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1 Samuel 13:1-15 Devotional: Saul, A Man Self-Focused

Submitted by a sister director, Gracepoint Berkeley

Reflect on the words “I saw,” “I thought,” and “I felt compelled.”  What was driving Saul?

• Saul was driven by his feelings of fear and anxiety.  He felt this very real feeling of fear and anxiety b/c he saw that the men were scattering (he felt alone, top leader, and his men scattering), he saw that Samuel was not coming (felt abandoned, left to his own resources, felt like it wasn’t his fault that he was in this situation, felt out of control), he saw that the Philistines were assembling (felt fear, fear that he as the king, might fail, might be defeated, humiliated in battle), and so he was driven by these very real feelings of fear to take matters into his own hands.  This was his downfall.  What was REALLY going on though that Saul failed to see?

1 Samuel 13:1-14 Devotional: Sin Alienates and Destroys Relationships

Submitted by Ahmi Kim, Gracepoint Berkeley.

Saul pointed to “the men…scattering”, Samuel “not” coming “at the set time…” and “the Philistines…assembling at Micmash” in order to justify the his disobedience in disregarding the clear ban against offering sacrifices by anyone other than priests. In that fearful and anxious moment, he knew that he needed the Lord’s favor. “I have not sought the Lord’s favor.” (v.12) He knew that it was the Lord that needed to deliver him. And he goes about it in a way that is opposite the way of the Lord’s favor. What a monumental tragedy and miscalculation…yet very, very identifiable. He thought that gaining the Lord’s favor and protecting himself and his people was in the act of burnt offering, regardless of whether it was carried out in accordance to His Word. He thought that the result justified the means, and, in doing so, missed the heart of the command altogether, and, in fact, opened his heart to a trajectory of disobedience and of disregard for God’s Word, for not keeping “the command the Lord your God gave you.”

I find this at work a lot among Christians,

Colossians 4:14-18 Devotional

Submitted by Pastor William Kang, Gracepoint Berkeley

What is significant about the fact that Demas who deserted Apostle Paul for the world (2 Timothy 4:10) was once among the list of people that Apostle Paul counted on?

• As a follower of Jesus, what is significant is that I should never be comfortable or confident about where I stand.  In other words, my faithfulness is only as good as what I am thinking and what I am desiring today.  I cannot take pride in my faithfulness in the past and I cannot look to the past to project my faithfulness in the future. If I think this way then I will coast spiritually today, and if I do then I am setting myself up for doom. I need to be faithful today.  I need to do the tough work of applying the gospel to my heart today, and repenting of sins and false values.  As a leader of followers of Jesus, I need to help others deepen their faith, knowledge and understanding of the gospel even to those who are encouraging disciples of Jesus.   The point is that anyone call fall in the future, and so I must approach others not just with confidence but also with concern and care.