1ST SAMUEL 12:20-22

Then Samuel said to the people, "Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.

And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.

For the Lord will not forsake His people for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people

IN OTHER WORDS:

To the Israelites: They insisted that they wanted to have a king for themselves and be like other nations. I guess they wanted to fit in. They were rejecting the rulership of God and wanted to be subject to a man. God told them that a king would take their daughters, their best cattle, their best sheep, their best land, their young men - to go fight his battles and to serve in His palace. Israel refused to consider and insisted that they wanted a king. So God allowed them to get their king.

To me a Christian: So I want out of God's purpose and desire for my life, and desire something He really doesn't want for me. I refuse to listen to what the Holy Spirit is telling me - because I feel God is too far or too unrealistic so I do it my way. God would much rather have spared me the drama of it all but He respects my free will though He knows the suffering my choice will cause me.

So He says this - since in this area you have gone and done your own thing, see it and return to me. But renew your resolve and be faithful to Me.

Because if you choose to go do your own thing, your own things will waste you. They will use you. They won't deliver you. They won't love you. They won't heal you. They won't feed you. They will leave you robbed, ashamed and naked. Be faithful to me. Hang on to me.

Haven't I given you my Name? haven't I come with you this far? Haven't I delivered you? Will I let you go from Me? And watch you who is Mine, be destroyed by another whom I have warned you about? Don't go. Stay Here with me, because I have made you mine. Don't go.

ROMANS 10:19 - 21

But I say, did Israel not know? First Moses says:

"I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation, I will move you to anger by a foolish nation"

But Isaiah is very bold and says:

"I was found by those who did not seek Me: I was made manifest to those who did not ask for Me"

But to Israel He says

"All day long I have stretched out My hands to a diobedient and contrary people"

Romans 11:32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

To me the above few verses reflect the nature of man - there are those of us who since our childhood have known about God but have refused to acknowledge Him in our lives, and their are those who were not even interested in the idea of God, and were even busy persecuting those who tried to say that their was a God, that in His wisdom those that know of Him might commit themselves to Him if only out of jealousy from what He was doing in the lives of those they did not consider worthy of any calling from the Almight.  Again in this He demonstrates His love for us. He wants to find all that none who hear His call maybe lost. 

Zechariah 1:3

Therefore say to them, "Thus says the Lord of Hosts: "Return to Me," says the Lord of Hosts, "and I will return to you," says the Lord of Hosts.

Zechariah 2:5

"For I," says the Lord, "will be a wall of fire all around her, and I will be the glory in her midst,"

Isaiah 43: 11,&13

I, even I, am the Lord and besides me there is no Savior

I am the Lord, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel your King

God says nothing should seperate us from Him because He is God and no one else can deliver us. He says He will surround us with a wall of fire so that nothing can harm us. He clearly stakes out His place in saying that He is my Creator and will be my glory and my Savior

ME NOW:

You know this is crazy, God loves us. He does. And if these are just a few examples of how passionate God is about us and there is still the whole bible to read. I think we should just be crumbling before Him. He deserves our worship because He is worthy.

You alone are worthy of all worship, all honor and all praise. In which other language can I speak in? To say these things. My soul magnifies You, Almighty God.

I pray that for all who know You, Almighty that Your Spirit shall work in us to make You known. That as Roman 14: 11 says

For it is written,

"As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue confess to God. "

Let us do that which is our reasonable service - the great commission.  To make Him known. 

God bless You all.

Amen.