December 25, 2009 (I Samuel 4-12)

Following God takes determination. It isn't easy, it requires a choice and it requires giving up things...

^{I Samuel 7:3} Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you are really serious about wanting to return to the Lord, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Determine to obey only the Lord; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.”

I like his words, "if you are really serious". What in my life do I need to give up to show that I am really serious about following God?

God's honor was/is at stake when it came to Israel and when it comes to us.

^{I Samuel 12:20} “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. ²¹ Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless! ²² The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people."

Just as God would not abandon Israel, because it would seem He was powerless to save them from their enemies, so He will not abandon His children. And it's not because of us, or 'our righteousness', but because of Him and His name and His honor and His glory. He WANTS us to succeed. He WANTS our lives to stand out for Him - because that brings Him glory. He WANTS us to live supernatural lives that can't be explained humanly speaking. There is great 'freedom' in that thought. Not freedom to sin, but freedom to live and walk knowing that the Creator of the Universe is "for you". That reminds me of a section in Romans 8 spoken by Paul:

³¹ What shall we say about such wonderful things as these? If God is for us, who can ever be against us? ³² Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else? ³³ Who dares accuse us whom God has chosen for his own? No one—for God himself has given us right standing with himself. ³⁴ Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

³⁵ Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? ³⁶ (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) ³⁷ No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.

³⁸ And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. ³⁹ No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This section in I Samuel ends with a verse that is so convicting. We see that when we cease to pray for others, it is sin:

^{I Samuel 12:23} “As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right. ²⁴ But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. ²⁵ But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.”