Read 1 Samuel 15:26-35.

"And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD hath rejected thee from being king over Israel" (v. 26).

Recently a prominent pastor in another movement was found to have abused a woman who was the wife of a younger pastor he was mentoring. He was rightly removed from all his ministry positions, and many people assumed he would never be in a ministry position again. Yet, only eight months after his removal from the pastorate, four other pastors declared that he was ready once again for ministry, and he was invited to preach in one of their churches, much to the dismay of many in the movement.
Saul tried to pass the blame when he was caught in his sin. When faced with the consequences of his sin, he made a show of repentance, but he was too late to save his kingship. Samuel distances himself from Saul from that point forward, and David eventually becomes king.
This is the kind of judgment we can expect for rebellion. Saul’s sin wasn’t something minor he was trying to overcome. He prioritized his own opinions and desires over God. We may be tempted to do the same, but we should also expect the same type of judgment. To be sure, true repentance was still possible for Saul, just as true repentance is still possible for all who have fallen. But true repentance doesn’t seek to save a high position or a good name; it seeks to save our right relationship with God. (Randy Bland)
Are you allowing rebellion to grow in your heart?

Read Proverbs 1:7-19.

"My son, hear the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the law of thy mother" (v. 8).

Most of us want to look good in the eyes of others. For sure, some will go further to make that happen than others, but most of us want it. And the proverb writer seems to suggest that feeling is not all bad. Our text verse is combined structurally with verse 9. "For they shall be an ornament of grace unto thy head, and chains about thy neck."
Jewelry, whether a crown on your head or chains around your neck, is designed to signify dignity. But the proverb says such signs of dignity can be achieved in different ways. One of them is by obeying the instruction of parents. In well-trained eyes, submission to parents moves a person to the head of the class!
How are you trying to look good in the eyes of others? Again, the Bible does not condemn that, so long as the motives and methods are godly. (Gordon Snider)
"I would be true, for there are those who trust me."
--- H. A. Walter

Thursday, April 20
Read Matthew 25:14-30.

Responsibility for Wealth
"Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury" (v. 27).

In the Parable of the Talents, the master conveys a certain amount of money to three servants. The funds represented both an opportunity and an obligation. Nowhere are the funds viewed as being intended for personal pleasure. The two "profitable" servants used the opportunity with an eye to their obligation to the master. Both were rewarded with more significant opportunities for investment, not a life of ease based on the investment or the profits. The third servant is condemned because he failed to seize the moment to enhance his master's holding but was contented to "manage" his holdings with an eye to not losing. Possessions are the Father's investment in His children with which they are to extend His kingdom. Doing so brings His commendation. Failure to do so brings His condemnation.
Contrary to the opinion of the unprofitable servant, our Father is not a demanding taskmaster. God's bounty is strikingly evident in our daily lives. But the ultimate purpose of such gifts provides both opportunity and obligation. Failure to understand these underlying purposes for His investment in us justifies the Master in removing the investment He has made in us. Blessings bring responsibility. (William Snider)

Wednesday, April 5
Read Matthew 27:26-37.

The Suffering Servant
“And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!” (v. 29).

The cross of Jesus had to be carried to Golgotha. Another person around the crucifixion after Jesus was before Pilate and crowned with thorns and carrying his cross was Simon of Cyrene. He was “compelled to bear his cross” (v. 32). Dr. Ralph Earle comments: “Jesus started out carrying His cross. But weakened by all He had gone through, He was unable to carry it far, so the soldiers picked out a passerby and placed it on his shoulders.”
When we are saved or born again, we have a “cross” to bear, identifying with Jesus as our Savior and Lord. Our “cross” includes dying to our selfish ways, identifying with His mission, and being His witness to others. Jesus told us, “let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me” (Luke 9:23). (David Fruth)
Must Jesus bear the cross alone,
And all the world go free?
No, there’s a cross for ev’ry one,
And there’s a cross for me.
--- Thomas Shepherd and others

Are you bearing your cross daily?