
How very rapid and dreadful was Saul's fall from You, LORD God! Many of us do not fall in quite so dramatic a fashion as Saul. For some the downward slide can be insiduously slow and deceptive. But the end result is the same - unrest, unhappiness, lack of peace and separation from You, LORD God.
So much to be learned here. First, we are never immune from sin. We never arrive at the point where we too will not slip down that slippery slope! Second, You love us so much and want so much for us to be great, to be wonderful, beautiful, and dynamic - like You had made Saul. And thirdly, we cannot, simply cannot take our eyes off You. Once we do that we are lost.
Oh, LORD God, I am so grateful for Your salvation. I am ever so grateful that You have kept me through the years, through the storms. I am even more grateful that I can depend on You to keep me in the future if I will consistently keep my eyes on You! "And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ, developing and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you" (Philippians 1:6).
We all face trials and situations that try us like Saul. We also all have to make that decision of whether we will quietly wait on You, trusting in Your provision even in the face of seemingly sure disaster or like Saul, strike out on our own - in our own wisdom. Oh, LORD God, help me, to be quiet and sure before You -always! Keep me off that deadly slippery slope!
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
My Verse: "And the king said to the guard that stood about him, turn and slay the LORD's priests . .." (22:17).
It truly is tragic when one turns their back on You, LORD God. Once that first disobedient step is taken, each step away becomes easier because if not checked, the slope downward gets steeper and easier to slide down away from Your loving precepts.
Saul was chosen by You. He started off humbly. You "gave him another heart." You sent Your Spirit to him, "The Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon Saul." He was Your chosen and You were enabling him to be the man You wanted him to be. Yet, once he disobeyed You (13:9) he started that downward slide. Each sin lead him further away from You. Soon, jealously and murder entered his heart. He even came to the point of killing Your servants. "The king said to Doeg. You turn and fall upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned and attacked the priests and slew that day eighty-five persons who wore the priest's linen ephod" (22:18).
How very rapid and dreadful was Saul's fall from You, LORD God! Many of us do not fall in quite so dramatic a fashion as Saul. For some the downward slide can be insiduously slow and deceptive. But the end result is the same - unrest, unhappiness, lack of peace and separation from You, LORD God.
So much to be learned here. First, we are never immune from sin. We never arrive at the point where we too will not slip down that slippery slope! Second, You love us so much and want so much for us to be great, to be wonderful, beautiful, and dynamic - like You had made Saul. And thirdly, we cannot, simply cannot take our eyes off You. Once we do that we are lost.
Oh, LORD God, I am so grateful for Your salvation. I am ever so grateful that You have kept me through the years, through the storms. I am even more grateful that I can depend on You to keep me in the future if I will consistently keep my eyes on You! "And I am convinced and sure of this very thing, that He Who began a good work in you will continue until the day of Jesus Christ, developing and perfecting and bringing it to full completion in you" (Philippians 1:6).
We all face trials and situations that try us like Saul. We also all have to make that decision of whether we will quietly wait on You, trusting in Your provision even in the face of seemingly sure disaster or like Saul, strike out on our own - in our own wisdom. Oh, LORD God, help me, to be quiet and sure before You -always! Keep me off that deadly slippery slope!
Ditat Deus - God Enriches!
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