June 30th
"Are you regular?"
In 1 Samuel 15 the Bible tells how King Saul disobeyed the Lord's command to completely destroy the enemies and their livestock. When Samuel asked the king why he heard the bleating of sheep and the lowing of cattle, Saul basically replied, "Oh, right, thanks for reminding me. We're saving those to offer to the Lord later!"
Samuel recognized a lie when he heard one and replied, "To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams." ( 1 Samuel 15:22 ). God wants the same from us, not some great annual recommitment that we soon break. He wants consistency. Regularity. Faithfulness. He wants our obedience.
But Samuel replied [to Saul], "What is more pleasing to the Lord, your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Obedience is far better than sacrifice. Listening to him is much better than offering the fat of rams. Rebelling is as bad as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as bad as worshiping idols.
1 Samuel 15:22-23
If you love me, obey my commandments.… You are my friends if you obey me.
John 14:15; 15:14
The life that intends to be wholly obedient, wholly submissive, wholly listening, is astonishing in its completeness. Its joys are ravishing, its peace profound, its humility the deepest, its power world-shaking, its love enveloping.
Thomas Kelly
Heaven
