May 8 – Whose Voice is that?

May 8
1 Samuel 2:22-4:22
John 5:24-47
Psalm 106:1-12
Proverbs 14:30-31

I Samuel 2:35 – Deuteronomy 18:15 foretold the LORD raising a prophet, now the LORD is promising to raise up a priest!

I Samuel 3:7 – Vic Eliason, founder of VCY America, would often share this passage with young men who were considering ministry. Many think God is calling them to ministry when it’s maybe just their mother or grandmother that thinks it would be good to have a preacher in the family. There are many voices calling out today – it is crucial to learn how to discern God’s voice from the other voices. Ministry is hard – if God isn’t calling you, it is easy to give up when the going gets tough. 71% of Missionaries who leave the field, do so for a preventable reason. But if God has called you – He will provide strength and resources when the going gets tough.

I Samuel 4:21 – Ichabod, an appropriate name for the time of judgment when the people have confronted the priest (I Samuel 2:23), the man of God confronted the priest (I Samuel 2:27), and the LORD himself sends a message via a young boy (I Samuel 3:12).

John 5:39 – The Scriptures are not primarily a moral textbook although you can learn a lot about right and wrong. The Scriptures are about the Savior of the World, the LORD Jesus Christ! Jesus continually points back to the Torah (John 5:46) saying that Moses is writing about Him.

Psalm 106:6-7 – What was the great sin of the fathers of Israel? Ingratitude. The LORD had delivered them from their slaveowners and they wanted to return. We see a theme – our LORD has delivered us from the slave master called Sin, and we keep running back to our old master. All we need is to obey.

Proverbs 14:31 – How do we show honour to our maker? By showing mercy to the poor. While some call this the “social gospel” – they usually stop with just the social part and not the gospel. It’s exciting to see some incredible ministries like Pacific Garden Mission providing 1,500 hot meals daily, as well as clothing, shelter, and powerful gospel preaching in Chicago; and Covenant Mercy Mission that distributes two million dollars of food annually with powerful gospel preaching in New York City.