IT TAKES HONOR TO GET HONOR

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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

Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the Lord says: 'Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father's house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? I chose your father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your father's house all the offerings made with fire by the Israelites. Why do you scorn My sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for My dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than Me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?'“

"Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that your house and your father's house would minister before Me forever.' But now the Lord declares: 'Far be it from Me! Those who honor Me I will honor, but those who despise Me will be disdained. The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father's house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line and you will see distress in My dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man. Every one of you that I do not cut off from My altar will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life.’

'And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you — they will both die on the same day. I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in My heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before My anointed one always. Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a crust of bread and plead, "Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat."'"

1 Samuel 2:27-36

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

Within our study of the second chapter of 1 Samuel, we have read about the wicked escapades of Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas…about how they had no regard for the Lord and treated His sacrifices with contempt…about how they displayed shameless sexual immorality around the holy Tent of Meeting by sleeping with women at its entrance. We have also read how Eli scolded his sons and warned them that there were dangerous consequences attached to willfully sinning against the Lord.

In today’s message, we see where Eli’s words come to pass as the Lord passes His judgment, not only on Hophni and Phinehas but Eli too.

First, we find God speaking to Eli through a man which is commonplace when He wants to send a message for He typically communicates by way of a messenger or sometimes in the form of a vision or dream. In the first paragraph of God’s message, we see how He reminds Eli of what He has done in the past to appoint spiritual leaders for His people. In this case, it was the establishment of a high priest, clearly revealing Himself to Eli’s “father's house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh” and later choosing Eli’s father “out of all the tribes of Israel to be (His) priest…to go up to (His) altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in (His) presence.” Further, God had given Eli’s “father's house all the offerings made with fire by the Israelites”. This “father” mentioned was none other than Aaron, the brother of Moses and the very first appointed high priest. A high priest himself, Eli was carrying on the legacy of many Levites who served before him.

Well, after God finished reminding Eli about what He had done in the past and then telling him how he (Eli) had also been appointed to his place of honor, He asked the following questions, wondering how Eli could have allowed the priesthood to be so desecrated on his watch:

“Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling?”

“Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?“

Now, before we start to wonder who God would condemn Eli for the sinful actions of his sons, we need to keep in mind that there’s no evidence in the scriptures that he had done anything to stop Hophni and Phinehas from doing what they were doing. This made him complicit in their acts and so we find the Lord holding him just as accountable as them.

Perhaps there’s a warning here for all parents who might feel free from God’s consequences for the actions of their children, even though they were fully aware of what was happening and chose not to intervene. The takeaway for us is that the Lord expects us to act when we see people openly sinning against Him. We’re not to simply look the other way or allow the sinful behavior to continue like it’s not our problem as Eli did. When it comes right down to it, condoning transgressive behavior is akin to partnering with the sinners yourself. It’s this message that we find God sending loud and clear.

And so what would the end result be from all this? What consequences would result from the actions of Eli’s sons and Eli’s inaction?

God answers these questions in the remainder of the verses of chapter 2. There, we read where God intended on removing Eli’s right to serve Him…and his families right as well. For although God had “promised that (Eli’s) house and (his) father's (Aaron) house would minister before (Him) forever”, He would remove that promise from Eli, vowing to “cut short (his) strength and the strength of (his) father's (Aaron) house, so that there (would) not be an old man in (Eli’s) family line”.

The family line of high priests under Eli’s lineage was going to end with every descendant either “cut off from (God’s) altar” or spared only so their eyes might be blinded with tears and their hearts grieved. In the end, all of Eli’s descendants would “die in the prime of life” with his “two sons, Hophni and Phinehas” dying “on the same day”.

So who would serve the priesthood after Eli?

Well, God answered that question as well telling Eli that He would “raise up…a faithful priest” to “do according to what is in My heart and mind”. God required that His servants be obedient and partner with Him in like-minded fashion. And so His newly selected and appointed priest, the Lord promised to “firmly establish his house” so he could “minister before My anointed one always”.

As for Eli’s family members, “everyone left in (his) family line (would) come and bow down before (the new priest)”, asking “for a piece of silver and a crust of bread” while pleading, "Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat."

Indeed, hard times were ahead for Eli and his family…and the sad part of all this is that it never had to be that way. It was all completely preventable.

Friends, we need to wake up now to the fact that God despises sin and will not tolerate willing disobedience and disrespect. He is GOD…and in absolute authority and sovereignty over all things in Heaven and on earth. He is an almighty, infinitely powerful God who has no rival. He is not someone who is to be disregarded or disrespected. Rather, He is a God who is to be revered, worshipped, and honored always…now and forever…a God who said this in our passage today:

“Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise Me will be disdained.”

In other words, one must first honor God to be honored by Him. Eli and his sons chose to dishonor him and received His wrath and punishment. Let’s make sure we don’t repeat their mistake ourselves.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

WHO WILL INTERCEDE?

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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

Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the Lord's people. If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?"

His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the Lord’s will to put them to death.

And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the Lord and with men.

1 Samuel 2:22-26

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

Thus far in the Book of 1 Samuel, we have seen where a once barren woman named Hannah made a special vow to the Lord to dedicate a son to Him if she were given the opportunity to give birth. God blessed her as requested and in return, Hannah made good on her promise, bringing her son Solomon and turning him over to the care of the high priest Eli who kept a watchful eye on the boy as he grew up, gaining “stature” and “favor with the Lord” and men.

Unfortunately, Eli’s two sons, the priests named Hophni and Phinehas, were anything but in good standing with the Lord because of their sinful behavior. Earlier in this chapter, we saw where they deliberately violated the Lord’s guidelines for handling sacrifices with the scriptures telling us they had “no regard for the Lord” (verse 12). In today’s passage, we read where they also “slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting”, sexual promiscuity and immorality that was strictly prohibited.

To make matters even worse, their transgressions weren’t done privately. Rather, their sin was obviously well known for their father Eli “heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel”. Imagine how embarrassing and humiliating this had to be for a man who was the top spiritual leader of the Israelite people. We see his frustration boil over when he confronts his wicked sons, saying:

"Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the Lord's people. If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?"

Indeed, a person’s actions establish their reputation and that reputation not only reflects on them but too often on those who are acquainted as well, particularly parents. And so the actions of Eli’s sons not only brought discredit upon them but on Eli as well, definitely violating God’s command to honor one’s father and mother (Exodus 20:12), Unfortunately, neither Hophni and Phinehas cared about that because it was obvious that they were only interested in honoring and pleasing themselves.

As we go back to Eli’s rebuke, we can feel his deep love and concern for his sons as he still sought to instill some reason in them, sharing words of wisdom within a sharp warning. For who would be able to intercede for them when the Lord came to confront? No mere man could stand in the gap to help ward off God’s punishment, even a man as holy as Eli.

You know, I’m afraid that too many people in the world today sin openly before the same Lord of Old Testament times and stand in the exact place that Hophni and Phinehas were…transgressors with no one who could qualify as a suitable intercessor when God came to bring His judgment.

The truth of the matter is that every single human being is destined for Hell unless they find someone who can intercede for them, someone who can save them from the wrath of God.

So who would be acceptable to the Lord to serve as an interceder?

There is only One who can and His name is Jesus. Here’s what we find in the scriptures of the Old Testament regarding Him within the words of the prophet Isaiah:

He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him.

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces He was despised, and we esteemed Him not. Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted.

But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth.

By oppression and judgment He was taken away. And who can speak of his descendants? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people He was stricken.

He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in His death, though He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth.

Yet it was the Lord's will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand.

After the suffering of His soul, He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge my righteous Servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities.

Therefore I will give Him a portion among the great, and He will divide the spoils with the strong, because He poured out His life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 56:2-12

Of course, Isaiah is prophesying about none other than God’s only Son, Jesus, who would come to bear the sins of all mankind and then intercede for the same transgressors that He died for. Through His intercession, Jesus justifies those who repent, believe in Him as Savior, and commit to turn from their sinful ways. Through that justification, he makes the sinner just as if they had never sinned.

Indeed, for those who are in and of Jesus…those who have placed their belief and trust in Him with all their heart, the day of judgment when standing before the God will be a day of pardon as Jesus steps into the gap and let’s His Father know that He has already paid the penalty. This will be affirmed because that person’s name will be written in the Lamb’s book of life (Revelation 3:5, 20:15).

Friends, this is what makes the Gospel what it literally is…good news. For every person who places their trust in Jesus will not perish but gain everlasting life (John 3:16), all because of the awesome mercy and grace of God the Father who made the way so that no sinner need perish. Through His Son, and only through Him…the great and holy Intercessor of all, a believer gets to come to God forever (John 14:6).

Before I close, picture now the scene that would occur when a sinner came before God without Jesus. For rejecting Him in life results in God’s rejection at the final judgment, a rejection that commits the sinner to Hell forever. This is the path that Eli’s sons had chosen for we read where they “did not listen to their father's rebuke” and, in turn, “it was the Lord’s will to put them to death”.

So the question for you today as you read this is simple:

Who will intercede for you when the time comes for you to stand before God and be accountable for your actions in life?

My prayer is that the answer is simple because you already have placed your belief in Jesus but if you haven’t, I urge you right now to make today the day of your salvation as you give your heart and soul to your Maker and Master. Don’t die without the only true Intercessor, the only One who can bring you to Heaven and save you from Hell. Trust me when I say it’s a decision you’ll never regret.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com. 

OUR GRACIOUS BLESSER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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

But Samuel was ministering before the Lord  - a boy wearing a linen ephod. Each year, his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord."

Then they would go home.

And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she conceived and gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.

1 Samuel 2:18-21

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

Being gracious.

It involves an action that is marked by love, kindness or compassion…mercy, courtesy, or generosity of spirit…or any combination of these.

As we looked at the story of Hannah, we saw it punctuated early on by a spirit of despair and depression as she found herself barren and under verbal attack from her husband’s other wife who had already bore him children. The scriptures told us that her emotional distress became so severe that she refused to eat and wept uncontrollably before she turned to the Lord and made the following oath:

"O Lord Almighty, if you will only look upon your servant's misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” 1 Samuel 1:11

In response to this, we know the Lord showed Hannah His love, compassion, mercy, and generosity of spirit as He opened up her womb and allowed her to conceive. She then would give birth to a son who she named Samuel before making good on her promise to “give him to the Lord for all the days of his life”. After Samuel’s three year weaning period had ended, we read where she turned Samuel over to the care of Eli, the high priest, where he would remain.

With this recap in place, we see in today’s scripture passage where Samuel did very well under the tutelage of Eli, “ministering before the Lord” while wearing a “linen ephod” (an apron worn for special rites). Unlike Eli’s own sons, Samuel was obedient to the Lord and served Him with respect and regard while at the “house of the Lord in Shiloh”. There, we read where his father and mother came regularly to offer their annual sacrifice and while there, Hannah would also bring Samuel a special robe that she had made especially for him.

Note where her actions did not go unnoticed for Eli recognized the love that Hannah had for not only her son but the Lord as well, wishing special blessings on her and Elkanah, saying:

“May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord."

And with that, we see where the Lord heard Eli’s words and responded…graciously for the scriptures tell us that Hannah conceived again, just not once but five more times giving “birth to three sons and two daughters” all while Samuel continued to grow up “in the presence of the Lord”. Hannah may have surrendered her firstborn son to God but she gained an abundance in return for her faithful sacrifice.

The good news for us today is that God still is the same gracious Blesser that He was back in Hannah’s time. Here are some excerpts from the Word of God that speak to how He blesses us:

1. God blesses us graciously through His compassion.

…the Lord longs to be gracious to you; He rises to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Isaiah 30:18

These words from the prophet Isaiah proclaim the Lord is a God of justice. As such, He is free to dole out pardon or penalty, depending on what He sees fit given the presiding circumstances.

Considering that we are all sinners (Romans 3:23) and the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), we can see that things wouldn’t be looking good for any person who would stand before a God who despises sin at the time of judgment. Thankfully, we serve a God who is graciously compassionate, so much so that He send His Son Jesus to die as an atoning sacrifice so that anyone who believed in Him would be pardoned. It’s this hope that allows a Christian believer to live in peace and hope every single day as they seek to carry out the will and way of the Father, knowing that although they may still sin, forgiveness and mercy are only one repentant prayer away.

2. God blesses graciously through His loving goodness.

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; He has compassion on all He has made. Psalm 145:8-9

What a blessing it is to know we serve a God who is good to us, not to just a chosen few but to all He has made.

Unfortunately, we tend to take this for granted in life and instead of just being thankful, choose to covet more. Today and every day, let us step back and take time to account for all the many ways that God blesses us each and every day…for it’s then and only then that we can truly appreciate just how gracious and good He is.

3. God blesses graciously when His face shines upon us.

May God be gracious to us and bless us and make His face shine upon us, Selah, that Your ways may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations. Psalm 67:1-2

We find favor with God when we stay obedient to His Word, will, and way. Hannah certainly was and, in return, she experienced the blessings that come when God’s face shines upon someone He is pleased with.

Like Hannah, we should ever seek to turn to God in times of trouble, willing to sacrifice for Him just as He has sacrificed for us. Hannah gave her only son at the time to God and later, God would shine His face upon His people, willingly giving up His one and only Son Jesus to make His “salvation known among all nations” so that we could be saved.

And this leads to one of the final ways we find God being a gracious Blesser:

4. God blessed us graciously when He sent His Son, Jesus.

What, then, shall we say in response to this?

If God is for us, who can be against us?

He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things? Romans 8:31-32

Here, in Paul’s letter to the Romans, we are reminded that God’s greatest display of graciousness, mercy, and love came when He sent His one and only Son, Jesus, from Heaven to earth so to live and die for us. In doing so, we see how the God who created us…the almighty, infinitely powerful Lord of the universe who can do anything without us…still decided to save sinners like us by sacrificing all He had.

Given this, shouldn’t we also graciously give God everything we have in return?

Friends, I pray that we will never take God’s goodness for granted for He graciously shows us His deep love and lavishes us with blessings daily. I also wish this upon anyone reading this message today, echoing these words found in the Book of Numbers:

The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn His face toward you and give you peace. 6:24-26

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GIVING THE LORD OUR REGARD

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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

Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest.

Eli's sons were wicked men; they had no regard for the Lord.

Now it was the practice of the priests with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand. He would plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot, and the priest would take for himself whatever the fork brought up. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. But even before the fat was burned, the servant of the priest would come and say to the man who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, but only raw."

If the man said to him, "Let the fat be burned up first, and then take whatever you want," the servant would then answer, "No, hand it over now; if you don't, I'll take it by force."

This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord's sight, for they were treating the Lord's offering with contempt.

1 Samuel 2:11-17

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

After Hannah delivered her special prayer captured in the opening verses of 1 Samuel, chapter 2, we find her and her husband, Elkanah returning home after leaving their son, Samuel, behind to minister “before the Lord under” the tutelage of Eli the priest.

As we will see, Samuel will grow up as a faithful, dedicated servant of the Lord, so much so that he would be appointed as the final judge of Israel. Unfortunately, this was the polar opposite of how Eli’s own two sons turned out for the scriptures described them as “wicked men” who had “no regard for the Lord” and then showed an example to validate that assertion.

For we read where “it was the practice of the priests (Eli’s sons) with the people that whenever anyone offered a sacrifice and while the meat was being boiled, the servant of the priest would come with a three-pronged fork” and “plunge it into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot”, taking “for himself whatever the fork brought up”. This was in direct violation of the Mosaic Law which set forth the following guidance in the Book of Leviticus:

The Lord said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites: 'Anyone who brings a fellowship offering to the Lord is to bring part of it as his sacrifice to the Lord. With his own hands he is to bring the offering made to the Lord by fire; he is to bring the fat, together with the breast, and wave the breast before the Lord as a wave offering. The priest shall burn the fat on the altar, but the breast belongs to Aaron and his sons. You are to give the right thigh of your fellowship offerings to the priest as a contribution. The son of Aaron who offers the blood and the fat of the fellowship offering shall have the right thigh as his share. From the fellowship offerings of the Israelites, I have taken the breast that is waved and the thigh that is presented and have given them to Aaron the priest and his sons as their regular share from the Israelites.'"

This is the portion of the offerings made to the Lord by fire that were allotted to Aaron and his sons on the day they were presented to serve the Lord as priests. On the day they were anointed, the Lord commanded that the Israelites give this to them as their regular share for the generations to come. Leviticus 7:28-36

Note here that there was a specific portion allotted for the priests (the breast) and the fat was to be burned on the altar. But Eli’s sons had no regard for the Lord, remember? They didn’t care what He said and instead did whatever they wanted to do. And so they would take whatever meat that the fork would bring out of the boiling pot or, even worse, demand raw meat “even before the fat was burned” to roast themselves. Further, anyone who wouldn’t comply with their demands or would challenge what they asked for would receive threats of force.

Indeed, the sin of Eli’s sons was “very great in the Lord's sight” because they “were treating the Lord's offering with contempt” and acting in direct disobedience to Him in the process. They had grown up under the priestly guidance of their godly father Eli so there was little question that they knew what was and wasn’t acceptable in the Lord’s sight. And yet despite this, they still chose to go their own way, seeking to satisfy their own will over God’s.

You know, as we study this passage, I think we can have a real tendency to look down on Eli’s two sons with contempt but maybe we should pause for a moment before condemning, considering these self-reflecting questions:

How many times have we been directly disobedient to God’s will and/or Word?

How many times have we failed to give the Lord our regard, acknowledging that He is Almighty and Powerful…the source of all our strength for living?

How often have we disrespected the Lord by claiming to be Christian and then refusing to live as Christ lived?

If we’re honest, maybe we’re more like Eli’s sons than we want to admit.

The main point I hope we take away from this message today is that displaying proper regard for the Lord requires a person to honor Him with every part of their lives, ensuring that everything they do brings glory to His almighty Name.

With this, we need to always be in self assessment mode, ensuring that we are living in ways that meet God’s expectations and are pleasing in His sight. My prayer is that we would be able to echo this praise-filled proclamation of the Psalmist who held God in the highest regard when writing:

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever.

The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:7-11

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

OUR ALMIGHTY PROTECTOR AND GUARDIAN

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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

He will guard the feet of His saints, but the wicked will be silenced in darkness.

It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be shattered. He will thunder against them from Heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth.

He will give strength to His king and exalt the horn of His anointed.

1 Samuel 2:9-10

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

Thus far, there have been six messages written from Hannah’s prayer found in 1st Samuel, Chapter 2…messages that have highlighted different reasons to praise God.

Today is the seventh and last message in this series…fitting because the number “seven” is most associated with completeness or perfection in the scriptures, and we certainly do serve a complete and perfect God who is worthy of all our praise and worship…a God who is our almighty Protector and Guardian. We know this because the Bible tells us so.

Looking at our verses for today, we find Hannah proclaiming that the Lord will “guard the feet of His saints” and silence the wicked “in darkness”. In other words, the Lord guards those who have placed their trust in Him, protecting them from the wicked. Indeed, as long as we stay close to God, we can be sure He will be close to us and shield us from danger.

But where we so often get into trouble in life is when we choose to stray away from Him and pursue our own desires. We wander off from the One who is our protector and leave ourselves vulnerable to the attacks of Satan, our enemy. I don’t know about you but I needed to do this a time or two because it was only then that I learned the consequences that come from trying to go my own way instead of walking alongside the Lord for life is hazardous without Him.

Going back to our verses for today, we should note how God will not just protect us but reign supreme over any enemy that might come forward, no matter how powerful they might be. We have already seen this evident in scriptures as God handed over army after army to the Israelites as they battled Canaanite nations in order to gain possession of the Promised Land. Through those accounts, we saw first-hand where strength didn’t prevail as the Lord shattered those who opposed Him and His people, thundering against Israel’s enemies just as He will do against ours.

We also read where our Lord is the Judge of all He created and will eventually give strength to His king…His anointed one who will be David, something we will see as we later in our study of 1st Samuel.

So what should we take away from these verses today as we conclude this series from Hannah’s prayer? What reason do we find to praise Him?

Well, we see that God does indeed look out for those who place their trust in Him… those who believe in Him with steadfast faith and walk in His light, away from the darkness where Satan resides and sin awaits. And walking in the light is right where God wants us to be for it’s there that we can sing out our praises while testifying of His greatness to all we see.

Meanwhile, those who have chosen the path of darkness…those counted among the wicked…find themselves silenced and disempowered. For God and God alone is the source of any real power a person has…and His power will never be invested in the wicked. Rather, He shatters those who choose to oppose Him, doing it in Old Testament times through our present days.

Friends, what an awesome comfort it is to know that we don’t need to be afraid of things in this earthly existence as long as we stay near to the Lord…our almighty Protector and Guardian. And with this sense of freedom and liberation from fear and anxiety, we can go forth and do what He wants us to do…fully in obedience to His will and way…as we serve Him by serving others and seek to make disciples wherever we go.

In and through our Lord, every day is full of opportunities to make a positive, godly difference, protected by Him through it all. Let’s make sure we give Him praise today for that.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE ONE TRUE FOUNDATION

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

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

For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's; upon them He has set the world.

1 Samuel 2:8b

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

Most everything in creation has some foundation to it…something that supports it and keeps it standing.

When we look at a structure, a strong foundation allows that building to keep from collapsing and falling. In looking at anything else, the same principle applies and so there is good news found in our single scripture verse today for we read where “the foundations of the earth” are constructed by none other than the Master Builder, the Lord God Almighty, the Maker of Heaven and earth.

If this wasn’t amazing enough, we need to remember that the Lord created all things in only six days (Genesis 1-2:1)! During that short period of time, He made the foundations of the earth and then “set the world” upon them.

The Lord has also established the foundation for living, a foundation containing base standards that every believer can stand upon to ensued they think, speak, and act in ways that are pleasing in His sight.  

What is that foundation?

None other than Jesus Christ who is the holy, blessed Capstone…the Stone the builders rejected (Psalm 118:22). He (Jesus) the very Son of God who was One with His Father, is the Way and the Truth and the Life, and He is the only One through which anyone can end up in Heaven for an eternal life with Him and the Father. In other words, no one can come to the Father unless they are standing firm on the foundation, the Capstone by which every Christian is built upon.

Indeed, God sent His only Son to live and walk among human beings, teaching them how to live in righteousness and then living that way perfectly while serving as a role model for all believers. This base that all Christians are built upon also instills in them a sense of obedience, selfless service, and unconditional love for everyone.

In other words, Jesus set the foundational standard for every single person who has lived since He did and any true believer builds their life upon Him. They must because we read these words in Paul’s first letter to the church in Corinth:

“…no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 3:11

Friends, the scriptures are clear here. There is no other acceptable way of building…no other foundation than Jesus. The way to salvation follows the same blueprint.

Thankfully, every single Christian who is still alive today is a work in progress for they are continuing to built to God’s expectations while standing firm upon the foundation of His Son. Improvements are made every day to our spiritual structures so we can be best constructed to carry out the will and way of the Father.

As the classic hymn proclaims, “on Christ the solid Rock I stand” so let us give thanks for the Capstone we stand upon, the sure Foundation that never wavers and allows us to stand firm and steady, no matter what this life might bring our way.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE GIVER OF LIFE...NOW AND FOREVER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

** Like posts and send friend requests to the author of The Christian Walk, Mark Cummings on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mark.cummings.733?ref=tn_tnmn

** Become a Follower of The Christian Walk at http://the-christian-walk.blogspot.com

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

“The Lord brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up.”

1 Samuel 2:6

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

Different reasons to praise the Lord God Almighty resonate throughout the prayer of Hannah found in the second chapter if 1 Samuel, a prayer she speaks after dedicating her only son, Samuel, to the Lord under the guardianship of a priest named Eli. As we come to verse 6 in this prayer, we perhaps find the most fundamental reason that we should give the Lord our fullest measure of adoration because it is He that blesses us with life…not just now but for eternity. Look again at her words here:

“The Lord brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up.”

Indeed, the Lord “makes alive” for He is the great Giver of life…the Author of all mankind. We’re only here today because the Lord wished for it to be so. As Christians, we belong to Him and are His children forever, so much so that there will come a day when He will bring an end to this earthly life and our bodies will be brought “down to grave”.

Now, consider that this scripture was written in Old Testament times at the tail end of the period of judges and long before Jesus came on the scene. If these words were a comfort and blessing to people then - knowing the Lord was in complete control - how much more are these words a comfort and blessing to anyone who believes in Jesus as Savior. For God so loved the world that He sent His one and only Son, the One who would walk among the people of earth before dying on the cross at Calvary, raised from the dead by His Father God three days. And after that victory over the grave, Jesus ascended into Heaven where He sits in honor and glory and power at the Father’s right hand. All those who place their faith and trust in Him will receive the same triumph over death and the grave, not perishing but gaining everlasting life (John 3:16).

“The Lord brings death and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up.”

And so the Lord ordains this life we have now and the eternal life to come but in between, He also ordains our opportunity to serve Him and help others come to find their own salvation through Him. It’s to be our life’s work this side of Heaven to help anyone who has not believed in Jesus to receive Him as their personal Savior, knowing that He willingly paid down His life for them and paid the penalty for sin that they deserved.

Friends, let us never cease to send up prayers to the Lord, prayers that fully extend an endless stream of praise and thanksgiving towards the One who is loving and compassionate, the One who makes us alive now and after death comes, the One who is the Giver of life…both in the present and for all eternity.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.