October 8, 2019

BEHOLD!

1 Samuel 15:22

Then Samuel said, “If only the desired whole burnt offerings and desired sacrifices were equal to the Lord, as compared to one who heeds the voice of the Lord! Behold! Hearing is better than a good sacrifice and obedience than the fat of rams.”

Personal Challenge

It is so easy to get caught up in rituals and traditions and then forget the entire reason for doing them. In the day of Samuel they had sacrifices and offerings. In the day of Jesus, they still had these rituals but they also had a myriad of other rituals piled on top of that. Today we have our celebratory worships, our liturgies, our fasting, our Bible study times, and the list goes on and on. What we end up doing, all too often, is doing the ritual for the sake of the ritual and then living our lives as if God does not exist. Samuel reminds us that God wants our hearts, our minds, and our souls to be poured into Him, loving Him, and loving our neighbor. He wants our hearts more than He wants us practicing rituals about Him in our lives. Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy! Lord, have mercy!