May 8

1 Samuel 2:22-4:22, John 5:24-47, Psalm 106:1-12, Proverbs 14:30-31 

Pray: Today’s readings begin with, “Now Eli was very old, but….” Have you ever felt too old to do something? Maybe it's the opposite and you’ve felt too young to do something. Age really is of very little importance when it comes to Kingdom work. There are countless examples of both very young and very old people doing incredible work for God. What excuses have you been giving the Lord for not serving Him like you should? Pray and ask for His grace and forgiveness. Commit to serving God and others…then watch what God will do in your life.

Read: One of the things I lament in the local church is a lack of praise. It doesn’t matter whether traditional or contemporary (whatever those terms mean). Age is not a factor, either. If I look around during worship when the band (or choir, or organist) is leading a song, participation is minimal. Reading through the Psalms (and much of Scripture), praise is given to God no matter the circumstances. When things were good, the people praised God. When things weren’t going well, they praised God anyhow…because God deserved to be praised! Perhaps it came from a sense of gratitude. Perhaps it was from a sense of awe and reverence for God. How about you? Do you praise God enough? The psalmist asked this: “Who can ever praise Him enough?” Good question!

Edify: If anyone could act on His own and not be questioned, it would be Jesus. He’s the Son of God, the Savior of the World. If anyone could be completely independent, it’s Him. Yet, in John 5:30, He says, “I can do nothing on my own. I judge as God tells me…I carry out the will of the one who sent me, not my own will.” I’m amazed and convicted by this. We don’t like authority, spiritual or otherwise. We prefer to do our own thing. Yet, here is Jesus submitting Himself to the divine will of God, the Father. If it’s proper for Jesus to submit to spiritual authority, I stand without excuse. 

Practice: Who or what is your Eli? Samuel was lying in bed, minding his own business when he heard his name called out. He ran to Eli, but Eli was not the one calling Samuel. This happened three times! Then, Eli gave instructions to Samuel, because he knew it was God who was calling Samuel. When God speaks to you, where do you run? God says serve, and you run to an already busy schedule? God says tithe, and you run to an already tight budget? God says go into ministry, and you run and promise God, “Not yet, but soon?” We’ve all had our encounters with Eli. Maybe it’s time to have the encounter with the Lord. After all, He is the one who is calling…