1 Samuel 3:7-11 (NLT)
“Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. So the Lord called a third time, and once more, Samuel got up and went to Eli. Here I am. Did you call me? Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. So he said to Samuel, "Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, speak, Lord, your servant is listening." So Samuel went back to bed. And the Lord came and called as before, Samuel! Samuel! And Samuel replied, "Speak, your servant is listening." Then the Lord said to Samuel, "I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel."
Praise the Lord saints of God! Happy month of September! I greet you in the wonderful name of Jesus. "What a friend we have in Jesus. All our sins and griefs to bear. What a privilege it is to carry everything to God in prayer." The words of this song flow from my heart like a river as I thank God for the “DIVINE RELATIONSHIP” I was given with Him through the precious Blood of Jesus Christ.
Our focus scripture starts off with Samuel serving the Lord by assisting Eli. Samuel did not have an encounter or a “DIVINE RELATIONSHIP" with the Lord until the Lord started speaking to him. The Bible tells us “For no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them to Me, and at the last day I will raise them up” (John 6:44). The beginning of Samuels relationship with the Lord started off with the Father drawing him to listen to His voice, and with true submission, Samuel answered without a doubt. Have you ever experienced being in this place? Where the Lord has spoken to you? If so, you’re in a beautiful place.
Over 2,000 years ago, the work Jesus was sent to do was to, “seek and save that which is lost” (Luke 19:10), to provide atonement for our sins of all who would ever believe in Him (Romans 3:23-25), and to reconcile us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And He has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-19). None other but God in the flesh could accomplish such task.
Do you have a “DIVINE RELATIONSHIP” with the Lord Christ Jesus? If not, I want to encourage you not to wait, Jesus Christ is coming back! In the Book of Revelation, John recorded events at the second coming of Christ and afterward. This is an expectation we all must have as true believers, for it is written. Taking the first step to believe is essential, then following the Great Plan of Salvation (Acts 2:38) is the beginning of an amazing journey to a “DIVINE RELATIONSHIP” in Christ.
According to Merriam-Webster Dictionary- the word divine means “proceeding directly from God; being a deity; supremely good." The word “divine” in the New Testament is the Greek word theias, and it is the adjective form of “divinity." The Bible gives an example in 2 Peter 1:3 (NLT), “By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.”
I would like to encourage us today that having a true relationship with Jesus is the only way. It’s not through religion but through a personal relationship. True religion is worship in the Spirit of God. Jesus told the Samaritan woman in John 4:23, “An hour is coming and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth, for such people the father seeks to be His worshippers.” God says He wants us to worship Him in SPIRIT; from our hearts. This "DIVINE RELATIONSHIP" flows to the depth of our souls. It is feeling God’s heart beat each day as we walk with Jesus. It’s being sensitive to His touch, voice, and divine presence. It’s so overwhelming that in His presence, every knee must bow, and every tongue must confess that He is Lord.
I can recall the moment I completely surrendered my life to God. I was leading praise and worship and singing the song, “Holy Spirit you are welcome here," when I found myself entering into His presence, immediately I removed my shoes, it was an automatic response to being in His divine presence. The atmosphere shifted, and there was no room for our agenda. Everyone's agenda had to submit to WORSHIP!
The Prophet Isaiah can testify of a “DIVINE RELATIONSHIP”- "In the year that King Uzziah died, he saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain, he covered his feet, and with twain, he did fly. And one cried unto another, and he said, holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of Hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory” (Isaiah 6:1-3, KJV). The “DIVINE RELATIONSHIP” we have in Christ Jesus will take one into the glorious presence of God. It’s an encounter with GOD that causes everything to be still. No flesh can glory in His presence but true submission unto the only Sovereign Lord. God desires "DIVINE RELATIONSHIP" with you and I, so we can truly know His perfect will all the days of our lives. It's vital to remember that this flesh will fail us. Romans 8:7 (AMP) states, “The mind of the flesh [with its sinful pursuits] is actively hostile to God. It does not submit itself to God’s law since it can not.” Therefore, according to Galatians 5:16-26 (NLT), we must strive to, "let the Holy Spirit guide our lives. Then we won’t do what our sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so we are not free to carry out our good intentions. When we are directed by the Spirit, we are not under obligation to the law of Moses. When we follow the desires of our sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Having the Holy Spirit on the inside produces the right kind of fruit we need in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to His cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.”
At times, the Lord will speak to you, and then at another times He can be silent. I know that for me, that can be an uncomfortable place. However, we must remember always, He is with you and hasn't forsaken you. A good friend of mine said to me one day, “When God is silent, He is working on your vessel. For He told Mary (Jesus' mother) she was going to bring forth a child and then went silent.” He proceeded to say, “Can you imagine what she went through?” Thinking of it really made me wonder, but then I was reminded of 1 Corinthians 1:27-31(NLT). "Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. He chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world; things counted as nothing at all and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God. God has united us with Christ Jesus. For our benefit, God made Him to be wisdom itself. Christ made us right with God; He made us pure and holy, and He freed us from sin. Therefore, as the Scriptures say, “If you want to boast, boast only about the Lord." Mary could boast about the Lord's goodness. Seeing a promise child coming from her womb was a divine miracle from the Lord.
My sisters and brothers in Christ let us not be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ but boast only about the Lord for His goodness towards us. Let us continue to be planted and rooted in a “DIVINE RELATIONSHIP” with the Lord and the Word of God as our guide to walk in His perfect will. John the Baptist, Paul the Apostle, Mary Magdalene, Peter, Thomas, Stephen and many more of God's Generals in the Bible tasted and saw the importance of "DIVINE RELATIONSHIP" after their encounter with Christ Jesus. In the most difficult moments of their lives, they learned to trust the true and living God, Jesus manifested in flesh. Let us always remember the precious gift of Jesus Christ and stay in His presence, which has been privileged to us for a “DIVINE RELATIONSHIP” for eternity.
1 Samuel 3:19
“As Samuel grew up, the lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable”
Have a blessed and wonderful weekend!!
Please take time to read the scripture throughout.
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