Sunday, November 17, 2013

Rejected

Rejected
Nov 18, 2013

1 Samuel 16:1  "The Lord said to Samuel, 'How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel?'"

Having the correct understanding of our Heavenly Father is important.  It is true the Lord will never leave you or forsake you.  He will not disown you as His child.  He will always love you with an everlasting love despite your circumstances or performance.  The Lord will never abandon you or turn His back on you; it is not in His nature.  The Lord will, however, reject you if the need arises.  This seems opposite of all the previous statements, almost creating a dichotomy in the Lord's character.  Let me explain.

The Lord chooses certain individuals for specific tasks.  Adam was chosen to name the animals in the Garden, Noah was chosen to save all the animals on the Ark, Jonah was chosen to preach to Nineveh, Jesus was chosen to die on the cross, Paul was chosen to be one of the first missionaries.  This list could go on and on with individuals the Lord chose for His specific goals, to serve in exact situations, positions, and roles.  One such individual who was chosen by the Lord was the very first king of the Israelites, Saul.  The Israelites never had a king before, so the Lord allowed a specific individual to lead the nation for the very first time.  King Saul was chosen by the Lord as leader.

King Saul, however, didn't exactly get things right his entire life.  In fact, he got arrogant, precocious, and forgot how to serve the Lord wholeheartedly in his capacity as king.  So the Lord did something he doesn't do very often.  The Lord rejected Saul.  To be specific, the Lord rejected Saul for his leadership role over the Israelites.  The Lord rejected Saul as king.  The Lord still loved Saul, but was not pleased with Saul's behavior.  The Lord could not tolerate Saul any longer in his appointed position.  The Lord chose him and then the Lord rejected him when his performance was not to the standard set in place for Saul's life or his role as king.  This didn't stop the Lord from loving Saul as a child, but Saul could lead the nation no longer.  He was rejected for his service.

While you might suggest this scenario is limited to Saul, it happens more than you think.  I've seen many men and women rise in Christian leadership, only to be taken out of that position because they could no longer live up to the standards of leadership set before them.  I firmly believe the Lord removes individuals from their leadership position if they are not fulfilling their roles as He desires.  You, too, could be chosen by the Lord for something very specific, something very important.  You, too, could be rejected by the Lord for that same leadership role if your life does not live up to the standard set in place for that position.  The Lord is not willing that others should perish because of your bad behavior.  He is willing to reject for service all those who are a hindrance to the growth of His children.

I do not want your life or mine to parallel the life of Saul. I do not want the Lord to reject you or me for His specific service.  It is critical that we pray for one another and stay focused on serving the Lord wholeheartedly, not falling into the traps set for failure.  It is critical we stay humble in the position He has chosen for us.  If you are not yet in that position, guard your heart and mind now; don't let the Lord reject you for His service before you even have a chance to start.

Don't take my word for it; look it up:  Deut 7:5-7, 1 Samuel 15, Jer 31:2-4, Heb 13:4-6

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