November 6, 2024

                             Rejecting God

But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.

– 1 Samuel 8:6-7

Evil prevailed yesterday. Dishonesty and greed and arrogance won. It is a struggle to try and understand how God would allow such a thing to happen.

After much prayer, the Holy Spirit led me to 1 Samuel 8. Then I understood. My heart remains broken. I will never look at many “Christian” friends the same. I’m sure they would say the same about me. Satan’s victory has left a lasting scar.

Samuel was growing older. His two sons were to judge God’s people but they weren’t like Samuel. They turned aside for dishonest gain, accepted bribes and perverted justice. That’s what the Bible says.

God’s people demanded a king instead. This upset Samuel and he took it to the LORD. God told the people what would happen but still gave them the king they demanded. Feel free to read further about King Saul. Oftentimes what we think we want, is not at all what’s best for us.

God told Samuel that the people were rejecting Him and not Samuel. Yesterday people who claimed to follow Jesus rejected Him, choosing instead an idol and their own selfish ambitions over honor, mercy, kindness and love.

Does it still break my heart? Absolutely. I clearly see the destruction that awaits. But, unfortunately for us all, some people must learn lessons the hard way.

I think back to Hitler, a man Trump has said he admires. The German population at that time was about 99 percent Christian and only 1 percent Jewish. The Christians overwhelmingly supported Hitler. It allowed Hitler to gain great power and murder many, many innocent people. Do you believe the concentration camps were horrific? Do you believe such a thing can never happen again? It can. Really. It can.

Trump has vowed retaliation against those who spoke against him. He has said that Liz Cheney should be shot. That the “fake” media could be shot and he would be okay with that. The Bible clearly says that vengeance belongs to God. I doubt Trump knows or cares about what God says.

The American people made their choice yesterday. May God have mercy on us all.

April 12, 2016

A Time To Move On

The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” -- 1 Samuel 16:1

How long does it take you to get over something? It’s not a trick question. Everyone is different. But sometimes we can get so caught up in the past, that we can’t let it go and move on.

I’ve always admired people who are able to shake the past off and move on. I’m a clinger until I’m done and then, well, I’m done. For good. What about you?

The prophet Samuel was mourning Saul. The king had gone against God’s instructions so God decided that Saul no longer would rule the Israelites. God is God. When He decides something, that’s it.

Samuel had a harder time moving on. God gave him some time and then pushed him forward. God had things for Samuel to do, like go anoint David as the new king.

There is a time to mourn. There is a time to move on. A sweet friend went through a devastating divorce last year. She struggled mightily. Then she met someone and now she’s remarried. Happy. She has moved on. Will it work out? I don’t know. No one does. But she wanted to move forward and she did. I admire that.

Some people want to dwell on a past they can’t change. They want to rehash it again and again, as though somehow they’ll come up with explanations or a way to change it all. Life doesn’t work that way. We can’t go back. We can’t rewrite the past.

Saul betrayed God. Saul decided he knew better than God and it didn’t work out so well for him. There was no going back. There was no undoing what he’d already done. God moved on and that was that.

Why did God choose David, a ruddy faced boy, to be the next king? Think about it. David was a man after God’s own heart. David’s heart was right. Was he perfect? Obviously not. But David loved God and that, along with confession and repentance, make up for a lot of things.

What are you holding on to? Let it go. Give it to God and then let it go. Sometimes the hardest thing in the world is to move on. And sometimes that’s the best thing you can do.