Lesson Learned

Monday as we joined together for noon time prayer 1 Samuel 15 was brought up. (Noon time prayer is where a couple different churches and pastors get together to pray for this community. It has been going on everyday at 12:00pm since September 2007.)

1 Samuel 15 is all about God telling Saul to go and completely destroy the Amalekites. Instead of completely destroying them, Saul saves the king and some animals. This is the beginning of the end of Saul's reign. He disobeyed God.

Saul wanted to sacrifice some of the animals to God. Sounds good, doesn't it? I began to wonder what I might do if I was put in that same position. Would I look at all of the animals and think of how they could bless the poor? Would I want to spare the children because they are only children? It lead me to think of how many times we compromise God's Word in the name of helping others.

As a believer in Jesus, I believe gambling is wrong. But, when someone wins the lottery, which is gambling, and they want to give the church a chunk, if not all of it, am I going to take it? Recently, a church received a winning lottery ticket from someone who had won. Sounds like a blessing, and maybe it was. Or maybe they compromised their belief that gambling is wrong because it benefited them in a tremendous way? I don't know. I don't know what I would do given the same situation. Yes, it could help the poor around the world, but at what cost. My only thought is am I opening the door to give Satan a foothold, just like Saul did, when I compromise what I know is right and wrong.

I know that God can do whatever He wants and use whatever He wants. I just wonder if we are being tested to see if we will compromise or hold to what we believe is truth. Holding to what we believe is true goes further, than compromising who I am and what I believe as a follower of Christ. I believe it would bring a greater blessing. And think of the example set if that winning lottery ticket was burned up or cashed in and the money burned up. Maybe it would look crazy and be crazy. Or maybe people would see that Christians will not compromise, even if when it benefits us to compromise. It might turn the world upside down.

Just some thoughts. What do you think?