SUNDAY January 13, 2019
A Circuit Preacher
And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. He went from year to year on a circuit to Bethel, Gilgal, and Mizpah, and judged Israel in all those places. But he always returned to Ramah, for his home was there. There he judged Israel, and there he built an altar to the Lord.
1 Samuel 7:15-17
Samuel, as a judge, was a good and faithful leader. He was a servant to God’s people. Samuel, year after year, consistently ministered to God’s people. He was a circuit preacher, traveling from city to city, and finally returning to his home town in Ramah. Notice how beautiful Samuel’s relationship was with the Lord. In his home he built an altar and worshiped the Lord. Samuel had a close relationship with his God, and the Lord blessed him.
How we need to follow Samuel’s example in his faithful commitment to serve the Lord. When you dedicate your life to the serve the Lord, He will bless your life. As Christians, God has placed a call on our lives––for all of our days. It is good to have a special place of worship in your home where you have intimate fellowship with God.
Serving God takes personal sacrifice, especially as we take time to minister to other people. In helping us to understand the cost of discipleship, Alan Redpath wrote:
We are prepared to serve the Lord only by sacrifice. We are fit for the work of God only when we have wept over it, prayed about it, and then we are enabled by Him to tackle the job that needs to be done. May God give to us hearts that bleed, eyes that are wide open to see, minds that are clear to interpret God’s purposes, wills that are obedient, and a determination that is utterly unflinching as we set about the tasks He would have us do.
Are you sincerely concerned for people in the world? Are you ready to count the cost of serving the Lord Jesus Christ in reaching them?
A living God needs to be served in a living way.
~C.H. Spurgeon~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit Somebodylovesyouradio.org!