From Humility to Humiliation
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The time has come. The Israelites are crying and complaining in search to fill a void in their lives (sound familiar?). Could a king satisfy the fix? In God’s unconditional love, He grants their request and anoints Saul as king over the people. Now, I am going to cheat a bit because I know the rest of the story but this is what intrigues me and causes me to evaluate my heart. If you are familiar with Saul’s life you know that he does not finish the race in the same manner that he started. In fact he went from humility to humiliation. Listen to Samuel’s response when he first found out that Samuel was implying that he would soon be crowned king, “...but I am only a Benjaminite, from the smallest of Israel’s tribes, and from the most insignificant clan in the tribe at that. Why are you talking to me like this? Saul’s heart was so pure and from the sound of that statement he was a humble guy. What a way to start the race, right? However, we both know that the prize does not come from how well you start the race but only how you finish it. This statement is a long way from a few chapters later when Saul ascends the mountain and instead of making an altar to God he made an altar to himself. Wowzers! What in the world happened. Was this the same guy? That is scary. How could this have happened? As you read through the pages of Saul’s history you can begin to notice something. He eventually misinterpreted God’s faithfulness with his own ability to govern the people. This is a very dangerous act! This is where my heart is challenged. I look at Saul’s life and I know that I do not ever want to mirror his life but at times I find myself doing the very same thing. It is very easy to get into the mode of performing to my talents and abilities and leaving God totally out of the equation. So here are two thoughts on how to keep your life from mirroring Saul’s life.
1. As I live my life I want to find myself in circumstances that move beyond my ability to handle. That is when the power of God can freely move in my life and I have no choice but to remain in a constant state of humility. Is the current state of your life controllable, comfortable, or safe? Take a risk. Go on a missions trip, serve at your local church, participate in an outreach project in your community, invite your neighbors over for dinner. Whatever you do, do something that takes you beyond your ability to pleasantly control the situation.
2. ALWAYS pause long enough to record and remember the mighty works of God moving on your behalf and NEVER fail to praise (thank) Him for it.
2. ALWAYS pause long enough to record and remember the mighty works of God moving on your behalf and NEVER fail to praise (thank) Him for it.
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