Total Obedience

Scripture: 1 Samuel 15:1-35

Intro

God’s Mission to Saul (vv.1-3)
“Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have …” (v.3a)
Three Reasons Why We Do Not Give God Our Total Obedience

We Do Not Give God Total Obedience Because:

We Seek Recognition Quickly (vv.12-19, 30)
“Saul … set up a monument for himself … I have sinned; yet honour me now before the elders of my people and before Israel …” (vv.12, 30)
We Treat God’s Word Lightly (vv.20-23)
“Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice … Because you have rejected the word of the LORD …” (vv.22, 23)
We Fear People Easily (vv.24-35)
“I have sinned … because I feared the people and obeyed their voice.” (v.24)

Conclusion

We obey fully because we love God (Jn 14:21).

Reflection Questions (for CGs and families)

How has our culture threatened to undermine our total obedience to God’s Word?
Think about the last time you exercised complete obedience to God. What did that choice reveal about your faith in God?

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Daily Devotional Journal

Scripture:
Daniel 3:19-23; Jeremiah 17:7-8

Thu, 30 March 2023

The Heat of Adversity Increases

Observation:

What significant observations can you make about the heat of adversity in
Jeremiah 17:7-8?

Deeper Reflection
Nebuchadnezzar threw Shadrach, Mishael and Abednego into the blazing furnace for adamantly refusing to worship his golden statue. And they “fell into the furnace of blazing fire” (v.23). The Aramaic word for “fell”, nephal, occurs seven times in Daniel 3 – with six times used in “fall down and worship” Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue (Dan 3:5, 6, 7, 10, 11, 15). The writer makes the point on discipleship choice very sharply: nephal before Nebuchadnezzar’s golden statue or nephal into the blazing furnace. Which nephal will I choose?“Filled with wrath”, Nebuchadnezzar commanded the furnace to be heated “seven times” more before throwing Shadrach, Mishael and Abednego into it (v.19). There are times when the heat of our adversity increases. Four waves of devastating troubles fell upon Job one after another with this repeated report transition, “While he was still speaking, another also came and said” (Job 1:16, 17, 18). The fourth wave was very painful: the loss of Job’s beloved children (Job 1:18-19). Job worshipped God in his perplexing pains (Job 1:20-22). But little did Job know that the fifth wave was about to come… (Job 2:1-8). Nevertheless, Job endured, though not without tensions with God (Jas 5:11).Discipleship adversity is like being in a forest fire. And we can be a tree that “when the heat comes, its leaves will be green”, not burned (Jer 17:8). That’s a miracle. That’s God’s power working mightily within us. But we must be “planted by the water” with our “roots by a stream” of the Word of God by which we trust in God (Jer 17:7-8; Psa 1:2-3).

Application:

How do I respond to an increase of troubles in my discipleship journey?

Prayer:
Write a prayer to God as your response from your meditation on and application of the Scriptures.

Prayer Pointers:

Give thanks and praise
Pray for Outreach/Missions/New Life leaders: To be strengthened in faith in facing adversities
Pray for significant people
Pray for those in need
Pray for self

Total Obedience

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Daily Devotional Journal

The Heat of Adversity Increases

Devotional Journal (DJ) – April 2023