The Simple Life

If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. 1 Samuel 12:14 (ESV)   Success in life is not a mystery. All those who follow God will be successful. The rich, the poor, the sick, and the healthy all have the same responsibility. We are not in charge, and when we act like we are, we quickly become frustrated, angry, and discouraged.   The word "if" is often used in the Scriptures and carries the connotation that we, mankind, have a real choice and, therefore, a real consequence if we make the wrong choice. In our day and age, it seems complicated to define right and wrong, but right and wrong are not ideas; they are facts that, if ignored, lead to many sorrows.   We control very little in life. We were made to be responders, not controllers, and live best when positioned to respond to God and His simple and absolute...

And Samuel said to all the people, "Do you see him whom the Lord has chosen? There is none like him among all the people." And all the people shouted, "Long live the king!" Then Samuel told the people the rights and duties of the kingship, and he wrote them in a book and laid it up before the Lord. Then Samuel sent all the people away, each one to his home. Saul also went to his home at Gibeah, and with him went men of valor whose hearts God had touched. But some worthless fellows said, "How can this man save us?" And they despised him and brought him no present. But he held his peace. 1 Samuel 10:24-27 (ESV)   Give people what they want, and many still are not satisfied. They cried for a king; they got a king, and some did not like the choice. As a leader for over 40 years, I have clearly understood that many can do my job better than I can. Ideas are often much better as ideas than in reality. We find this out when we finally get something we whined abou...

“But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, 'Set a king over us.' Now therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your thousands." 1 Samuel 10:19 (ESV)   There are many creative ways we can reject God. We can do so by placing our trust and hope in humans for any reason. We can reject God by placing our trust in systems, money, and health, and seeking comfort and fame. That which controls us is our "god," and the giving of our lives to things God created will yield disappointment, sorrow, and hopelessness.   We can tell whether or not we believe the truth by the fruit in our lives. Those who the Spirit of God controls live lives of quiet resolve. They cannot be shaken. They cannot be destroyed. Their joy comes from their obedience, not their comfort.   We were made to be dependent upon God, yet we so often fight for independence and think that the lack of contro...

But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, "No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey their voice and make them a king." Samuel then said to the men of Israel, "Go every man to his city." 1 Samuel  8:19-22  (ESV)   God's will is not always accomplished, even though his purposes will always be fulfilled. Those who live outside the plan will live scattered, confusing lives. During specific periods in our brief history, we have the freedom to listen to or reject God. There is much that rides on that decision. To reject the obvious counsel of God is to reject the very purpose for which we were created, and those who do so must expect a tragic ending.   The blind leading the blind has never ...

And the Lord said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them." 1 Samuel 8:7-9 (ESV)   Sometimes, God gives us what we whine for, which is not good for us. When we reject God, we reject God's people. When we reject God, we reject common sense, dignity, and purpose. When we reject God, we choose to live in hopelessness.   We are deceived whenever we choose to know/follow God through a person rather than through His Word. The Scriptures give us a clear understanding of what now happens to this nation as they put their hope in a king, like the other nations, rather than i...

When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. 1 Samuel 8:1-3 (ESV) How hard is it to get the next generation to follow in the footsteps of Godly parents? Having parents who love God and walk with God does not seem to ensure that their children will love God and walk with God. Many children grow up in abusive, Godless homes and walk with God as adults, and many who grew up in God-fearing homes stray.   Parents are responsible for living in a way that can be emulated but cannot make the final decisions for their children. Parents must concentrate on loving God and people, living the proper example in all things and doing it in public, and then praying, educating, and cheering on the next generation.   We need to concentrate on laying down the example, no...

When the Philistines captured the ark of God, they brought it from Ebenezer to Ashdod. Then the Philistines took the ark of God and brought it into the house of Dagon and set it up beside Dagon. And when the people of Ashdod rose early the next day, behold, Dagon had fallen face downward on the ground before the ark of the Lord. 1 Samuel 5:1-3 (ESV)   Replacing God with anything is not a good idea. All people and creation will pay homage to the one true living God. Sometimes, I wonder if God and the angelic host have a little "fun" at the expense of the ignorant. They placed the ark in the temple of their gods only to find out that the other gods were not God. I wonder if God told the angels to get ready for some "entertainment" before He messed with that worthless idol. I wonder how many angels shook their heads at the obvious ignorance of man.   It seems as if man is often the subject of some celestial lesson. I wonder how often they shake their heads at me. https...

“Woe to us! Who can deliver us from the power of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck the Egyptians with every sort of plague in the wilderness. Take courage, and be men, O Philistines, lest you become slaves to the Hebrews as they have been to you; be men and fight." So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and they fled, every man to his home. And there was a very great slaughter, for thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. And the ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, died. 1 Samuel 4:8-11   Hophni and Phinehas were manipulators, not leaders. They attempted to use God and the position God gave them to satisfy their fleshly desires. They manipulated the people to be their Suppliers, and fed off the power their position garnered them. They seemed instrumental in grabbing the ark and trying to force God to win this battle for them.   Instead, God seemed to draw his final line in the sand, and when they crossed it, t...

As soon as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the shouting, they said, "What does this great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews mean?" And when they learned that the ark of the Lord had come to the camp, the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "A god has come into the camp." And they said, "Woe to us! For nothing like this has happened before.” 1 Samuel 4:5-7 (ESV Strong's)   Things were not going well, so the people decided to drag God into the formula. It was not as if they were seeking God, but instead, they were attempting to use God. Loving God is different than using God. Loving God is different than manipulating God. Those who get in the habit of calling on the name of God in times of trouble, and ignoring Him during peaceful times, will be disappointed in God's absence. God is not manipulated or used, and those who a...

And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. 1 Samuel  3:19-21  (ESV)   Samuel grew, and God was with Him. What more could you ask for? Eli, who knew what he should be about but was not about it yet, must have realized what he needed to do to ensure Samuel was in the proper position to hear from God at the right time. Those mistakes need not handcuff those older who have made mistakes in life. If we focus on our mistakes, we become paralyzed by our failures. If we focus on God's mercy and grace, we become empowered by His love and our position. We can focus on failures and be paralyzed by "victimhood," or we can focus on the future and energized by opportunity. For now, the choice is ours. https://www.podbean.com/relate365...

Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." And he said, "Here I am." And Eli said, "What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you." So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him." 1 Samuel  3:15-18  (ESV)   The truth can be intimidating because it challenges the lies we have grown accustomed to believing. Truth should not scare people, because if it is true, it is something that they need to adjust their lives and thinking around to be successful. All those living a lie will one day get strangled by those lies.   Samuel knows what God has said. Eli knows that God has spoken. The truth may disappoint the ignorant, but it remains a delight to the Godl...

And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant hears." Then the Lord said to Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.” 1 Samuel  3:10-13  (ESV)   What causes a person to abandon God and live for self? Eli seems to be undisciplined. He was overweight and tolerant of his sons' evil ways. Tolerance is not a fruit of the Spirit; it is the fruit of the evil one. Tolerance always leads to the normalization of sin and is only desired by evil people.   All evil begins with tolerance and ends in disaster. All good starts with patience and repentance and ends a ...

And the Lord called again, "Samuel!" and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, and the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy. Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place. 1 Samuel 3:6-9 (ESV)   We often try to find God outside of the ways God has chosen to reveal himself. God speaks through His Word, His Son, His Spirit, and, at times, His people, His donkeys, and His creation. It seems God's voice was so rare that no priests recognized it. This is a tragedy that seems to be repeating itself today. http...

Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?' Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: I promised that your house and the house of your father should go in and out before me forever,' but now the Lord declares: 'Far be it from me, for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be lightly esteemed. 1 Samuel 2:29-30 (ESV)   Some promises, by necessity, are conditional and need to remain so to promote accountability. Other promises can and should be kept regardless of the conditions. Those that are conditional are so due to stated or understood conditions. The Scriptures are full of conditional promises.   Here’s an example of a conditional promise: If we seek God, we will find God. It is evident that if we do not seek God, which is our choice, we do not find God, and since God will never leave ...

Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. And he said to them, "Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?" But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death. 1 Samuel 2:22-25 (ESV)   It is one thing to disobey God ignorantly. It is quite another to be disobedient intentionally. Those who deliberately disobey God do not know God; if they did, they would never disobey Him. The most foolish thing a person can do is to disobey God. No one has or ever will benefit from such behavior. Only fools keep trying, and their foolishness will one day be ap...

Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt. 1 Samuel 2:17 (ESV)   The sins of the young men were great. The word that God uses to describe this sin is great. It is the same word that was used to talk about the great lights that ruled the day and night and the great sea creatures.   All sin is sin, and all sin separates, but there are some sins that God indicates are worse than others. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit is unforgivable. That is a bad one.   Among the "worst" sins are those committed by individuals who know or should know better, and who are entrusted with some sort of leadership responsibility. Those who are placed in authority over others affect how people live. The fact that they should know the truth and have the ability to influence many makes their sins "great."   Some leaders like to "relate" to those they lead and soften their sinful habits. They would be...

Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt.  1 Samuel 2:17 (ESV Strong's) Somehow, the office they held became about them. They did not seem to honor God and serve Him. They did not appear to be concerned with the well-being of the people and were willing to use them for personal gain. Evil lurks in every place and every heart, waiting for an opportunity to strike. The tiniest opening will be exploited, and like frozen water on the roadway, it makes life more dangerous and expands those small openings into large cracks that eventually destroy the entire road. There is no way to separate the official office of an individual from the character of the individual. The office will not make the man holy; God does that. Responsibility causes those with character to be responsible, and those without to make excuses. A degenerate leader is but the natural outgrowth of the degenerate person. The evil is in...

Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the Lord. 1 Samuel 2:12 (ESV)   Essentially, those who do not know the Lord are worthless because they can never achieve the "worth" for which God created them. The connotation here is abundantly clear. People can live meaningless, worthless lives.   This may not be politically correct, but it is accurate. Our value comes from our proximity and obedience to God, not from the fact that we breathe air, have a heartbeat and are able to walk across a room without tripping.   A society that struggles with defining human value is ignorant of the One who created life with value. There are many worthless lives today, for there are many who know about God but do not know God. Their knowledge is similar, yet less, than Satan's knowledge of God. Their lives are similar, yet more disturbing than Satan's, in that Satan no longer has a choice, whereas we do.   Those who should have known and loved God will one day know what...

"He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness, for not by might shall a man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed." 1 Samuel 2:9-10 (ESV)   There is no way to fight God, and one would be foolish to attempt such folly. Yet, some seem to be in a continual battle with the Almighty. You would think they would learn quickly the error of their ways.   Strength never determines victory; proximity does. Those close to God and obedient to Him win, for there is no way to lose. The lies of Satan often blur absolutes in an attempt to make the will of God debatable.   One day, all who have ever lived will see and recognize Him as God. For some, it will be the most tragic day of their existence. For others, it is the culmination of lives well lived. Our choices today ...

The Lord makes poor and makes rich; he brings low and he exalts. He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor. 1 Samuel 2:7-8 (ESV)   It is God who controls the universe. He started it, and He will end it. It is God who created all things and sustains all things. He is the one who gives people both privilege and poverty, and He will judge all men with the same standard, whether privileged or poor.   We think there is no such thing as fairness, and we live in an unfair world. Yet, in the midst of the unjust abides the fair One. To both the rich and the poor, God is God. To the hungry and full, God is God, and if our fullness causes us to forget God, then it is better to be hungry.   When God talks about fairness, He talks about position. All can be positioned to enjoy God's love, and position will always trump privilege, for the ultimate privilege is to be in the correct position.  ...

“For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition that I made to him. Therefore I have lent him to the Lord. As long as he lives, he is lent to the Lord." And he worshiped the Lord there. 1 Samuel 1:27-28 (ESV)   All good is from God's hand; we would have nothing good without His provision. It is logical and reasonable to surrender all that is good back to His control. It is both logical and rational to be the stewards, servants, and caretakers, but not owners, of that which is good. You will be frustrated if you take on the role and responsibility of ownership, and do not have the authority of ownership, and you do not have the authority.   We are told that those in God's family have God living in them in the form of the Holy Spirit and are not their own. When you are not your own, but you act as if you are your own, you are one messed up individual, and life can never be what it was meant to be until you relinquish control.   "Or do you not know that...

As she continued praying before the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. Hannah was speaking in her heart; only her lips moved, and her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli took her to be a drunken woman. And Eli said to her, "How long will you go on being drunk? Put your wine away from you." But Hannah answered, "No, my lord, I am a woman troubled in spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but I have been pouring out my soul before the Lord. Do not regard your servant as a worthless woman, for all along I have been speaking out of my great anxiety and vexation." Then Eli answered, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition that you have made to him." And she said, "Let your servant find favor in your eyes." Then the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. 1  Samuel  1:12-18  (ESV)   This passage seems to illustrate a contrast between two individuals. One appears to be a judgmental religious leader, and the oth...