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Spear Throwers

Learn a Lesson From David on Artful Dodging

SYNOPSIS: One of the common experiences we all share in life is dealing with chronically angry people. Sometimes, those angry people can become a danger to us—emotionally and even physically. They become spear throwers, like King Saul was to David. Preserving your health and well-being with a spear thrower takes wisdom and skill, and God has provided the example for both in David. Learn from him—you’re going to need it.

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 19:9-10

One day when Saul was sitting at home, with spear in hand, the tormenting spirit from the Lord suddenly came upon him again. As David played his harp, Saul hurled his spear at David. But David dodged out of the way, and leaving the spear stuck in the wall, he fled and escaped into the night.

King Saul became a spear thrower—and David was his favorite target. The king had become increasingly paranoid about David, and uncontrollably angry. His downward spiral into emotional illness is well documented in the previous chapters of 1 Samuel, and it’s a sad story—a cautionary tale of the potential devastation of unconfessed sin.

For David, it wasn’t a cautionary tale; it was a living hell. The king’s uncontrollable anger didn’t come in the form of verbal abuse; it was physical. On several occasions, Saul tried to kill his loyal associate, literally attempting to pin him to the wall with his spear as David played the harp to soothe the king’s manic-depressive mood swings. In order to preserve his own health and well-being, David had to quickly deal with Saul—which he did. And the wise approach he took is incredibly instructive for us today as we deal with spear throwers in our own lives. We can find several things David did to survive his spear-throwing boss:

  1. First, David established rules. He knew Saul’s destructive capabilities, so wisely set boundaries to limit the damage. 1 Samuel 19:10 says, “While David was playing the harp, Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape.” David didn’t continue to give Saul the opportunity to nail him to the wall. Being a peacemaker doesn’t mean being a whipping boy. If another’s anger is endangering you physically or emotionally, you have to draw the line. You will probably need to get some advice from your pastor or a professional counselor on this if your spear thrower is extreme, but do it nonetheless.
  2. Second, David exhibited respect. A few chapters later in 1 Samuel 24, David had escaped Saul, and he and his men hid from the king in a cave. As Saul was hunting David, he happened into the very same cave—to relieve himself—unaware that David was hiding in the shadows, watching every move. David had a chance to kill him, but instead, he quietly came up behind Saul and cut off the edge of his robe. “Then, as Saul was leaving, David shouted, ‘My lord the king!’ As Saul looked back, David had prostrated himself with his face to the ground.” (1 Samuel 24:8) He never spoke disrespectfully to or about Saul. And therein is an important lesson for us: another’s anger rarely, if ever, justifies yours.
  3. Third, David eliminated retaliation. He refused to seek revenge on the king, even though Saul deserved it, and even while David’s men were urging him to do it: “This day you’ve seen how the Lord delivered you into my hands. Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay a hand on my master since he’s God’s anointed.’” (1 Samuel 24:10) David had plenty of justification to retaliate: the circumstances were right, his men were encouraging him, the Lord had already anointed him to replace Saul. But he refused to do what only God can do: To pass judgment on another person!
  4. Fourth, David expected redemption. He entrusted himself to God: “May the Lord be our judge and decide between us. May he consider my cause and uphold it; may he vindicate me by delivering me from your hand.” (1 Samuel 24:15) David drew boundaries, but he never lacked respect, nor retaliated, because he knew that if he entrusted himself to God, he would be okay—especially with God. Proverbs 16:7 says, “When people’s ways please the Lord, He makes even their enemies to be at peace with them.” That is a promise you and I can lean into, especially if you have a spear thrower in your life.

Today, when someone throws a barb your way, or worse, remember the wonderful model that God has provided for you in David for dealing with that person. When you deal with the spear thrower in a God honoring way, it may just very well be the thing that releases God’s peace in that relationship.

At the very least, and most importantly, your ways will please the Lord.

Going Deeper With God: Pick up a copy of Boundaries: When to Say Yes, When to Say No-To Take Control of Your Life and read it sometime in the next month or two.

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A Gift For God

How To Make Him Happy

SYNOPSIS: What can you give to a God who has it all and does it all? Only your fear and your hope! What satisfies God to the core of his being is the fear that arises not out of terror, but from the kind of reverence and obedience that comes from knowing that he is the giver and sustainer of life itself, the rightful owner of Planet Earth and ruler of your life.

Project 52—Memorize:
Psalm 147:11

“The LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.”

How do you make God happy?  He has everything he wants and can create what he doesn’t have.

God is all-powerful—after all, he even created all the stars and calls them each by name:  “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” (Psalm 147:4)

God knows everything there is to know—there is no limit to either his power or his understanding: “Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” (Psalm 147:5)

God has fixed up this little globe called earth to run amazingly well, sustaining its ecological systems: “He sends his command to the earth; his word runs swiftly. He spreads the snow like wool, and scatters the frost like ashes. He hurls down his hail like pebbles. Who can withstand his icy blast? He sends his word and melts them; he stirs up his breezes, and the waters flow.” (Psalm 147:15-18)

God has even ordered provision for the daily needs of his earthly creatures: “He covers the sky with clouds; he supplies the earth with rain and makes grass grow on the hills. He provides food for the cattle and for the young ravens when they call.” (Psalm 147:8-9)

So precisely, abundantly, and consistently does God care for the earth’s higher inhabitants that their utter and ceaseless gratitude is only fitting: “Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.” (Psalm 147:7)

What, then, can you give to a God who has it all and does it all?  Only your fear and your hope! What satisfies God to the core of his being is the fear that arises not out of terror, but from the kind of reverence and respect that comes from knowing that he is the giver and sustainer of life itself, the rightful owner of Planet Earth and ruler of your life.

What causes God pleasure is the hope that looks to him for protection, peace, and provision: “For he strengthens the bars of your gates and blesses your people within you. He grants peace to your borders and satisfies you with the finest of wheat. (Psalm 147:13-14)

What causes God pleasure is the patience that waits for him to execute justice and fairness: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” (Psalm 147:3)

What causes God pleasure is trust that expects him to fulfill his good purposes to all those who belong to him: “He has revealed his word to Jacob, his laws and decrees to Israel. He has done this for no other nation; they do not know his laws.” (Psalm 147:19-20).

What gift can you offer to the one Being who truly has it all?  Just your very life, that’s all.

“God desires to be loved by men, although He needs them not; and men refuse to love God, though they need Him in an infinite degree.” ~Plaintes Du Sauveur

Reflect and Apply: Do you want to bring a smile to God’s face today?  I think you know what to do!

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The Danger of Rationalizing Disobedience

The Daily Obliteration of Self

SYNOPSIS: William Barclay wrote, “The essence of Christianity is not the enthronement but the obliteration of self.” Self doesn’t ascend to the throne of our lives overnight, it inches closer each day over time when we fail to deal with our flaws, cut corners in our obedience, rationalize or spiritualize disobedience, and grow comfortable with our patterns of sin. Don’t do that! To ignore, justify, spiritualize, or minimize sin will lead you to a place that is far away from where you started with God. Thankfully, however, God stands ready to help you to obliterate self and offer a surrendered heart instead—if you ask. I don’t know about you, but I am going to do that ASAP!

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 18:6-9

When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with tambourines and lutes. As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” Saul was very angry; this refrain galled him. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David

In reality, you could substitute any other dysfunctional or destructive adjective for “jealous”: A bitter or critical or angry or abusive or addictive heart—anything works there. In this case, a jealous heart was simply the manifestation of Saul’s deeper issues.

So how did Saul get from being a humble, winsome, dynamic leader to this insanely jealous, paranoid, violate man? One thing we know for sure: it didn’t happen suddenly. Over time, Saul failed to deal with his flaws, and began to cut corners on the path to where God was leading him. And he ended up in a place far from where he started—far away from God.

There was not just one mistake he made, there were several patterns of sin he grew accustomed to. But one above all the others stands as a warning sign to the rest of us: Saul learned to tolerate subtle sin.

In the Saul narratives, there are two examples of this. One is in 1 Samuel 13:10-12 when he disobeys Samuel’s order to wait for his arrival so the pre-battle sacrifice could be offered. When Samuel’s arrival was delayed, and Saul’s men were deserting in droves, Saul himself offered the sacrifice.

Just as he finished making the offering, Samuel arrived, and Saul went out to greet him. “What have you done?” asked Samuel. Saul replied, “When I saw that the men were scattering, and that you did not come at the set time, and that the Philistines were assembling at Micmash, I thought, ‘Now the Philistines will come down against me at Gilgal, and I have not sought the LORD’s favor.’ So I felt compelled to offer the burnt offering.”

Rather than repentance, Saul offers excuses, blame, and justification. Then again, in 1 Samuel 15, Saul is at war, this time with the Amalekites. Samuel told him to destroy everything—beast and human, because of the Amalekite’s sin against the Israelites during their wilderness years. But again, Saul failed to obey the Lord’s command, and Samuel calls him on the carpet. In response to Samuel’s rebuke, Saul says,

The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.” (1 Samuel 15:15)

Samuel said, “Stop!” (1 Samuel 15:116,

Saul protested, “But I did obey the LORD. I went on the mission the LORD assigned me. I completely destroyed the Amalekites and brought back Agag their king. The soldiers took sheep and cattle from the plunder, the best of what was devoted to God, in order to sacrifice them to the LORD your God at Gilgal.” (1 Samuel 15:20)

Do you see what Saul’s doing? He’s rationalizing disobedience; spiritualizing his actions; blaming Samuel in the first instance and his soldiers in the second—making himself the victim. He’s minimizing his sin. Saul’s disobedience is subtle; it looked like a good thing spiritually and militarily. But in those instances Saul wasn’t trusting God, he was “using” God to give success in battle—and God will not be used!

So Samuel cuts through all the excuse-making with some of the most profound and penetrating words in all of Scripture: “To obey is better than sacrifice.”(1 Samuel 15:22) To have a heart that loves God and cares about what God cares about—that’s what God wants. And the best way that is demonstrated is through loving obedience. To do something that may look and sound spiritual but in reality, doesn’t come from a heart that’s tenderly surrendered and trustingly obedient to God is rebellion and arrogance, and in truth, it is no better than engaging in witchcraft and idolatry.

That is how strongly God feels when we learn to tolerate even subtle disobedience in our lives.

So what about you? Are there any areas of subtle disobedience in your life? My challenge is to call you to seriously think about it! Then surrender it to God. But don’t ignore or justify or spiritualize or minimize it. Don’t turn down that road like Saul—it will lead to a place that is far away from where you started with God.

Going Deeper With God: You will need the Lord’s help on this, but ask him to examine your heart and cleanse you from any impure motives.

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If Past Performance Is Any Indicator…

God Will Do For You Today What He Did For You Yesterday

SYNOPSIS: Ever wonder where David got his courage to fight Goliath? Was he just a naturally brave warrior, experienced in battle, skillful in hand-to-hand combat, and just spoiling for a fight with an oversized blowhard, or was there something else? There was something else! David’s time as a shepherd turned out to be a critical period of preparation for what was to come, because it was then that he had come to experience the continual presence and faithfulness of God. In those moments of distress and danger, the strong help of the Almighty had never failed; time and again, God stood by David, helped him, saved him, and the young shepherd had come to know that the One who walked with him was a covenantly faithful God. When he stood before Goliath he was simply drawing upon the reservoir of God-confidence that had piled up in his heart. He just knew that the same God who delivered him from every past danger would deliver him from this present one. God’s past performance was a surefire indicator of what was about to happen. So what about you, and the Goliath you may be facing today? Has God helped you in the past? Has he provided for you? Healed you? Protected and delivered you? Has he brought you this far? Why would he not do today, and again tomorrow, what he has done in the past?

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 17:32-37

David told Saul, “Don’t worry about this Philistine, I’ll go fight him!” Saul replied, “Don’t be ridiculous! There’s no way you can fight this Philistine and possibly win! You’re only a boy, and he’s been a man of war since his youth.” But David persisted, “I have been taking care of my father’s sheep and goats. When a lion or a bear comes to steal a lamb from the flock, I go after it with a club and rescue the lamb from its mouth. If the animal turns on me, I catch it by the jaw and club it to death. I have done this to both lions and bears, and I’ll do it to this pagan Philistine, too, for he has defied the armies of the living God! The Lord who rescued me from the claws of the lion and the bear will rescue me from this Philistine!”

Ever wonder where David got his courage to fight Goliath? Was he just a naturally brave warrior, experienced in battle, skillful in hand-to-hand combat and just spoiling for a fight with an oversized blowhard, or was there something else?

There was something else! David, though he was just a young man, had walked with God in an unusually intimate way. Prior to facing the Philistine giant, David had spent countless hours in the quiet and solitude of the wilderness watching over his father’s sheep. Hour after monotonous hour of herding sheep, passing the time by plinking Coke bottles with his slingshot—well, maybe he had other targets—writing songs of worship and talking to God, were interspersed with moments of sheer danger when wild animals would attack the flock. In those heart-pounding moments, the only thing standing between the vicious animals and the decimation of his father’s livelihood was David—and God!

David’s time as a shepherd turned out to be a critical period of preparation for what was to come, because it was then that David had come to experience the continual presence and faithfulness of God. In those moments of distress and danger, the strong help of the Almighty had never failed; time and again, God stood by David, helped him, saved him, and the young shepherd had come to know in the depth of his being that the One who walked with him was a covenantly faithful God.

So why was David so courageous when he stood before Goliath? He was simply drawing upon the reservoir of God-confidence that had piled up in his heart. He just knew that he knew that the same God who delivered him from every past danger would deliver him from this present one. God’s past performance was a surefire indicator of what was about to happen. How could it be any other way?

So, got a Goliath in your life? I’ll bet you do—a big, hairy, intimidating problem breathing down your neck! You see, Goliath is still around, though he comes in a variety of forms: an impossible financial situation, a nasty boss or a threatening co-worker, a rebellious child or belligerent spouse, a physical problem, or a helpless sick loved one. All of us face Goliaths, and the natural thing to do is what the Israelites did: shrink back in depression, cower in fear and run from the battle.

But that would be to live way beneath the level of confidence, joy, and victory that God has willed for his people. So learn a lesson from David—Goliath may still be around, but so is God. He hasn’t changed. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. And he is still a covenantly faithful God—he can’t help himself.

Has he helped you in the past? Has he provided for you? Healed you? Protected and delivered you? Has he brought you this far? Why would he not do today, and tomorrow, what he has done in the past?

He will! So put your confidence in him. Get your eye off Goliath and on to God, because the One who delivered you from the paw of the lion and the bear will deliver you from that nasty old Philistine. It’s just what God does!

Going Deeper With God: What is your current Goliath? Spend a moment reflecting on how God has taken care of your past giants. Then…go find five smooth stones!

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A Perfect Set Up For Spiritual Growth

So Grow For It!

Synopsis: For most, spiritual growth is a mystery. It is vague, undefined, something that is felt, not measured. Yet according to Peter, it’s a pretty practical matter, and he offers some encouraging insight into it: spiritual growth requires an active partnership with God the senior partner, and you the junior partner. Now, if that puts some pressure for your growth back on your shoulders, here’s the deal: God has done his part in setting you up for spiritual growth. 2 Peter 1:3 says: “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.” Did you see the word “everything” in that verse? In Greek, that means — wait for it — “everything!” God has set you up, my friend, to be a growing, godly believer. Me, too!

Project 52—Memorize:
2 Peter 1:2-3

“May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life… In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises… work hard to prove that you really are among those God has called and chosen.”

Every authentic, healthy follower of Christ wants to grow spiritually. That’s usually right up there at the top of everyone’s wish list. But just how does one experience spiritual growth? That’s the $64,000 question, isn’t it?

For most, spiritual growth is a mystery. It is vague, not defined, something that is felt, not measured. If it is to happen at all, we see ourselves as the passive recipients of a divine agent that catalyzes growth rather than as the catalyst ourselves. In other words, our development into deeper spirituality, stability, maturity, and Christ-likeness is more up to God than it is to us.

Yet according to Peter, there is to be a pretty active partnership in this business of growth. God is the senior partner, you the junior. And here’s the deal: God has done his part in setting you up for spiritual growth. Notice what verse 3 says: “By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life.” Did you see the word “everything” in that verse? In the Greek, that means “everything!” God has set you up, my friend, to be a growing, godly believer. Me, too!

Now it is up to us to supplement what God has so graciously and completely done in order to move along the continuum toward a deeper spirituality. So what is our growth assignment then?  Look at verse II Peter 1:5-8:

“In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Notice the seven key catalytic agents to growth that Peter mentions: moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, patient endurance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love.

Very simply, when there is a choice between that which is morally pure and anything else, guess what?  You and I have to choose moral purity!  God can’t choose for us. He can strengthen us and prompt us, but we must make the choice. Added to moral purity must be Biblical knowledge, which frankly doesn’t come without regular meditation on God’s Word. Furthermore, purity and knowledge are safeguarded by self-control. Self-control is what teaches you to say “no” to anything that would hinder, hurt or destroy God’s work in you or in another. (See Titus 3:11-13) Adding to self-control is the exercise of patient endurance. Truthfully, there will be times when the only thing we can do is to grit our teeth and hang in there! Endurance must be connected to godliness or it is nothing more than stubbornness. Godliness means to think and act like God; it is to practice the presence of God at all times. Then along with godliness comes kindness and care for our brothers. Finally, to wrap everything into that which causes growth, we must express Christ-like love for all people at all times.

Purity, learning, self-control, endurance, godliness, kindness, and love are the things that you can and must do to grow.  And they are the very things that will make you more productive in your faith and usefulness to your Lord.

That’s your assignment today.  God has already given you everything you need for growth, so get out there and “grow” for it!

“A soul may be in as thriving a state when thirsting, seeking and mourning after the Lord as when actually rejoicing in Him; as much in earnest when fighting in the valley as when singing upon the mount.” ~John Newton

Reflect and Apply: The Lord has given you everything you need to grow into a thriving, useful, God-pleasing saint. Therefore, you have no reason not to grow spiritually. So today, do your part to supplement what your gracious Father has already done for you.

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What We See Isn’t All There Is

Don't Get Caught Up in the Immediate or the Visible

SYNOPSIS: God sees beyond! Will we ever learn to see as He does? Unfortunately, we tend to limit our vision to the surface of the skin. God looks beyond—to a person’s heart. Perhaps you’ve been passed over for a key role because people didn’t see what God did. How sad! Learning to read others accurately—seeking out what’s below the surface of their skin, seeing between the lines of their résumé, intuiting God’s unique design for them—is a great life skill we ought to acquire. Remember that even at your best today, God sees what you don’t in people. So don’t get caught up in either the immediate or the visible. There is always more to them than what you see. As Antoine de Saint-Exupery said, “What is essential is invisible to the eye.”

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 16:1, 6-7, 11-12

The Lord spoke to Samuel: “Go to Bethlehem. Find a man named Jesse who lives there, for I have selected one of his sons to be my king.” …When they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, “Surely this is the Lord’s anointed!” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” …Then Samuel asked, “Are these all the sons you have?” Jesse replied, “There is still the youngest, but he’s out in the fields watching the sheep and goats.” Samuel said, “Send for him at once! We will not sit down to eat until he arrives.” So Jesse sent for him. He was dark and handsome, with beautiful eyes. And the Lord said, “This is the one; anoint him.”

I think the story of David’s anointing must have been the source for Charles Perrault’s, Cinderella, although I don’t believe he cited 1 Samuel 16. But the story has a familiar ring to it: each of Jesse’s handsome, hunky sons were paraded past Samuel, who was in town to anoint the next monarch. All seven of the brothers were hoping the glass slipper would fit his foot, which would mean, of course, the crown would follow. To match their brawny bods and olive-brown skin, each of them had magnificent, godly names — “God is my father,” “My father is noble,” “Generous and Kind.”

Even the grizzled old prophet Samuel, not known for being a touchy, feely sort of guy, got sucked in by these Bethlehem calendar guys: “Surely this is the one…surely that is the one…it’s got to be that one.” Perhaps he was so deeply disappointed in King Saul, whom the Lord had rejected as king, and for whose manic behavior Samuel certainly felt responsible since he had anointed him, that he was desperate to take the first kingly looking guy that paraded down the runway. Such is the potential for shallowness in even the best of us.

But then comes one of the greatest lessons in scripture—from no less than God himself: “Hey Samuel, what you see isn’t all there is. You are looking at certain qualities that are only on the surface. Fine! But I look deeper; I look at what is on the inside of the person—because I know the heart. You look for immediate talent, a shovel-ready monarch, but I see what a person can become. Don’t forget Samuel, when you anointed Saul, he had all those hunky qualities too—tall, handsome, and a winning personality. How’d that work out for you? Learn a lesson, my man: I look at the heart—and in David, I have found a boy that will become not just a great man and a great king, but the greatest of men, for he will be a man after my own heart.”

“I look at the heart,” says the Lord. And so should we. Of course, we can’t help but see the outward and the immediate also. We are not called to ignore that—that would be unwise. God has given us eyes and a brain, and as we make judgments about the people with whom we need to work or want to do life, those things matter. But they are not the leading indicators of supernatural anointing or prophetic potential. Those are the most important things about a person, and they are deeper than the skin, or the résumé. They reside in the heart.

The point being that in our choices, evaluations and action plans, we see only so far, but there is always more. God sees the “more.” And that is why we need to stay plugged into God’s Spirit and practice openness to God’s thoughts. Whenever we must make an important decision about a person, we should default to asking God, “So what about this person that I don’t see do you see?” And God will be faithful to tell you if you will consistently maintain an open channel of communication with him.

A great skill in life that we ought to develop is reading people. We can get better at discerning people’s strengths and weaknesses. We can even become much more intuitive about the things below the surface. Even more, we should ask for and hone a spiritual gift the Bible calls discernment. But never forget, that even on your best day, God still sees what you don’t. So don’t get caught up in either the immediate or the visible.

There is always more going on that what you know.

Going Deeper With God: Ask God to reveal what he sees, and foresees, about the people in your life. You might be pleasantly surprised.

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What Matters Most To God

Nothing Substitutes For Wholehearted Obedience From A Loving Heart

SYNOPSIS: When we substitute duty, service, or sacrifice for a love relationship with God, it will always lead to disobedience, and therefore it will lead away from divine blessing. But when we obey God out of love for who he is and gratitude for what he has done, then God will pour out his blessings upon us in immeasurable ways. What matters most is our heart—that is what God wants.

Going Deep // Focus: 1 Samuel 15:22

Then Samuel said, “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.”

Unfortunately for King Saul, this sad account of his fall from God’s favor was one of the lowest low points of his life and the beginning of the end of his once-promising rule over Israel. Fortunately for us, reading this story with the advantage of 20/20 hindsight, his example brings us to the bottom line of what it means to walk in intimacy with God:

God wants our hearts more than anything else!

When we substitute duty, service, or sacrifice, as Saul did, for a love relationship with God, it will always lead to disobedience, and therefore it will lead away from divine blessing. But when we obey God out of love for who he is and gratitude for what he has done, then God will pour out his blessings upon us in immeasurable ways. Everything that we hope our duty, service, and sacrifice will bring will be, at best, a poor substitute for walking in loving obedience to God. At worst, the very things we thought would bring God’s pleasure upon us will turn around and cause it to be forfeited.

Do you want a revival of God’s favor in your life? Begin to obey him. Don’t obey merely out of duty—that is, you obey because it is required for divine blessing. Don’t merely obey out of fear—that is, you obey because you know punishment awaits if you don’t. Do not obey from some sort of manipulative motive—that is, you obey in hopes of maneuvering God to give you what you want. Obey him out of love. Obey him because you are grateful for all that he has done. Obey because obedience is simply the only option for you. Obey—early and often, from the heart, through your head, with your hands, and a revival of blessing will flow to you.

A revival is nothing else than a new beginning of obedience to God. (Charles Finney)

The best sacrifice that you can bring before God is your obedience. Let me say it again: Offer your obedience to God, early and often, with the right heart and from the purest of motives, and watch what God will do for you.

The obedient heart is the one in which God takes the greatest delight.

Going Deeper With God: You can certainly will yourself to obey God by willingly following his laws. But it would be so much better if obedience was simply the overflow of a heart after God. Today, ask God to give you that kind of heart. He is in the heart-changing business.