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by Os Hillman
A friend of mine
who is a jet pilot, once told me that whenever a jet goes out of
control and begins to spin, the only thing to do is totally take
your hands off the controls and the plane will right itself. This
goes against our natural inclination to control and manipulate in
order to bring things back under control. It is scary to be out of
control. Or is it?
Saul was a man out of control. He was losing control of his
kingdom to David. He was losing the favor of God and the people.
It began as compromises. Eventually he was given a final test to
obey the voice of God fully. He was instructed to kill the
Amalekites completely; but he failed to follow through. The
prophet Samuel delivered a hard word to King Saul, "Because
you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has rejected you as
king" (1Sam.15:26). Saul obeyed partially, but not fully.
It was partial obedience that led to his removal as king of Israel
and his calling from God. But why did Saul do such a thing? "I
was afraid of the people and so I gave in to them"
(1Sam.15:24).
Saul's fear and insecurity made him more afraid of the people and
what they thought than of God. So in fact he had more reverence
for people than for God, and so those for demo(n)cracy in stead of
theocracy At the core of Saul's disobedience was fear of losing
control. That fear of losing control made him loose control, as it
led him to partial obedience and as a consequence, the loss of his
reign as king.
How many of us are in danger of losing God's blessing due to
partial obedience? How many of us have such a need to control
people and circumstances that we fail to fully walk in obedience
to God's voice in our lives? Saul provides a great lesson for us
as workplace believers.
The need to overcontrol things around us can prevent us from
receiving all that God has for us. Today, take an inventory of
your control quotient.
Ask God if you are being fully obedient to what He has called you
to do this day, and avoid being put on the shelf for disobedience.
"To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better
than the fat of rams" (1Sam.15:22).
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