Daily Encouragement

March 14, 2010- A Great Grandma Of Faith

Meditation on Ruth 4

When Naomi came back to Bethlehem, her own home and country, she realized that she had made a mistake in leaving it in the first place. Her husband as well as her two sons had all passed away in a foreign land. But she was a believer and a godly woman. Her influences had a great impact upon Ruth, her daughter-in-law who insisted to follow her and her God everywhere she went. Ruth loved her very much and took care of her. So God took care of her in spite of her previous mistake.

Now through her counsel, Ruth got a husband named Boaz and bore a son named Obed. Naomi nourished Obed and took care of him as his son. She was so happy and continued to bring up godly generation. Her sadness in the past was gone. Her spiritual impact continued to influence Obed who later became the grandfather of King David, a man of faith.

We are reminded of Timothy who was touched by the faith of his maternal grandmother and mother. (2 Timothy 1:5) The faith of a grandmother can produce a great grandson who in turn will lead many others to the Lord.

March 15, 2010 - From Hurting To Giving

Meditation on 1 Samuel 1

The problem of Hannah was that she was married to a man with two wives. Since she had no child, she was constantly irritated by the other woman. One can tell that her heart was hurting most of the time at home. Her only relieve was to cry before the Lord.

As Hannah worshiped and prayed before the Lord at the temple, she vowed that she would give her child to serve God all of the child's life if she would have a son. After her long prayer and the blessing from Eli, the High Priest, her sadness was gone. She trusted in the Lord. What a lesson she was for us concerning prayer! (v. 18)

God had answered her prayer indeed. She bore a son named Samuel. After Samuel was weaned, Hannah and her husband took him to the temple and offered him to serve the Lord there all his life. Samuel had later become a great prophet, teacher and Judge of the nation of Israel. He led the nation back to God and prepared it to be a great kingdom by anointing David as king.

Hannah's giving resulted in tremendous blessings for her country and people. It all began with her prayer in a time of hurting.

March 16, 2010 - God's Judgment On A Permissive Leader

Meditation on 1 Samuel 4

Eli was the High Priest and judge for Israelite for a long period. (v. 18) But he died tragically the same day when his two sons and one daughter-in-law died. God had judged him and his household. Also the nation he led suffered a great lost in battle in which thirty thousand foot soldiers perished.

The reason for his down fall was his selfish behavior toward himself and his children. His two sons were priests according to the tradition of Moses. But they behaved like a gangsters in the house of God. They took meat from the people who sacrificed to God for their own consumption before they offered it to God. They slept with the women who served in the temple. Eli knew about these and have warned his sons. (1 Samuel 2:22-36) But he failed to stop them for such wickedness. I may even guess that Eli himself often enjoyed those good meats. That was probably why he was so fat. (v. 18)

A permissive father would eventually lead to the deterioration of his own family. In the case of Eli, he was judged by God severely because he was a religious leader. In these days of permissiveness, a father should not conform to this world but to take responsibility to discipline his children and stop their wrong behavior right away.

March 17, 2010 - Permitted But Not Pleasing God

Meditation on 1 Samuel 12

The Israelites worried for their own security because of the enemies around them. They asked for a king to protect them like the other nations. But God didn't like it. He told Samuel that the people actually were abandoning God to rule over them. However he did allow Samuel to anoint Saul to be the king for them. Samuel also warned them what the king will do to them with demand of taxes, military service from everyone and servants for the king's interest.

After Saul was anointed, Samuel showed them an unusual, severe thunderstorm in the day of harvest in order to prove to them God's displeasure concerning their request of a king. (v. 17-18) The people realized their sin of rebellion against God and asked for Samuel's prayer. Samuel then told them that they and their king would do well if they would obey God in all they would do from then on.

We should ask God for His perfect will for our lives. If we ask God for something else hard enough, God may permit it and grant it to us. But it is not the best for us. King Saul turned out to be an ultimate failure for the nation of Israel though he was great at the beginning.

March 18, 2010 - Obedience To God Cannot Be Compromised

Meditation on 1 Samuel 15

Here is a very serious lesson for every believer: God requires absolute obedience. Saul was chosen as the first king of Israel. He had great physical attribute as well as spiritual attribute in the beginning. He was touched by the Holy Spirit. He seemed to have good character toward people. He demanded others to obey the law. Yet he himself overstepped boundary by taking upon himself the duty of a priest to offer sacrifice instead of waiting for Samuel. (1 Samuel 13:8-14) God considered that as not keeping His command.

In this chapter, we find that he clearly violated God's command again by not destroying all the fat animals and saving the life of the king of Amalekites. He gave the excuses of listening to the voice of the people and saving the choice cattle to offer sacrifices to God. This caused Samuel's utterance of one of the most famous statement in the Bible, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams...." (v. 22, NASB)

Saul had tried to show that he did obey the LORD in some part of the command. But we must realize that if one leaves some part of the order not accomplished, it is equal to disobedience. As a result, God had rejected Saul as the king of His people. God's command could never be compromised and must be 100% obeyed.

March 19, 2010 - The Positive Outlook Of Faith

Meditation on 1 Samuel 17

David the young boy who was overlooked even by his father, Jesse, was anointed by Samuel to be the future king of Israel because he was a young man of faith. (1 Samuel 16:11-13)

He told Saul that he killed the lion and the bear by relying on the LORD. (v. 37) He referred to the armies of Israel as the armies of the living God. (v.26, 36) He was very upset that the Philistine taunted them. He yelled at Goliath, "You come to me with a sword, a spear, and a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have taunted." (v. 45 NASB) He had confidence that he would killed the 9 feet six inches giant, "so the all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." (v. 46)

He had the courage and assurance within that he would shoot down the giant with a stone from his sling.

The outlook and manifestation of David's faith ought to be an encouragement to all of us who also have faith in God and been anointed by the Holy Spirit. (1 John 2:20, 27)

Do you have courage and positive outlook in your life even amidst your trial and may be facing the giant in your life?

March 20, 2010 - David In The Rock

Meditation on 1 Samuel 23

Saul was chasing David in order to kill him. David and his followers had run from here to there in the wilderness. Verse 25 tells us that David finally went down to the rock in the mountain. In those days, this place was a safe place for a fugitive. Yet in the place of the rock, Saul was still chasing after him and his men. I believe it was in this hour that David composed his Psalm 61, when he prayed, "Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy." (Psalm 61:2b-3 NASB)

God is the higher rock that has protected David all these times. Time and time again, God has answered his prayer and sent help to him. Even the son of Saul, Jonathan came to comfort him. Therefore in this time of hardship, David was able to keep his family well and deliver others who needed his protection also.

The God who had been a refuge for David is a refuge for you today. Come and pray to Him in the name of Jesus. He will send you help unexpected! Jesus is the rock of ages.