TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 10-11 & Psalm 11-12

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 10- Selective Service

1 Samuel 10:6
“Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man.”

Saul was first chosen by God, then equipped for service. This seems to be a pattern. Saul, along with Moses, Jeremiah, and Peter, all resisted the idea of being selected for service by God. Their objections stemmed from a realization of their own shortcomings. What they failed to realize, was God would equip them for whatever He called them to do.

We often have the same objections. We size ourselves up, and limit the ways God can use us. Then we sense a stirring from… Read More
1 Samuel 11- Anger Aroused

1 Samuel 11:6
“Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused.”

Saul heard news that the Ammonites had surrounded Jabesh Gilead and were threatening the lives of the people. His reaction to the news was that his anger was aroused. Rather than this being rebuked we are told that his emotional state was a result of the moving of the Spirit. We do not usually associate anger with the leading of the Spirit. Most often when I am angry I am asking the Holy Spirit to help me calm down, but… Read More
Psalm 11- Flee To The Mountains

Psalms 11:1
“How can you say to my soul,’Flee as a bird to your mountain’”?

Life hurls a vast array of difficulties at the child of God. We are struck with the common problems of every man, as well as those that are peculiar to attempting to follow Jesus, in the midst of ever increasing ungodliness. The question we are faced with is, where will we flee for safety, guidance and solace when struck by the trials of life? David thought it utterly preposterous to think of fleeing to the mountains for aid. To him, it… Read More

Psalm 12- Help!

Psalms 12:1
“Help, Lord, for the godly man ceases!
For the faithful disappear from among the sons of men.”

Have you ever been in a situation where you were forced to cry for help? A good friend of mine told me a story of a time when he was cutting tree branches to make some extra cash. He leaned his extension ladder against the tree, climbed to the top, reached up and cut a large branch. As soon as the branch was cut, the tree shifted and the ladder fell. Reacting quickly, he was able to grab another limb… Read More

1 Samuel 11:6
“Then the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard this news, and his anger was greatly aroused.”

Saul heard news that the Ammonites had surrounded Jabesh Gilead and were threatening the lives of the people. His reaction to the news was that his anger was aroused. Rather than this being rebuked we are told that his emotional state was a result of the moving of the Spirit. We do not usually associate anger with the leading of the Spirit. Most often when I am angry I am asking the Holy Spirit to help me calm down, but in this case anger was the only proper reaction.

There are things that should produce in us a godly rage. When we hear of innocent lives being taken at the hands of self willed men, or believers being beheaded or children being indoctrinated by terrorist organizations or anti-God programs being instituted within our our own government we should be angry. In these cases we might expect the Spirit of God to arouse our anger. The important thing to keep in mind is that we cannot let our anger influence us to misbehave or to fight the wrong battles. Not long ago I heard a well intentioned preacher declare that the greatest enemies of the church were Islamic extremists and liberal fascists. As his message continued he made the unbelieving world look more like the enemy of the church than its mission field.

Years later the apostle Paul had an experience similar to that of king Saul. As he entered into the city of Athens we read;

Acts 17:16-17
Now while Paul waited for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him when he saw that the city was given over to idols. Therefore he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and with the Gentile worshipers, and in the marketplace daily with those who happened to be there.

Paul saw the spiritual condition in Athens and his spirit was provoked (this is a word that can mean to have anger aroused within). His response was not to look upon the Athenians as the enemy but more like prisoners of war who were held captive by their faulty views of God. As a result Paul began to meet the people where they lived and share the truth of Christ with them.

When the Spirit of God provokes anger within us let’s be sure to act appropriately by looking for ways to bring the gospel to the world around us.

Pastor Jim

 

TODAY’S DAILY READING: 1 Samuel 8-9 & Psalm 9-10

Old Testament: 1 Samuel 8- The Way I Am Feeling

1 Samuel 8:6
“But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us., So Samuel prayed to the Lord.”

Samuel was given some very bad news. He was informed that the people no longer wanted to be governed by God, and personal responsibility, but wanted to have a king to lead them. We read, their actions displeased Samuel and his displeasure drove him to pray. It was in prayer that he was able to hear the word of the Lord… Read More

1 Samuel 9- Great Expectation

1 Samuel 9:23

”And Samuel said to the cook, ‘Bring the portion which I gave you, of which I said to you, “Set it apart.”‘”

The intersection where Samuel and Saul meet is a crossroad between two fascinating story lines. Saul, the son of a wealthy and loving father, was commissioned to search out three stray donkeys. As they wandered through the land, they were divinely directed to the land of Zuph where they… Read More

Psalm 9- Trust

Psalms 9:10
“And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; For You, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek You.”

A few years back I was teaching in a Bible school in Ghana on the subject of trust. I invited one of the students to come forward and asked him to put his arms at his side, close his eyes, and face the class. He had no difficulty doing what I asked until I added, “now remain stiff as a board and fall backwards.” He immediately opened his eyes, turned around, and looked at me as… Read More

Psalm 10- Consider God

Psalms 10:4
“The wicked in his proud countenance does not seek God; God is in none of his thoughts.”

The Psalmist points out at least four characteristics of the wicked. First, he declares that they do not think about God. One of the surest ways to live a life that pleases the Lord is to consider Him before you act. If you take the time to ask yourself, “What does God think about this?” you will find that you begin to make better and wiser decisions.

Psalms 10:5 “His ways are always… Read More