Tag Archives: Saul

Greg Laurie

Greg Laurie – Faithful in the Little Things

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Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up in honor.—James 4:10

Saul was on an errand for his father when he walked smack-dab into the perfect will of God. In his search for some lost donkeys, Saul was directed to the area where the prophet Samuel lived. When Samuel laid eyes on Saul, the Lord told him that Saul was the one He had chosen to be king over Israel.

Then the Bible tells us that “Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: ‘Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance?’ ” (1 Samuel 10:1). The Spirit of God came upon Saul, and he prophesied with the prophets, which means that God spoke through Saul. We are also told that God gave him a new heart.

Then came a test in Saul’s life. Some questioned the choice of Saul as king. But Saul ignored them and just went about his business. After Samuel had anointed Saul as king, the Lord had not told him to do anything in particular. And to his credit, Saul went back to his responsibilities, which included plowing a field.

Often you will find that when you are engaged in service to the Lord, He will tell you what the next thing is. Saul was faithful in the little things, and God opened a great door for him.

If you want to be used by God, if you feel that one day the Lord might want you to be in ministry somewhere, then here is my advice for you: Be faithful in little things. Do what you can do. Don’t look for big things to do; look for anything to do.

God says that if you will be faithful in the little things, then He will give you other things to do.

Charles Stanley

Charles Stanley – The Problem of Pride

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1 Samuel 13:1-14

Pride is a condition that’s common to all mankind. Poverty won’t protect us from it. Neither will age, ability, or experience.

Consider Saul, whom the prophet Samuel revealed was God’s chosen leader for the nation of Israel. Scripture describes Saul as an impressive and handsome young man without equal among the Israelites (1 Sam. 9:2). This description seems fitting for the nation’s first royal leader. In his new position, Saul was to follow the Lord’s instructions for that role. He was promised that the Holy Spirit would come upon him and powerfully provide help (10:6-7).

Our Father treats us in a similar way. He’s chosen us to belong to His family, and He has a plan for our lives, with special work for each of us to do (Eph. 2:10). The Holy Spirit dwells within us so He can guide and empower us to carry out divine plans. Our part is to obey.

To be successful, Saul needed to remember several things. First, any authority he had came from God. In addition, his responsibilities included executing the Lord’s plan, leading the people by example, and obeying divine commands. Like so many of us today, Saul acted as if he were in charge rather than the Lord. He allowed the pressure of the situation to take precedence over obedience. Because of pride, he broke God’s law and exercised priestly responsibilities that were not rightly his.

Our Father wants us to deal with our pride by humbling ourselves before Him, confessing our sin, and seeking His help in overcoming it.

Charles Spurgeon

Charles Spurgeon – The conversion of Saul of Tarsus

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“And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.” Acts 26:14

Suggested Further Reading: John 15:16-25

When you were first pricked in the heart, how personal the preacher was. I remember it well. It seemed to me that I was the only person in the whole place, as if a black wall were round about me, and I were shut in with the preacher, something like the prisoners at the penitentiary, who each sit in their cell and can see no one but the chaplain. I thought all he said was meant for me; I felt persuaded that some one knew my character, and had written to him and told him all, and that he had personally picked me out. Why, I thought he fixed his eyes on me; and I have reason to believe he did, but still he said he knew nothing about my case. Oh, that men would hear the word preached, and that God would so bless them in their hearing, that they might feel it to have a personal application to their own hearts. But note again—the apostle received some information as to the persecuted one. If you had asked Saul who it was he persecuted, he would have said, “Some poor fishermen, that had been setting up an impostor; I am determined to put them down.” “Why, who are they? They are the poorest of the world, the very scum and dregs of society; if they were princes and kings we perhaps might let them have their opinion; but these poor miserable ignorant fellows, I do not see why they are allowed to carry out their infatuation, and I shall persecute them. Moreover, most of them are women I have been persecuting—poor, ignorant creatures. What right have they to set their judgement up above the priests? They have no right to have an opinion of their own, and therefore it is quite right for me to make them turn away from their foolish errors.” But see in what a different light Jesus Christ puts it. He does not say, “Saul, Saul, why didst thou persecute Stephen?” or “Why art thou about to drag the people of Damascus to prison;” No—“Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?”

For meditation: What a personal Saviour the Lord Jesus Christ is! He personally calls his people to himself (Luke 19:5) and he takes it personally when they are persecuted (Luke 10:16).

Sermon no. 202

27 June (1858)