16 May ESOCS Devotional
TEXT: 1 SAMUEL 8:1-22
MEMORY VERSE:
“Samuel was displeased with their request for a king; so he prayed to the LORD, and the LORD said to him…. You are not the one they have rejected; I am the one they have rejected as their king.” 1 Samuel 8:6-7 GNV
God desires that those who rely on him should not conform to the manner the worldly people approach life. But that by the enablement of the Holy Spirit, we should be transformed and adapt to the Christ-like approach to life (Rom. 12).
We have had in history men who lived and walked according to the will and plan of God in their life. In some cases, these men are able to leave behind, a legacy and their descendants become true disciples of what they represented. We should pray that our children should become disciples of Christ, and walk in His ways, as we do. However, for Samuel, his children did not follow the plan of God and the desire of their father that they become good and better judges for Israel – the people of God. May we never find ourselves in this situation! In verses 1-3 of our text, we read, “When Samuel grew old, he made his sons judges in Israel… But they did not follow their father’s example; they were interested only in making money, so they accepted bribes and did not decide cases honestly.”
Self-serving attitude rather than the will of God is one key evil that has permeated the Church today. No doubt, the missionary drive in our society today is motivated by the quest for material things. Men of God now consider how much money they could make at the expense of how many souls that could be for Christ. As the children of Samuel did, sin is pampered in the Church because some Pastors are more interested in making money.
Read yesterday’s ESOCS Devotional here
No matter what the condition is for you or the Church where you superintend, we should not neglect the desire of God for the Church and us. We should be conscious of God’s will, mandate, and commission for us, and not be swayed by the deception and allurements of the world. We must avoid taking decision in the business of God in our lives and in the life of the Church without asking and knowing the will of God. This was the error of the people of Israel in our text. The fact that the children of Samuel failed was not in the eyes of God a reason enough for Israel to want to be like the sinful gentile nations. Hear them in verse 4-5: “Then all the leaders in Israel met … went to Samuel …. and said to him, “Look, you are getting old and your sons don’t follow your examples, so then appoint a king to rule over us, so that we will have a king as other countries have.”
Beloved, God is pleased when we allow Him to practically rule over the affairs of our lives both individually and as a Church. This is the hallmark of becoming a born again Christian (Psalm 23). The choice by the leaders of Israel to be like other nations displeased Samuel, and was condemned by God. In verses 6 and 7, we read thus, “Samuel was displeased with their request for a king; so he prayed to the LORD, and the LORD said to him…. you are not the one they have rejected; I am the one they have rejected as their king.” See also verses 8-22. Let us therefore, rely on God in every aspect of our lives. The Lord is our shepherd.
CHALLENGES: Do you agree that as a believer, God has a plan for you?
16 May ESOCS Devotional – PRAYER POINT : Oh Lord, I rely on you to lead me on the path that you have set for me, in Jesus name! Amen.
FURTHER READING: 1 Samuel 9:1-12; Revelation 8:1–13; 9:1-16
