Little Thoughts

By Pastor Sammy Little, First Baptist Church of Stowell

1 Samuel 15 has the story where Saul did not obey God completely and God rejected him as king. After some prep and thought I wondered why this story was in the bible. Saul was a normal human and had sinned and failed other times, so what made this sin different? It occurred to me (The Holy Spirit!) that this was where Saul became lost. He had dealt with God his whole life and had experienced God’s blessing and help, but had never really chosen to become a believer. He sort of believed, but that won’t get it. God must be #1. Saul ½ way obeyed, argued that it was obedience, then admitted he sinned and asked Samuel to forgive him. He obviously was insincere. It seemed to be just another sin and God puts up with them. All would be well if Samuel would just treat him like a real believer. But he wasn’t. And he never seemed to come back and do it seriously. I don’t think God was preventing him from believing. No, it was that Saul had seared his heart. God could have saved him, but Saul wouldn’t get serious about God. His pride and public opinion was more important to him than any real relationship with God. Fascinating. I don’t know if Saul ever realized what was happening but we need to realize that we might not have opportunities later. Today yes, but don’t think you can deal with God at some more convenient time. Saul didn’t lose his salvation. He never had it. He could have had it and should have had it, but did not. Are you really a believer? Nothing is more important. God won’t turn you away but you can stop dealing with God. Believe today.