Monday, 4/13/2015

“If the only prayer you said was thank you, that would be enough.”~ Meister Eckhart

1 SAMUEL 13-14

Saul does not trust God but makes a sacrifice out of fear and panic...

13“You have done a foolish thing,” Samuel said. “You have not kept the command the Lord your God gave you; if you had, he would have established your kingdom over Israel for all time. 14But now your kingdom will not endure; the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people, because you have not kept the Lord’s command.” 

LUKE 14:1-24

Jesus rebukes the Pharisees through his teaching...

7When he noticed how the guests picked the places of honor at the table, he told them this parable: 8“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, do not take the place of honor, for a person more distinguished than you may have been invited. 9If so, the host who invited both of you will come and say to you, ‘Give this person your seat.’ Then, humiliated, you will have to take the least important place. 10But when you are invited, take the lowest place, so that when your host comes, he will say to you, ‘Friend, move up to a better place.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all the other guests. 11For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

12Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”

JOURNAL

The peculiar text in Samuel, makes it seem that Saul has made a little mistake and is therefore cursed as a result.  Reality is that the mistake is a grave one.  Saul attempts to use God for his own selfish purposes.  The accusation by Samuel comes as a result that Saul does not love God...Saul loves himself most and is using practices as a type of witchcraft rather than obeying God out of love.  

The reality is that I do this whenever I seek God for my purposes and my purposes only.  I do it when I seek God only in ways he can help me rather than through gratitude and love. I do this when I see God as my Genie in the bottle rather than as a true Father who loves me and wants time with me.

14For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. 15The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.^f And by him we cry, “Abba,^gFather.” 16The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. 17Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.(Romans 8:14-17)