WHAT IS YOUR PERSONAL GAME PLAN?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord; he did not keep
the word of the Lord and even consulted a medium for guidance,
and did not inquire of the Lord. So the Lord put him to death and
turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.”
(1 Chronicles 10:13-14)

MEDITATION:
When you are attending a sporting event, do you leave at halftime?
Of course not, there is still another half to play. Your team may have
played well in the first half and have the lead at halftime, but anything
can change in the second half. One team can suddenly ‘get it together’
and make a comeback, or a team can sustain some injuries to key
players that affects their momentum.

But, what about your own life. When you reach your assumed
‘halftime’, will you quit, or change your game? We can make
a decision of how to finish, can’t we? We might be disappointed
with our ‘first half’ and commit to having a better ‘second half’.
Or, we might be pleased with our ‘first half’ and want to increase
our momentum in our ‘second half’.

How we live each half will be measured not by referees, but by our
ultimate judge – God. With that in mind, we need to determine how
we are living within His guidelines, and how we are contributing to
what He is doing (using the spiritual gift He has given us). None of
us want to feel that God will throw a yellow penalty flag on how we
are living our lives.

When we look at the scriptures, we can see that Jacob had a bad start,
but finished well. On the other hand, Solomon started well, but finished
badly.

What about Saul? At one point he looked good and was chosen to be
the king to lead a nation with God’s blessings. But how did he finish?
He spent the last part of his life in bitterness, fearfulness and jealousy
as he pursued his son’s friend David with intentions to kill him.

He was unfaithful to the Lord; He did not obey the Lord; and he looked
for guidance from someone other than the Lord. When he saw his kingdom
crumbling, he turned to a witch instead of turning to the Lord. When we
decide to make a turn in our lives, it is for better or worse, but not both.

In essence, he left his first love and turned his back on the Lord. Instead
of remaining faithful to the Lord, and obeying His Word, Saul decided to
‘change his game’. It is a sad ending for someone who started so well. His
tragedy was not a result of things beyond his control, but a result of the
things he failed to control.

How did God respond to Saul’s new game plan? The blessings Saul
had been receiving from the Lord, changed to judgment by God.

ACTION:
There are things in our lives that we cannot control, but
there are many things we can control. The controllable
things are where we need to focus. Why? Because we are
wasting our time if we think we can change the things
which are beyond our ability to control.

There are three areas we can control:
    faithfulness, obedience, and seeking the right guidance.

Faithfulness:
    God expects His people to remain faithful.
Obedience:
    A characteristic of love that is expected of God’s people.
Guidance:
    When we need guidance, we need to look to the Lord (pray).

During Saul’s ‘second half’, he failed in these three areas.
The question we need to ask ourselves is,
    “How will I do from this day forward?”

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, teach me to learn from my past mistakes
so I will be motivated to choose a different path going forward.
If I have been actively and faithfully using the spiritual gift You
have given me, help me to keep up the momentum so You can
show me new ways of serving You. If I have been self-centered
and wasted many years pleasing myself instead of using what
You have given me in the way You want me to use it, forgive
me and instill in me a burning desire to serve You for the rest
of my life. Remind me often that what I do and how I live my
life now, will be what I am judged on when my life’s journey
comes to an end. Thank You for loving and forgiving me, and
for Your patience while You transform me into the new type
of person You want me to be. Help me to embrace and not to
resist the changes You are making in me.”

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