Your Daily Devotional for February 11, 2006

February 11, 2006

 

The Wrong Focus

by Dr. Paul Chappell

 

“And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

 

1 Samuel 8:1-5

 

In this passage, the children of Israel found themselves looking at Samuel’s sons and making a wrong choice based on their perception. In verse five, we read that after they had all gathered, they said these words: “…Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” They thought that since Samuel’s sons weren’t obeying God, they couldn’t be ruled by Him, and therefore wanted to trade theocracy—God ruling over them—to a monarchy. They wanted a king to worship, to reverence, to look up to. Because of other people, they wanted to reject God.

 

Of all the pieces of advice that are repeated to the runner of a race, there is one line that keeps being repeated, over and over, because of its importance. Constantly, a runner is urged never to look to others behind, beside, or in front of him. This causes him to falter, to slow down, to get distracted. If a runner wants to win, he has to fix his eyes onto the ribbon.

 

One of the surest ways to make a wrong decision is watching people around you. If they have good days, then you have good days, but if they fall, then you fall. People are subject to the same emotions, whims, and temptations you are. The Bible says in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” Everyone is on the same plane when the cross is considered, because Christ is our goal, and we all fall desperately short of His glory. When we compare and base our spiritual lives off of other people, then we will find ourselves backslidden and out of touch with the will of God.

 

We need to look to God if we are going to live holy lives. No one else can give us the proper example. All men are men at best. When we end up looking to others’ spiritual lives, it is a lose-lose situation. They will fall because of our pressure, and we will fall because of our dependence. Samuel’s sons were not perfect, and were not like Samuel. But whether they were like Samuel or unlike Samuel, their spiritual maturity was not a reason for the people to change from following God. They should have chosen to follow God regardless.

 

Who are you setting the standard at today? Are you looking to Christ for leadership and commands, or have you found yourself leeching someone else’s spirituality? Decide today that your standard of living will not be based on others around you, but on the holiness and service that the Bible states as Christianity.

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