Based on “Bread, the Source of Life” by Pastor Mark Balmer;
10/18-19/08; Message #2462; Daily Devotional #3 - “Fruits of Whose Labor?”
Preparing the Soil (Introduction): Have you ever been overwhelmed by your circumstances? Conflicting thoughts race through your mind, and you struggle to make the right decisions. In our fleshly bodies this is a perpetual process. God created man with free will in hopes that we would choose His ways, but knowing we would choose our own.
Planting and Watering the Seed (Growth): Take King Saul, for example. Israel had its heart set on having a king. They took their request to Samuel, the last judge of Israel, who prayed for revelation. God replied to Samuel with a laundry list of reasons why not to have a king, but the Israelites still wanted a king. So Samuel obeyed God, anointing Saul as their king. In his early years Saul allowed the Holy Spirit to be his strength, but soon his pride caused him to fall into weakness, and he struggled through life in his own wisdom. Both the Israelites and Saul abandoned God to pursue their own desires. All authority is chosen and placed by God and for God. Asking for or wanting a leader is not a problem, only the motivation behind it. When we choose to replace the One True God with gods of power, pride, and possessions, we gain the world but lose our souls (Mark 8:36). The Israelites thought that a human king would make them a powerful nation, and Saul believed that his power superseded God’s. Both the nation and the man chose to disobey the only God who could protect them and provide for them. Does this sound familiar? When we choose to ignore God’s commands, our lives will always reflect the fruits of our own human labor such as idolatry, greed, immorality, and the many other examples we see around us today. Even though the Israelites refused to obey God, they were still His chosen people. And through the line of Abraham we are grafted into God’s promises (Romans 11:17).
Harvesting the Crop (Action/Response): If we were able to walk in their sandals, perhaps we could understand the grumblings and confusion of the Israelites. But let’s remember that during all their time in the wilderness God was with them; they lacked nothing and were on their way to the land of Promise. How easy is it for us to be so blinded by our blessings that we cannot see the cliff that we’re about to walk over. Our mountaintop experiences are indeed wonderful, but they are only temporary. Our journey with God will take us through some rough terrain, but we know from His Word that He has gone before us and walks behind us (Isaiah 52:12); He tells us when to turn to the left or to the right (Isaiah 30:21). Our confusion can be replaced with peace, our burdens with freedom, and our guilt with forgiveness. Even though we fail God, He is always faithful and His ways are perfect. We can have victory over every battle when we simply surrender them to El Shaddai, the All-Sufficient One. What can ever separate us from His love? Obedience to God is not simply an act of the will but also a desire of the heart. If we submit to His authority and allow Him to truly be the Lord of our lives, we will reap the fruits of His labor that far outweigh any efforts we make. His Word is truth; His Word is life; His Word is everlasting.
Cultivating (Additional Reading): Isaiah 40:8; Psalm 139:5; Proverbs 27:12
KYR
Calvary Chapel of Melbourne; 2955 Minton Road; W. Melbourne, FL 32904; 321-952-9673
All Bible references are from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.