Hi Ladies!
Just wanted to let everyone know we'll be getting started again with the book club here soon! Debra Macon will be helping me out with posting and discussion. Please let us know if you'll be participating with us! I'll let you know as soon as we start up again!
Have a great day!
Pamela
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As you may already know, we’re studying Peter Scazzero’s, Emotionally Healthy Spirituality, in our small groups. We will be using that as a backdrop for our online study. So our first posting will come from the Emotionally Healthy Spirituality Workbook. (From now on, any reference to Emotionally Healthy Spirituality book or workbook will be designated as EHS.)
ReplyDeleteSaul, King of Israel, was instructed by God to fight and completely destroy the Amalekites. He succumbed, however, to the wishes of his fighting men and did only part of God’s will due to a lack of self-awareness (emotional health) and attentiveness toward God (contemplation). PLS READ I Sam 15:7-24
**The Bible story we will be studying for our first posting has always fascinated me (Debra). I often wondered how a man (Saul) chosen of God, deliberately hand picked by God, could succumb to such disobedience. But the longer I walked with God the more I understood just how easy it was to fall into that pit. I began to look at my own life and began to see some of the pits I had fallen into. There were many times, in my immaturity, that I became the center of my focus. I did and acted according to what I wanted, thinking all the time it was what God wanted. It wasn’t until later on that I realized that I was acting in presumption, a presumption that resulted from arrogance. In the distant past, sometimes I was so sure I was right it never occurred to me I could be wrong. Let’s just say, I was overly confident I heard God’s voice. It took God’s school of hard knocks to convince me I wasn’t always right and there was another perspective besides mine, and that was HIS. The sad thing about King Saul was that he never seemed to get it, that God was wanting Saul to do His will and not Saul's will. Unfortunately for Saul, he just seemed to keep digging his pit deeper and deeper. Let's read the story, answer the questions, and then add any additional thoughts you have regarding Saul's actions and why he did what he did.
We’ll start with the questions in the EHS workbook and go from there.
#1) Verse 11 describes God’s and Samuel’s response to Saul’s actions. What about their response impacts you?
#2) How does this differ from Saul’s response in verse 12 and 13?
#3) What might have been going on beneath the surface of Saul’s life that he was unaware of ?
So are we starting now? Are we studying all of I Sam? I don't have the other book but sent Pam an email asking about it.
ReplyDeleteTo Clarify about our first online posting. Pls read I Samuel 15:7-24 and then answer questions 1,2, and 3. I will be posting my own answers and thoughts soon.
ReplyDeleteMY RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE QUESTIONS:
ReplyDelete#1) Through his disobedience, Saul had now made God his enemy and God now rejected him. Samuel was the one who anointed him king, now he had to be the hand of judgment for God. But I believe Samuel also feared for Saul's life and thus interceded for him and his kingdom.
#2) Sadly, Saul thought he had done such a great job.
#3) Saul justified his actions because he was more concerned about people's perception of him than he was concerned about God's response. Saul was totally disconnected from God in thought, word, and deed.
I wonder what Saul's life might have become if he had truly understood and repented of his sins instead of making excuses for them. It also made me wonder..what were my "blind" spots?, places I might be sinning without realizing it. So I prayed (Psalm 139:23) Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts. The Lord is so ready to forgive us at any time. All we have to do is ask. Every day and every moment can be new with God if we just make our confessions before him and ask his forgiveness.
I will be posting new stuff on Monday.
Should we just keep reading I Samuel 15:7-24 for the time-being? Is there a schedule of what we will be reading each week? I would like to be able to study some every evening and mull it over. Is there a possibility of this happening? I keep having some internet glitches periodically and would love to be able to read what we should be even if I didn't see it posted. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteBeverly, I will email you regarding your request.
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