1 Samuel – Chapter 10

And when it was told David, he gathered all Israel together and crossed the Jordan and came to Helam. The Syrians arrayed themselves against David and fought with him. 2 Samuel 10:17 – In our passage today we see an enemy nation gather themselves to fight against David and the nation of Israel. Something not uncommon to see in scripture. Something else that seems commonplace is what we see in this passage. David, when told about the enemy gathering to attack, leads the charge against the enemy. He goes out with the armies of Israel and fights against the enemy like he was supposed to, and he found the blessing of the Lord as a result in that battle. Why though do we bring this point up? Because this is the exact opposite of what we see happen in the next chapter with the story of David and Bathsheba. In chapter 11 David doesn’t go out with the army and instead finds himself in the sin we know is attached to that story. The takeaway for us is that when we find ourselves where the Lord is calling us to be we can discover real blessing in that place, yet when we choose to refuse to be in those places, we can find ourselves deep in the sin that God is calling us away from. Find yourself then in scripture, for when we aren’t we can be swayed by all the false teachings of the word. Find yourself in Christian community, for when we aren’t we are more easily lured toward sin. Find yourself in times of worship, for when we aren’t we can grow a heart of bitterness and discontentment. Find yourself where God calls us to be so we don’t find ourselves where God is calling us away from. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 3029

1 Samuel 10 Daily DEVO Now when these signs meet you, do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you. 1 Samuel 10:7 – If you today are really trying to discover God’s will for your life, then let this passage be God sharing with you what you’re looking for. We see God sharing through Samuel to Saul saying that as you go, do whatever you do and know God is with you in it. The command wasn’t wait till I place you somewhere new to begin following me, it was wherever you are at do what you know to do because God is with you there. We know what God commanded us to do, to love Him and to love people. Often though we think we have to wait till that “next step” to begin really living for God. We say, “Once I’m in that new job,” or, “Once I’m out of school,” or, “Once I find someone special,” then I’ll start following God. God though says to start now, where you’re at now, and begin to follow Him. You don’t have to wait for that next step to begin loving God and begin loving the people around you. God is with you now and He’s calling you to live for Him now. You don’t have to wait to live for Him. How can you expect to be prepared to faithfully follow God in the next step if you never really did it in the previous one? I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 410

And Saul said to his uncle, “He told us plainly that the donkeys had been found.” But about the matter of the kingdom, of which Samuel had spoken, he did not tell him anything. 1 Samuel 10:16 – Don’t let the fear of what others may say or think about your calling keep you from embracing your calling. Here Saul didn’t share with his uncle the new path God had for him. Whether it was fear or something else, he didn’t share it nor embrace it proudly. For you God will be calling you to many things. Maybe it’s to start leading a ministry at church, maybe it’s to begin sharing your story over social media to start encouraging others through it, maybe it’s to adopt a teenager. Your calling will be unique and exciting and something you shouldn’t fear to embrace, especially in front of others. Yes, as with Saul, some will say things and refuse to accept what you’re doing. Dwell on those that will be encouraged to lean into their calling because they see you doing it first. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 1635

So they inquired again of the Lord, “Is there a man still to come?” and the Lord said, “Behold, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” 1 Samuel 10:22 – Saul had everything he needed to see that the raising him up to be king was from God. He had a miraculous encounter with Samuel while searching for his family donkeys. He was anointed with oil by Samuel as king. God gave him multiple signs of confirmation after the anointed to make sure that Saul knew this was really coming from God. God’s Holy Spirit came upon Saul and he began to prophesy right along with the other prophets. They cast lots and it landed on Saul and he had the support of most of the nation who was ready to proclaim, “Long live the king!” Yet where do we find Saul? Hiding among the baggage, unwilling to show himself to the nation as the king God raised him up to be. We to can have all the confirmations and signs from the Lord pointing us in a certain direction. He can use things from scripture to some random signs on a coffee shop wall to make it clear what it is that He is calling us to. We can be 1000% certain that this is what God wants for us…but still hide among the baggage when our name is called to step into whatever it is that God wants for us. When that fear to step out rises, dwell on what God was about to do with Saul after he stepped out. God blessed Saul and made Saul a blessing to God’s people. If God is calling you to something, know He will bring blessing to us if we are faithful to follow that call. He also will use us to be a blessing to others because of our faithfulness. Fear not then when the call arises, get out of the baggage, and step into whatever He is leading you into. I love you, but Jesus loves you more – Mac – Daily DEVO 2887