1 Samuel 12:22 “For the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name, because the Lord has been pleased to make you a people for Himself.

HIS PEOPLE

In this chapter of 1 Samuel, Samuel is establishing Saul as the first king of Israel.  He lays out the conditions for God’s blessing on the king and the people.  But here in this verse we find a truth which holds true even today. It says, “the Lord will not abandon His people on account of His great name,…”

Did you catch that?  If we are His people He will never abandon us.  Back then it meant following the Lord and obeying His commands.  Today it means the same, but through the Lord Jesus Christ.  Don’t let anyone tell you that you can find God in many places or religions.  There is only one way to be His people – through Jesus.

TEACHING MOMENT

One of my greatest fears today is the bombardment on our children of the inclusiveness of all beliefs and lifestyles.  God has standards, even today.  We can’t let our children believe that basically anything goes, as long as you say you love God.  That is not it.  It’s not about loving God.  It’s about total surrender to Him and His Will for your life.

Our children need to see us totally surrendered to Him.  They need to hear us asking God for direction in the family decisions and then following whatever it is He says to do.  My children observed my wife and I seeking the Lord in our ministry moves. There were some opportunities that God allowed to enter our lives that, after praying and seeking His Will, were obvious not the right move for us.  Saying “no” to a great opportunity isn’t easy, but it’s right.

Do you believe God will NOT abandon you?  Do you hold that truth today?  He won’t if you are His.  If you aren’t, then there is only one thing you can do – turn to Him.  Allow Him to come in and be the source of your strength.  Let Him be your King.

Father, I know as your child You will never leave me or forsake me.  Remind me today to look to You for each step I take and then take it, no matter where it leads.

1 Samuel 8:7 “The Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.’” 

NOT ME!

We don’t have a king in America, so it’s hard to comprehend that type of rule.  But the people of Israel wanted one.  They wanted someone to lead them, since Samuel’s sons were not following in their father’s footsteps.  The people wanted a leader like everyone else.

You probably are saying, “I would never do that Carl.  I love the Lord.  I would never replace Him.”  Are you sure about that?  They say you can determine your god by examining where you spend your time and money.  Where is yours spent?

TEACHING MOMENT

This lesson is all about loyalty.  Our children must learn from us what that is.  This is another one of those traits that is better caught than taught.  We must show them what loyalty looks like by being loyal ourselves.  How do we do that?

Loyalty can be seen in a number of ways, but for the purposes of this lesson, it is seen in how we talk about our God.  Everything we say and do should honor Him.  Our decisions should be weighed in relation to what He would have us do.  Our children need to see us doing that, and when they do, we need to explain our loyalty to God.

To whom are you loyal?  Are you loyal to your spouse?  Are you loyal to your employer?  Are you loyal to your friends?  Most importantly, are you loyal to God?  Do others know you are “sold out” to Him?  Can others see your loyalty?

Before you judge the Israelites for wanting a king, check out your own loyalty.  And remember that as you follow Him, others will reject you.  They, like the Israelites, are shunning you as much as they are the Lord.  That’s okay.  You just be loyal.

Father, help me to be loyal to the point that all who know me will know with Whom I stand and Who stands beside me.  You are faithful.  Help me to be more faithful.

1 Samuel 4: 21-22 “21 And she called the boy #I.e. No gloryIchabod, saying, ‘The glory has departed from Israel,’ because the ark of God was taken and because of her father-in-law and her husband. 22 She said, ‘The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God was taken.’”

MISTAKEN STRENGTH

This story is so sad.  Not so much because of the death of Eli and his sons or the defeat of Israel.  It’s sad because they had placed their hope of defeating the Phillistines in the ark and NOT in God.  They thought the ark was magical or had inherent powers.  The ark was the symbol of God’s presence among the people, but it held no powers itself.

They had to learn the hard way that their strength was in God.  God would only strengthen what was yielded to Him, and they weren’t.  They were doing what they wanted.  Eli wasn’t leading them well.  He was allowing his sons to make a mockery of their faith.  God was not a part of their life, except in name alone.

TEACHING MOMENT

This is a wonderful story to read to your children when they are crying out to God to “rescue” them from some self-inflicted consequence.  We tend to want to live our lives our way and then ask God to step in and relieve the pain.  Our children need to learn it doesn’t work that way.

Living a yielded life and allowing Him to guide is the only way to truly experience His power.  As we confess our weakness and inability to live the Christ Life, He can live through us to produce in us what He wants.  Only then can we understand His strength in our lives.

Are you putting your hope in an “ark”?  Are you relying on something to save you that you think has power?  Stop it!  Let God show you His strength as you bow to Him in humility and confession.  Oh, brother and sister, let Him be your ALL.  He is, you know.

Thank you, Lord, for being my strength. Thank you, Lord, for being my All in All!

1 Samuel 1:11 “She made a vow and said, ‘O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a son, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and a razor shall never come on his head.’”

VOWS

Have you ever begged God for something?  I mean, really beg?  Perhaps your son or daughter fell ill and the doctors couldn’t figure out why, so you made God a vow.  You promised Him you would do whatever He asked, if only He would heal your child.  We get desperate in times of trials, don’t we?

Hannah was desperate for a child.  She promised to dedicate her son to the Lord.  She followed through on that promise, and thus, we have Samuel.  Samuel grew to be a great man of God who helped lead the nation of Israel for years.  But it all started with a mother’s vow.

TEACHING MOMENT

Children make promises.  Sometimes they make crazy promises that they cannot keep.  Teaching our children about promises is important.  My father taught me to keep my word.  He always said your reputation is built on keeping your word.  I haven’t always done that, unfortunately.  But I have learned the importance of that life principle.

As parents, we need to coach our children in the skill of promise keeping.  They need to be taught how to make an appropriate promise, one they can keep.  They need to be taught the importance of keeping that promise.  How do we teach that?  By being a promise keeper ourselves.  Ouch!  Yep, we have to keep our promises, too.

What promise have you made lately out of desperation?  Did you really intend to keep it?  Were you just begging?  God does remember our vows.  He won’t make us keep them, but He also won’t allow us to escape the consequences.  He is a loving God, but He is also just.  Words mean things.

Of course, the most important vow we can make is the one to follow Him.  And the beauty of that vow is that God will help us keep it.  He will provide us the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to indwell and empower us.  He will give us the how-to manual, His Word, to instruct us.  And He will walk with us every step.

I vow today, Father, to follow You.  Use me how You want to use me.

Ruth 4:16-17 “16 Then Naomi took the child and laid him in her lap, and became his nurse. 17 The neighbor women gave him a name, saying, ‘A son has been born to Naomi!’ So they named him Obed. He is the father of Jesse, the father of David.”

LOOK WHO GOD CAN USE

Don’t you just love the story of Ruth?  Here is a young woman who is widowed at a young age.  She travels back with her mother-in-law to a land she has never been.  She humbles herself to serve her mother-in-law, to the point of even following her instructions to get married to a relative she didn’t really know.  Do you think that would happen today?  Not hardly.

But God used Ruth in the line of Judah to accomplish His plan for mankind.  She gave birth to Obed, the grandfather of King David.  I bet Ruth had no idea the impact her son would have on the nation of Israel and eventually mankind itself.

TEACHING MOMENT

Is there someone in your family tree whom you can point out to your child whom made an impact on your family?  Perhaps there is some interesting, little known fact about them that they should know.  In the same way, your child may have an impact on your family or the world.  We never know how one life can affect thousands or even millions.

Read them the story of Ruth, if possible in one sitting.  It won’t take long.  This would be a great bedtime story.  Explain how we should be willing to serve the Lord in the same way Ruth served Naomi – unselfishly.  Laying down our rights for the benefit of another is a humbling thing.  The Lord will bless us for it.

Can you relate to Ruth?  Are you willing to lay down your pride for the sake of others?  You never know how God may take that action on your part and bless it to benefit the following generations.  Being God’s vessel in the life of another is a privilege and an honor.

Lord, use me today in the life of someone who needs change.  Allow me to be part of your master plan for their life.

Philippians 3:4-6 “4 although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: 5 circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”

PROUD

Don’t you just love boastful people?  Just kidding!  Nothing can turn you off faster than someone who is full of themselves and doesn’t mind telling you all about it.  Normally, you find some reason to get out of the room quickly.

Paul could have boasted of his pedigree in the Jewish faith.  He had all the credentials.  But he knew all of that meant nothing – now that he had Christ in his life.  All the works he had been so dedicated to meant absolutely NOTHING.  All that mattered now was Christ.

TEACHING MOMENT

We need to teach our children to be humble and serving.  There is nothing wrong with being proud of our accomplishments, but we should never boast about ourselves.  If we allow our children to do that, we are setting them up for a difficult life.  People will avoid them like the plague.  No one likes a braggart.

Instead, teach them to divert all the praise to the Lord.  When they accomplish some great thing, and I am sure they will, teach them to point to Jesus.  After all, He is the one who empowers all believers.  If your child learns to do that, they will draw others to Jesus, not push them away.

What are you proud of?  What have you bragged on lately?  Anything we brag on, except Jesus, is not worthy of our words.  The Father wants to be your everything.  Only He is worthy of our praise.

I want to challenge you today to make great efforts to point everything to Him.  Allow all the praise and adoration to go to Him.  He is worthy of our praise!  He is worthy of our adoration!  He is worthy!

Judges 20:1 “Then all the sons of Israel from Dan to Beersheba, including the land of Gilead, came out, and the congregation assembled as one man to the LORD at Mizpah.”

COMING TOGETHER FOR A PURPOSE

We read in Judges 19-20 that a great evil had been done to one of the sons of Israel, and the entire nation came together to hear and reply.  I am reminded of our national response after September 11, 2001.  The entire nation came together to mourn and then respond to a great evil which had been done to us.  Probably for the first time since Pearl Harbor, the nation responded as one.

Why does it take tragedy to bring us together?  Think about it.  Families wait until a funeral to get together.  People reach out when they hear someone has been in a car accident or has fallen ill.  Why do we wait until something bad happens to unify?  God wants us to come together now!

TEACHING MOMENT

Our children must be taught the importance of family.  We need each other.  Some families do a great job of being together.  Others don’t.  The next time your family has a get together or a family reunion read them this verse.  According to how old they are, read them the entirety of Judges 19-20.  It is a difficult passage for children, but one we can learn from.

As children grow and move away it gets more difficult to stay connected.  Don’t let distance be an issue.  With the advantages today of technology, distance is not a hindrance.  You can still stay connected.  Unity – it’s important for nations, but it is also important for families.

Is your family unified?  Do you have “squabbles” that have been left unsettled?  Make them right today.  Reach out to those whom you have been separated from because of hurt feelings or something else.  Above all, we Christians must set the example of unity in our families.  We must show the world how to live.

Make the wrong right.  As my dear brother-in-law used to say, “Be the wrong one, if necessary.”

Psalm 6:9 “The Lord has heard my supplication, the Lord receives my prayer.”

ALWAYS LISTENING

The older I get the more I appreciate good hearing.  I have lost some hearing of high tones in my left ear which can be so aggravating.  But I am so thankful that I can still hear.  I have friends who can’t hear at all and others who need to wear hearing aids.

But the thing I am most thankful for is that I know my God has perfect hearing.  He is always listening for me.  His hearing is absolute.  He can hear me and everyone else in the world who calls on Him.  When someone calls on Him for salvation He is quick to send His Holy Spirit.  When one of His children needs assistance, He is there, listening and directing His angels to respond accordingly.  He doesn’t always answer in the way we want, but He does listen.

TEACHING MOMENT

Has your child ever said, “Dad, are you listening to me?”  I use to get that from mine.  If I am reading or watching television, I have to redirect my hearing.  I cannot focus on a conversation and read or watch something.  I bet your children can’t either.  What a perfect time to use this verse.  Remind them that God is always listening.  He is always attentive.

We need to teach our children to talk to God knowing that He is listening.  When they begin their prayers He is already waiting to hear them.  As they pray He is preparing to answer.  He has the ability to multi-task, unlike the rest of us.

Will you allow the Lord to hear from you today?  Will you speak to Him like He is sitting right next to you?  Open your heart to Him today.  He wants to hear your needs.  He wants to hear your struggles. He wants to work in your life.  But you have to let Him.

Give it all to Him today!  Let Him bend His ear towards earth to hear your heartfelt prayers and supplications.  He is waiting.

Judges 17:3-4 “3 He then returned the eleven hundred pieces of silver to his mother, and his mother said, ‘I wholly dedicate the silver from my hand to the Lord for my son to make a graven image and a molten image; now therefore, I will return them to you.’ 4 So when he returned the silver to his mother, his mother took two hundred pieces of silver and gave them to the silversmith who made them into a graven image and a molten image, and they were in the house of Micah.”

NOT THE WHOLE TRUTH

Did you ever notice in this story about Micah how his mother lied?  Micah had taken 1100 pieces of silver from her.  When he returned it she said she would dedicate it the Lord.  But she actually only used 200 for the image.  What happened to the other 900 pieces?

We parents will often tell our children one thing but do another.  We think because we are the adult we can do what we want, even if that is not exactly what we expect from our children.  Wrong!  Wrong!  Wrong!  We have to be above reproach, especially when it comes to setting the example for our children.

TEACHING MOMENT

The best way to teach this truth is by living it out for our kids.  When we tell them not to lie, we shouldn’t tell them to tell someone we are not home when we are, just to avoid a phone call.  When we are at the store and we buy something that we know our spouse wouldn’t approve of, we don’t tell them to not tell Mommy.  We can’t do those things and then get on to them when they tell us a lie.

Micah’s mother set a poor example for him.  You should read the rest of the story about Micah to see how his life turned out.  Not great.  And his momma has part of the blame, I believe.  Parents have to set the example for their children.

Are you doing that for your children?  Are you hiding things from them that you wouldn’t want them to do?  Moms and Dads, don’t ever ask your children to lie for you, even if that lie is an “innocent lie.”  There are no innocent lies, just lies.

Be the person in Christ you want your children to grow up to be.  Show them how Christ can live in and through you so they will allow Him to do the same in them.

Judges 16:17 “So he told her all that was in his heart and said to her, ‘A razor has never come on my head, for I have been a Nazirite to God from my mother’s womb. If I am shaved, then my strength will leave me and I will become weak and be like any other man.’”

SHAVEN

My wife almost always hates it when I get my hair cut.  I like it short, and she likes it a little longer.  I especially like it short when it’s hot out.  It just makes it easier to wipe off and go!

But unlike Samson, I know my strength is NOT in my hair.  Samson, mistakenly but his confidence in his outside appearance (his hair) and thought because he didn’t cut his hair due to the Nazarite vow, he was okay with God.  But, if you read the whole story about Samson, you realize his life was nothing close to the life of a Nazarite.

TEACHING MOMENT

What a great story to use to teach our children about obedience to God.  Obedience has nothing to do with how we look on the outside.  God is only interested in the heart.  Now, should we keep up our appearance and look respectable?  Sure!  I truly believe the Lord wants us to present ourselves so as to not offend anyone.  But our holiness is not tied to our appearance.

Your children are going to push the limits with their desires for dress or appearance.  You may face that challenge of piercings, tattoos and shaven heads.  Remind your children that they, as believers, are representing the Lord in how they look.  If they have a peace about their decision after truly searching the Scriptures and praying, then we must trust their decision.  Of course, I am talking about an older child who has that ability.

But, before you judge your child, how about you?  Are you keeping your body physically fit to honor the Lord?  Sometimes we are so quick to judge others, including our own children, while we aren’t doing our best to represent the Lord.

Lord, take ALL of me.  Let my life honor you in all I do and all I am.