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.

1 Samuel 10, Ecclesiastes 11, 1 John 1

Samuel gave Saul signs to look for so Saul would believe God had indeed chosen him. The chief sign was that Saul would "be turned into another man." (v.6) And "So it was, when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, that God gave him another heart . . ." The people saw Saul's tall, commanding stature. God saw Saul's heart. The power of the Holy Spirit would make Saul an effective king, not his physical prowess.

All along, Saul was clearly God's Plan B. Of course, He knew the people would reject Him and prepared Saul for his role. But a human king wasn't God's ideal plan.

The Israelites were so focused on what they could see that they rejected all else.

Solomon knew that if our focus is on ourselves and our happiness, based on circumstances, we'll end up miserable and under God's judgment. But if we focus on giving and serving others, we will see a return. It may come as material goods, and it may come by knowing we've pleased God. But if our focus really is on God and others, our greatest treasure will become having God's pleasure.

John wanted his readers to have no doubt that he wrote what he had seen, heard, and touched: Jesus Christ. That Jesus Christ is the Son of God, eternal in nature. And that others can have fellowship with Him. John makes clear the test to know who is living in fellowship with Christ--only those who practice truth. That means living it out in our behavior. Once again, it's about focus, this time on Christ and living like Him.

1 Samuel 5, Ecclesiastes 6, 1 Peter 4

Many Christians and conservatives in the U.S. are wringing their hands over the results of our recent presidential election. I sense real fear as I listen to some acquaintances talk. But 1 Samuel 5 speaks calm and peace to me. This chapter describes how the Holy Spirit, who dwelt in the ark of God, by His very presence caused the enemy so much death and grief that they only wanted to be rid of it. The enemy is allowed the power God intends, and no more. We can trust the Lord to prevail. Yes, we have to do our part, but we need not despair. God is in control.

Solomon realized that our focus needs to be eternal, rather than temporal. Everyone dies, he says, so we'd better pay attention to "Him who is mightier" (v. 10).

Peter continues Solomon's train of thought. He tells us what our focus needs to be in practical terms: doing the will of God. Living in such a manner that lost people don't understand and persecute us for being Christians. He contrasts this new focus with our old focus - physical pleasures on earth.

If we need any motivation to keep our focus on Christ, it is the judgment that awaits everyone. Whatever happens in our country or our lives on earth, it really is not as important as our lives in heaven. So let's raise our gaze to catch a glimpse of the bigger picture and keep our eyes on it.

1 Samuel 2, Ecclesiastes 3, 1 Peter 1

Reading 1 Samuel 2 is like looking into a camera lens while it zooms out to a panorama. This is the big picture God had in mind when He withheld a child from Hannah. He needed her to come to the point of willingness to give her first-born son to the Lord. The priesthood was in tatters. Eli's natural sons could not carry it on. The whole nation's future was at stake. God needed the man He would create as Samuel. Compare verse 26 with Luke 2:52. This chapter points straight to Jesus. The sins of Eli's sons were as grievous as those of the Pharisees in Jesus' day. Samuel became a priest. Jesus became both our High Priest and perfect sacrifice.

Solomon is right when he says there is a time for everything. He also makes the point that humans can't see the big picture of what God is doing. So we need to trust Him and enjoy what He gives us. It can seem that evil prevails now, just as it seemed in Eli's time and Solomon's. But God doesn't allow evil to go on without end. He brings all to justice.

Peter's words echo Solomon's and highlight the arrow pointing from the Old Testament to Jesus Christ. We, who live with the benefit of reading the Bible as a whole, should heed Peter's instructions readily. Treasure our inheritance in heaven and live our lives in a manner worthy of the Spirit who dwells in us.

Judges 6, Proverbs 14, Titus 3

God called Gideon a "mighty man of valor" while he was still hiding in the wine press. God saw what He had in mind for the future.

Gideon could only see the present . . .  and he had questions. "If the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?"

God didn't answer Gideon's question. He gave an assignment. This is where we tend to push the pause button in our lives. We want our questions answered before we proceed. But Gideon obeyed.

The first assignment didn't look like what it was. Tearing down idols and thus making the whole community angry might not have been Gideon's idea of valor or how to save Israel from the Midianites. But he obeyed. He trusted God to fit all the pieces together.

Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." Verse 14 adds, "The backslider in heart will be filled with his own ways, but a good man will be satisfied from above."

We who have been saved, "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy . . ." have a responsibility "to be ready for every good work." The Bible is full of instructions for right living and we are to follow them. But we are also to follow God's leading in assignments. He lives in us and will, by the Holy Spirit, manifest Himself in such a way as to accomplish His work through us. Even if it doesn't look like what He says it is.

Joshua 15, Psalm 149, 2 Thessalonians 1

Joshua 15 details the borders, and cities within them, that outlined the land Judah would inherit. This was a huge area and included the city of Jerusalem. It was up to the people to take the land for themselves. Caleb's land lay in part of this area and he drove out three real giants. He put muscle where his mouth was. He acted on the faith he had already verbalized. Faith is only as good as the actions based on it. Faith is the glove on the hand.

Judah was not able to drive out the inhabitants of Jerusalem with the result that they had to share space. The Bible gives no reason for this failure, nor does it outline specific, serious consequences. The situation apparently was simply not as ideal as it could have been. The Judah-ites may never have known what could have been. When we fail to act in full faith, we miss opportunity and may never even realize it. But that doesn't excuse our failure or negate it. God knows.

Psalm 149 describes the pairing of faith with action a little bit differently. When the people are full of praise and worship, when their joy overflows, then they are prepared to go out with the sword. "This honor have all His saints." This verse (9) refers to us even now. Verse 3 describes being filled up completely with praise; our bodies overflow with it in dance and song. Only at this point do we have what we need to fight and win. I believe this describes the filling of the Holy Spirit and the power He provides.

Here is another example of faith and working power. The Thessalonian Christians suffered persecution, but Paul reminds them of the power of God  to overcome and destroy enemies. It is Jesus Christ who actually does it for us. We just have to engage.

Verse 11: " . . . That our God would . . . fulfill . . . the work of faith with power."

Joshua 1, Psalm 135, Ephesians 6

After Moses died, Joshua stepped into the leadership role as a military leader. The Lord told Joshua it was time to go in and possess the Promised Land and also promised to go with the people as they fought for it.

This Psalm is a praise to the Lord for keeping His promise to His people. He delivered them from Egypt and settled them in the land He gave them. He is the only true God.

Just as Joshua became a military leader and led the people to fight for their land, we also are in a battle for our land. Our land is our minds and God is with us to help us fight in the power of the Holy Spirit. He provides our armor and weapons, but He actually wins, defeating the enemy for us. (Col. 2:15)

Just as Psalms 135 records the victory from Joshua, Colossians 2:15 records the victory from Ephesians 6.

Deuteronomy 33, Ps. 133, Ephesians 4

Just as Moses blessed each of the tribes before his death and told them what a good thing it was to belong to the Lord, we as Christians have that same blessing. We, too, are a people "saved by the Lord" and our enemies will submit to us and we will "tread down their high places" because of the power of the Holy Spirit living in us.

"How good and how pleasant it is" not only to be saved by the Lord, but to dwell together in unity. Christianity is not merely an individual, solitary life, although it certainly begins with God and me alone. The instant I stepped into a relationship with my Heavenly Father, I also began a relationship with His other children--my brothers and sisters. Despite the human propensity for sibling rivalry, it is good, the Psalmist reminds us, to live in unity and harmony!

And so, Paul found it necessary to instruct further, more specifically, on the topic of unity. We do need to remember that we all have the same Heavenly Father and the same Spirit living in us. But as Moses gave a unique blessing upon each of the tribes, emphasizing how God would use them--Levi to minister in the tabernacle, Judah to be a warrior, Asher to be strong, Benjamin to rest in the Lord, Gad to administer justice, Reuben to multiply in the land, and so on--similarly, Jesus Christ gives each of His children, you and me, grace gifts. We know them as spiritual gifts. It's important for us to live out these gifts for the building up of the body, the church. And it's also important to live in a way that pleases Christ.

"And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you." Eph. 4:32