Daily Bible Reading - Friday - May 14th

Today’s reading was so good, a lot of the word really jumped out at me today.  One passage in particular really hit me because of some things I seem to be going through at the moment.  1 Samuel 15:22-23 Samuel replied,

   “What is more pleasing to the Lord:
      your burnt offerings and sacrifices
      or your obedience to his voice?
   Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice,
      and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.
 ²³ Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft,
      and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols.
   So because you have rejected the command of the Lord,
      he has rejected you as king."

I know there have been so many times in the past that I wasn’t obedient to what the Lord was trying to tell me and I have learned that the Lord is more pleased when we are obedient to Him rather then sacrificing things in our lives to make up for disobedience.  The Lord really puts obedience on the top of the list.  Being obedient to His voice is far better then doing our own thing thinking we are doing the right thing when all along we know that we are being disobedient.  I always seem to learn the hard way but thank the Lord I do learn and am not like Saul.  Saul knew he was doing wrong and when Samuel would go to talk to him he’d always say “oh but we did do this and this and that, we just kept one thing or person, its all good" and you see where that got him.  God rejected him and found a more worthy servant to take his place. 

Boy did the devotional hit me also, being joyful in the mist of a troubled situation is so hard but like it says, going through a troubled time is only an opportunity for growth and we all know the Lord loves it when we grow in Him.

Today’s Reading

1 Samuel 15:1-16:23
John 8:1-20
Psalm 110:1-7
Proverbs 15:8-10

Daily Devotional

James 1:2-4
"Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing"

When troubles come, it´s not natural to get excited about them. Most people don´t say, "Thank you, Lord, for this overwhelming challenge." You don´t go to the mailbox and joyfully exclaim, "Oh thank God–an unexpected bill!" But notice what happens when we remain joyful during the difficult times–it sets us on a course to maturity so that we can receive everything God has for us.

Remember that the key to growing is how you handle adversity. If you complain, you will remain. If you get negative and sour on life, you won´t pass the test. Promotion is available, but if you don´t count it all joy, you miss out. The good news is that God will give you another opportunity. He can still get you to where you need to be. When somebody offends you, you have to decide that you aren´t going to be upset. When things aren´t going your way, instead of complaining, thank the Lord for an opportunity to grow. Count it all joy so that you can be all God has called you to be!

Today's thought: Thank You so much for the work You are doing in my life. Even when I don´t understand what´s going on, I choose to trust you. I choose to count it all joy knowing You have a good plan for me.