NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS FROM THE WORD OF GOD

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

"Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and advise one another with all wisdom, as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him." Colossians 3:12-17

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

A note from Mark: I rarely ever repost things I have written before but today is going to be an exception. I am because this message is so very pertinent and the resolutions are ones we need to revisit every year. If you are reading it again, I pray the words will bless you a second time. If you are reading it for the first time, may the words...the words of the Lord...carry you into 2009 with a renewed sense of purpose in Him.


Several years ago, I was asked to deliver the message at a church service just before New Year’s Day. The Lord placed the following on my heart as I was thinking about what He would want our resolutions to be for the New Year. He gave me ten resolutions from Paul’s words to the church in Colosse. I pray they will be a blessing to you as get set to enter 2009. Feel free to share with others and may the Lord richly bless you and yours in all things. I will continue our journey through Exodus tomorrow.

Ten resolutions for 2009 from the Word of God:

10. Clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.

How many of you are very selective in the things you wear? Most people are. Dressing properly takes time and careful consideration over style and color of what we’ll don. We want to ensure we look the best as we enter a world where others will see us.

So how well do we also select the way we clothe ourselves with our attitudes and demeanors? Do we take as much time to properly prepare ourselves before we go out and let others see what we look like on the inside? Look at the things that God’s word says should be part of our inner wardrobe:

- Compassion which consists of affection, tenderness, pity, and mercy
- Kindness which can include courtesy, favor, good deeds and goodwill
- Humility…a spirit of mildness, humbleness, surrender and modesty
- Gentleness which involves sensitivity, friendliness and politeness
and
- Patience…one’s ability to remain calm, composed, cool under pressure

So how well dressed are you on the inside? In this new year, maybe a makeover might be in order.

9. Bear with each other

What does it mean to bear with one another? Can you think of someone right now who just seems to get under your skin? Someone who annoys you to no end?

Resolve in the new year to be more tolerant. To respect others. To stop looking so closely at a person’s shortfalls in spite of ignoring all of yours…for we’re all flawed and imperfect when we get down to the truth of the matter.

So seek to be more understanding of others and strive to resolve differences when they occur. Seek to rebuild bridges instead of burning or tearing them down. Pray for those who you differ with and seek reconciliation in the year ahead.

8. Forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

We all know what forgiveness is…putting it into action is often the real problem.

If left to our own devices, we could easily wiggle our way out of forgiving some people by deciding who we wanted to forgive and who we didn’t want to. We would turn forgiveness into a selective process.

That’s why scripture had to put down strict guidelines to govern our forgiveness. Hear the word of God from verse 13: Forgive as the Lord forgave you. WOW! This takes all the guesswork out of forgiveness. For we must forgive everyone without exception. If you doubt that, then I ask if there has been anything you have done that the Lord has not forgiven you for? The first steps to inner healing when you are burdened with anger or hatred toward another is to say the words I forgive, then resign to pray for that person as being just like you…a sinner who is only saved through the amazing grace of God through Jesus Christ. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

7. Over all these virtues, put on love, which binds them together in perfect unity.

The package of prior resolutions all revolve around love which is central to the greatest commandments of Jesus. Remember His answer when asked about the greatest commandments? He said, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength." Then He said, "Love your neighbor as yourself." (Matthew 22:36-40)

If you truly love God with all that you are, you will easily embody compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience, bearing with and forgiving one another, all in the name of love through the One who showed and taught us what love is all about. So when you unwrap the gift of this new year, take off the ribbon of love that is on the gift of Jesus and see what is inside the package. In it are priceless treasures in and of the Savior…the Christ who we should be seeking to be like in every way. And the first thing we see when we look at Him is love. So put Him on your heart…wear Him with pride…and let love rule supreme in you this coming year.

6. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts

In a world full of violence, confusion, problems and constant change, peace is sometimes very hard to come by, isn’t it? I think that’s why we were given the words of God found in Philippians 4:6-7:
"Do not be anxious about anything but give your concerns to God in prayer and petition and with thanksgiving. So you might find the peace of God that transcends all understanding and your hearts and minds will be guarded in Christ Jesus."

In 2009, God would want us to remember that He is the only One who is fully able and ready to handle any problem we have. And when we truly lay our burdens at His feet and allow Him to work awesome miracles in our lives, then we can fully experience that peace that transcends all understanding...a peace that will ensure our hearts are guarded by Christ Jesus. I pray that peace will rule your hearts and the hearts of all creation in the new year.

5. Be thankful

There’s a popular saying that says, "Count your blessings...and when you get done, count them again." Too often, we lose sight of all the great and awesome things the Lord has done in our lives. In fact, just me being here writing this and you being where you are reading it is a blessing in its own right and something we should be greatly thankful for.

For it’s only due to God’s love and mercy and grace that we are here, even though we are all undeserving sinners before Him. It’s easy in life to curse our circumstances at any one time but if we truly stop and take an account of how very blessed we have been in our life, we can keep our attitude focused and centered on thanksgiving and praise unto the One who gives us every good and perfect thing from above.

Be thankful…in all circumstances.

4. Let the word of God dwell in you richly

How good are you at time management? Our days seem to get ever more busier as we run from obligation to obligation…from event to event. There seldom seems to be enough time in the day. In fact, too often as we arrange and prioritize our time, we schedule so much that we squeeze the most important things out…like quiet time with the Lord in prayer and scripture reading.

For God blesses us with time. We all get 24 hours a day and He expects us to invest it wisely. Yet, too often we skip giving some of that time to Him every day and jump into life lacking the wisdom, guidance and strength we need to make it through situations we encounter. We often sit in dismay and depression…lost and in need of help, even when that help is just a few minutes of prayer or bible reading away.

Friends…all the wisdom, strength and guidance we need is fully found in the bible...God’s Holy Word…His instruction manual on life given to us to help us make it day by day by day. When we read it, study it, and pray over it, then it comes to dwell in our hearts and minds, illuminating our path as we walk down the path of life. I believe that God would say to us in 2009...make time for my word so you know what you’re doing with the life and time I have provided…and let that word live in your heart and mind forever more.

3. Teach and advise one another with all wisdom

We can only do this if we have wisdom within us. And that wisdom is not our own wisdom or worldly wisdom but the wisdom that comes from the Father above.

This resolution only happens when we adhere to the last resolution and let God’s word dwell richly within us. Our study of Holy Scripture will lead to spiritual wisdom as it takes hold within our hearts. Then, God would say, "Don’t keep My word to yourself but rather take the learning you have received from Me and use it to teach one another." In fact, Jesus gave us that instruction in His Great Commission. He told us to "teach others to obey all that He had commanded." (Matthew 28:20)

So we learn His commandments and understand His expectations only by reading the Bible, meditating on our reading and then putting it into action. The call in 2009 is for us to be proactive in our teaching others about Jesus using the wisdom God places within us.

2. Sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God

Do you have a favorite song? What is it about that song that makes it your favorite? Most often, it is because the song makes you feel good. It has a way of elevating you above whatever might be happening in your day and brings joy to you for the moment you listen to it.

Personally, I have found that music has an effect on the soul unlike any other medium. Whether it is a praise and worship song, a contemporary Christian song or a classic hymn, spiritual music is a gift from God that brings us into the attitude of worship and adoration unlike any secular song can. In 2009, examine the music you’re listening to. Does it glorify God? Does it edify you spiritually?

My prayer would be that you truly sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your heart toward God. And when you lift your voice up, do so in a way that the Lord will feel your fullest gratitude. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord!

1. Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him

Is there anymore suitable number 1 resolution that God would have for us in 2009 or any other year for that matter?

For in this resolution, there is no gray area…no exception…just the requirement for us all to do everything in the name of Jesus and all the while giving thanks to God for the indescribable gift of salvation and eternal life through His Son who He gave freely to pay the price for our sins.

Once again I ask, is there any greater resolution we could make for the new year? And is there any more challenging resolution for us to carry out in such a sin-filled world?

The good news is that we can meet this challenge…just as we can meet any challenge…through the power and strength of the Christ within us. Truly, we can "do all things through Christ who strengthens us." (Philippians 4:13).

In this new year, I pray we will live out the verses of this word of God from Colossians. For if we do, we will find ourselves in the very spirit of God’s will for us in Christ Jesus!

I look forward to a great year ahead in the Lord and wish all of you a very Happy New Year!

In Christ,

Mark

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STANDING UP FOR WHAT IS RIGHT

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Saul told his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David. But Jonathan was very fond of David and warned him, "My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I'll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out."

Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, "Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?"

Saul listened to Jonathan and took this oath: "As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death."

So Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation. He brought him to Saul, and David was with Saul as before.

1 Samuel 19:1-7

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In Chapter 18 of 1st Samuel, we witnessed deterioration in the relationship between Saul and David…a deterioration which resulted in Saul attempting to murder David, first directly and then indirectly trying to use others to do his evil bidding. As Chapter 19 begins, we see that Saul hasn’t given up for we see where Saul tells “his son Jonathan and all the attendants to kill David”…all despite knowing that the Lord was with David, had kept him from harm up to this point and would continue to do so in spite of Saul’s murderous ambitions.

Now, we know that Jonathan had befriended David and they were one in spirit. Scripture told us that Jonathan loved David like he loved himself and showed his devotion to him by giving him robe, sword, bow and belt. (1 Samuel 18:1-4) So given this, we knew that Jonathan wasn’t about to allow any harm to come to his beloved friend.

Back to the scriptures…for after Saul gave the order to kill David, Jonathan went and warned David saying, "My father Saul is looking for a chance to kill you. Be on your guard tomorrow morning; go into hiding and stay there. I will go out and stand with my father in the field where you are. I'll speak to him about you and will tell you what I find out." And David did as Jonathan asked…going into hiding and out of harm’s way.

Meanwhile, Jonathan goes to his father to address his actions toward David, speaking “well of David” as he said:

"Let not the king do wrong to his servant David; he has not wronged you, and what he has done has benefited you greatly. He took his life in his hands when he killed the Philistine. The Lord won a great victory for all Israel, and you saw it and were glad. Why then would you do wrong to an innocent man like David by killing him for no reason?"

Indeed, why would Saul do wrong to the innocent David, killing him for no reason? Jonathan’s question had to cut to the core of Saul for Jonathan was essentially thinking that his father had lost his mind. And frankly…he had because of the evil and sin within…an evil and sin that led Saul to be blinded by jealousy, unable to see all the good that was in David…a good that had directly benefited Saul and all of Israel. Jonathan was trying to break the sinful spell his father was under…to try and bring him back to leading in a just and holy way. His efforts were successful…even if just for the short term.

For we read where “Saul listened to Jonathan” and took an oath saying, “As surely as the Lord lives, David will not be put to death." Convinced that no harm would come to his good friend, “Jonathan called David and told him the whole conversation” before bringing “him to Saul” where he would be as before. Things had been restored to normal…all because Jonathan was not afraid to stand up for what is right.

Certainly, we have a lot to learn from Jonathan. For he showed a great deal of bravery to stand up to his father, questioning his orders. Saul could have easily had Jonathan killed for being defiant and disrespectful…but, of course, that didn’t happen. In fact, Jonathan didn’t need fear confronting his father anymore than David didn’t need fear him. Why? Because Jonathan had the Lord with him just as much as David did. And the good news is that we do as well if we surrender our lives to the Lord fully.

The Lord had empowered Jonathan to speak to his father about his unjust orders and that same power of the Holy Spirit helped convince Saul to spare David’s life. And this is what happens when one goes forth in the name of the Lord for the cause of justice and righteousness…justice and righteousness follow.

As we get set to enter a new year, my prayer is that we will all be emboldened by Jonathan and follow his example…to not only be a true friend to others but also to stand firm against injustice and always advocate for what is right. For God’s word in the Psalms tells us:

Blessed are they who maintain justice, who constantly do what is right. Psalms 106:3

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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THE FRUITLESS NATURE OF EVIL SCHEMES

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had left Saul. So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns.

Saul said to David, "Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the Lord." For Saul said to himself, "I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!"

But David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?" So when the time came for Merab, Saul's daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah.

Now Saul's daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. "I will give her to him," he thought, "so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." So Saul said to David, "Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law."

Then Saul ordered his attendants: "Speak to David privately and say, 'Look, the king is pleased with you, and his attendants all like you; now become his son-in-law.' "

They repeated these words to David. But David said, "Do you think it is a small matter to become the king's son-in-law? I'm only a poor man and little known."

When Saul's servants told him what David had said, Saul replied, "Say to David, 'The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.' " Saul's plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines.

When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines. He brought their foreskins and presented the full number to the king so that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage.

When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days.

The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul's officers, and his name became well known.

1 Samuel 18:12-30

___________________________________________________

He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men's hearts.

1 Corinthians 4:5

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever done planned to do something you knew was wrong and thought it was thought out so well that you wouldn’t possibly get caught?

I remember doing this a few times when I was growing up and I also remember that things never worked out the way I thought it would. Why? Because it seemed that every time, my plot ended up exposed and my sinfulness exposed as a result.

In those times, I can recall the words of my mother as clear as day. She would tell me that everything done in the dark would come to light sooner or later. Given this, she would tell me that it was a waste of time to try and get away with doing wrong. Indeed, my attempts at evil scheming always ended up fruitless.

Well, as I grew older, I came to discover that my mother’s words were not born of her own wisdom but the wisdom of God’s word. For in the scriptures, I read verses that validated my mother’s words and also explained to me why it was fruitless to try and make evil plans.

Paul’s words to the church in Corinth become important words to all of us because if we decide to plot evil schemes…schemes that only are done in the dark domain of sin. For we read where God will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and expose the motives of an evil, sinful heart. God hates sin and he hates it even more when we turn toward it instead of Him. Given this, He will not allow sin to have victory over goodness…darkness over light.

And so He reveals evil schemes and exposes their perpetrators…and in doing so brings the dark to light.

Friends this is an assurance for us as we may face the prospect that others may plot evil against us. We could walk around and always be looking over our shoulder in fear of getting attacked from behind or stabbed in the back…but this scripture tells us that God has our backs. He is watching the motives of every heart and is ready to take action on those who are allowing evil to reign supreme within them. And in doing this, God is protecting those who seek to do good…those who strive for living lives that are righteous and holy and glorifying God.

Well, we have seen where God definitely had Hid hand upon David, helping him allude Saul’s murderous attempts. But as we see in the rest of the scripture from 1st Samuel, Chapter 18, Saul isn’t about to give up as he has a few evil schemes of his own to try and get rid of David…even though he knew the Lord was with the young leader of his army.

In his duties, we know that Saul “sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men” which “David led…in their campaigns. And David would find success in everything, not because of his own efforts but because “the Lord was with him”. This made Saul even more afraid of David who found increasing favor from “Israel and Judah” with every success. And so Saul wasn’t about to stop trying to get rid of David. As we see, he devises an evil scheme to try and do just that.

For we read where Saul says to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the Lord." It wasn’t that Saul wanted David to marry his daughter. No, he only was using her as a ploy to try and get David back onto the battlefield against the Philistines so they might kill David and spare him having to do it. Further, see where Saul was so desperate to get rid of David that he was willing to even use the Lord’s name in his scheme, trying to entice David to accept his offer to go and fight the Lord’s battles. Saul must have forgotten that the Lord was with David for we see where his plan hits a snag.

Scripture tells us that David said to Saul, "Who am I, and what is my family or my father's clan in Israel, that I should become the king's son-in-law?" And so David passes on the Philistine battles and on marrying Saul’s oldest daughter who marries another instead. Saul wasn’t about to give up however.

For we read where Saul had another daughter Michal who “was in love with David”. This pleased Saul because he thought he could again use a daughter as a ploy to get David killed. We know this because Saul thought to himself, “I will give her to him…so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him." And so Saul gives his evil scheme a second try telling David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law." And this time, he even tries to use his attendants, ordering them to: "Speak to David privately and say, 'Look, the king is pleased with you, and his attendants all like you; now become his son-in-law.' " And so the servants did as Saul commanded but again, Saul was unsuccessful as David tells the servants, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king's son-in-law? I'm only a poor man and little known." Strike two for Saul and back to the drawing board because he wasn’t ready to give up yet. For people who are so caught up in sin will be stubborn in their attempts to make evil triumph over good…dark over light.

In his third attempt at trying to scheme against David, Saul sends his servants back to David with yet another request. This time, the servants were to tell David, “The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies." Again, Saul’s sole purpose to get David to go out against the Philistines was to see him killed in battle and out of his way forever. And this time, it seemed like his plan had worked.

For “when the attendants told David” what Saul had said, “he was pleased to become the king's son-in-law”. David would accept Saul’s offer and go out against the Philistines to kill them and deliver the one hundred foreskins as ordered. And Saul had to be jumping for joy, sure that the Philistines would do David in and he would be finally rid of him. Again, Saul forgot that the Lord was with David and his plan had no chance for success.

We see this come to fruition as “David and his men went out and killed two hundred Philistines” …”before the allotted time elapsed”, bringing “their foreskins….to the king so that he might become the king's son-in-law”. Imagine the look on Saul’s face when David returned unscathed and bringing those foreskins. It had to be classic as Saul knew his plot had failed and he had lost out to David again! And to make matters worse, now David would be his son-in-law because Saul gave David “his daughter Michal in marriage”.

Saul’s plot had failed and again we read where he “realized that the Lord was with David”, making him “still more afraid of him”. Saul, now David’s father-in-law, would remain David’s “enemy the rest of his days”. And meanwhile, David continued to find success as he battled the Philistines. In fact, he had “more success than the rest of Saul's officers” and “his name became well known”. Saul’s attempts to eliminate David had only resulted in David growing more famous and powerful.

Friends, there are three important lessons for us in this passage:

1. Evil scheming is a fruitless endeavor.

God will take everything done in the dark and bring it to light. We know this because His word assures us of it. So we shouldn’t even think for a minute that we will find any success of plotting to do wrong against God or another. It’s not going to work out. We saw it with Saul and we will find out ourselves if we choose to try it.

2. God protects against evil schemes.

He will put His covering over those who place their hope, trust and faith in Him…those committed fully to His service and carrying out His will. We saw where God was with David and kept him from falling prey to Saul’s evil schemes…and He will watch over us as well.

3. Why would we ever think we would get away with anything in the first place?

Friends, God sees everything and looks deep into our hearts…to a place where we can’t look when we see one another. What will He see when He looks in your heart? If there are any evil motives, prepare for them to be unearthed and exposed.

And further, since God sees everything and will ultimately judge all of us when this life ends, how would we ever think that we might get away with doing anything? He is going to see it…He is going to know about it…and He is going to judge it.

And so we might as well not even try it because it’s fruitless to plan evil in the sight of God.
As we get set to enter a new year, let us renew our commitment to remain in the light instead. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

http://www.faithhopeandlove.info

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THE DANGER OF A SINFUL NATURE

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21
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Whatever Saul sent him to do, David did it so successfully that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the people, and Saul's officers as well.

When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. As they danced, they sang:

"Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands."

Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. "They have credited David with tens of thousands," he thought, "but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.

The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, "I'll pin David to the wall." But David eluded him twice.

Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had left Saul.

1 Samuel 18:5-12

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As Chapter 18 opened, Saul took David in and didn’t allow him to return to his family. David befriended Saul’s son, Jonathan, and was so successful in every task that Saul gave him that he was appointed to a “high rank in the army”.

All seemed well and it was…at least until Saul and his men returned home from David’s defeat of Goliath and the Israelites win over the Philistines. It’s then that Saul’s relationship with David took a turn for the worse and all because of the sinful nature of jealousy.

For as Saul and his men returned home, “the women came out from all the towns of Israel” to meet them. They were dancing to joyful songs with tambourines and lutes as they sang, “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands." Their words were meant to be songs of praise to two warriors who had brought Israel victory but they were anything but praiseworthy to Saul.

We know this because scripture tells us “Saul was very angry” at the refrain being sung. Why? Because David was given more credit than he was. In fact, Saul said as much when he thought to himself, “They have credited David with tens of thousands…but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?" Little did Saul know how prophetic his thoughts were as David had already been chosen by God to lead the kingdom of Israel.

Well after all this had transpired, scripture tells us that “Saul kept a jealous eye on David” from that day on and that jealousy, sinful in its own right, would fester inside Saul and lead him to even greater acts of sinfulness. For the “next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul” and while David “playing the harp”, Saul took a spear in hand and hurled it at David saying, “I'll pin David to the wall." But Saul’s attempts were unsuccessful because “David eluded him twice”. And this caused Saul’s anger to turn to fear because he knew “the Lord was with David” but had left him.

Friends, this is exactly what happens when we decide to turn our backs on the Lord and lose the power of His Holy Spirit in our lives…we turn to sin. For if we aren’t going to allow the Lord to rule in our hearts and minds, then Satan is ready to step right in and do his evil within us. It happened with Saul and it will happen to us as well.

Saul knew it was wrong to covet and be jealous but he did it any way. He did it because he didn’t have the strength or power to resist it…the strength and power that only comes from the Lord. And so he fell prey to sin because he couldn’t obey God’s commandments (Exodus 20:13 and 17) without God to help him.

Paul would later write about jealousy as well in his letter to the church in Galatia, including it in a list of acts that were part of the sinful nature. Read the following verses:

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Saul had fallen prey to the sin of jealousy but as we can see, jealousy isn’t the only sin we can fall into if we decide to try and live without the Lord in our lives. And worse of all, we see that there is a terrible penalty for living in any or all or these ways…we “will not inherit the kingdom of God”. I don’t know about you but that’s a consequence I don’t want to experience…and none of us have to if we would only follow Paul’s further words in Galatians:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control…Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-25

Friends, if we truly belong to Christ Jesus then we are to crucify the sinful nature in us and instead live by the Spirit…the Holy Spirit…the only Spirit who can lead us daily into lives filled with righteousness and holiness…lives that are filled with fruits like love, joy and peace…patience, kindness and goodness…faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

The Lord was with David and he defeated Goliath and eluded the murderous attempts of Saul. In other words, David had victory in the Lord…and praise the Lord that we do as well.

As we get set to enter a new year and start to ponder resolutions, what better resolution to make than to commit ourselves to be more like Jesus…and in doing so, bearing more fruits of the Spirit in our lives and in the lives of others.

With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can do just that. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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TRUE FRIENDSHIP

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father's house. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

1 Samuel 18:1-4

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In 1st Samuel, Chapter17, we saw David emerge as a hero among the Israelites, stepping forward and slinging the fatal smooth stone that killed the warrior giant Goliath and sent Israel onto victory in their battle with the Philistines. David’s bravery and courage led to Saul not only wanting to speak to him but we read that “Saul kept David with him and did not let him return to his father's house”. Little did Saul know that it was David who God had chosen to take his place.

Well, as David left his home and was given a high rank in Saul’s army, scripture tells us that he gained a friend as well…Saul’s son Jonathan. And it is in the early verses of this chapter that we catch a glimpse of what true friendship is all about.

Note I said true friendship. For it seems that it’s very hard to find friends who are true in life…friends who are devoted and caring and loving…friends who are willing to put themselves aside for the good of another. Too often, we see people who want to be with us because they simply want something from us. With these kind of friends, there is always some string attached. As long as you give these friends what they want, they’re right there for you. But don’t come through and watch how loyal they remain. Typically, they’re onto the next person they can use. That isn’t friendship. That’s simply exploitation.

So how do we know when we have a true friend? In examining Jonathan, we can see the important qualities of a true friend…traits that we should look for as we seek companions in life.

First, Jonathan became “one in spirit with David”. You’ve may have heard or experienced the expression “kindred spirits” before. It’s when you are so in tune with another person that you seem to always be almost alike. I know my wife and her sister are like this. Talk about friends! They are closer than any two people I have ever met and are pure models for true friendship. This is because they are “one in spirit” with one another…and when I’m talking about spirit here, I’m talking about the Spirit…the Holy Spirit.

Indeed, it was the Father…the Lord…that Jonathan had placed his trust in when he bravely attacked the Philistine outpost with his armor bearer. It was the Father…the Lord…that David placed His faith in when he stepped out to fight Goliath. Jonathan and David had more than shown their individual devotions to the Lord. Now they would be able to share that devotion as friends for true friends are, first and foremost, one in the Holy Spirit.

But there’s more because Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. The key word here is love…for it’s impossible to have true friendship if you don’t have love. I wrote a quote a long time ago that says, “Communication is the lifeblood of relationship” but then I wrote a second…for “Love is the heartbeat of relationship.” Take love out of a relationship and it dies. And don’t just take my word on it. Recall the words of Jesus when He was asked about the greatest commandment. What did He say?

"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' " Matthew 22:36-39

And Jesus wasn’t the first to recite the words, “Love your neighbor as yourself”. No…He got those words from His Father who spoke them in Leviticus:

" 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.” Leviticus 19:18

Being a true friend means that you have to love them the same as you love yourself. And that means you desire to care for them just as you would care for yourself. A true friendship is always balanced in love because that friendship is cemented by the Holy Spirit…the Spirit that will always bind two hearts together in perfect love when any couple allows it to.

So we have seen that true friendship involves being one in the Holy Spirit and balanced in love.

It also requires self sacrifice.

For as we turn back to the passage, we see where Jonathan “took off the robe…and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt”. In other words, Jonathan was willing to freely give David anything he had…such was the level of devotion he held for him. Note that there are no conditions attached to Jonathan’s giving. He gave not because he had to or because he had some motive…something he wanted to gain in return. No, Jonathan gave because he loved David as a true friend and would be willing to do anything for him. And we will see this play out in future scriptures as well.

So our passage today contains a lot in just four verses. For God gives us a glimpse of what true friendship requires…(1) being one in the Holy Spirit…(2) balanced in love…and (3) willing to self sacrifice. Come to think of it…this is why we have such an awesome Friend in Jesus…a Friend we can always count on, no matter what we go through in life…a Friend who will always be one in the Holy Spirit with us…a Friend who will always be balanced in the way He loves…a Friend who showed us the definition of self sacrifice when He allowed Himself to be crucified on the cross to pay the price for our sins.

Friends, I could have made this writing a lot shorter by saying you can only be a true friend when you become a friend like Jesus. But then again…I only wrote the words the Lord…my blessed Friend…gave me today. The words He wanted His true friends to read. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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OVERCOMING ADVERSITY

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now the Philistines gathered their forces for war and assembled at Socoh in Judah. They pitched camp at Ephes Dammim, between Socoh and Azekah. Saul and the Israelites assembled and camped in the Valley of Elah and drew up their battle line to meet the Philistines. The Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them.

A champion named Goliath, who was from Gath, came out of the Philistine camp. He was over nine feet tall. He had a bronze helmet on his head and wore a coat of scale armor of bronze weighing five thousand shekels; on his legs he wore bronze greaves, and a bronze javelin was slung on his back. His spear shaft was like a weaver's rod, and its iron point weighed six hundred shekels. His shield bearer went ahead of him.

Goliath stood and shouted to the ranks of Israel, "Why do you come out and line up for battle? Am I not a Philistine, and are you not the servants of Saul? Choose a man and have him come down to me. If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us." Then the Philistine said, "This day I defy the ranks of Israel! Give me a man and let us fight each other." On hearing the Philistine's words, Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified.

Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul's time he was old and well advanced in years. Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to the war: The firstborn was Eliab; the second, Abinadab; and the third, Shammah. David was the youngest. The three oldest followed Saul, but David went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem.

For forty days the Philistine came forward every morning and evening and took his stand.

Now Jesse said to his son David, "Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines."

Early in the morning David left the flock with a shepherd, loaded up and set out, as Jesse had directed. He reached the camp as the army was going out to its battle positions, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other. David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and greeted his brothers. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. When the Israelites saw the man, they all ran from him in great fear.

Now the Israelites had been saying, "Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his father's family from taxes in Israel."

David asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

They repeated to him what they had been saying and told him, "This is what will be done for the man who kills him."

When Eliab, David's oldest brother, heard him speaking with the men, he burned with anger at him and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle."

"Now what have I done?" said David. "Can't I even speak?" He then turned away to someone else and brought up the same matter, and the men answered him as before. What David said was overheard and reported to Saul, and Saul sent for him.

David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him."

Saul replied, "You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth."

But David said to Saul, "Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." Saul said to David, "Go, and the Lord be with you."

Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them. "I cannot go in these," he said to Saul, "because I am not used to them." So he took them off. Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was only a boy, ruddy and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. "Come here," he said, "and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!"

David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground. So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him. David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.
When the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.

When the Israelites returned from chasing the Philistines, they plundered their camp. David took the Philistine's head and brought it to Jerusalem, and he put the Philistine's weapons in his own tent.

As Saul watched David going out to meet the Philistine, he said to Abner, commander of the army, "Abner, whose son is that young man?" Abner replied, "As surely as you live, O king, I don't know." The king said, "Find out whose son this young man is." As soon as David returned from killing the Philistine, Abner took him and brought him before Saul, with David still holding the Philistine's head. "Whose son are you, young man?" Saul asked him. David said, "I am the son of your servant Jesse of Bethlehem."

1 Samuel 17

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Have you ever come up against opposition in your life…someone or something that seemed to be insurmountable…someone or something that always seemed to oppress you and keep you down? Maybe, you have even found yourself frightened at the very thought of having to face someone or deal with a particular situation.

I think we all have faced or are currently facing times like this. So what do we do in the face of our adversity?

In this scripture passage from 1st Samuel, chapter 17, God’s word gives us all the guidance we need to deal with the challenging people or circumstances in life. For we will see how a young boy named David defied the odds and found his way to victory…all because he chose in faith to be armed with God against his enemy.

The chapter starts off with a battle brewing between the Philistines and the Israelites. Once assembling their armies and setting up camp, we read where the “Philistines occupied one hill and the Israelites another, with the valley between them”. On the surface, it appeared that the battlefield was balanced and victory would come to the army who fought harder. But the Philistines had something that Israel didn’t have…”a champion named Goliath”.

So what made Goliath so different from any other fighter?

He was a giant, standing “over nine feet tall”. As he stepped out to challenge the Israelites, he must have been a terrifying sight with the “bronze helmet on his head” and a “coat of scale armor of bronze” as well as “bronze greaves” on his body. Just bearing the weight of all this armor was a testament to the massive strength of the Philistine warrior who also carried a “bronze javelin…on his back”.

So as Israel looked at this giant of a man dressed for battle before them, Goliath shouted a proposition to them. All Israel had to do was “choose a man and have him come down” to Goliath for a fight. If the chosen Israelite were “able to fight and kill” Goliath, then all the Philistines would become subjects of Israel. But…if Goliath were to win, then the Israelites would become subjects of the Philistines and serve them. The proposal seemed simple enough and would avert an all out war. But the odds seemed very stacked in the favor of the Philistines and Goliath knew it. His challenge was made out of arrogance as he didn’t believe that Israel had anyone who could defeat him.

Question: Isn’t this same kind of arrogance that drives some people today to mistreat others? Like Goliath, they have a bully kind of mentality and feel like they are so much more superior to others that they can taunt them and nothing will come of it.

Well, Goliath is soon to discover that the arrogant confidence he had in his strength and might would be no match for the One who is infinitely more powerful than anyone or anything in all creation.

Back to the scriptures…where we see that “Saul and all the Israelites were dismayed and terrified” after Goliath’s challenge…a challenge that would be repeated for the next forty days. How was Israel going to handle the matter? How were they going to overcome such an obstinate adversary?

Note one important omission by Israel. They never asked God what they should do. But yet, as we will see, God had a plan…and that plan would play out in a way that only could be of God.

For we read again about the anointed son of Jesse…the youngest son…the shepherd boy David…who had been chosen by God to become the new king of Israel. And he will be chosen again in this instance to go up against the mighty Goliath.

David wasn’t the only one of Jesse’s sons involved, for his “three oldest sons (Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah) had followed Saul to the war” while David “went back and forth from Saul to tend his father's sheep at Bethlehem”. On one of his trips to Saul, Jesse told David to, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. Take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit. See how your brothers are and bring back some assurance from them. They are with Saul and all the men of Israel in the Valley of Elah, fighting against the Philistines." And so after leaving the “flock with a shepherd”, David loaded up and set out in the morning, reaching the “camp as the army was going out to its battle positions” and “shouting the war cry”.

We read where “Israel and the Philistines were drawing up their lines facing each other” when “David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines” to greet his brothers. And just as he did, out stepped Goliath who “shouted his usual defiance”. David, hearing this for the first time, watched the Israelites run in great fear at just the sight of the behemoth warrior and as he withdrew with them, he asked the men standing near him, "What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?"

So the Israelites told David what benefits they thought would come upon any Israelite who could defeat the Philistine giant to include great wealth, the king’s daughter in marriage and a tax exemption for his father's family.

Now, Eliab, David's oldest brother, “heard him speaking with the men” and was very unhappy about it. Perhaps, it was a bit of brotherly jealousy since he, the eldest son, was not selected by God to rule Israel. Whatever the reason, we read where Eliab “burned with anger” at David and asked, "Why have you come down here? And with whom did you leave those few sheep in the desert? I know how conceited you are and how wicked your heart is; you came down only to watch the battle." David doesn’t back down from his brother’s attack as he replies, “Now what have I done?…Can't I even speak?" David’s bold attitude got the attention of Saul’s men who told Saul about it. In turn, Saul summoned David to him.

Once with the rejected king, David said to Saul, "Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him." Imagine you are Saul in this situation. A young shepherd boy is before you and wants to go out on the battlefield and single-handedly fight Goliath. How would you respond?

Well, I think we would respond just as Saul did. For he told David, “You are not able to go out against this Philistine and fight him; you are only a boy, and he has been a fighting man from his youth." But David was confident before Saul and replied boldly saying, “Your servant has been keeping his father's sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, I went after it, struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine." And with those words, Saul was convinced that David could meet the challenge as he told him, “Go, and the Lord be with you."

So what was the difference maker in David’s attitude and words? It wasn’t the fact that he had killed both lion and bear when they tried to attack the flock. It was because the Lord had been with him and delivered him from potential danger. And David was sure the Lord would do it again if he faced off against Goliath.

Friends, we need to go forth boldly in our own lives as David did. For the Lord is always with us and ready to deliver us from whatever adverse circumstance we might come under. We need only seek Him, have faith in Him and allow for His will to be done.

As we go back to Chapter 17, we see Saul trying to dress David for battle using his tunic, a coat of armor and a bronze helmet. Try and picture a young boy trying to wear adult armor and you can see where things just wouldn’t fit too well. David tried to walk around in the armor but quickly discarded it because he was not used to it. So instead, he went without armor, taking his “staff in his hand” and choosing “five smooth stones from the stream” which he placed “in the pouch of his shepherd's bag”. And with this, David took “his sling in…hand” and “approached the Philistine”.

Now, imagine you’re Goliath. You have mocked and challenged the Israelites forty days…and each day ended the same, with no man coming forward to fight. But this day would be different. For from the ranks of Israel comes a young boy who is wearing no armor and carrying no shield. How would you feel at that point? Well, if I were Goliath, I would be liking my chances of victory.

Scripture tells us that as David came forward, Goliath despised him, cursed him by his gods and said arrogantly, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?…Come here and I'll give your flesh to the birds of the air and the beasts of the field!"

I’m pretty sure Goliath thought his words would intimidate David and cause him to flee like the other Israelites. But Goliath wasn’t dealing with any ordinary Israelite.

For David gave Goliath the following reply:

“You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will hand you over to me, and I'll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give all of you into our hands."

David could speak boldly and with great confidence, not because he had any physical prowess like Goliath, but rather because He had the power and might of the Lord on his side…a Lord who could and would deliver victory to David in reward for his faithfulness.

And so the showdown was set. David versus Goliath. The boy against the giant.

Goliath made the first move as he drew “closer to attack” David but David moved quickly “toward the battle line to meet him”. As he did, David reached “into his bag” and took “out a stone” which he “slung…and struck the Philistine on the forehead”. The stone struck the Philistine giant with such force that it “sank into his forehead” and caused Goliath to fall dead “facedown on the ground”. In what had to be shocking to everyone who saw it, “David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone…without a sword in his hand”. And to complete what he said he would do, David “took hold of the Philistine's sword and drew it from the scabbard”, using it to “cut off (Goliath’s) head”.

The Philistines had to be in shock as they “saw that their hero was dead”. We read where they “turned and ran” while “the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron”. Then the Israelites plundered the Philistine camp while David took the Philistine's head to Jerusalem and put “the Philistine's weapons in his own tent”.

David had gained victory…not so much by his own doing but by the Lord’s. He had beaten the odds and defied those who doubted his chances against Goliath.

But that’s why we cherish, worship and praise our Lord so very much. Because He is the One who helps us in times of need…He’s the One who is our strength when we need empowered to gain victory for Him…and He is the One who delivers us from our adversity, now and forever.

Question: Are you up against adversity today?

If so, why not follow the lead of David and allow the Lord to help you through your circumstances. He will help you find victory over the Goliaths of your life. All you need to do is call on Him and place your trust in Him completely. He stands ready to help…and ready to save. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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NO CHRISTMAS...NO ANYTHING...WITHOUT JESUS

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

He is the Image of the invisible God, the Firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. And He is the Head of the body, the church; He is the Beginning and the Firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross.

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now He has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation — if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.

Colossians 1:15-23a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Christmas is here once again…the day we celebrate the coming of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And that should be our main purpose today. Not gifts and trees and lavish dinners and hosting family and friends. Only Jesus.

Why?

Because everything else comes a result of Him. We know this because we have a wonderful passage in the Epistle to the Colossians that spells it out clearly to us…a passage that shows all that there would be no Christmas…no anything else for that matter if it weren’t for Jesus. For we read where Jesus…and only Jesus…is “before all things and in Him all things hold together”. “He is the Beginning and has supremacy over everything…everything including Christmas.

Scripture also tells us this Jesus is the “Image of the invisible God”. In other words, God couldn’t be seen but His Son Jesus walked among man in the flesh. He was fully God and fully man at the same time…Emmanuel…God with us. Indeed, God, Jesus’ Father, “was pleased to have all His fullness dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile to Himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through His blood, shed on the cross”. Because of this truth, we not only celebrate Christ’s coming but also what is yet to come with Him…His future crucifixion and resurrection where He willingly sacrificed Himself to pay the price for our sins and then defeated death to join His Father in Heaven and provide us the opportunity to do so too…if we just believe and trust in Jesus as our Savior.

Truly, Jesus saved us. For before Him, we were “alienated from God and were enemies…because of…evil behavior”. But with the coming of the Savior, we were “reconciled…by (His) physical body through death” as He presented us “holy in His sight, without blemish and free from accusation”. In other words, through Jesus…those who “continue in…faith, established and firm…not moved from the hope held out in the gospel”…will be justified by Christ. It will be just as if they had never sinned…for there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1)

Friends, Christmas is a celebration of Jesus…the greatest gift ever given because it was an eternal, heavenly, holy Gift of hope from God…a Son who was the “Firstborn over all creation”. No other one has been born to rule over man since and there will never be another to come.

Jesus was no ordinary child. Not by a long shot. He was born the King of Kings and Lord of Lords…the Wonderful Counselor and Prince of Peace… the Head of the body, the church. There was no child ever born like Him and there hasn’t been one since. And this is why we should do nothing short of worship, praise, honor and love Him.

Yes, Jesus…our gift from God…is the reason for this wonderful Christmas day. Let’s keep him at the center of it…and every other day we’re blessed with…now and forever. Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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NO ORDINARY NIGHT

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests."

When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about."

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them.

But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Luke 2:8-20

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Imagine that you are a shepherd. You are living in the fields tending to your flock as you always do because that’s your job…to look after the sheep.

While looking after the sheep, you make sure they stay together in their flock because you know a stray sheep can face great danger. For there are predators who would easily attack and kill a stray sheep if given the opportunity. A stray sheep would be easy prey.

And then there are the thieves who roam the countryside looking to make a quick profit from someone else’s flock. All they need is an opportunity to steal…and a stray, unprotected sheep is an easy mark.

There’s also danger in the terrain for a stray sheep. For many cliffs and holes exist that a sheep could easily fall into…sometimes to death. It’s not good for a sheep to be walking about without their leader…and you are that leader as the shepherd.

Indeed, you are the leader of the flock. You move the sheep from pasture to pasture, always ensuring they have plenty to graze so they are healthy and able to produce the valuable wool in demand by so many. Yes…the sheep in your care were valuable money makers and so it was absolutely paramount that they get only the best care. And they got it from you, their shepherd, because that’s what a good shepherd does….always cares for the sheep…always protects the sheep…always rescues a sheep in need. The sheep are blessed because of the love and care you provide day after day after day.

Through the daily grind of being a shepherd, you have spent countless days and nights in the fields. It was routine for you with every day and night rather ordinary. But then one night came where things were anything but ordinary. In fact, what happened was so amazing you don’t know if anyone would ever believe it if you told them.

For while you were in the field, all of a sudden an “angel of the Lord appeared” to you and the shepherds who were with you. The magnificent appearance lit up the night sky as the angels were brilliantly shining. You found yourself more than a little scared about what was taking place. “Why was this happening?” you thought.

But then the angel spoke to you and your fellow shepherds saying, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." And no more had he finished speaking that the angel was joined by others who were praising God while proclaiming, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." And then just as suddenly as they had come, the angels left and went up into heaven.

You just stood there in amazement and awe with your fellow shepherds…such was the magnificent nature of what you had witnessed. This was no ordinary night…not by a long shot. In fact, there had been no night even close to this one…and as you would discover later, no night would ever rival it…ever.

As you stood there, some of your fellow shepherds said, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." And so you did. You went to Bethlehem and discovered a couple named Joseph and Mary, who had just delivered a baby…a baby who was now “lying in the manger”. This was the child the angel spoke of…the Savior who was Christ the Lord. You knew of a Messiah that had been prophesied from the days of old. And now, this Savior…this Messiah had come.

You and your shepherds decided that others needed to hear the news…Christ the Savior has been born in Bethlehem. This was a time to rejoice and be glad! And so you went out from the manger and “spread the word concerning what had been told…about this child”. Everyone you told “were amazed” at what they heard. And after you told all you could tell, you returned to the fields…the ordinary fields you would normally work in with the flock…but you were in no way the same person. No, you and your fellow shepherds “returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things” you had witnessed.

Yes, Christ had come…born in a manger in Bethlehem on an extraordinary night…and nothing would ever be ordinary again.

Now, let’s get back to reality. You probably aren’t really a shepherd, at least in a literal sense. No, you have another vocation…something else that the Lord has blessed you with to do. But there is something that you share in common with the shepherds of old. For you can find yourself in a daily routine…carrying out the same responsibilities day after day. Your life, like the shepherds, can seem pretty ordinary most of the time…maybe even on Christmas Eve. But this night, just as it was in the days of the shepherds watching over their flocks, is anything but ordinary.

For the angels that brought the message to the shepherds is bringing the same message to the world today:

“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; He is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."

Yes…Christ the Savior is born in a manger in Bethlehem this extraordinary night. The shepherds couldn’t wait to go and find their Savior…and when they did, they were changed forever, unable to wait to tell everyone else about Him.

Question: How are you feeling this Christmas Eve? Are you filled with the excitement of the coming Savior? Are you so thrilled about the blessed Babe lying in that lowly Bethlehem manger that you can’t wait to tell others about Him?

Friends, Christ’s coming changed everything. The ordinary was no longer ordinary but would be forever extraordinary. And so it was with the lives of all those that Jesus touched…not only on that night in Bethlehem but today and forever more as well. Let Him touch your heart this night and embrace the real reason for the season, sharing the good news with others.

For Christ is born in Bethlehem! Alleluia! Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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THE POWER OF CHRISTIAN MUSIC

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. Saul's attendants said to him, "See, an evil spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord command his servants here to search for someone who can play the harp. He will play when the evil spirit from God comes upon you, and you will feel better."

So Saul said to his attendants, "Find someone who plays well and bring him to me." One of the servants answered, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him."

Then Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep." So Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them with his son David to Saul.

David came to Saul and entered his service. Saul liked him very much, and David became one of his armor-bearers. Then Saul sent word to Jesse, saying, "Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him." Whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul, David would take his harp and play. Then relief would come to Saul; he would feel better, and the evil spirit would leave him.

1 Samuel 16:14-23

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At the beginning of Samuel, Chapter 16, the Lord sends Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem to select and anoint the next king of Israel. This was because Saul, the first selected king, had been sinful and fallen out of favor with God who rejected him in favor of a man after His own heart…a man who would be David. As David is selected and anointed, scripture told us the “Spirit of the Lord came upon (him) in power.”

Conversely, we see in our passage that “the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul”, replaced with “an evil spirit from the Lord” which “tormented him”. We see that God holds control over all things, including the wicked and evil spirits. Part of Saul's consequence for willfully disobeying God and rejecting the guidance of His Holy Spirit was to be tormented by an evil spirit instead.

Well, Saul had some faithful, caring attendants who were concerned for him and asked Saul to allow them to “search for someone who can play the harp” because they felt that Saul would feel better is the harp was played “when the evil spirit from God” came upon him. Saul agrees with their plan and tells his attendants to, “Find someone who plays well and bring him to me." To this, “one of the servants answered” Saul saying, "I have seen a son of Jesse of Bethlehem who knows how to play the harp. He is a brave man and a warrior. He speaks well and is a fine-looking man. And the Lord is with him." Of course, the servant is talking about none other than David…the man chosen to replace Saul as king however Saul doesn’t know that yet. So he (Saul) sent a message to Jesse saying, "Send me your son David, who is with the sheep” and Jesse complied, sending David along with a “donkey loaded with bread, a skin of wine and a young goat”.

David would enter Saul’s service and find favor with him, becoming one of his armor bearers. In fact, David was valued greatly by Saul who “sent word to Jesse” saying, "Allow David to remain in my service, for I am pleased with him." And Jesse allowed David to stay.

But David was far more than just an ordinary armor bearer. No…he was far greater than that because he had the Spirit of the Lord within him. And scripture tells us that “whenever the spirit from God came upon Saul” and afflicting him, “David would take his harp and play”, bringing relief to Saul who would “feel better” as “the evil spirit (left) him”. The power of the Holy Spirit in David’s music from the harp overcame to evil spirit and brought relief and comfort and peace to Saul.

Indeed, there is power in Spirit-filled music that is like no other. I discovered this in my own life as I because born again and truly found Christ in my life over 16 years ago.

I had always loved music and listened to a lot of different genres, none of which were Christian. I knew all the top artists and songs on the radio, owning over 200 CDs and cassettes. But I was enjoying music from a world view and perspective…and once born into Christ as a new creation, my view was changing…and so was my look on music.

I remember getting back into church and re-learning the hymns that I learned as a young child going to church with my parents. Oh how I cherished the awesome power in the words of some of those songs…

“Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found. Was blind but now can see.”

“Holy, Holy, Holy. Lord, God Almighty. Early in the morning, our song will rise to Thee. Holy, Holy, Holy. Merciful and Mighty. God in three persons. Blessed Trinity.”

“Be thou my vision, O Lord of my heart. Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art. Thou my best thought by day or by night. Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.”

“Blessed assurance. Jesus is mine. O what a foretaste of glory divine. Heir of salvation, purchase of God. Born of His Spirit. Washed in His Blood. This is my Story, this is my song. Praising my Savior, all the day long. This is my story, this is my song. Praising my Savior, all the day long.”

I could go on and on but you get the point. There was a power in this music that the secular world couldn’t come close to matching. This is because there is a power in the Holy Spirit that transcends everything else by comparison…because the Lord transcends everything else in power by comparison. “God in three persons”…Father, Son and Holy Spirit…the ”Blessed Trinity”…empowering everything that they come into…including music.

Well, my musical spiritual awakening was just starting. Because I couldn’t get enough of music that energized me spiritually. There was a relief, comfort and peace that I found in Christian music that I couldn’t find anywhere else. I began to watch a show on Black Entertainment Television called “Video Gospel” and remember plain as day falling in love with my first contemporary Christian song titled “Addictive Love” by BeBe and CeCe Winans. The lyrics were as follows:

All I want do is just explain
Why that we feel the way we do
What a joy to share with you
For me to live is Christ, to die is gain
If anymore I need to say
Th list goes on and on all day
I'll cherish that moment for life
And I know it might sound crazy
It's alright, take a seat, hold tight

Chorus:
Time to admit it,(time we should admit it)
I'm so addicted
You see He's taken my heart
And showed me the right way
No doubt about it,(doubt about it, no doubt)
See I'm lost without it
You see this love takes me higher
I didn't know why then
I found it was addicted love

Now that we've evened up the score
What do you mean there's so much more
I need to tell why we adore
The reason why I smile when I, when I wake up
And also the reason why I dream
My love, my joy, my everything
And I'll cherish that moment for life
And I know it might sound crazy
It's alright, take a seat, hold tight

Time to admit it,(time we should admit it)
I'm so addicted
You see He's taken my heart
And showed me the right way
No doubt about it,(doubt about it, no doubt)
See I'm lost without it
You see this love takes me higher
I didn't know why then
I found it was addicted love

So much love
He's given to me everything I longed for
And everything I need
That means I'm never alone, so glad
And everything I've dreamed and much
More, so much more
And I'll cherish that moment for life,
For the rest of my life, yeah
And I know it might sound crazy, but it's not crazy,
I'm not crazy
I've never known anyone to love me
Quite the way you do
And I'll tell you it's hopeless, I've
Finally noticed that
I'm just forever addicted, forever, forever in love

Time to admit it,(time we should admit it)
I'm so addicted
You see He's taken my heart
And showed me the right way
No doubt about it,(doubt about it, no doubt)
See I'm lost without it
You see this love takes me higher
I didn't know why then
I found it was addicted love

This song spoke to my soul then and still does today. The Lord had taken my heart and shown me the right way. After receiving the Holy Spirit in my life, I found that I would be lost without it and the connection to the Lord it brought…a connection that kept me in the midst of an Almighty Love like no other I had ever experienced…an Addictive Love that I couldn’t get enough of. I couldn’t then…and I still can’t today.

In fact, this Addictive Love took me from this first contemporary Christian song to many others there after. I found that my secular music held no more meaning for me…no power or substance when I listened to it. In fact, I started to be more acutely aware that the secular music sought to pull me into the world and its ways…ways that were more often than not away from what the Lord expected of me. And so, I sold all my secular CDs and cassettes…over 200 of them. And in their place, I bought more and more Christian music…growing my new music collection.

I remember going to the public library and checking our Christian music to listen to a variety of artists and groups. If I liked them, I would buy them for myself. If I didn’t particularly like the music, I would just return the CD or cassette to the library. Before long, my Christian library grew to be as large as my secular library had been. And today, my collection has grown far beyond that. I still can’t get enough of the power of the Holy Spirit in the music I listen to…a power that Saul discovered in the harp that a Spirit-filled David would play.

Maybe you have your own testimony concerning a Christian song that changed your life in some way…or maybe just a Christian song that you love for some special reason. I invite you to leave a comment to today’s devotion with a song or songs and your personal testimony. Together, let’s accentuate the awesome, amazing power found in Christian music, praising and thanking the Lord for it.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

http://www.faithhopeandlove.info/

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WHAT'S IN YOUR HEART?

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, "Do you come in peace?" Samuel replied, "Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.

When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord." But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, "The Lord has not chosen this one either." Jesse then had Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, "Nor has the Lord chosen this one." Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, "The Lord has not chosen these." So he asked Jesse, "Are these all the sons you have?"
"There is still the youngest," Jesse answered, "but he is tending the sheep." Samuel said, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives." So he sent and had him brought in. He was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features.

Then the Lord said, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one." So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power. Samuel then went to Ramah.

1 Samuel 16:4B-13

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Early in Chapter 16, we see the Lord motivate Samuel to get over his disappointment of Saul, giving him specific guidance as to what he was to do. Through the Lord’s actions, we learned that the Lord doesn’t expect us to linger and prolong sadness or despair or disappointment but to turn to Him for the peace, comfort and strength to move on and get back on our feet again. As Chapter 16 of 1st Samuel continues, we see Samuel do just that.

You’ll recall that the Lord told Samuel to go to Jesse of Bethlehem with his horn filled with oil because he was going to anoint one of Jesse’s sons…the one that the Lord had chosen to replace Saul. Samuel was apprehensive at first because he was fearful that Saul may try and have him killed but the Lord reassured him all would be well…that He would show Samuel what to do once he got to Jesse. And with this, Samuel was on his way to carry out the Lord’s will.

As this chapter continues, we see Samuel arriving in Bethlehem and causing a stir among the town elders who “trembled when they met him”, afraid that this well known messenger of the Lord was coming with bad news for them. So the elders probed Samuel asking, “Do you come in peace?" and had to be relived when Samuel told them yes. Samuel further gave them the purpose for his visit for he said, “…I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me." Sacrifices were holy sacraments and required all who participated to be prepared for the occasion. Samuel ensured Jesse and his sons were “consecrated…and invited them to the sacrifice.” One of them would be revealed as Israel’s new king.

When they arrived at the place of sacrifice, Samuel took a good look at all of Samuel’s sons and began to predict who the Lord had chosen. Scripture tells us Samuel “saw Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord's anointed stands here before the Lord.’ " But Samuel was wrong because the Lord spoke to him saying, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

Samuel’s attempts at prediction were fruitless because he was making his choice based on what he could see. And this was far short of what the Lord could see…for as we see, the Lord can look into he deepest parts of a person…and see what resides in a person’s heart.

Question: If the Lord looked into your heart today, what would He see? Would He find you worthy of selection to a higher purpose in His service?

Back to the scriptures. We know that Eliab isn’t the one selected and so the process continued with Jesse calling his son Abinadab to “pass in front of Samuel” only to have Samuel tell him, “The Lord has not chosen this one either." Shammah would follow only to be told he wasn’t selected either. By the time he process had concluded, “Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel” but the Lord rejected all of them. Now the Lord had told Samuel that one of Jesse’s sons had been chosen and so this led Samuel to ask, “Are these all the sons you have?"

Well, it’s no surprise that there was still a son left…one that Jesse didn’t bring to the sacrifice. We learn that this son was “the youngest" and was “tending the sheep." And so Samuel tells Jesse, "Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives" and Jesse has his youngest son brought in. Scriptures tells us “he was ruddy, with a fine appearance and handsome features”.
No sooner does the youngest son arrive that the Lord says to Samuel, "Rise and anoint him; he is the one."

So we read where “Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed (Jesse’s youngest son) in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power”. Israel had a new king…King David…who would end up in the genealogy of the King of Kings…our eternal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Earlier in 1st Samuel, Samuel delivered a stern message from the Lord to Saul, who was king of Israel at the time. He told him:

"You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, He would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after His own heart and appointed him leader of his people, because you have not kept the Lord's command." 1 Samuel 13:13-14

Indeed, the Lord had sought a man after His own heart…and He did so because He looks at the heart when He looks at His people. David’s heart was obviously turned to the Lord in such a way that he was an easy choice for the Lord. And perhaps, we get a view into David’s heart more than any other man in the Old Testament as we read the wonderful Psalms that he composed in our bible.

Yes, the Lord looks into our hearts and so we had better prepare our hearts properly so He will be pleased with what He sees.

So how do we do this? How do we ensure that the Lord will be blessed and pleased by what He sees when He peers into our hearts?

Jesus, His Son and our Savior, gave us the answer in His Sermon on the Mount. For He said in Matthew 6:21:

“Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

In saying this, Jesus cautions us to make sure we treasure the right things in life because whatever we choose to treasure will be the thing that ends up in our hearts. And as Christians, Jesus would exhort us all to make Him the one true treasure…now and forever.

You see, if we make Jesus as our one and only treasure, then it’s Jesus and Jesus alone who will be in our hearts. And we know that when Jesus is present anywhere, Satan cannot be present as well because Jesus and Satan cannot possibly co-exist together. Place Jesus in your heart and Satan will not be able to have a place there.

Further….when we make Jesus our treasure and place Him and Him alone at the center of our hearts, then we will embody everything that is in Him…and as a result, our lives will begin to be a total reflection of Him. Thus, God will see everything He would ever want to see in us when He looks inside because He will see His Son.

So what are we waiting for? Why are we allowing our hearts to be turned away from the Lord? And why would we want to treasure anything more than Jesus?

Friends, let us all today vow to move forward boldly in the name of Jesus, making Him our sole treasure and thus filling our hearts with everything that is in Him. For Christ is soon to be born in a manger in Bethlehem…and I pray in our hearts as well. Let us embody these words from the classic Christmas carol, Joy to the World:

Joy to the world. The Lord is come. Let earth receive her king.
Let every heart prepare Him room.
And heaven and nature sing.
And heaven and nature sing.
And heaven and heaven and nature sing.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

http://www.faithhopeandlove.info/

Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com

GET OVER IT AND GET GOING

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Samuel said, "Bring me Agag king of the Amalekites." Agag came to him confidently, thinking, "Surely the bitterness of death is past." But Samuel said, "As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women." And Samuel put Agag to death before the Lord at Gilgal.

Then Samuel left for Ramah, but Saul went up to his home in Gibeah of Saul. Until the day Samuel died, he did not go to see Saul again, though Samuel mourned for him. And the Lord was grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel.

The Lord said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."

But Samuel said, "How can I go? Saul will hear about it and kill me." The Lord said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate."

Samuel did what the Lord said.

1 Samuel 15:32-35, 16:1-4a

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Once Samuel escorted Saul back to Gilgal to worship the Lord, there was one last bit of unfinished business to make things right with God. For God had ordered that all the Amalekites be destroyed when Saul and his men attacked them. But Saul had spared the king, Agag, who we read now felt confident that “the bitterness of death” was past him. He was wrong.

For Samuel, God’s faithful servant, did what Saul was not willing to do. He ordered Agag brought to him and said to him, “As your sword has made women childless, so will your mother be childless among women." No…Agag was not going to get away with his sinful actions. It was God’s judgment that he be put to death and Samuel carried out this action “before the Lord at Gilgal”. Finally, God’s will had been carried out fully.

Afterwards, we read where “Samuel left for Ramah” while “Saul went up to his home in Gibeah”. And they would remain separated “until the day Samuel died” because “he did not go to see Saul again”. It wasn’t as if Samuel didn’t love and care for Saul. He did because scripture tells us that he “mourned for him”. And Samuel wasn’t the only one who felt bad about Saul. As we have seen earlier in the scriptures, the Lord “grieved that he had made Saul king over Israel”.

And Chapter 15 ends with this…Samuel in mourning and the Lord grieving.

Question: How often do we sit and feel bad over our circumstances in life?

Whether it’s mourning over loss of a loved one or regret over a mistake we might have made…whether it’s disappointment over not reaching some goal or the pain from being hurt by someone…whatever might happen to us negatively, we’re not very good at getting over our circumstances and moving on. Too often, we want to just sit around and feel sorry for ourselves…choosing misery or depression over joy…inactivity over purpose…disruption over peace…despair over hope.

I believe that if we would truly turn our hearts to the Lord in these times, He would bring us the peace, comfort, love and joy we need to move forward…and then He would expect us to do just that…to get over our circumstance and get going…for He has much for us to do.

This is supported in our passage as 1 Samuel 16 opens up. As Samuel mourns Saul, the Lord comes to him and says, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."

The Lord is asking Samuel how long he intends to sit around and feel bad about Saul’s actions which led to his rejection by God. He doesn’t want or expect Samuel to be idle. He expects him to get over it and get going…to “fill (his) horn with oil and be on (his) way. For the Lord wanted Samuel to go to “Jesse of Bethlehem” because He had “chosen one of his sons to be king." And as we will soon see, that will be David.

Question: How often do we come with excuses as to why we can’t get over matters and move on, denying the Lord’s call to action?

Too often, I’m afraid. Samuel did because he doesn’t just get up and go to Jesse as God commanded but instead asks, “How can I go?” concerned that “Saul will hear about it and kill me." Samuel, a man who has shown such a devout faith in the Lord, now allows his mournful mindset to skew his trust. Why would God send him to Jesse and allow a king he has rejected to kill him? That wouldn’t make any sense…and yet, Samuel had the concern. Actually, I believe this was nothing short of Satan trying to keep Samuel from fulfilling God’s purpose…just like he does to us today. And Satan was succeeding…at least until God reassured Samuel and got him moving forward.

We read where the Lord tells Samuel, “Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.' Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for me the one I indicate." Samuel didn’t need to worry about what to do when called to go to Jesse. He only needed to go because the Lord was going to show him what to do. And finally, that’s exactly what he did…doing “what the Lord said.”

Friends, the Lord isn’t saying in the passage that we shouldn’t mourn or feel badly when life’s circumstances come against us. Remorse and sadness are natural human emotions. But the Lord doesn’t expect us to wallow in our problems but to turn to Him, get over them and get going…because He has a plan and purpose for us beyond our negative circumstance…just as He did for Samuel.

Question: Where are you this very moment? Are you at a place in your life where you need to get over it and get going?

If so, the Lord is awaiting you…to bring you peace…to bring you comfort…to bring you love…and to bring you a purpose that will get you back on your feet and experiencing joy in your life again.

All you need to do is get over it and get going.

What are you waiting for?

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it.

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