“But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I
might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord
Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:24
One of the causes of not finishing well is neglect of spiritual discipline. It is spiritual
discipline that helps a man stay humble and dependent on God. It is those discipline
that enable a man to succeed in ministry. When a man begins to neglect these spiritual
disciplines, he starts threading a dangerous path of drifting away from the Lord that may
even end in back sliding. Some of those spiritual disciplines include personal bible study
not just to prepare for a ministration but for your own personal edification, fellowship
with God in fasting and prayer, genuine seeking of His guidance and help in every area
of your life and ministry, regular church attendance with a teachable spirit eager to
learn, etc.
When we look at the life of King Saul perhaps the only time he directly inquired of God
was when he was going to war with the Philistines: “And when Saul inquired of the
LORD, the LORD did not answer him, either by dreams or by Urim or by the prophets.” 1
Samuel 28:6 I do not know why God did not answer him. In considering this a few
scriptures come to mind. “Seek the LORD while He may be found, Call upon Him while
He is near.” Isaiah 55:6. God was patient with Saul for about 13 years but he failed to
repent and return to the God who delights in showing mercy and the God that cannot
violate His word. The second scripture that comes to mind is this: “And you will seek Me
and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13. God, who
looks at the heart, may have looked at King Saul’s heart and did not see sincerity in his
inquiring of Him and hence did not answer him. This may have been the reason the
scripture said in another place that King Saul did not seek the Lord. “ So Saul died for
his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the LORD, because he did not keep
the word of the LORD, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance. But he did
not inquire of the LORD; therefore He killed him, and turned the kingdom over to David
the son of Jesse.” 1Chron.10:13-14.
THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK
We must travel on the inside before we can travel on the outside because the journey of
growth and success is first an internal one. —-John c. Maxwell.