Grains of Sand

“ Samuel replied, ‘Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams’ ”   —1 Samuel 15:22 NIV. When in doubt, read the instructions. Better yet, read them before you have doubts and certainly before Part A is attached to Part C and Part B is left on the floor along with six homeless screws. In King Saul’s case there was no doubt about the instructions God had given him through Samuel. He knew what he was supposed to do. When it was time to “fess up” Saul tried to cover his disobedience with spirituality. In Saul’s case, he told Samuel that he had saved the sheep he had been told by God to destroy, claiming that they had been spared so that they could be offered to God as a sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:15). He also intimated that the whole debacle wasn’t his fault, that his soldiers had disobeyed his orders. Samuel didn’t buy it. The blame game was noth...

I could find a few good reasons not to do it if it weren't for that last phrase. After all, there are some people who just aren't lovable and others who don't deserve to be forgiven. " Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other… " —Ephesians 4:32. You can almost hear the "buts" rising from cheap seats. "But you don't know my boss, my wife, my husband, my relatives, my next-door-neighbour, my…" "But surely Paul didn't mean everyone all the time?" "But we're talking Paul here—I'm not Paul." "But that's only if they are compassionate and forgiving first, right?" It's that final phrase that robs me of all my excuses for not being compassionate and forgiving. " …just as in Christ God forgave you. " He showed me compassion and forgave me while I was his worst enemy. He shows me compassion and forgiveness everywhere, anytime, under all circumstances. If he tells me I c...