I Samuel 10-12
Can you imagine what Saul is thinking? Put yourself in his shoes. You go out looking for some cows which had escaped the pen, and the prophet declares you to be king of Israel.
Samuel gives the new king several signs that this is truly God, but it has to be shocking.
You see, however, that God anoints Saul for the task. Not only does he prophesy with the prophets, but he also has tremendous courage and sympathy come upon him for the people of Jabesh-gilead. He rallies the troops and defeats the Ammonites on their behalf.
Yet Samuel has grave warning for the people. This was not God’s plan, but man’s. By wanting a king, the Israelites have rejected God as their king, and the prophet reminds them of that fact.
This is a reminder to us, also. If we insist on going a certain way, He will not stop us. God will honor our free will.
The blessed life, however, is the one that is lived according to God’s plan.
Luke 9: 37-62
Are you a true disciple of Jesus? Are you willing to follow Him wherever He leads?
There are always commitments which could keep us from following Him. Many of these are good things – commitments to family and community.
Do you think that Jesus wants us to forsake our families? Of course not. That is one of our biggest priorities – to be faithful to our loved ones.
However, there will always be something which will come up which will cause us to make excuses that we don’t have time to follow Jesus. There will always be a reason for not doing His will.
That’s why we have to be on guard. Instead of making excuses, we have to find a way to do His will.
When we are following Jesus, our families will be cared for, and our other obligations will be met. We will also have the time and energy to do His will.
It goes like this: love God; love people. Until we truly love God, we can’t truly love people.
Lord, empower me to do your will. No excuses; just your will.
