Meager Fare

SCRIPTURE

1 Samuel 9:15-10:1b (NRSV)
The call of Saul

Now the day before Saul came, the Lord had revealed to Samuel: "Tomorrow about this time I will send to you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be ruler over my people Israel. He shall save my people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have seen the suffering of my people, because their outcry has come to me." When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord told him, "Here is the man of whom I spoke to you. He it is who shall rule over my people." Then Saul approached Samuel inside the gate, and said, "Tell me, please, where is the house of the seer?" Samuel answered Saul, "I am the seer; go up before me to the shrine, for today you shall eat with me, and in the morning I will let you go and will tell you all that is on your mind. As for your donkeys that were lost three days ago, give no further thought to them, for they have been found. And on whom is all Israel's desire fixed, if not on you and on all your ancestral house?" Saul answered, "I am only a Benjaminite, from the least of the tribes of Israel, and my family is the humblest of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin. Why then have you spoken to me in this way?"

Then Samuel took Saul and his servant-boy and brought them into the hall, and gave them a place at the head of those who had been invited, of whom there were about thirty. And Samuel said to the cook, "Bring the portion I gave you, the one I asked you to put aside." The cook took up the thigh and what went with it and set them before Saul. Samuel said, "See, what was kept is set before you. Eat; for it is set before you at the appointed time, so that you might eat with the guests."

So Saul ate with Samuel that day. When they came down from the shrine into the town, a bed was spread for Saul on the roof, and he lay down to sleep. Then at the break of dawn Samuel called to Saul upon the roof, "Get up, so that I may send you on your way." Saul got up, and both he and Samuel went out into the street.

As they were going down to the outskirts of the town, Samuel said to Saul, "Tell the boy to go on before us, and when he has passed on, stop here yourself for a while, that I may make known to you the word of God." Samuel took a vial of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him; he said, "The Lord has anointed you ruler over his people Israel. You shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their enemies all around.


DEVOTION

Ah! Today I am reminded that God uses ordinary people to do extraordinary things!
I love the words in 1 Samuel 9 which state, “for I have seen the suffering of my people, because their outcry has come to me."

Aren’t you glad that when we are suffering and crying, God comes to our aid?

God is a good God and sometimes God comes to our aid supernaturally by God’s own hand. But, other times I believe that God comes to our aid through the hands, feet, and mouth of God’s people willing to share time, talent, and treasure with those in need.

In today’s scripture reading Saul is anointed to rule over all of the people of Israel even though he was only a Benjaminite.

Brother Saul’s testimony to us is that when we are willing to give even meager fare, God is able to do great things!

Most recently I have been reminded of this fact as I have watched the tremendous outpouring of support for the people of Haiti.

Although many of us in America may be experiencing economic decline as a result of the global recession, people have still been faithfully and selflessly calling, texting, and typing donations to aid organizations working on the ground to alleviate the suffering of the Haitian people.

Some of these donations have been as small as five or ten dollars, but combined with the gifts of others, they have amounted to over 450 million dollars which are bringing food, water, clothes, shelter, and health care to a devastated nation.

I love that we are invited to partner with God in building the Kingdom of Love! Although we may feel that we are small and ordinary, God is able to do extraordinary things when we submit to God’s call on--and will for--our lives!

Today, I want to invite all of us to share the good news that God loves us so much that God gave Jesus to die on the cross to save us from our sin and gift us with eternal life! I also want to challenge each of us to find a way to give of our time, talent, and treasure to love someone well on this day!

Remember, even the smallest gift of love makes a difference!


Grace and peace to you in Jesus! Please pray with me:

Holy God, thank you that you are able to do extraordinary things with ordinary people. I am glad that you love us so much that you allow us to partner with you as you love the whole world. Please forgive me for living beneath the high calling you have placed on my life. Please fill me up with the Holy Spirit so that I can share your love with others. I pray this in Jesus’ Name, Amen.


INVITATION

If you have questions about how to become a friend and follower of Jesus, please see the devotion entitled, “Come to Jesus” @ http://bit.ly/JVhaL