1 Samuel 12, Song of Solomon 1, 1 John 3

His Great Name. There was only one reason God put up with Israel's constant fickleness. His own great Name. He intended to demonstrate to the world his power and greatness by his acts toward Israel.

Samuel understood. He could easily have misunderstood and thought it was all about him. After all, he led Israel his entire life. But it was his relationship with the Lord, and communication every day with Him, that enabled Samuel to grasp God's motivation.

Rejection of God. So, when the people rejected Samuel, he took it for what it really was~rejection of God. I believe verses 1-5 give us a window to Samuel's emotional hurt. But after he aired it, he left it behind and followed God's will in anointing Saul.

Rejection is hard. It is the greatest fear for most people. It's mine. The way we handle rejection says perhaps more about our walk with the Lord than anything else we ever say or do. God showed us the right way. He kept on loving His people. Can we keep loving those who reject us? However, God's love for them did not make the Israelites immune to judgment and consequences.

Let it go. Those who reject us can be turned over to the Lord without us worrying that they'll never be held accountable. But accountability for them is not our job. We need to take our cue from Samuel. Let it go.

Love Relationship. The Song of Solomon, or Song of Songs, is a description of the love of God for his people and the love relationship between Jesus Christ and his bride, the church. How refreshing it is - especially after reading about rejection - to read about this all-consuming passion. Whatever rules we may have imagined, whatever fears or impositions we allow in our relationship with Christ all fade in the heat of His passion for us.

We need to  abandon all else for Him. You are loved. I am loved. Nothing else matters.

Pass it on. Solomon compares the relationship of Jesus Christ and the church to a marriage. John compares it to a Father and his children. What release to know I am loved like this! I am secure as a child. I cannot ever be anyone else's child. As the child of love, that love will pour out of me to others. Every action I take, every part of my behavior, results from love. If I focus on the love of God and how to let His love flow through me to others, I won't have to live by a set of rules. I will want to please the One Who loved me first.

1 Samuel 11, Ecclesiastes 12, 1 John 2

Saul was a young man full of promise. But only when the Holy Spirit came upon him did he do a great thing. The way our promise is fulfilled is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Solomon encourages us to receive the Lord when we are young. He indicates that it is possible to wait too long. If we are saved in our youth, then the Holy Spirit can work and our full potential be realized. If we wait, we suffer many lost years.

Solomon also recommends staying committed and finishing well. He saw his own wasted potential at the end of his life. He took his eyes off God and allowed himself to indulge in every pleasure. Then he realized wanton pleasure brought no gain. He wants his son to do better than he. Solomon sums up his advice in verse 13. "Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is man's all . . ." It was true for Solomon and Saul. And it's true for us today.

1 John 2 is both discouraging and encouraging to read. There will be, and are, false teachers leading people astray and doing it for their own gain. The saddest of all, they ensnare by their eloquent speech. Those who attend church and then go after these false teachers, ending up in lives of sin, are the worse for it because they heard and understood true doctrine and could have accepted it.

We must keep our eyes open and compare all teaching to the Bible. Each of us is responsible for our own spiritual growth.