Overview of: 1 SAMUELToday's Reading:
1 Samuel 3:1-21
"God Calls Samuel"
Focus Verses: 1 Samuel 3:17-19
17 "What was it he said to you?" Eli asked. "Do not hide it from me. May God deal with you, be it ever so severely, if you hide from me anything he told you." 18 So Samuel told him everything, hiding nothing from him. Then Eli said, "He is the LORD; let him do what is good in his eyes." 19 The LORD was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of his words fall to the ground.
Insight:
The very first call God gives to Samuel is to speak a prophetic word of condemnation to Eli the priest about the sin of his sons. From the very start of his ministry, Samuel learned that service to God would require the boldness to confront sin and to speak the truth. Whether it was to Eli, the old priest who had raised him from boyhood, or to Saul, the powerful first king of Israel, Samuel was called to point people to righteousness, integrity, and devotion to God.
Response and Action:
God's call for my life requires that I have the boldness to recognize sin and to confront it. This begins with my own life and my own family. While I am not in a position to judge or condemn others, neither am I in a position to turn a blind eye to sin and unrighteousness. God calls his people to encourage, confront, and challenge each other. He calls us to speak the truth in love and to do so in a way that saves, redeems, and restores. I will do my best to live with integrity and walk in God's ways. I will do all I can to help my family and friends do the same.
O God, teach me to walk in your ways and to love you with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Help me to encourage others to do the same. Show me the best ways to confront, support, admonish, challenge, and spur those around me to love you and follow you with undivided hearts. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.
Proverb for Today: Prov. 14:27
"The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death."
New Testament for Today: Galatians 6:1
1 Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.
In Context: Galatians 6:1-10
Recommended Reading:
Restoring the Fallen: A Team Approach to Caring, Confronting & Reconciling
by Sandy Wilson, Paul Friesen, Virginia Friesen, Larry Paulson, Nancy Paulson, Earl D. Wilson
