June 16

“…for we enquired not at it in the days of Saul.” 1 Chronicles 13:3

As the new leader of the people of Israel, David begins to make positive improvements to the way he and his people will behave. Among the early changes, he makes a clear difference between how he wants to lead and the way his predecessor Saul led. He includes himself with the people, and points out that the Ark of God’s Covenant with Israel has been ignored during the days of Saul, that it should be returned to Jerusalem and to its place of worship and prayer. The Ark was recognised as being the vehicle of God’s presence among the people, and a channel through which God gave them blessing, power, protection and direction. Saul had been so taken up with the constant battles against his enemies and the inner struggles of his own pride and insecurity that he had bypassed the need to enquire of the Lord, a practice which resulted in losses and costly mistakes. Such reformation as David instituted, is the kind of revival we all need in our hearts and souls. It is of the greatest importance that in all we perform, we do not forsake to enquire from the Lord. Life can become so busy with all sorts of important responsibilities, urgent tasks and unending distractions, that we can easily forget to do the most important thing of all – communicate with God! It seems unlikely that we could forget to breathe air into our lungs, drink the fluids we need or eat the food necessary for our physical strength, and yet prayer which is spiritually comparable to eating, drinking or breathing, is something we can so often put aside and not participate in. Like Saul we can be guilty of treating hearing from God, as an unnecessary or unimportant exercise and relegating it to the ‘bottom of the list’. We must instead like David, restore the place and position of prominence, God should hold in our lives. He should be at the centre of all our thoughts, desires and activities. Enquiring from the Lord, praising Him for His love, pleading for His guidance, listening for His direction and interceding for needs, should form the core around which we live every day of our lives. Having our hearts attuned to God and His Spirit, and feeding from His word every day, provides us with the necessary spiritual strength we all need to walk the Christian path and help someone else also along the way. Many of our troubles, mistakes and problems can be avoided or alleviated, if we faithfully remain conscious of God and His will for our lives, by enquiring diligently at His hand!

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

June 14

 “…Abide not in the hold…” 1 Samuel 22:5

There is a time for everything. David had been escaping Saul and hiding among foreign people. This supplied relative protection for a while, but the advice came from God through the prophet not to abide ‘in the hold’, meaning in hiding, any longer. It was time for David and his band, to be among his own people, where he might be known, recognised and eventually accepted as national leader. God has a plan, and when a man is willing to follow God’s direction and advice, he usually finds out that the Lord’s plan, however different, inconvenient or unusual it may be, is always the best course of action. David could have reasoned it was unwise or inexpedient, to expose himself at this time, when his life was in serious danger; when he was considered a fugitive, and when his associations amounted mostly to those who were in debt, discontented and distressed! Yet God’s direction was clear and David was accustomed to obeying and following God. He trusted God’s reasons and plans. He was confident that God would not direct him into action, without due protection and purpose. Among the people of Judah, David would be able to show his love, interest and protection for his brethren, a fact which would later prove significant in his days as king. Also in the open and in his own country, he would not be seen by his fellow citizens, as the deserter and conspirator he had been made out to be, and Saul would be less likely to pursue David and threaten his life here among his own people. There had been an appropriate time for escape and obscurity, but now God was directing otherwise. We may not always understand all the details of God’s will and direction from the onset, but if we remain sensitive to the guidance of His Holy Spirit, we are sure in due course to understand more of God’s will and purpose. By following Him in faith and obedience, and walking a holy and yielded life, we are best positioned to receive the blessings and rewards He has in store for us.

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion

Apr 5

“So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD…” 1 Chronicles 10:13

The Bible directs us to live our lives for God in His strength. Without His Spirit, our own efforts will result in weakness and failure. Saul ceased early to lean on God. His pride played on his emotions, and he became churlish towards life, foolish in his behaviour and careless in his obedience to God. We may not place a great deal of importance on our transgressions, and dismiss or trivialise our sins against God, but if they remain un-repented of, they will cause the demise of our moral being, and eventually result in spiritual and eternal death. The scripture is clear, Saul died for his transgression against Yahwah. Saul was guilty of a number of gross sins, for which the Bible does not tell us, he ever repented. He usurped the command of God, in the matter of the battle against the Amalekites; unjustly pursued David, an innocent man, determined to kill him; commanded the senseless slaughter of an innocent priest of God, and sought help from a woman practicing the occult to find direction in life! He flew in God’s face with his transgression, and remained at variance with God. Even if at times he was emotionally stirred, it was but a temporary reprieve to his habit of disregarding God’s law. All sin is worthy of death, and there is in essence, no sin greater than another when it comes to its final result, but it is sin for which we remain un-repented that will cause us to die the second death. Saul’s departure from this world, was a dishonourable death, not such as was worthy of a king and a man belonging to the people of God! While death is not of itself anything to be necessarily wanted or desired, it can nevertheless take place with honour, when it is the result of selfless sacrifice or service to the King of Kings! Unless the Lord returns beforehand, we will all die physically at some stage, but what will be the unwritten epitaph describing the real reason for our decease? Let us live for God in such a way, that when we die, even in death we may bring glory to the Lord and be a memory of the sweet savour of His grace and of godly faithful service unto Jesus.

http://www.pentecostalfamilychurch.com.au/devotion