The Erosion of Our Life
1 Samuel 15:19-23
King Saul is a character whom we do not often like to think about – though we see in him our own greatest successes, we also recognize our most bitter failures.
Few men in Scripture had as promising a start as Saul. Appointed by God to be Israel’s first king, he is presented as the finest man in the nation. Saul was handsome, winsome, chosen by God, anointed by the prophet Samuel, and given a position of prominence unlike any in Israel until that time.
Truly, Saul had a promising beginning. However, somewhere along the way, his life began to veer off course. He became increasingly jealous and self-focused. He began to do whatever he wanted rather than what God had called him to do. And, quite literally, his disobedience drove him mad. Saul shows us what happens when sin creeps in and begins the destructive process of spiritual erosion.
My friend, do you think that this can’t happen to you? Do you think that you are so spiritual and “mature” that you can avoid these landmines that devastated King Saul? There is no man or woman alive who can prevent the erosion that comes from sin lingering in the human heart. Satan is in no big hurry to wreck your life; he is content to wait and watch you make one mistake after another until the day comes when you can’t even recognize your life.
Don’t wait until the end of your earthly existence before you notice erosion. Commit yourself to regular “heart checks” to make sure your soul is clean from the nagging, destructive presence of sin.
Daily Devotions with Dr. Charles Stanlley, InTouch Ministries