Samuel’s example
This morning in my quiet time I was challenged by what the Lord showed me about the life of the prophet and judge Samuel. He is one of the good guys in the Bible who lives his life well before God and gives us a real clue about how to do this God thing. Let me suggest he did a few things we can all practice that kept him constantly in the Lord’s favor. First in 1 Samuel 2:26 - it simply says :he grew in favor with man and God”. I love the intentionality of this verse. Spiritual growth is intentional… the only one who really has control over whether we grow in God is me. It’s a decision we make and a path we then follow.
The second things I noticed is in Chapter 3 and the fact that from early in his life he learned to hear the voice of the Lord. It reminded me that God does want to talk to us. He wants to share conversation with us and speak to us about how to live and what he wants us to do.
Third I also noticed in Chapter 3:19 it says Samuel continued to grow by obeying God’s words and “none of the Lord’s words fell to the ground”. In other words Samuel obeyed what God spoke to him. The Bible has so much to say about obedience being the key to power. I think in Samuel’s life we might ask why he was such a powerful man of God. Well I think this verse might be the answer. God simply knew he could trust him.
Lastly (and believe me there could be a lot more) Samuel built an altar in his home to the Lord (7:17). There is no substitute for our time with the Lord and our continual desire to honor him. Samuel knew that his home had to be dedicated to the ways of God. When we establish an altar of service and commitment to God - I mean a place where we can always go to him and meet with him we do ourselves a huge favor.
So with that said - let me finish this blog and get to my altar. Have a great day in Jesus.
