Are you a proud or humble servant of the Lord?
13 Apr 26
Today's devotional: taken from YouVersion, Devotions on F.I.R.E. Year One
Readings:
1 Samuel 13
1 Samuel 14
Luke 14:1-24
For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted (Luke 14:11).
Are you a proud or humble servant of the Lord?
We are introduced to a humble Saul. He doesn’t boast to his uncle that he is chosen king when his uncle inquires about his time with Samuel (1 Samuel 10:16). Next, he is found hiding when the Lord reveals to the people that he is Israel’s king (1 Samuel 10:21-23). The humility quickly turns to hubris. Saul disobeys the command of Samuel and offers a sacrifice that he is not qualified to give (1 Samuel 13:9). Samuel rebukes him, saying, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God” (1 Samuel 13:13). Later he disobeys again by not obliterating the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15). Subsequently, the wise Samuel exposes Saul’s fatal flaw by pointing out to the king “when you were little in your own eyes” (1 Samuel 15:17).
Employment Point: Serve God humbly now for future exaltation.
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Reflections
“Some Hebrews even crossed the Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead. Saul remained at Gilgal, and all the troops with him were quaking with fear. He waited seven days, the time set by Samuel; but Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and Saul’s men began to scatter. So he said, “Bring me the burnt offering and the fellowship offerings.” And Saul offered up the burnt offering.”1 Samuel 13:7-9 NIV
- this is like a test. Have you had moments where the Lord told you something with a set timeline but he has yet to answer and you just start to panic because you know what to do since the time is up?
- What Saul did may be something understandable, something that is common in this world but what the Lord wants is someone who waits upon the Lord and not act till He says.
- Remember Abraham when the Lord asked him to sacrifice his son? The angel of the Lord only responded when he raised his knife to kill him. Sometimes we have to wait till the very end to see God’s hands in situations.
Father thank You for the reminder that Your timing is perfect. Help us not to be anxious while in waiting but just lay in obedience and do the things You want us to do. Help us never to give up praying for we know that You hear us. May Lord in Your mercy, hear our prayers. 🙏🏻
“Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us. If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them. But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.””
1 Samuel 14:8-10 NIV
- when we do not know what the future holds, sometimes it is situations like these that reminded us that the Lord is with us, when we seek the Lord and ask for His confirmation before we act. It is our faith that saves. The Lord that saves. Never our own intelligence or skills. All these are given by the Lord to bless others and not ourselves.
“Saul therefore said, “Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today. As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if the guilt lies with my son Jonathan, he must die.” But not one of them said a word.”1 Samuel 14:38-39 NIV
- Saul said this not knowing that Jonathan had sinned and he was eventually found out to have broken the rule that was set as he tasted food.
- This is a reminder to us whether good intentions or not, we ought to speak with care and after careful deliberation, speak with love and not make any oaths that we may regret later on. The mouth is something we can guard so guard it well.
“But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.””Luke 14:10-11 NIV
- it may not be wedding dinners. It can be anything. You will definitely have come across situations where you can choose a place to sit in various settings. For example, during trainings, seminars, cell groups, etc. What seat will you choose? Will you choose a seat that is convenient to you, has the best view, unblocked, near the speaker, easy to move out, etc.? Will you choose the unpopular seat, for example a seat that is back facing so you need to turn in order to face the speaker, or you rather someone else take those seats? Will you move in to the centre so that people who come later than you has seats and is easier for them to get seated instead of saying excuse me in order to move in.
- In my personal opinion, we should inconvenience ourselves so as not to inconvenience others so that we do not feel self-entitled. Perhaps something we can think about.
“But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.””
Luke 14:13-14 NIV
- it is a blessing to be able to give and not expect anything in return. The Lord loves a cheerful giver.
“Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.’ “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.’”
Luke 14:16-18 NIV
- i see this as setting our priorities right. Lord first, anything else second. When the time has come, we cannot be telling the Lord wait, we want to settle this or that first become we can come. If the calling is now, if He is coming now, then the timing is now. There is no room for waiting for the door will be closed and we will not be able to enter.
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You Who Are Weary and Burdened
BY OSWALD CHAMBERS
April 13
Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. — Matthew 11:28
Are you weary and burdened? The Lord says to come to him, and he will give you rest. Just make sure the burden you are bearing is the right kind of burden. We should never bear the burden of sin or doubt, but at times God places other burdens on us he doesn’t intend to lift. He gives them to us so that we will give them back to him: “Cast your cares on the Lord” (Psalm 55:22).
If we take on work for God and then get out of touch with him, the sense of responsibility is crushing. But if we roll back onto God the burden he’s placed on us, he takes away our sense of responsibility, removing it by bringing in a strong realization of himself.
Many who do God’s work start out with high courage and fine intentions. But if they aren’t in intimate fellowship with Jesus Christ, they are soon overwhelmed. Their cares exhaust them, and their fine beginning comes to a bitter end.
“For my yoke is easy and my burden is light”(Matthew 11:30). You have been bearing it all. Jesus wants to ease the strain. Deliberately put one end of the yoke on his shoulders. Commit to God the burden he has given you. Never disassociate yourself from it; never fling it carelessly away. Instead, put the burden over on God, and yourself beside him. If you do, the sense of companionship you’ll find with your Lord will immediately lighten your load.
WISDOM FROM OSWALD
“I have chosen you” (John 15:16). Keep that note of greatness in your creed. It is not that you have got God, but that He has got you.
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Reflections
It is rather common for us to get burnt out. It is more so for me especially before I become a Christian. The heavy responsibilities, feeling accountable to others, the things we felt must be finished before day ends, the tight or almost impossible deadlines, the last minute requests, etc., etc. Singaporeans are typically known for being fast and efficient so that kind of adds on to added stress.
Many a times when the overwhelming feeling comes, every little thing will just annoys me. Temper flares and I am like a “roaring lion”. People will stay away from me cause I am like a hot iron rod and will burn anyone who comes near. Definitely not someone who is warm or loving like how a child of God should be.
Becoming Christian is something very new because it teaches a whole new concept of relying on God. All my life I have only known to rely on people, rely on self, striving to work hard, prove myself, to win praises and a sense of worth. There is pride and a lot of it, which is Christ is something displeasing to His eyes.
I find that personally, to put the burden on God and yoke it together with Him, is more than just surrender. It’s a whole lot of letting go and letting Him. It is acknowledging that we cannot, but He can. It is coming to Him and learning humility. All the pride in us needs to go and He will make sure of it. It takes time, and painful encounters in order to shape us. But I am sure that is all worth it. People around us will probably attest to it and tell you, that you are a changed person.
It doesn’t mean that work is any easier as a Christian. It just means that God is here with us. He is our partner in all things that we do, we are not alone doing the impossible. For if He allows it, He will make it succeed. The stress is not on us, it’s all on Him. We just need to walk alongside Him and move along in pace with Him.
Think of any close co-workers that worked alongside you. Jesus is one such co-worker. Only when we can work closely together will we be able to develop this intimate relationship with Him.
Let’s pray:
Father, thank You for taking care of all our needs, our cares and our concerns. It is with You that we can safely tell You anything that is troubling us and You will understand. You know our hearts and everything else and You guide us through all challenges and mountains that we are to climb, reminding us that we are never alone. Thank You LORD, for Your blessings, Your love and Your willingness to take our burden with us, so we can have our rests. We appreciate You Abba Father and we praise You. In Jesus’s most precious and loving name we pray. Amen 🙏🏻
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