FRIDAY JANUARY 31
Be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully
with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.1 Samuel 12:24
Great Is Thy Faithfulness!
After a
lifetime of serving God, evangelist Billy Graham said, “Certainly, one lesson
is to remind us of our responsibility to be diligent in our service for God
right now. I may not be able to do everything I once did (nor does God expect
me to), but I am
called to be faithful to
what I can do.” Reflecting on the value of her own life of service to God,
Mother Teresa said, “God has not called me to be successful; He has called me to be faithful.”
What motivated Billy Graham and Mother Teresa to serve God sacrificially
throughout their lives? Clearly, they both felt called to be faithful servants.
God’s faithfulness to us should inspire us, in turn, to be faithful to Him and
to our heavenly calling. In today’s passage, Samuel reflected on a lifetime of
service and on the relationship between Israel and the God they were called to
follow. He is “old and gray” (v. 2), and could share his experience with the
nation. He asked if they could find fault against him, and they declared his
innocence. He then earned the right to recount for Israel the mighty acts God
has performed on their behalf. Clearly, they had been quick to forget the
faithfulness and divine provision of God. Samuel demonstrated his connection
with God by calling down thunder and rain as a sign. He warned the nation that
they should learn from their mistakes and determine to be faithful. The people
were fearful. Would God punish them? But Samuel insisted the answer is clear:
God desires our obedience and our faithful service. He knows that we may turn
from Him and His instruction. He is faithful to forgive, and we are called
again and again to “serve him faithfully” (v. 24).
Taken
from the Word for You Today Devotional
No comments:
Post a Comment