After God had given Israel messages about His will, we notice in Deuteronomy 11 that the instructions were not just head knowledge, but to be rooted in their daily rhythms.

This is also true for us. It is not sufficient just to know God's will, for we are to become what God wills.

The disciplines of "absorbing truth" open us up to be saturated in the words of God so that our lives begin to align with God's will and do God's will.

We must realize that our souls are full of lies and half-truths that deceive us, hurt our joy, harm our relationships, and ultimately keep us from serving God more fully. We want truth. We need truth.

Many may say, "Just read the Bible, and you'll get truth" but that is a naive suggestion that doesn't appreciate spiritual realities. For all truth can be colored and distorted by pride, ignorance, bias, agendas, and even demons.

God knows that we need guidance, mentoring, and challenge in the pursuit of truth, and seeking truth together with the Holy Spirit is an essential discipline.

All disciplines create tension between where we are, and where we need to get to. They open us up to the power of God so that we may become reshaped, but most of us find our lives already so full of the world's routines, that we can hardly find a moment to read a morning devotion. Our worldly routine is the enemy of Christian adventure.

Where to begin? Of top priority is the movement from pride to humility, for pride is a fundamental block to God - as Peter writes in 1 Peter 5:5, "God opposes the proud." Most of us are infected with pride, preferring that others serve us and be beneath us. But, God has given us direction that we are to be servants rather than the bosses of others.

Today's message is on the discipline of serving. It is a discipline as important as prayer and the pursuit of the Word of God, and yet one that we too often neglect.

We operate in three places. The first place is our home, and the second place is our work. Our third place is any relational space where we engage with others - and this could be anything from a neighborhood barbecue to a book club. Participation in our third place is critical to our well-being and harmony with the world around us.

God actually created a third place for us, called The Church. It is not only a relational place with other people but significantly with the Spirit of God. It is where we pursue God's vision for us to become like Christ. As we come into this third place with our anxieties, struggles, corrupt thinking, and dysfunction we will find that God does a wonderful thing ... God creates in us and renews us. This creative activity brings about peace, order, and joy.

This is not automatic or without our involvement. We must have a willing spirit that cooperates with God's plan. Specifically, our activity is the practice of disciplines.

The word "Faith" is jam packed with a lot of meaning - meaning that can be elusive to modern day Christians. For example, we may think it is trusting that something is real without without evidence ... yet it is more.

So, when Jesus tells his disciples that even a little faith can move a mountain, He is not speaking about what they think or what they trust, but that even the smallest connection with God can mean great power flows out. The same Faith that resurrects us, is the Faith that does miracles.

God's will plays out in small moments, every day of your life. We have choices between family, habits, temptations, personal preferences, and God's will. Which will we choose?

We want God's will for our lives because it is the best course for our lives. Being mindful actively considers that God's will should be paramount in our lives in all the moments of our lives. In these chapters of 1 Samuel, we see how David is allowing God to be in control in three situations - David could choose to interfere with God's will or change the timing of God's will. But he doesn't. God is top.

Saul is intent on killing David. David is not only fearful of Saul, but of those who might report him, and of anyone he thinks is an enemy. Alone, trying to protect himself, he lies ... not once or twice, but three times.

How can a God-fearing man such as David do this? Does he not trust that God will preserve him?

This is a challenging topic because it considers messy situations and messy ethical dilemmas that many Christians face. Though we may prefer black and white answers, messy situations are gray. This message explores these lies of David, the lies of others in Scripture, and three reasons why someone might feel justified to break the moral or religious standards that God has given to us.

When David was first anointed as King of Israel, he didn't immediately take the throne. That wouldn't happen for another 15-20 years. Why the wait? Why wouldn't God replace the self-centered Saul immediately?

Most all of God's anointed leaders - men like Moses, Paul, Peter, and Samuel - go through a period of apprenticeship. The Spirit of God nurtures them, matures their heart, and purifies them through failure. Saul didn't have that period ... David did.

For us as Christians, we are also called to be used by God. We are a holy people, and the Church is the environment where we are conditioned in apprenticeship to move to maturity and usefulness. This message describes seven discipleship experiences - some break down the sin and anti-love we have, and some build us up in the truth, love, and holiness of God.

In 1 Samuel 13-15, we see Saul displaying natural leadership, and failing at being a leader for God.

This may be shocking to us. We are all familiar with leadership in our world, as we see it in government, business, sports, the military, etc. Such leaders rally people around them and their causes - they are decisive, influential, commanding, and elevated. We expect leaders for God to be the same, but they cannot be.

Though a spiritual leader may have some of the traits of a natural leader, the spiritual leader does not display self-power, self-glory, or self-righteousness. The spiritual leader has one job, and that is to magnify God for others. If they lead in such a way that they themselves are magnified, then they fail as a spiritual leader.

Chapters 9-11 tell the advancing story of how Saul becomes the anointed King of Israel, being confirmed by God through Samuel, and then by the people. And, the threat that precipitated Israels hunger for a king, is vanquished in 1 Samuel 11.

It may seem that all is well, but Samuel points out that things are now more complex. The people of Israel are always responsible for following God, but having a King means that the King is like a middleman. It is vital that the King follows God.