If we are in love with God, obedience doesn’t cost a thing, it’s a delight! It’s supposed to be anyways!
If we are not, our obedience costs others a great deal. Why? The battle of the flesh begins, for us as well as others!
When we reject the word of God, we’ll say “What about my plans?” or “I’m not going to accept what you say”
In all reality, who or what are we really rejecting?
1 Samuel 15:1-15
[1] Samuel also said unto Saul, The LORD sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the LORD.
[2] Thus saith the LORD of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
[3] Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
[4] And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
[5] And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
[6] And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
[7] And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
[8] And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
[9] But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
[10] Then came the word of the LORD unto Samuel, saying,
[11] It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the LORD all night.
[12] And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
[13] And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the LORD: I have performed the commandment of the LORD.
[14] And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
[15] And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the LORD thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
Saul was told to destroy ALL of Amalek, everything and everyone and took 210,000.
When we read verses 8-11, a red flag sticks out to me.
One of the first mistakes to anything is what?…it is when we thought we had a better plan in store than what God has for us to begin with.
The two worst mistakes you can possibly make are doing nothing and bearing the suffering or doing some and leaving part of it off.
Remember! Others around you are directly affected!
No effort = no encouragement
No tears = no hope
No humbleness = no selfishness
No love = no compassion
We have to learn to obey God and leave all the consequences with him, because they are all our own self-created consequences.
The question I ask myself is what do we do with:
All regrets that we have
All fears of criticisms from others
All on seeing eyes of rejection
Rebuke it and love what God has done! Don’t pluck the seeds out!
We cannot dictate by conditions! We have to hear to know!