DIG for Wednesday the 20th of July…..listen to God, not man or the world…..1 Samuel 15 v 24

I’ve been meditating upon and reading about David for the last couple of weeks, but went back further yesterday to find out a bit more about Saul.

A very interesting verse jumped out at me, this was 1 Samuel 15 v 24; the verse where Saul says he has sinned.

In this verse we see a great description of why a man would sin.

In Saul’s case sin came as he had moved away from what the Word of God said, and this came about due to him listening to and valuing more the opinion of man.

This is a very important verse and one we should be aware of today.

If we listen to man more then God, and if we value the opinion of man more then God, then we are liable to move into sin.

Man and the world have a very powerful and loud voice today, they speak to us through conventional media (tv, radio, newspapers), through social media and through people we meet.

This voice can easily crowd out the voice of God, if we let it.

The negativity of this world can affect us greatly if we allow it to drown out the positive and encouraging Word of God.

What and who we listen to will impact on how we think and what we say and this, as you should know, will impact the direction of your life.

Saul let the opinion of men cloud his thinking and influence what he did, and that led him into sin.

Listening to God, flooding your senses with the Word of God and the things of God will have a positive influence on your life; but you have to let it, you have to choose.

Consider what and whom you are listening to this morning, consider what is having an influence on your life.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you lord for your Word and your Holy Spirit, thank you for the positive influence they will have on me today”.

1 Samuel 15 v 24…..And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice

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DIG for Thursday the 22nd of October…..who wrote the Bible; some murderers actually…..Acts 8 v 1

I heard an amazing truth at conference this week that got me thinking about who God can and will use in His Kingdom.

The speaker asked us about who wrote the Bible.

We all know it was inspired by God (2 Timothy 3 v 16), but do you know murderers wrote a lot of it?

Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, and He was a murderer.

David wrote much of the Psalms and he was a murderer.

Paul wrote much of the New Covenant epistles and he was a murderer.

Why am I writing about this? Well, actually to encourage you!

If you are sitting there thinking that the sins in your past mean that God cannot or will not being able to use you, this is for you.

He was willing and able to use men such as Moses, David and Paul (Saul) who all had committed murder.

Sin is sin, and your sin is no greater or smaller than those of the men of God I have just mentioned.

He can and will use you, no matter what you have done in the past, and even no matter what you are doing right now.

These men repented (changed their mind and went a new direction) and God used them in a mighty way, and He will do the same for you if you are willing to do the same.

God has a plan and purpose for everyone, and you can get into that plan and purpose right now.

Ask Him what it is and move into it!

Speak this out today….”Thank you Lord that you have a plan and purpose for my life and thank you that my sin of the past does not remove me from it”.

Acts 8 v 1…..And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles

DIG for Sunday the 9th of August…..don’t give up on anyone, God never does…..Acts 9 v 3 and 4

Saul was a terrible man in the eyes of the first Christians; he persecuted them, watched the death of Stephen and was on his way to persecute more of them in Damascus.

He was a zealous Jew who was intent on wiping out this new faith in Jesus off the face of the earth.

No one in his or her right mind would have predicted that he would go on to spread the Gospel, evangelise most of the known world and write the majority of the New Testament.

Yet God did not give up on him; God had a plan and purpose for his life.

God spoke to him and turned his life around and changed him for the better.

God did not give up on him and Saul heard him.

God wants everyone to be saved (2 Peter 3 v 9) and has a plan and purpose for everyone.

Even the vilest offender in our eyes is not beyond redemption.

Even the most horrible person in our eyes is not beyond hearing from God and having their life turned around.

Saul, who obviously became Paul, is a picture for us to never give up on anyone; we should never think anyone is “too far gone” to be reached and touched by God.

We are to play our part by not giving up on people, on friends and family who just do not seem to want to hear from or about God.

We should keep on in there, telling them about the Lord and showing them his love, mercy and compassion. We never know when a person will hear and respond.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you want every man to come to repentance and be saved”.

Acts 9 v 3 and 4…..And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and head a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutes thou me?

DIG for Sunday the 26th of July….. A covenant maker and a covenant keeper …..Acts 13 v 22

When the prophet Samuel told Saul that God was going to replace him with a new king he said that the new man would be ‘a man after God’s own heart’.

That man was David.

There may be several ways in which David was a man after God’s own heart, but one of the most important ways is revealed very early on in David’s life.

David was anointed to be king when he was about 17 years old, and not long after that the Philistines were gathered against Israel (1 Samuel 17), and their champion Goliath was challenging one of them to a one-on-one fight to settle the whole battle (v 9 and 10).

David’s three oldest brothers were with the Israelite army while this was all going on, and his father asked David to take some food to his brothers and see how they were all doing (v 18).

When David arrived at the camp he heard Goliath’s attempts at intimidation, and he saw the fear within his own army (v 24).

But David was a man after God’s own heart. He understood, in a way that they did not, that God had made a covenant with them and that He would bring them victory. There was no fear in David, only a confidence that they would prevail in this battle.

He knew that he was circumcised and Goliath was not. Goliath had size, but he had no covenant (v 36).

 It was David’s confidence in his covenant with God that brought him victory.

He believed that God is a covenant making, covenant keeping God. He acted with certainty in the fact that God is faithful and that He would do what He had said He would do (Deuteronomy 28 v 7).

David was a man after God’s own heart because he knew the power, the weight, the faithfulness, and the absolute certainty of a promise from God.

David was a young man at this time, but his faith in his covenant with God showed great wisdom and maturity, and it didn’t go unnoticed…

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that You are so faithful, and that what You say You will do, You will do. Thank you that when you say something, you mean it”.

Act 13 v 22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.

Thanks to Nunsy for the DIG today.

DIG for Friday the 1st of May…..no one is beyond salvation…..Acts 9 v 6

Many of us have family, friends and colleagues who have not put their trust and faith in Jesus as Lord and Saviour.

This is not a good situation, however it is not an impossible one.

Sometimes we may think that a person will never get saved, but we just do not know.

What we can be assured of is that God wants that person saved as much as you do.

It is the will of God that everyone should come to salvation; that is His desire (2 Peter 3 v 9).

Take the example of Paul, who was the fiercest critic and persecutor of Christians.

IT would seem that He would be the least likely person to come to the Lord and put their trust in Him for their salvation.

But He did!

If Paul could be saved then your family, friends and colleagues can be saved.

Jesus died to bring about the reconciliation and forgiveness of every man, meaning every man can have the opportunity to be saved.

There are no exceptions, salvation is open to every man.

Each man however has to make his own decision, but that can be done in the blink of an eye (remember Paul for example).

Do not give up on anyone; if you are praying for someone, keep praying; if you are witnessing, keep witnessing.

God has never given up on anyone, we must not either.

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord for the finished work of Jesus Christ, thus opening the way to salvation for every man”.

Acts 9 v 6…..And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do

DIG for Friday the 27th of March…..what’s in a name….2 Samuel 9:6 and 12

I love the pictures, types and shadows that reveal truths about Jesus and we can see some of these in names.

In the story of David’s desire to bless Mephibosheth because of his love for his friend Jonathan we can see a little picture of Jesus, not just in the story itself but in the names of these characters.

First of all we have David himself. David means ‘beloved’.

Then we see David desiring to bless someone because of his friend Jonathan. Jonathan means ‘Jehovah given’.

Then we see the one who will receive this entire blessing – Mephibosheth, which means ‘dispeller of shame’.

And lastly, at the end of this story we discover that Mephibosheth himself has a son, and his name is Micha, which means ‘Who is like God’.

These names reveal something of the Lord Jesus Himself;

He is our Beloved, Jehovah given, dispeller of shame who is like God. (Hebrews 1:3)

It is great fun to study the Word and to find out what names mean as well as seeing Jesus in all those wonderful stories, and to grow more and more in our personal revelation of who Jesus is, all that He has done for us, and all that we are In Him.

Speak this our today…Thank you Lord, for your awesome Word, and for revealing Jesus to me in even the smallest details.

2Samuel 9:6…..Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth. And he answered, Behold thy servant!

2Samuel 9:12…..And Mephibosheth had a young son, whose name was Micha.

DIG for Wednesday the 25th of March…..we are blessed because of God’s love for His son…..2 Samuel 9:1

Thanks to Nunsy for the next three DIGs…..awesome stuff……

In this passage of scripture is a beautiful picture of God’s desire to bless us because of, and through, His relationship with Jesus.

In this scripture we see David searching out someone to bless in the name of his friend Jonathon.

Jonathon and David had such a close friendship that the Word says that Jonathon’s soul was knit to David’s (1 Samuel 18:1), and because of his reverence for the father (Saul) and his love for the son (Jonathan), David wanted to find someone of the house of Saul to whom he could show kindness for Jonathan’s sake (2 Samuel 9:1).

A man who has been in the service of Saul is found and is brought before David who asks the servant if he knows of anyone left of the house of Saul, that he might show him kindness. The servant, Ziba, tells David of Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth.

Mephibosheth has been lame since a childhood accident (2 Samuel 4:4) and when he is brought before David and hears of David’s desire to bless him for Jonathan’s sake he bows himself and says ‘What is thy servant that thou shouldest look upon such a dead dog as I?’

I love David’s response; he doesn’t even respond to what Mephibosheth has just said! He just calls to Ziba and says ‘Everything that was Saul’s I’m giving to your master’s son!’

Mephibosheth wasn’t receiving that entire blessing because of what he was or what he had done; he was being blessed because of whose he was. He was the son of David’s best friend and that made him worthy to receive it all.

When you approach your heavenly father do you have the same attitude as Mephibosheth? Do you see all of your failings and unworthiness? In the same way that David wasn’t interested in any of Mephibosheth’s shortcomings, God is not looking at yours. His desire is to bless you with all that He has for the Son’s sake!

Enjoy those blessings today and every day.

Speak this our today……..Thank you, Lord, that I have been blessed with everything that you have, not because of what I am or what I have done, but because of whose I am and because of what He has done.

2Samuel 9:1…..And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may shew him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?

DIG for Saturday the 28th of December…..even Saul (His greatest persecutor) knew the Lord…..Acts 9 v 5

Saul (or Paul) was a man who persecuted the early church; he was there when Stephen was martyred and he was given the role of crushing the church in Damascus (Acts 9 v 1 and 2).

He met the Lord however on his way to Damascus.

It is very interesting what Saul says when he encountered Jesus.

He called Him Lord!

This can only mean one thing; that even though he persecuted the followers of Jesus he knew that Jesus was Lord.

At a time of great stress and anxiety even Saul spoke out that Jesus was Lord.

This is something that we see time and time again; at times of stress and anxiety unbelievers cry out to the Lord.

In trying times people speak out in prayer to the Lord.

I believe that this is because at the heart of everyone there is an innate knowledge about the Lord; we all really know in our heart that He exists.

He made us all (Colossians 1 v 16) and He created us in His image (Genesis 1 v 27).

We were created with a spirit “part”; this is the “part” of us that is born again when we believe.

As spiritual beings every man knows about the Lord, and knows that He exists.

Many do not believe this but it is the truth; just ask them the next time they are in dire straits or think they are about to die!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that you created me,thank you that I know you as my Lord and Saviour”.

Acts 9 v 5…..And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks

DIG for Wednesday the 20th of November…..even His greatest opponents know Him…..Acts 9 v 5

Ever since I started reading the Bible I have been fascinated by the account known as Paul’s Damascus experience.

Saul, as he was then, meeting with Jesus is a wonderful account of a man meeting and recognising his Lord.

Saul was a persecutor of the Christians; just before his encounter with Jesus he was “breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” (Acts 9 v 1).

Saul was part of the mob that murdered Stephen; he may not have thrown any stones but he was involved.

Saul wanted to destroy this “sect” that had grown since the death and resurrection of Jesus; a resurrection that Saul fought tooth and nail against.

In no way did Saul recognise Jesus as Lord.

Yet, when Jesus speaks to him on that road Saul said “who art thou, Lord”; Saul answered his own question, as in reality he knew fine well who was speaking to him and he knew that Jesus was Lord!

I think that this shows us that every man knows who Jesus really is, but is fighting against that truth; men do not want the responsibility of having a Lord and Saviour.

At their core every man is a spiritual being and needs communion with God, that is why many fill it with “spiritual” nonsense other than God.

We all need God and at our heart we all know there is a God; I think this is true for every man, even the most ardent opponent of Jesus.

In his day Saul was the most vocal and vociferous opponent of Jesus, yet he knew Jesus as Lord as soon as he was asked the question.

If you know a modern day Saul, do not give up; keep loving them, keep being a witness and keep telling them about Jesus; in a sense you be Stephen to their Saul!

Speak this out today…..”Thank you Lord that I have recognised Jesus as my Lord, and thank you for what He has done for me”.

Acts 9 v5…..And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks