And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; That the LORD called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. And the LORD called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, neither was the word of the LORD yet revealed unto him. And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child. Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. (1 Samuel 3:1-10)
Today's Morsel: I'm sure you have seen those sign along the road that say, " Thank you for your patience, work in progress." When the disciples asked Jesus why they could not cast out the devil from the young boy, Jesus told them it was because of their faith. He said, "This kind go not out but by prayer and fasting." When the religious leaders questioned Jesus about His disciples not fasting. "And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast" (Matthew 9:15). What Jesus really was saying was these are works in progress. I will be the first to tell you that I made many mistakes in my ministry when I first began because I was a work in progress. I tried to preach like my pastor and do things like my pastor because I wasn't aware in certain areas of the Word and my complete understanding of deity. But after studying God's Word, praying and fasting often, I came into an understanding of who Jesus is for myself and gained a better understanding of His Word. And even though I may still be rough around the edges in some areas, I don't need a complete renovation, I now only need tweaking! Samuel was a work in progress. After Hanna returned him to the temple to be tutored and mentored by Eli the priest for the work of God as she had promised, Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed to him when God called him into ministry. Even though he was raised in the temple and was close by the priest, Samuel was still lacking in to two key and essential things to be a minister: An understanding of the Word of God and the Revelation of Deity. No man or woman is ever qualified to minister for God without these two essential things in their lives. Even the Apostle Paul realized that he needed them to minister for God. Samuel was a work in progress. But once he understood the Word of God and the revelation of God he became a mighty prophet for God and one who led the children of Israel back into a relationship with God. Don't give up on people to quickly, many of them are still works in progress.
Sing: He's changing me! My blessed Savior, I'm not the same person that I use to be. Well it's been slow going, but there's a knowing, that someday perfect I will be.
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