And Samuel said to the whole house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your hearts, then rid yourselves of the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths and commit yourselves to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” 1 Sam 7:3
This may seem like an obscure verse (unless you are following the reading plan) but it really resonated with me today. Mainly because of the message at church this weekend. It was all about how to share your story. This verse hit home, because it reminds me so much of my story. I gave my heart to the Lord when I was 17, but I turned my back on Him for many years. Not in a deliberate way, necessarily – I didn’t make a conscious decision to reject Him, but I led a life that was not exactly Christ like. I’ve told my full story here in different ways over this last year, so I won’t go into it again, but I will say that I praise Him every day for taking me gently by the hand and guiding me back to Him.
While I was never being persecuted by Philistines, I can say He delivered me (and continues to deliver me) from trouble. While I still struggle with “idols” (the things I surround my self with) I can honestly say at least a few times every day, I stop and thank Him for the blessings of my life. And I can truly say have committed my heart to Him. I pray every day for God to give me focus in my life – and after reading this verse – and writing this post – I now know He intends my focus to be on Him. To serve Him!
Thank you great God for YOUR focus. Without it, I’d be lost. AMEN
Jim
(jmitch1)
Sixty-six books in a year 