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Today is Thursday April 1, 2010 and we are reading through the Bible in a year. Today's message comes from the reading of the Book of I Samuel, chapters 1-3. If you would like to read the chapters along with us here online you can Click Here to read them or copy & paste this URL onto your browser: http://www.readytofollow.com/bible-april-1
Title: Bible Study: Actions Speak Louder Than Words
The Book of I Samuel is the ninth book of the Old Testament/Bible and contains thirty-one chapters. The author of the book is Samuel and it was written to the Israelites. The book records the history of three people, Samuel, the last judge of Israel, Saul, the first king, and David, who succeeds Saul as king. The purpose of the book was to continue to record how God dealt with His people. What we are to learn from the book is the importance of being obedient to God than giving a sacrifice for repentance. We can all rejoice in the fact that through the sacrificial blood shed of the Lord Jesus Christ anyone who calls on Him is saved. Praise God! This is the great gift from God and one that can not be bought. You see, Jesus paid the sin debt for you, that means He paid the price of your sin debt for you with His life. When your physical body wears out, your soul goes to heaven, that is a gift that you can not buy or have taken away from you. Praise God! Now, once we ask Jesus to save us we make a commitment to Him, but that does not mean that we all follow through with it. God knows our hearts and our actions speak louder than words.
Hannah was the wife of Elkanah, she was unable to have a child and this grieved her, every year they would go up to Shiloh (Jerusalem) as commanded to worship and give sacrifices to the Lord. This year she made a vow with God. “Now there was a certain man of Ramathaimzophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the LORD of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the LORD, were there. And when the time was that Elkanah offered, he gave to Peninnah his wife, and to all her sons and her daughters, portions: But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.….And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore. And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.” - I Samuel 1:1-5,10,11. Hannah made a commitment with God, if He gave her a man child, she would give him to God. When we make a commitment to God, He expects us to keep it, but that does not mean that He does not love you or will take away your Salvation should you mess up. It just means that it will take you that much longer to see blessings from God. God blesses us through obedience, not sin.
Now, God did bless Hannah with a child and she named him Samuel, “Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.” - I Samuel 1:20. After she had the child she praised and worshiped God, “And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the LORD, mine horn is exalted in the LORD: my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the LORD: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth: for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed......The LORD killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The LORD maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and he hath set the world upon them. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the LORD shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the LORD shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.” - I Samuel 2:1-3,6-10. When we know we have done a good work for the Lord, we rejoice. We learn that the blessings of life are the good and the bad and that all things work together for the glory of God and for our own good. Praise God! God will not leave nor forsake anyone who fulfills their commitment to Him and He will bless us for it. God blessed Hannah with five more children after Samuel. She grieved for a season, but she grew closer to God and was bless with children because her actions were worth more than her words.
While our works do not get us to heaven, our actions speak louder that words and what rewards we will receive when we get there are based on those actions. Jesus Said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.” - Matthew 16:24-28. When we make a commitment to follow Christ, the life we use to have is slowly replaced by a new life, one that stays committed to God and shows through our actions. Sadly, many people that think they are going to heaven will not because they have not committed to follow Christ. Unless we speak with our mouths, confess our sins, and ask Jesus to save us, we are not going to heaven. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” - Romans 10:9,10. We should all be praising God right now for the fact that no matter how many times we mess up, we are still going to heaven because we have confessed with our mouths that we believe in and accept Jesus. What better way to thank Him than to do the things we say we are going to do for Him. We may grieve for a time, but the rewards in heaven can not compare to what we will receive here on earth. Praise God!
Enjoy the rest of your day/night and take some time to reflect on what Jesus did for you today.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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