April 2 1 Samuel 15-17 & 1 Cor. 12:12-31

Words about you that you do not want to hear from God, “I regret…” Saul did not listen or follow what the Lord asked of him. He thought he could interpret or choose to ignore Samuel’s God-given words. Whatever the reason good or bad, we are not God. Therefore, it is imperative that we listen to and follow His commands. Samuel goes on to say in 1 Sam 15:22, “…Obedience is better than sacrifice, to listen, better than the fat of rams…” May we learn now to listen to God’s words with an open heart and mind and do his will, not ours. As Samuel searches out the sons of Jesse in 1 Sam 16:7b God says, “God does not see as a mortal, who sees the appearance. The LORD looks into the heart.” What does the Lord see when he looks into your heart? With the choice of David, we have another opportunity to understand that we don’t understand. The firstborn in Israel is to be the one dedicated to the service of God. God’s ways are too immense and encompassing for us to know, but as we open our lives to God, he will show us day by day the path of life.

Another passage of Scripture that is easy to remember the citation reference is 1 Cor.12:12, “As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ.” If we take this to heart, we will be well on the way to following Christ. We need one another; we need to understand WE are ONE. Looking from space at our little blue ball certainly lends the perspective that we need to share and help each other. Together not individually we are Christ’s. As the God of the Old Testament was the God of Israel not the God of each individual Israelite, so too do we need to allow room in our lives for all God’s people – ALL!