1 SAMUEL 8:19-20

But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

TO PONDER:

What kind of king do you want? We can easily say Jesus is Lord and claim him as our king but what does that really mean. In the Book of 1 Samuel, the Israelites are asking God for an earthly king so that they will be like other nations. However, they first receive a warning from Samuel about what having an earthly king would be like. He would tax their income, send their young men off to war, and generally lord it over them taking whatever he wanted. Sometimes we fear this is what Jesus will do if we give him full reign in our lives, and so we keep him at arms length. But Jesus is a different sort of King entirely. He doesn't want to lord it over you, he wants to serve you. He doesn't want to oppress you, he wants to give you freedom. Of course when we release our control and let Jesus take the reins, we can experience some discomfort. Any leadership change requires some adjustments, but His leadership will bring us to eternal life. You can't get there by yourself.

PRAYER:

Jesus, you died so that I may have life, life in all its fulness. Help me to trust when you lead me outside of my comfort zone. Help me to follow your lead, wherever you take me. Help me to remember that your way leads to eternal life. Amen

The DBP and DBP API are owned by Hosanna/Faith Comes By Hearing. The Bible Content housed in the DBP is owned by Hosanna/Faith Comes By Hearing and its Licensor-Partners.