January 15, 2012

Scriptures January 15th: 1 Samuel 3:1-20; Psalm 139:1-6,13-18; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; John 1:43-51 Theme: Living in God’s favor Song: Be Thou my vision – UMH 451 1 Samuel: Samuel was living with the Priest Eli and his family. His mother dedicated him to the service of the Lord. Scripture says that visions and callings from God were not common in the day. God always speaks, the truth was that people probably did not have a need to listen. When God spoke to Samuel, he did not even understand what was happening. Eli had to teach Samuel how to pray. He told him to just listen, not to speak. God will say what God will say. Being called by God comes in many forms. God does not call all of us to be ministers. God does not tell all of us to do the same thing for the rest of our lives. There are many task that need to be done. We just have to learn to listen. What Samuel was told to say was not positive, it was a message that some people needed to repent and turn around. The voice of the Lord still speaks today. 1 Corinthians: This verse encourages us to think about what it means to live holy. To think about how to make healthy and holy choices. As Christians we are free to do whatever we want. But not everything that we do is in our best interest. Just because society says that it is okay to do something, that does not mean that God says that it is okay. Paul reminds us that our bodies are a temple. It is the place where God lives. God and the devil cannot occupy the same space. When we take good care of our bodies, we are glorifying God. Our bodies play a big part in our lives, in our relationships, and in our service to God. Questions: What does it mean to you to listen to God? Have you heard God say something to you? How did you respond? How do you tell the difference from a call from God and other voices? Who are the prophets of God today? What does it mean to you to live healthy? What are the voices in society that encourage us to do the wrong things? How to we overcome those voices? What one thing can you do within the coming year to live a healthier life?