Often times, we hear this particular statement, prevention is better than cure, right?. The idea behind such a statement is that you could have prevented something from happening if you had just taken your time to handle the situation or taken care of the situation in good time, isn't it? The things that could have been done while the condition was still manageable might not be possible when the thing is totally damaged, and so, rather than wait for such damage to occur, it is better that proper maintenance, and close monitoring be carried out. Praise God. This however is not the focus for today's study, but it is to give us a better understanding of our study, that it is better to do one thing than another so long the former is better than the latter.
There's also this thing common amongst children, the fact that most times, they fail to do as their parents instruct them, and most times, these actions in them are always deliberate. Praise the living God. You see, let's say for instance, a child was asked to clean the home, but refused to actually to do it. Well, the situation may turn out in many ways, while he may be punished on the other hand, he may not be punished on the other hand. The question is this, should he wait to find out if he would be punished or not? It would be better if he just obeyed than wait to see the outcome of his actions, right? Here again, we see that it is better to do one thing in place of another provided the former is better than the latter.
If children should obey their parents, and never disobey their instructions for any reason, don't you think as children, and that of the heavenly king, we are to obey him when he gives us instructions as well; whether to do a thing or not to do it? How come most times we do otherwise? This is that which the Lord seeks to through his word reveal to us today, and I trust him to help us see the light in his word. Amen. The passage of scripture under consideration is seen below,
"And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord ? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams". (1 Samuel 15:22).
The story talks about Saul, the first king of Israel whose kingdom was taken from him just because he disobeyed an instruction that was given to him. It shows to you, and I how important God's instructions are, and what importance we as his children should give to obeying his instructions when he gives them. Praise God. The prophet Samuel had told him to wait, and not to do anything before his arrival, but the impatient Saul, moved by what the people would do, rather than obey the instruction that was given to him, decided to carry out his own counsel and refused to wait for the prophet, Samuel.
The thing about his action is this, that as soon as he was done, Samuel came around. If only he had exercised a little more patience, things could have been very different, but he disobeyed by offering the sacrifices. Here, we see that impatience can be one of the root causes of disobedience. How impatient are you? Haven't you disobeyed many of God's instructions as a result of your impatience? You see, it pays to obey the Lord no matter how long you have to wait. Hallelujah! Do not let your impatience cause you to go against the very instructions of the Lord. It is better to obey than to do that which the Lord has not commanded.
When Samuel arrived, and seeing that Saul had done foolishly in disobeying the instruction that was given to him, he made the statement in our anchor text. And what did he say to Saul? That although God delights in sacrifices, one thing Saul didn't remember was that his obedience was way more important to God than his sacrifice(paraphrased). This implies that as believers, we are to bear in mind that God is more interested in us obeying him than any other thing we do. He is more interested in our obedience to his instructions, no matter what it is, and when it comes to obeying his instructions, we really do not have any choice than to just obey. I trust the Lord to magnify these words in your hearts today. Amen.
Thought for the Day
God is more interested in you obeying him than any other thing you do. He is more interested in your obedience than your service or sacrifice.
Gospel Today is a comforting, exhorting, edifying and inspiring devotional published by the Delightsome Land Christian Ministry. For questions, enquiries/testimonies, please call/WhatsApp: 08174915361, 08053662272 or Email: [email protected].
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