Friday, May 14: 1Samuel 13-Tests will come

Every one of us will face various days and times when who we are is tested. On the job for a short time and the day will arrive when no one is looking, .Wwill we take a shortcut, pad an expense report, share a half-truth rather than the whole truth, take a sick day that really isn’t… ?  Yyou know the drill.

Married for 6-six months or a year, will you talk about those mixed feelings or hide it? It might not seem like much, but it is a test.  W will we drawer closer or grow more distant?

You are taking up the game of golf, . will Will you slide your ball to a better lie or play it where it is? If it is a friendly game with buddies and you are just getting some exercise… , no harm-no foul, but don’t count the score as real. If you are in a league where scores count, you have started down a dark path.

None of these are big deals at first or are they?

Tests come to each one of us; . Tthey reveal the inclination of the heart. Many times the first test doesn’t have life implications… but sometimes they do. Are you willing to take that chance?

Saul gambled and lost. He got nervous and didn’t wait for Samuel. Instead, he He sacrificed an offering, something only a priest could do. He panicked and acted impulsively, crossing God’s line and God removed His blessing.

I struggle with this story, “where Where is the mercy?” I want to cry. Saul is new to the job, doesn’t he get a mulligan? And yet he crossed the line…

And the more I think about this, the more I want Saul to receive mercy, not because of him but because of me. I want to presume on God’s grace and mercy so that I can play fast and loose with God’s rules when I want to… . Tthis is not a pleasant look into the interior of my life.

O, God, too often I presume on Your mercy and grace. Too often I live my life my way, rather than Your way. There is so much I don’t not fully understand… . Wwhy Your grace and mercy are so lavish with me and seem so stingy in comparison with Saul? Yet even this causes me to fall face down in thanks and adoration to the One who loves me so.

Jesus, Father send the Holy Spirit in ever deepening measure so that I grow to be more like Jesus all my life long until I see You face to face in glory. Amen.

 

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