Consider This!

1 Samuel 12:24

“Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He has done for you.”

As I read through my personal devotions this morning, this verse really stood out to me. The prophet Samuel encouraged the people after they had sinned to return to God and “only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart”. Only. Exclusively. Undivided. Just these two things: fearing and serving the Lord. And yet those two things must be done with our WHOLE heart; not a divided, distracted one. Fear the Lord with ALL your heart. Serve Him in truth with ALL your heart. This must be the focus of every Christian’s life. Our thoughts, actions and words must be encompassed in this command. If we can “only” do these two things—with Christ’s help—our life will be in the center of God’s will.

The second part of this verse implies that we will fear and serve the Lord because of what He has done for us. Each Christian should be able to look back on the years that he has lived (whether few or many) and see the hand of God in it. God has done so many great things for us. Realizing this will cause us to WANT to fear and serve the Lord because He is so great. Our thankfulness to Him should overflow into reverence and service for the King. He has blessed me in so many ways: friends who share the same convictions, family members who help me to grow in Christ, a church who is a large family to me, the food and home that is provided for me, the snow (yes, even the snow) that reminds me of Is.1:18 every time I see it, school work that teaches me to think, and so much more. So today, consider the great things God has done for you, and let the realization that God is great, motivate you to “only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with ALL your heart.”

God bless,

Kaleigh