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The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 2 May 2023 – Earthly Titles Without Heavenly Approval
TOPIC: Earthly Titles Without Heavenly Approval
READ: 1 Samuel 16: 1-10(NKJV)
- Now the LORD said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go; I am sending you to Jesse the Bethlehemite. For I have provided Myself a king among his sons.”
- And Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears [it,] he will kill me.” And the LORD said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’
- “Then invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; you shall anoint for Me the one I name to you.”
- So Samuel did what the LORD said, and went to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”
- And he said, “Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons, and invited them to the sacrifice.
- So it was, when they came, that he looked at Eliab and said, “Surely the LORD’s anointed [is] before Him.”
- But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature, because I have refused him. For [the] [Lord does] not [see] as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
- So Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.”
- Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the LORD chosen this one.”
- Thus Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, “The LORD has not chosen these.
THE MESSAGE:
God reprimanded Prophet Samuel for grieving over Saul whom He had rejected because of disobedience. He terminated Saul’s kingship in heaven, though he was still physically on the throne as king. God instructed Samuel to anoint David, the son of Jesse, as a replacement(v.1). It is disheartening to note that Saul was parading himself as King and performing official duties without knowing that his reign had been terminated in heaven with a suitable replacement. It is terrible for heaven to replace you while you are alive and occupying your office in the eyes of men. Note that the Prophet almost made a mistake in choosing another king(v.6)had God not intervened. This is a warning to those who depend on Prophets as their final authority without reference to God’s word. The choice of God is dependent on the state of our hearts and not on physical achievements or limitations.
Also read;anglican-devotional-1-may-2023-break-your-spiritual-ignorance
Have you become careless and disobedient to God like King Saul concerning the responsibilities He has given you in the family, church, workplace and society? Remember that God will always find a suitable replacement; no man is indispensable. Repent today, so that heaven will not terminate your position while you are still parading yourself as being in charge.
PRAYER: Lord, please help me not to be careless with my Christian life, blessings and positions knowing that you are not a respecter of persons, Amen.
