Good day and praise the Lord for another day. The Lord asks whom can I send, who will go for me, to the end of the earth, who will rise up for the King? Here am I Lord, send me. There are many ways to hear the voice of God but some of us will not take the time to get that close relationship. The message today will bless you if you let it.
Today’s Prayer
Dear Heavenly father, Thank You for this day. Thank You for Your son, Jesus. As we celebrate His birth this month, help us to remember; we need to be keenly aware of the importance and circumstances of His birth, the life of service He lived, and the suffering He endured because He was obedient to Your will and He loves us. We are so thankful for His loving sacrifice. We are thankful that He sits upon the throne today and intercedes for us. We are thankful that He will come again and receive us. Please, may His light shine through us and influence lives for Him this Christmas. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Let’s eat.
Hearing God’s Voice
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. – 1 Samuel 3:7
The Bible tells us that Samuel was born to Hannah, a woman who had a deep commitment to God. She was barren, but she cried out to God for a son. The Lord gave her Samuel, whom she completely gave to the Lord for His service. After weaning him, she took him to the house of the Lord to be reared by the priests. Eli was the priest of Israel, but he was not a Godly leader. He had allowed much corruption, including the sins of his sons, in God’s house. God was not pleased with Eli and later judged him and his household.
Samuel grew up in the temple serving God. He also grew up seeing the hypocrisy of Eli’s household, yet this did not change the young man. God was with him. We learn that even though young Samuel had a belief in God, he had not yet experienced a personal relationship with Him. God called to Samuel three times, but Samuel thought it was Eli, the priest, calling him. Finally, Eli told him to say, “Speak Lord, for your servant is listening” (1 Sam. 3:9). This is what Samuel did, and God began telling Samuel important things to come.
Many of us grow up in religious environments. We go to church every week. We have head knowledge of God, but we do not recognize God’s voice in our lives. There comes a time when we must recognize God’s voice for ourselves. A lot of us depend on others to put our requests before the Lord because we know that we don’t have a close personal relationship with Him. God doesn’t want us to have a religion; He wants us to have a two-way relationship with Him. Samuel was never the same after this encounter. He would know God’s voice and would respond to Him in obedience.
How about you? Do you know God’s voice? Can you recognize it when He speaks? In order to hear God’s voice, you must be clean before Him and listen. Listen to God’s voice today and follow His plans for you. Stop asking people to pray for you. Do your own job. Instead ask people to pray in agreement with you and God’s will.
Quote of the Day
The Christian faith is meant to be lived moment by moment. It isn’t some broad, general outline–it’s a long walk with a real Person. Details count: passing thoughts, small sacrifices, a few encouraging words, little acts of kindness, brief victories over nagging sins.
Joni Eareckson Tada
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REV. ELDER G E STERRETT
FOUNDER
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James H. Taylor Sr. – Kankakee City News has published my Daily meal message for a decade.