Greetings, Dear Friends!
And to those visiting, I say welcome! I post every Wednesday and my sole purpose is to nourish your soul along the way.
Each month I give away a $10.00 gift card to someone who posts on my blog. This month's card comes from Starbucks. So leave a post, share an insight or story, bless lots of people, and just maybe you'll win a jolt of java for you and a friend!
Now on to my topic...
The other day while reading 1 Samuel, chapter 15, I was intrigued and unsettled about King Saul's decline. He started out as a strapping, handsome, capable, unassuming young man with a respect for the things of God. But he evolved into a prideful, insecure, hasty, territorial leader who valued his opinion above God's direction, and this led to his demise.
In one particular instance, God had commanded Saul to destroy a town because of its utter wickedness. Saul only partially obeyed. And when confronted by the prophet Samuel, Saul was full of excuses, and even threw his own people under the bus by telling Samuel it was their fault.
Let's read Samuel's response to Saul (from 1 Samuel 15:17-19):
And Samuel told him, "Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The LORD has anointed you king of Israel. And the LORD sent you on a mission and told you, 'Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.' Why haven't you obeyed the LORD? Why did you rush for the plunder and do exactly what the LORD said not to do?"
Saul had a wrong view of himself and of his importance. And so often, we commit the same sin. When we underestimate the call on our lives, we begin to value our opinion more than God's. We then elevate our emotions, our territory, our wants, and our desires way above our mission and our eternal significance on this earth.
And what was Saul's response?
He initially denied his disobedience (ever do that?), made excuses (how about this one?), and blamed his fellow comrades (yup, I'm guilty).
But when Samuel refused to let Saul get away with his side-stepping, Saul finally came clean. Let's read his response because it exposes his wrong thinking:
Then Saul finally admitted, "Yes, I have sinned. I have disobeyed your instructions and the LORD's command, for I was afraid of the people and did what they demanded...
When a person loses sight of their value and their call, here are some of the side effects:
- Low level of obedience
- Pride and insecurity
- Fear of other's opinions
- Loss of eternal perspective
- Loss of the fear of the Lord
We must understand how VALUABLE we are to God and that we are DIVINELY CALLED to listen to His voice, to obey Him moment by moment, to change the world for His Name's sake, and to bear fruit that lasts long after we are gone.
We are treasured in God's sight. We are equipped with all we could ever need to do great things. We are covered by His promises and guided by His precious Holy Spirit. We know His voice and we follow Him.
When we see ourselves as God sees us, we will:
- Walk in a holy confidence (a knowledge that we are something special to God)
- Walk in a holy dependence (a knowledge that apart from God we can do no good thing)
- Embrace a Kingdom passion (a heart to build God's Kingdom and not our own)
- Embrace a Calvary love (a heart that grows in its capacity to love others)
May you remember once again how important you are - because you were designed and called by God. May you hold loosely your emotions, your opinions, your territory, and your imagined rights, that you may cling tightly to God's promises and His place in your life. True humility is simply having a right view of ourselves in light of eternity. We are small; we are nothing without Him, but everything to Him.
Have a blessed week!
Oh, and if you haven't signed up for my quarterly E-zine yet, you might want to! Every few months I email out an E-magazine that offers some great book giveaways from my fellow author friends, a devotional, book recommendations, great quotes, and a prayer to send you on your way. Sign up by clicking the link below:
Dear Doreen,
Thanks for your post. I'm sure people have told you that you have the gift of encouragement! Your posts always encourage me so. God bless you for stopping by!
Posted by: Susie Larson | June 01, 2009 at 09:47 PM
Rebecca,
Your little notes always bless me so. Grace and peace to you as well!
Posted by: Susie Larson | June 01, 2009 at 08:46 PM
John,
Thanks for your post. And thanks for stopping by. God bless you!
Posted by: Susie Larson | June 01, 2009 at 08:44 PM
Kristen,
Thanks for the post. You summed things up perfectly (and with far fewer words). You should be a writer. :)
Blessings~
Posted by: Susie Larson | June 01, 2009 at 08:41 PM
Dear Rachel,
Thanks for your post. Many blessings to you as well!
Posted by: Susie Larson | June 01, 2009 at 08:40 PM
Yes, the reminder of us seeing ourselves how God sees us can be tough. We are our worst critic. I love how you stated that: "We must understand how VALUABLE we are to God and that we are DIVINELY CALLED to listen to His voice, to obey Him moment by moment, to change the world for His Name's sake, and to bear fruit that lasts long after we are gone." Powerful!! I really love how your put it so nicely.
Posted by: Doreen | May 27, 2009 at 06:46 PM
Amen! Thank you for the timely reminder:)
Grace & Peace!
Posted by: Rebecca | May 26, 2009 at 06:48 PM
Blogs are good for every one where we get lots of information for any topics nice job keep it up !!!
Posted by: dissertation writing | May 26, 2009 at 12:55 AM
Thank you for the reminder that we can start out so well, but we need to be mindful of how we finish. Don't get side tracked along the way, but give full obedience.
Posted by: Kristen | May 24, 2009 at 08:27 AM
Thank you for the reminder of who I am in Christ. Many blessings to you!
Posted by: Rachel | May 23, 2009 at 08:20 PM