It is June. June! Can you believe it? The month of weddings, VBS, and my birthday. Today I offer you a new FREE printable for our June Heart Notes Scriptures. Every one of the verses that we will memorize this month have been used by the Lord over the course of my life to teach me a lesson, and draw me closer to Him. I hope you will download and print the printable, and use it to help you memorize these words from the Word.
To kick-off our June verses, the Lord and I have chosen one that is easy to read, yet oftentimes, difficult to put into practice. Our will, our desires, our pride get in the way of our obedience to God. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. Allow me to introduce today’s verse.
Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams. 1 Samuel 15:22 (NKJV)
This verse is all about how God digs obedience from His kids. Just as earthly parents expect their children to be obedient, our heavenly Father expects obedience from us. The Israelites of antiquity got all tangled up in the obedience thing. They substituted sacrifices and offerings for obedience. They thought that if they just sacrificed another animal, or offered another ephah of grain that God would be mighty proud of them.
I’m so glad you and I are not as ridiculous as those Israelites? Ummm, as a matter of fact, we are as ridiculous as those Israelites.
God asks us to be obedient in so many areas, yet we substitute other things for obedience. Want some examples?
- God’s Word says that marriage is between a man and a woman. Yet, marriage is being redefined daily, and many Christians are agreeing with the redefinition.
- God’s Word says not to lie. Every day Christians excuse lies by saying something like, “It was just a little white lie.”
- God’s Word says to love the Lord with all your heart, soul, and mind. All too often our hearts are divided between God and some other master.
- Jesus told us to come to Him as a little child, with a childlike faith. Today we do all manner of mental gymnastics trying to explain faith and God, heaven and hell.
- Jesus said that He is ‘the way, the truth, and the life, and that no man comes to the Father except by Him’. Yet, many have bought into the lie that there are many ways to God.
Do you see what I mean? We have substituted so many things for simple obedience to God. All God wants is our obedience to whatever He asks. If we truly trust, we will be obedient. Do we trust Him? Do you trust Him enough to simply obey Him?
