S. O. A. P.

Here’s Your 90 second AM Devotional!

S-cripture:

1 Samuel 15:22a

But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord?

O-bservation:

King Saul had defied the Lord by disobeying Him after defeating the Amalekites. He had been told by The Lord, through Samuel, the Priest and Prophet of Israel, to destroy every living thing. However, Saul spared Agag, the King, and the choicest cattle and sheep. When Samuel found him, he confronted him, and Saul said he had saved the best cattle and sheep so he could sacrifice to the Lord in proper religious fashion. But Samuel said, “The Lord desires OBEDIENCE, more than sacrifice.”

A-pplication:

When my first son was quite small, my wife and I got into a bad habit of giving him a directive and then we would start the count. We would count to three and then he would obey. One day my wife gave the command while the little guy sat and looked at her. She decided to go over to him and scold him without counting, and he started crying. I said, “What are you doing?” She said, “Someday he may only have a second to obey. If we teach him to wait till we count to three, he may not make it. He must learn to OBEY the FIRST time.” Saul evidently was never taught as a little boy to OBEY the FIRST time. To blatantly oppose the Almighty not only showed Saul’s rebellious heart, it begs the question of how someone with so many outstanding qualities could also be such a fool. No matter how prepared one is for religious practices to be enacted properly, remember, “OBEDIENCE … That’s What God Really Wants!”

P-rayer:

Dear Jesus,

This AM, I still need Your constant help and encouragement with my obedience. Oftentimes, even at this age, I have a tendency to pursue my own wants instead of Your will. I need You! Amen