PERSONAL JOURNAL:
SIN ( 1 Samuel 13:11-14 ): Sometimes I do things with good intentions, even righteous intentions, even though it was not something I felt You directly call on me to do. This is what Saul did here as he was told by You to do one thing and he deviated from that a bit to do something that he thought was in good intentions, but was still deviating from Your commands. I have done this many times throughout my life since coming to faith. Instead of holding onto the commands You have given me in those moments, I deviate just a bit thinking in the moment they’re with good intentions and a Kingdom-focus only to realize that they were of my own selfish desires. Please forgive me for this, Father. Help me to always remain focused on You and to always do things according to Your will and not my own.
PROMISE ( 1 Samuel 13:13-14 ): Saul didn’t keep Your commands. You had promised him a permanently established reign over Israel if he had just kept Your commands. Instead, he deviated, which produced a new promise from You that his reign will not endure. All of Your promises are contingent upon me taking some actions steps. Sometimes I take either no action or the wrong action steps and those promises get taken away, changed, etc. If I want the promises You have given to me, then I need to make sure I am staying on the path You want me to be on in my life.
ATTITUDE ( 1 Samuel 13:13 ): I really need to be better at not having fear at speaking Your truth to others, regardless of who they are, just as Samuel did here. Although Samuel was the one who followed Your commands in selecting and getting Saul appointed as king over all of Israel, the fact remains that Saul is currently the king over all of Israel as Samuel is speaking to him in this moment. I can’t imagine speaking to a king directly as harshly as Samuel did in this moment by saying “You have been foolish” and “your reign will not endure.” He said that directly to the king of Israel with no fear because he was speaking Your truth. Help me with this, Father, so I can be better at speaking Your truth to others regardless of their status or what I may perceive as the repercussions for my spoken words in that moment.
COMMAND ( 1 Samuel 13:13-14 ): Your command in this chapter seems quite obvious to me—follow Your commands and I will receive any/all positive promises from You. If I do not follow Your commands, then some negative promises may come to fruition as a result of my disobedience. I must be better at following Your commands with consistency and obedience.
EXAMPLE ( 1 Samuel 13:11 ): Saul screwed up and tried to “clean up” after himself by essentially “begging” for You to help him fix his mistake. He offered a burnt offering to You, but not because he was worshipping or praising You. Instead, he felt the need to force himself to offer the burnt offering. If we’re making an offering to You, it should never be a forced situation in our hearts, yet that is exactly what Saul did here. Help me to keep a giving heart towards You always, Father, so that I never do what Saul did here and “force” myself to worship, praise, and honor You.
*DAILY NOTE: Your people really know how to screw themselves up, Father. Saul, the great man that Your people wanted as their in-person king over Israel because You were not good enough for them as their king is screwing up pretty bad already. It just goes to show that sometimes the things I want so bad in this life aren’t always in my best interest from Your perspective and great insight. You will sometimes grant me those things, however, to prove a point to me in hopes that I learn a lesson from it. Thank You, Father, for always knowing what lessons I must learn in this life, Father.
EXPAND TO READ: GENERAL NOTE FOR MY QUIET TIMES
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