Are you quick to hear and respond to God’s Word, or does it seem to go in one ear and out the other? Although messages from the Lord were rare in Eli’s day, the old priest was confronted by a prophet because he was dishonoring the Lord and the priesthood by not rebuking his sons for their evil conduct (1 Samuel 2:27-36).
Despite the prediction of dire consequences, Eli didn’t heed the warning. So the Word of the Lord came to him again through the young boy Samuel. At first Samuel didn’t know who was speaking, but Eli told him to say, “Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam. 3:9).
Whenever we open the Word of God, we should all say the same thing in order to guard against error. The Devil seeks to imitate God’s voice, but the more familiar we are with Scripture, the more easily we can discern the Enemy’s lies.
James 1:22 warns us to be not merely hearers of the Word but doers. Pay attention as you read Scripture, because God is speaking directly to you. Take His admonitions to heart, obey His commands, and draw encouragement and comfort from His promises.
We all want to live life to the fullest, but to do that, we must have goals to aim for. Few of us actually take the time to consider where we’re going. How tragic it would be to finish our life and find out we were on a course other than God’s, fighting the wrong fight and struggling to keep the faith.
The apostle Paul is a good role model for living life to the fullest. His goals were to know Christ, abide in His power, fellowship in His suffering, and preach the gospel (Philippians 3:10; 1 Corinthians 1:17). Paul aligned his aspirations with the Lord’s, diligently worked to fulfill his calling, and persevered through suffering. He could face the end of his life with confidence since he’d “fought the good fight ... finished the course ... [and] kept the faith” (2 Tim. 4:7).
If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting. Don’t settle for the mediocrity of an unplanned life. Set aside some time this week to get alone with the Lord. Then ask for His help in setting goals that will take you where He wants you to go. Consider every area of your life—personal, relational, financial, and vocational—but make spiritual goals your primary emphasis.
Let God help you change direction so you can pursue things that align with His will. Then start living intentionally.
In His grace, God freely gives salvation to those who believe in Jesus. We can’t earn it, nor do we deserve it. However, our Father does notice when we live according to His will, and He promises to reward us according to what we have done for Him.
Revelation 22:12 says, “Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to reward each one as his work deserves.” Whether large or small, service done in Jesus’ name will be blessed. We must be careful, though, that our actions are for Christ’s glory. If motives are self-serving, the only benefit we receive is the praise (if any) that we hear from people in this life.
While we look forward to rewards that will be given in heaven, some blessings can be experienced now. For example, there’s great joy in allowing God to bless others through us. In addition, there’s a profound sense of fulfillment when we lead a person to Jesus and teach him or her how to walk by faith.
Serving others is both a great benefit and a responsibility. We should prayerfully consider our motives to make sure that our goal is to glorify Christ. Only then will we receive God’s full blessings—rewards given not just in eternity but on earth as well.
To get the most out of this devotion, set aside time to read the scriptures referenced throughout.
God loves us. It’s a wonderful reality, but one we hear about so often that the idea can actually become stale in our minds. And sadly, if this truth becomes simply information, it loses the power to transform lives. On the other hand, if we make a daily practice of receiving God’s unconditional love and letting it wash over us, our faith will change dramatically. Then the impact will spread, as we’ll also be positioned to love others well (John 15:5; 1 John 4:19).
So today, let’s remember: God is love, and He is both everlasting and unchanging. His unconditional commitment to us comes from who He is; it has nothing to do with who we are or what we’ve done. No matter how many mistakes or good deeds we’ve tallied, they could never influence Him to change His mind about us. Our heavenly Father loves us just as we are, even before we receive His gift of eternal life (Romans 5:8-10). Meditate on His words today: “I will not forget you. Behold, I have inscribed you on the palms of My hands” (Isaiah 49:15-16).
Psalm 63:1-11
When David was in the wilderness of Judah, he exclaimed, “God, You are my God; I shall be watching for You; My soul thirsts for You” (Ps. 63:1). The Lord seemed distant, and David longed for His presence. Then, in verse 2, he reminisced about times that he saw God’s glory in His sanctuary, when the Lord seemed more accessible. This contrast captures a common human predicament: We often don’t appreciate things going well until they’re gone. But in the wilderness, we quickly wither and recognize how urgently we yearn for the Lord. Many times, sadly, it’s not until we experience deep thirst that we’re able to taste the goodness of Jesus’ living water. (See John 7:37-38.)
The trouble is that it might take years to realize we are in a wilderness. Then, because of our desperation, every new mud puddle glistens with glorious possibilities like a mirage, and we plunge in, convinced that we’ve finally found something fulfilling. But only the water Jesus gives truly quenches thirst and promises eternal life (John 4:13-14).
That’s why we must remain sensitive to our Savior’s guidance through the barren land. He promises, “I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will advise you with My eye upon you” (Psalm 32:8). When we heed God’s call, we exclaim along with David, “My soul waits in silence for God alone; from Him comes my salvation” (Ps. 62:1).
