WHO ARE YOU?

MEMORY VERSE: And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel? 1 Samuel 15:17

BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Job 21-22

I remember the last words of my loving father as i boarded the plane many years ago to study abroad. In his deep baritone voice, he said, “Son! Remember the son of whom you are.” I thought i understood him perfectly well at that time. I thought he was trying to tell me to stay away from crime and not get myself involved in anything that could tarnish his name. But today by the special grace of God, i am now beginning to understand what he meant. The old man was saying, “son, no matter how high God lifts you in life, don’t forget your roots. Never forget the lowly state He picked you from to go and study abroad.”

Saul was a young man with all the physical and mental qualities of a king. 1 Samuel 9:2 says, “And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people.” He was the best in the land, yet he was humble and teachable. He had already made up his mind to give up searching for the missing asses when his servant brought an ordinary suggestion to go and see the man of God, who was resident in that area, about the missing asses (1 Samuel 9:5-7). Any other person would have disciplined the servant for talking without being asked to talk, but Saul listened to this servant and went with him to the man of God. The journey to the man of God changed his life forever. Please don't ever get big to that extent where God will not be able to use people under you to counsel you. God at times deliberately speak to leaders through their servants. Do you remember that God encouraged Naaman to humble himself and dip in River Jordan seven times through his servants (2 Kings 5)? Also, it was an ordinary maid, who was living with Mrs Naaman, that God used to bring solution to the problem in their family?

What made Saul little in his eyes was his humble beginning. 1 Samuel 9:21 says: “And Saul answered and said, Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou so to me?” Because Saul was humble, the Lord decided to make him king over Israel. 1 Samuel 15:17 says, “And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the LORD anointed thee king over Israel?” When Saul became king he forgot that he was a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel. He forgot his background. He forgot the son of whom he was and began to flout God’s commandment as he pleased. Don’t ever forget where God picked you from. Don’t ever forget the days of your humble beginning. There was a beggar who the Lord lifted up from the dunghill and prospered. This beggar in other not to forget where God picked him from, he kept the rags he used to wear when he was a beggar. From time to time, he would go to the room where he kept those rags just keep him in check. There was a Northern Ireland Baptist pastor by the name Willie Mullan. He was a tramp before God saved him and gave him a ministry that touched the whole world. At the height of his ministry, he never forgot that he was a tramp God picked up, cleaned and gave a ministry. The moment people wanted to praise him for the work God was doing through him, he would remind them that he was a tramp God picked up. Because of this, God started elevating him to the extent that people would gather to listen to his tape in far away Iraq in the sixties. He maintained that view of himself till he died. Saul’s view of himself changed and he fell from grace to grass.

QUESTION: Who are you? Are you a successful lawyer or that young lawyer without a clue who the Lord picked up and promoted? Do you see yourself as that wretched sinner God saved or the pastor of a big ministry? Do you see yourself as the wife of a successful man or the young girl God showed favour to and married a successful man? Are you an award winning author or that man or woman God blessed with the gift of writing?

PRAYER POINT: Father, help me to remain humble all days of my life.

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Bro Samuel | Reaching the world for Jesus.