Foolish King Saul

Imagine if you will, a man so decadent in stature, without any real physical flaws, blessed with the best genetics that most women desire and most men desire to be.  But it doesn’t stop there.  This man was blessed inside as well, had a heart for God, chosen by God and even given his own counsel, Samuel, the best of the best, his own servant from God, a liaison between him and the Lord Almighty.  But the man was anything but boastful.  As a matter of fact, when the Lord chose him, he was hiding, insecure in his ability to serve.

Saul was chosen and became the first king of the Israelites, God’s chosen people.  King Saul was a king to fight the battle against the Ammonites.  The Ammonites were people likened to our current day ISIS.  The Ammonites killed the Israelites, raped the women and run amok.  King Saul was given the task which he completed but he also, through self-determination, took liberties not instructed by God.  He killed the Ammonites and all their livestock as instructed by God through Samuel, but also kept the best livestock under the guise of offering them to God.  He also saved the life of the leader of the Ammonites under the guise of showing mercy to an enemy.  

In short, King Saul began to stray away from God.  He opened himself up to the wiles of the devil through self-determination.  The Lord said obedience is more important than sacrifice.  Saul, however, didn’t stop there.  He continued to disobey God until he fell farther and farther away from Him like he began to worship idols and went so far to the point where he began to consult with fortune tellers.  At the end of his life, when he was wasting away in his old age, he could not stand to be alive and asked his trusted servant to kill him.  The servant refused so he purposely fell into his own sword and ended his own life.  

Pride is something that is not tolerated by God.  Pride, if left unchecked, can cause death to us just like it did King Saul.  He had it all, yet, because of his pride and disobedience, God allowed the devil to lead King Saul into his own destruction.  This happened to a king.   If it can happen to Saul, it could happen to us.  

But God is still a merciful God.  We shouldn’t wait to reach a point of no return and just ask for forgiveness as soon as we disobey God.  Instant forgiveness, instant mercy.  God, the all powerful being, is our ultimate refuge.  Disobeying Him is like burning down your own house, your refuge, your protection.  So why would we?  Why should we?

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!

MORALITY - THE DYING STANDARD

It's no secret that as time progresses, people lose their morals a little bit more.  What was once taught to us by our parents, their parents and backtracking all the way to the beginning of time, there is a standard by which morality is lived.  I'm not even sure if today's generation knows what the true meaning of morality is.

As generations move farther and farther away from the time of Jesus' earthly life and teachings our world gets worse and worse.  Senseless killings, personal attacks, and sheer hatred dominate our world today.  This is not to say that evil has existed throughout history, but the Bible is in place for a reason.  Never has any manuscript or book ever written lived and remains relevant as the Bible has.  To this day, the Bible remains to be the top best selling book.  

After Jesus died, the Word has always been protected.  People gave up their lives to keep this book going and handed down from generation to generation.

But why is the Bible so timeless?  Need I really answer this question for you?  It is because every word between the pages of the Bible is God's Word.  The most powerful Lord will always protect the Bible so no one can ever give an excuse at the end of their life to say that it had never been available to them.  There is no reasoning or negotiating with God when we meet Him face to face.

People will dismiss the Bible as just written and made up by the writers.  To that I ask, have you ever had an event so noteworthy that compelled you to write it down in order to remember the details of such important event?  Exactly!  People who were touched by the grace of God, the honor of meeting Jesus Christ face to face and being able to walk with Him during His time here on earth, cannot help themselves to write about it.  Shame on those who dismiss the Bible, God's Word as fiction. 

The Apostle Paul's main purpose in writing his Bible contribution is to remind us of the godhead of Christ and His sacrificing His own life for sin.  If man moves Jesus out of His position in the Holy Trinity, all hope for salvation is lost.  We must not pray to anyone living or dead.  Christ alone is sufficient to save us.   Paul says let the Word of Christ live in us richly in all wisdom because when His Word (the Bible) lives in us, our deeds will surely please the Lord.

It may be hard to understand but let me tell you, as sure as I am standing here, I can attest to the fact that if we know, learn, study the Word of God, our actions will become a testimony for others.

Until my next rant... LOVE ONE ANOTHER!