Fluctuations in Faith

Posted on 2013/09/25 by Shawn Thomas

In I Samuel 16:2, Samuel’s response to God’s command to go and anoint another king of Israel to replace Saul was less than faith-filled: “But Samuel said, ‘How can I go? When Saul hears of it, he will kill me.'” It is interesting and amazing that this man of God, who had spoken with God personally, who had seen Him make His prophecies come to pass, and work in so many extraordinary ways, would respond so timidly. Surely he knew that God could protect him on whatever mission He would send him! Continue reading →

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The Grieving Minister

Posted on 2013/09/24 by Shawn Thomas

I Samuel 15 relates the story of how Saul disobeyed God in the campaign against the Amalekites, and how Saul initially tried to justify his disobedience. Because he feared the people more than God, Samuel told Saul that the kingdom was being taken away from him and given to another (David).

But it is important for us to understand that Samuel was no heartless, unfeeling proclaimer of truth. In :35 it says: “Samuel did not see Saul again until the day of his death; for Samuel grieved over Saul.” This is very revealing.

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Biblical Revival (Psalm 85)

Posted on 2013/09/23 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 85:6 says, “Will You not revive us again, that Your people may rejoice in You?” Here scripture teaches us several important things about revival:

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An Anchor of the Soul

Posted on 2013/09/20 by Shawn Thomas

Hebrews 6:19 says: “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul.” The problem many people have is that there is nothing to “anchor” their lives; they drift wherever they “feel led”, or wherever the prevailing winds of culture blow them. Ephesians 4:14 says “we are no longer to be children tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine.” This is exactly the picture of many people’s lives today. They have no “anchor” to steady them, and there can be no peace, and no stability, where there is no anchor for the soul.
But Hebrews says there IS a hope which can “anchor” one’s life.

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“The Little Condo on the Prairie” (Sept. 19)

Posted on 2013/09/19 by Shawn Thomas

Both home school and football make their debut in this week’s “Little Condo”:

Although Michael is a very good student, and is usually very self-motivated, sometimes he and Cheryl go ’round and ’round in their homeschooling. Here are some episodes I have overheard from the other room:

LITERAL INTERPRETATION
One day, Michael’s Algebra assignment was to “factor out” the variable (in this case, an “x”). When Cheryl went to check his paper, she found that he indeed did “factor it out.” He erased it. Yes, he literally ERASED the “x” out of the equation! I suppose that’s one way to deal with it. He’s a literalist for sure — that’s not bad in some ways, just not in Algebra!

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The Fear of Man

Posted on 2013/09/19 by Shawn Thomas

After much prevarication regarding his sin of not fully obeying the Lord regarding His command to destroy the Amalekites, in I Samuel 15:24 Saul did finally own up to his sin: “I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the Lord.” What is revealing is the next phrase, which tells us WHY he had sinned: “BECAUSE I FEARED THE PEOPLE, AND LISTENED TO THEIR VOICE.” Saul was afraid of what people thought of him.

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Be A Repenter, Not A Justifier!

Posted on 2013/09/18 by Shawn Thomas

In I Samuel 15, God had commanded King Saul to utterly destroy the Amalekites and all their possessions, but Saul spared King Agag and his people kept many of the best of the livestock. When Samuel rebuked him, Saul said in :20, “I DID obey the voice of The Lord …”. And he began to try to to explain how the people were going to offer the animals as a sacrifice to God, and that the king was the only one they brought back alive. He didn’t seem to understand what he did wrong; he thought his “half-obedience” was sufficient. He did not respond with repentance, but with justification for his disobedience.

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When Self-Congratulation Is Not In Order

Posted on 2013/09/17 by Shawn Thomas

I Samuel 15 narrates how God commanded Saul to attack the Amalekites, and utterly destroy them and all their possessions. Saul did indeed launch the attack, but he spared the king, Agag, as well as “the best” of the animals and whatever looked good in their eyes. As a result, God told Samuel that He regretted making Saul king, and Samuel went out to relay the bad news to Saul. Verse 12 tells us that on his way to the meeting, Samuel was told that “he (Saul) has set up a monument for himself …” because of his “victory.” How ironic; Saul was about to be rebuked, and His kingdom taken away from him, and here he was, making a monument for himself!

Surely Saul is not the only one to have done this. How often do we congratulate ourselves, because we think we have been “successful” in our own eyes, when in fact we have made ourselves odious in the eyes of God because we have not been faithful to His word in what we have done:

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Blessings of a Relationship With God

Posted on 2013/09/14 by Shawn Thomas

Psalm 73:23-24 says: “Nevertheless I am continually with You; You have taken hold of my right hand. WIth Your counsel You will guide me, and afterward receive me to glory.” “Nevertheless” refers back to the description earlier in the Psalm of the struggle the writer went through in his faith. For a time he had doubted God’s goodness, and he envied the prosperity of the wicked. But he realized that even in such times, he had some blessings in his relationship with God that he could never lose. He shares in these verses 4 blessings of that relationship:

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The Leadership We Deserve (2)

Posted on 2013/09/13 by Shawn Thomas

In I Samuel 12:14 Samuel told Israel: “If you will fear the LORD and serve Him, and listen to His voice and not rebel against the command of the LORD, then both you and also the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God.” Notice that the verse says that IF they would obey God, “then both you AND THE KING who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God.” Here is another example of scripture telling us that we get the kind of leadership we deserve:

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