Thursday, December 11, 2008

Thursday's Devo - My vote - LIFE!!!

Read 1 Sam. 2:12-37
Eli had 2 sons: Hophni which means fists (which I guess means he was a handful) and Phinehas which means mouth of a serpent. They were wicked priests who used the office of God to further their own agenda. They ate the sacrifice that was suppose to be burned, cheated the people, had sex with the women who followed them, and basically treated God with contempt. Needless to say, God was not pleased with them and planned to kill them. God is very merciful until you start leading others astray and profaning what He calls holy. They were doing all this.
But then there was Samuel... the mirror opposite of them. As a child, he wore a linen robe and ministered to the Lord in a very wicked time. Every year his mother, Hannah, would make him a mantle or robe and bring it to him. Eli blessed her with the promise of many children and she had 3 sons and 2 daughters.
Eli had heard of all the wicked things his 2 sons were doing and rebuked them. He warned them that God would take their life if they didn't repent, but they refused to listen. They had no fear of God.
But then there was Samuel... the mirror opposite of them. He had God and man's favor. God sent a prophet to Eli to rebuke him for giving his son's more honor than he was giving the Lord. Because Eli allowed his sons to do this, the priesthood would be stripped from his family and all of his offspring would die young. The life that they would live would be full of sadness and grief and their children would die a violent death. What a curse! To prove this prophecy was true, both Hopni and Phinehas would die on the same day.
But then there was Samuel...the mirror opposite of them. He would be raised up a faithful priest who would serve God and do His will. His family would be established and they would be God's priests forever. They would serve annointed kings. What a blessing!!!
God puts before us life and death, curses or blessing, everyday. We make the choice. Lord, we choose You. Turn our hearts to desire the blessing, no matter how hard the sacrifice.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

I think when God draws close to us, we feel a mixture of excitement and fear. It is important to focus on the excitement and lay the fear to rest--God always tells us, "Do not fear." Instead, we are to "be encouraged." Isn't it nice that he acknowledges the fear we feel, and gives us an instrument to levy against it? As for me, I'm getting out of the boat. . .

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