DATE POSTED Saturday, 2021-10-23
WRITTEN AT: Kissimmee, FL
SCRIPTURE FROM: 1 Samuel 15:17-19
TRANSLATION: Contemporary English Version (CEV)
BIBLE TEXT: 17 Samuel continued, “You may not think you’re very important, but the Lord chose you to be king, and you are in charge of the tribes of Israel. 18 When the Lord sent you on this mission, he told you to wipe out those worthless Amalekites. 19 Why didn’t you listen to the Lord? Why did you keep the animals and make him angry?”
APPLICATION: Too often we see people for who they were, and not for what they have become ‘in Christ’. But just as critical, some folk will seek to follow Christ, while still opting to live life in its old form. It often irks me to hear friends say that in Christ they have new freedoms to do as they want and remain saved by our wonderful Lord. Less we live under false doctrines, I must mention that yes, Jesus will never allow His children to be snatched from His hand once He receives us as His very own. However, why do we want to be His child? Isn’t it because He made an awesome sacrifice so that we could be saved? Are we not filled with deep appreciation for that sacrifice, and will endeavor to do whatever He commands? So as in the case of Saul in today’s Scripture, why would we still want to do our ‘own thing’? Did Jesus not pull us from the sin that once burdened us and accepted us into His kingdom? Why would we want to leave His love, His protection, and His care for our future in Heaven to return to the sin of this world and self gratification? I believe it is very obvious in the Scripture that Saul felt like he was pleasing Samuel, and that it was Samuel’s God that he served. Notice the words used in Scripture. But today I feel like we should see the unfortunate results of Saul’s non-committal to the Almighty God. He went into battle like God told him to do, but as soon as he felt like he was winning the battle, he suddenly took on a very prideful attitude and did what he very well pleased. Yes, God gave Saul his very own self will and the brains to decide on what he felt was right or wrong, BUT that will never trump obedience to the Almighty God. Perhaps today you are doing your best to be a child of God, but you still want to please your mom, your pastor, your boss or your best friend. In God’s Word He tells us ‘Choose you this day who you will serve’. When you accepted Jesus as Lord, and surrendered your will to His, did you mean it? Did you give Him the reins of your life? If so, please read His Book of Instruction and follow His perfect will for your life. He has your best interest at heart, while seeking to win the lost that you come into contact with. Don’t confuse your friends, let them see God, and God alone. Saul lost the crown because of his selfish pride, please don’t allow your pride to overrule your decisions. Trust God!
BLESSING(S) NOTED: God will make a way for us when there seems to be no way. But God wants your obedience to His perfect will for you. Obey Him and Him alone.
PRAYER: Thank You Lord for showing us through the life of Saul how important it is to follow Your instruction – precisely. When we mix in our own opinions with Your instructions, we are doubting Your wisdom and Your power. You delivered those of us who have accepted You as Lord, into Your kingdom and given us full instructions on what to do after our decision to follow You. Please Lord, help us to put our selfish desires and prideful will aside and just listen and obey. For those who will read this devotional and have not accepted You as Lord, please soften their hearts today and show them the way to eternal life, so that one day soon we can all celebrate around Your throne in Heaven. Lord, we surrender all to You. Have thine own way in us, for Your kingdom’s sake. AMEN!
FOOTNOTE: There are two more pages on my blog that will provide you with additional information, one of them being ‘To Know Jesus’. If you have been challenged to make a decision today after reading this devotional, please click on the above page, or speak with a local Bible Teaching Pastor, or contact me at NuggetsFromGodsWord@outlook.com. Please allow someone to pray with you and give you help and/or encouragement as you begin, or continue your walk with Jesus. Words underlined in my blog might indicate a link to a song that came to mind as I wrote the devotional. Feel free to click on the link and listen as you continue to read or pray. If this devotional was forwarded to you and you would like to see more, please go to Nuggets From God’s Word and read more, or you may freely subscribe for a daily email conveniently containing each day’s devotional. You may also visit me on Spotify and listen to Nuggets while you’re out and about. I would encourage you to find a church home near by your home, and attend as frequently as you could. Get to know God, and allow His people to encourage and strengthen you in your Christian walk, while making every effort to be a blessing to them. God is at work among His people! Please consider growing in your faith, as you worship with fellow believers!
Nuggets From God's Word 
I read your writings daily and get great joy and much insight in your writings. But today’s message has me perplexed. In a previous writing you spoke to the meaning and interpretations of biblical instruction. You stated and reenforced what I have always believed, (there is no grey in the Bible, it is black & white).
Having agreed on this, and in comparison to today’s message, why might those observing the walk of others automatically assume that they are trying to please all others in an earthly life and are not instead trying their very best to walk in a way that would be pleasing to the lord, putting him foremost at the forefront of all decisions made?
Jesus was sent to earth as the son of God, but took the form of man and was a humble servant to all. We are all equal in the eyes of God and Jesus demonstrated that in all his actions and behaviors. If one is working to walk in a way that is pleasing in the eyes of God by following in his footsteps why would that be confusing to ones friends?
Does the Bible not say, Honor your mother and your father? In relation to attempting to please our pastor, Hebrews 13:17 says obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls. Thessalonians 5:12-13, respect those who labor over you and are over you in the Lord.
In respect to our community, friends, neighbors, bosses In the book of Galatians it tells us, “Let us be good to everyone.” James 3:18 and those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of goodness. 4:11 Don’t criticize and speak evil about each other, dear brothers. If you do, you will be fighting against Gods law of loving one another.
And finally James 1:2-4, Dear brothers, is your life full of difficulties and temptations? Then be happy, for when the way is rough, your patience has a chance to grow. So let it grow, and don’t try to squirm out of your problems. For when your patience is finally in full bloom, then you will be ready for anything, strong in character, full and complete.
We are all a work in progress, and I can’t speak for everyone but I wake up everyday thanking the Lord for all life’s blessings and praying for wisdom and guidance in each new day. Stay blessed my friend😇
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I am so sorry that my devotional was unclear to you about what I was truly trying to get across, Tammy. Unfortunately that is one of the greatest dangers I fear, for often we can say something with very good intention, but to a reader it could come across as something totally different, or confusing at best. Please allow me to clarify the point you questioned: I don’t know that others will necessarily see if someone is not living a Christian life of their own commission, for often the unsaved will know the lingo of Christians and try to imitate that in an effort to be accepted in ‘Christian’ circles. For example in sales, I believe that some may try to act with the prospective buyer in a way they know would get their attention, or at least appreciate. But we are not judge and jury, and I praise God for that! However there are times that people might walk the isle of an old fashioned church and talk to the preacher, so that their nagging mom or aunt or good friend will leave them alone. Proof of this is seen through the unfortunate wide opened back door of churches where many leave, and never return. In my text, I sensed that Saul may have accepted his role as king because of the encouragement of Samuel, and the word Samuel received from the Lord. Saul went into battle against the Amalekites because Samuel passed along an instruction from the Lord. My intent was to share with my readers that just as there are times we may not be sufficiently committed to a task ordered by a relative or friend, as we are if we were developing our own personal plan, I wonder if that may have been Saul’s reason for not following God’s commands precisely – seeing that he made exceptions through not killing everyone, nor killing all the animals, contrary to what was ordered by God. I was totally impressed with the supporting scriptures you shared regarding your view points, Tammy. You have been a longtime follower of Nuggets, so I hope that you will always help me stay true to the Word, and make my points abundantly clear. My heartfelt desire and earnest prayer is that God will direct a reader to find Christ through the Scripture shared, and I would be humbled if my shared words might also help them see the light – the Light of the World! Thank you for caring enough to respond. Please continue to pray for me as I try to share the Word each day!
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