FAITH CAPSULE: Obeying God can be painful but it is gainful.

1 Samuel 15

Samuel delivered a message from God to Saul, “Thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘I will punish Amalek for what he did to Israel, how he ambushed him on the way when he came up from Egypt. Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’” (1 Samuel 15:2-3) Saul disobeyed God’s command. The bible recorded, “Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were unwilling to utterly destroy them.” (1 Samuel 15:9)

Obeying God’s command hangs on willingness of man to do as commanded by God. God is not a slave master but a saving Master. Saul re-wrote the command of God as it seemed right to him. Anytime a man take to the way that seems right, man ends up terminated. The way that seems right is not of God, it is a way of death. (Proverbs 14:12) When Samuel discovered Saul’s disobedient, he approached Saul stating, “Has the Lord as great 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.” (1 Samuel 15:22) Obeying God is crucial to attaining greatness to the glory of God. There is price to pay and much to gain when we obey God. With disobedience comes pain and nothing to gain.

Obedience is costly; it is commitment, it is uncomfortable and above all it is a learning process which is meant to position man for great exploit. Jesus, our Lord and Savior went through obedience learning process. The book of Philippians 2:5-9 documented, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.  Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name.” In Him there was no fault but He was faulted. He was excessively beaten, He was denied, He was disrespected, He was rejected by His people, He was moved around in pain without His will, He was misrepresented and His disciples withdrew themselves from Him. The King of kings, Lord of lords could have avoided all kinds of humiliation but He suffered all not to falter God. Obeying God is pain but it is gainful.

Prayer for today: Ask God for the spirit obedience to reign over you.