TURNING ASIDE

Image result for clip art showing turning aside    To be like all the nations around them, Israel has demanded a king.  I find it very interesting that Scripture plainly states in 1 Samuel 9:16 that it is God who chooses Saul to be the first king.  God reassures Samuel that Israel's demand for a king was rejection of God being their King and not the rejection of Samuel.  

 Saul is the king, however, Samuel, like any well-meaning parent, wants to remind Israel of their history to this point.  Samuel gives them four pertinent reminders: 1. Serve the Lord with ALL your heart. 2. Do not turn aside from following the Lord because loss of focus on Him will cause you to value worthless things which will not benefit you long term. 3.  Samuel vows to continue to intercede/pray for them and instruct them. 4. Remember the great things that God has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:20-25.  His last statement in this chapter to them is not a threat, but rather a promise: " But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king shall be swept away." 

 Almost 3,000 years later, the counsel is still pertinent and stands.  Matthew 6:33, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness..." When I turn aside from focus on HIM and am distracted by cares that come with daily living, I begin to focus on futile (empty, worthless) "things" which are not of any value for my long-term spiritual well-being. My next step in the downward spiral is "fretting and stewing".  I desire to make the declaration: I will set no worthless thing before my eyes; ...It shall not fasten its grip on me." Psalm 101:3. I'm  in process, not attained fully!  #IHAVETHREESONS

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THOSE SEEING CAN BECOME BLIND

Image
John 9 is the story of the healing of the blind beggar.  Not only is it a marvelous story of the miraculous healing of the man as he is given his sight, but a sad story of the religious of whom Jesus said, "For judgment, I have come into this world, so that the blind will see, and those who see will become blind ." The religious have seen the miracle, even though it has taken place on a Sabbath, and they interview the man and his parents for their stories and understanding. I find it so thrilling that the healed man speaks so articulately and logically with the religious in their "interview" with him.  His statement, " Now that is remarkable!  You don't know where HE comes from, yet HE opened my eyes.  We know that God does not listen to sinners.  He listens to the godly man who does His will.  Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing." What truth he has spoken to the religious wh
Read more

REHEARSALS

Image
  I wonder how much time do I give to rehearsing God's goodness and how He has intervened in my life to "save" me from myself?  How alike the Israelites I can be, complaining about what goes wrong, how it affects me, and what I lack.  As a Christ follower, I have the Indwelling Holy Spirit to give me remembrance NOT of my complaining and grumbling, but of a recall of God's faithfulness to me.  It is recorded in Psalms 78 and 106 that " They forgot what He had done, the wonder He had shown them", "They did not remember His power--the day He redeemed them from the oppressor...", "They did not remember Your many kindnesses, and they rebelled by the sea, the Red Sea.", "But they soon forgot what He had done and did not wait for His counsel.", and "They forgot the God who saved them, who had done great things in Egypt...". Contrast with me, God's remembrance: Ps. 106:44-46, "But He took note of their distress
Read more

ORDER AND DESIGN

Image
    I do not have OCD, but I do confess that I like order in my home.  Now that I am retired, I am not so much into spotless, but "picked up" and "kinda" clean. (Do not open drawers and closets!) I might go to more trouble when I know I am having company, but otherwise, I remove the clutter that seems to reproduce on its own.   When I began the reading in Genesis in January, I was again taken with the with the orderliness and design of God in creation, and have seen Him use Moses and Aaron to ORDERLY marshal the Israelites to move out of Egypt. How do you move some 600+ males and that is not even wives and children? Animals also?  They have been one year+ out of Egypt, and have been camped at Mt. Sinai where God has given them laws for their spiritual and physical welfare.  God gives Moses the design of the Tabernacle and Moses is able to bring together the workers to complete the Tabernacle.   The clip art at the top is the positioning of the 12 Tribes and the
Read more