How often in our impatience, our lack of faith, and our stubbornness do we act on our own outside of God’s will? In this passage we see Saul acting on his own and offering sacrifices instead of waiting on Samuel to arrive. God was showing Israel who they really were in requiring a king like all of the other nations! We can be self-willed and war, or Spirit-filled and wait.

In His letter to the church at Thyatira, Jesus exposes their sin as “tolerating evil”, as not denouncing the Jezebel spirit and activity in the church. What we passively tolerate (while knowing it’s wrong) today will eventually define and dominate our lives tomorrow.

One of the worst things that can happen to us is when we get the desires of our heart and we’re not delighting in the Lord. Israel wanted a king, just like all the other nations. They were delighting in the culture around them and it affected their ability to make spiritual decisions and brought some awful consequences.

The Creator God, artist of all created things, made you so unique and valuable. But your soul, the essence of who you are, is extremely rare and valuable. God was willing to pay the ultimate price for your soul - His only begotten Son - to purchase it and redeem it for all of eternity. Don’t gamble with your soul and your eternal destiny!