What's More Important?
Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:22-23
"What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?cListen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.cSo because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king."
Samuel gave Saul explicit instructions from the Lord (vs. 15:3) to completely wipe out the Amalekites and kill every living thing in sight. But during the battle, Saul and his men failed to kill the king and saved the best of the flocks and herds for themselves. Somewhere that day Saul decided that surely God wouldn't mind if he only completed 95% of the job. As far as all the people were concerned, Saul had been very successful as king based on the results they could see. On the outside Saul looked successful, had great military success, and even had God's anointing and favor. But somewhere along the way he started making excuses for his actions and began substituting his will for God's. But Samuel quickly informed Saul later that day that not only did God see things differently, but that no excuse is ever good enough not to obey Him and that there was nothing more important in the world to Him than obedience. Saul's redepeated disobedience was evidence that his heart was more loyal to himself rather than God (vs. 10).
Application:
Most of the time we genuinely desire to please God. But there is always a real danger to obey God when it's convenient for us and come up with a long list of excuses of why we did not obey when it's not. The moment we begin factoring in our own preference, opinions, or personal comfort into whether or not we will obey God, we set ourselves up for spiritual failure. We also have a tendency to think that just because we aren't experiencing any immediate consequences that God isn't really paying much attention to the details (our motives, attitudes, and unseen actions). But Scripture reminds us that God is in the details and that He sees not only our hearts but our actions and holds us personally responsible for both. Bottom line: God would rather us forego all the religious offerings in the world than to attempt substituting anything for simple obedience to His commands.
Prayer:
Father, examine our hearts today and show us anywhere where we are making excuses for disobeying Your commands. Keep us from substituting our will for Yours and help us to put loyalty to You above everything else we do.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
"What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?cListen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. 23 Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.cSo because you have rejected the command of the Lord, he has rejected you as king."
Samuel gave Saul explicit instructions from the Lord (vs. 15:3) to completely wipe out the Amalekites and kill every living thing in sight. But during the battle, Saul and his men failed to kill the king and saved the best of the flocks and herds for themselves. Somewhere that day Saul decided that surely God wouldn't mind if he only completed 95% of the job. As far as all the people were concerned, Saul had been very successful as king based on the results they could see. On the outside Saul looked successful, had great military success, and even had God's anointing and favor. But somewhere along the way he started making excuses for his actions and began substituting his will for God's. But Samuel quickly informed Saul later that day that not only did God see things differently, but that no excuse is ever good enough not to obey Him and that there was nothing more important in the world to Him than obedience. Saul's redepeated disobedience was evidence that his heart was more loyal to himself rather than God (vs. 10).
Application:
Most of the time we genuinely desire to please God. But there is always a real danger to obey God when it's convenient for us and come up with a long list of excuses of why we did not obey when it's not. The moment we begin factoring in our own preference, opinions, or personal comfort into whether or not we will obey God, we set ourselves up for spiritual failure. We also have a tendency to think that just because we aren't experiencing any immediate consequences that God isn't really paying much attention to the details (our motives, attitudes, and unseen actions). But Scripture reminds us that God is in the details and that He sees not only our hearts but our actions and holds us personally responsible for both. Bottom line: God would rather us forego all the religious offerings in the world than to attempt substituting anything for simple obedience to His commands.
Prayer:
Father, examine our hearts today and show us anywhere where we are making excuses for disobeying Your commands. Keep us from substituting our will for Yours and help us to put loyalty to You above everything else we do.
Daily Bible Reading Plan
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