Morning Message Text: 1 Samuel 3: 1-10
The LORD Calls Samuel
1 The boy Samuel ministered before the LORD under Eli. In those days the word of the LORD was rare; there were not many visions.
2 One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place.
3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the LORD, where the ark of God was.
4 Then the LORD called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.”
5 And he ran to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” But Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.” So he went and lay down.
6 Again the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” “My son,” Eli said, “I did not call; go back and lie down.”
7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD: The word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.
8 A third time the LORD called, “Samuel!” And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, “Here I am; you called me.” Then Eli realized that the LORD was calling the boy.
9 So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, ‘Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.’ ” So Samuel went and lay down in his place.
10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Morning Message:
How is your attitude today? Now maybe today is not the best day to get a read on your overall attitude. If we are here in church, chances are our attitudes are better than on other days. For the most part we are relaxed; we are encountering people that we like, or at least ones that do not aggravate us. Our focus is where it should be, on God and worship. How is your attitude overall? You can be honest; you are in church although that shouldn’t make a difference when it comes to being honest. I think that it might be fair to say that our attitudes are not always what they should be. Let me go one step further. As Christians, living in a post-Christian world, our attitudes need to be adjusted. Does that offend you? Good, because we need the correction. Yes, I said we because I have recognized this flaw in myself. You see, if you claim to be a follower of Jesus just being nice is not enough today. Just getting along with everyone is not enough. Our calling is much higher than that.
Let me give you an example of what I mean when I say we need to adjust our attitudes. Gordon MacDonald is a Christian motivational speaker. He tells a story about his time as a pastor in New York City. He befriended many NYC bus drivers and occasionally had a few over to his home for breakfast. One driver commented on how Gordon had an interesting job helping people, but all that bus drivers do is drive dumb buses. Gordon replied, “I have an idea for all of you…Look, I believe that God will make any job interesting if we believe He wants to use us. Now here’s what I suggest. Tomorrow morning before anyone gets on your bus, close the door, face all the empty seats, and say loudly, ‘In the name of Jesus, I declare this bus a Sanctuary for the next eight hours. And I declare that all people who enter this Sanctuary will experience the love of Christ through me, whether they realize it or not.” At first the drivers thought Gordon was crazy, because it is peculiar to think of New Your City buses as Sanctuaries. But after the shock, one by one each of the drivers affirmed, they would give it a try. When Gordon saw his friends over the coming months, he’d ask them what they were driving, and they’d always smile and say, “A Sanctuary, man, a Sanctuary.” One driver commented on how it had changed his life and perspective. He told a story of an incident that took place. A man got really upset with the driver because he wouldn’t stop at an illegal stop for him. The man cussed him out. The driver left him off at the next closest legal stop and said, “I hope you have a nice day.” He said, “You know, there was a time when I would have gotten up and let him have it, but not in a Sanctuary.” A lady in the seat behind him said she didn’t know how he could take such abuse and not retaliate; he whispered to himself, “It wasn’t hard in a Sanctuary.”
Our attitude must be right and then we must respond properly. In our scripture from 1 Samuel today we hear the story of how young Samuel first heard the call of the Lord. If you read this book, you know that Samuel was dedicated to the Lord by his mother Hannah. She had promised God that if he would open her womb and allow her to have a child, she would give that child to serve the Lord. So, after Samuel is weaned, his mother gives him to Eli, the priest. Samuel will become a great prophet, but he is just now, for the first time, hearing from God. First, we must notice how disciplined young Samuel is. He responds immediately every time he is called. There is no hesitation, even though he is sleeping, or trying to sleep. He doesn’t know God’s voice, so he responds to the only father that he has ever known. He is very obedient, his heart is ready to serve, so all he needs from Eli is some guidance. Eli tells him that God is calling him and then he gives him the right response. What would you do if God spoke to you in the middle of the night? Would you hear him? Would you try and ignore him so as not to have your sleep interrupted? Would you recognize his voice? Okay, let’s say you do all those things right. How would you respond to God? I guess that depends on how you view yourself before a Holy God. Are you humble enough to say, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”
If you think about it, responding to God properly requires the right attitude.
It always comes back to being able to put the things of God and the service of God before self. You can respond to God in such a more positive way by simply adjusting your attitude. You know, you can make any workplace, any home, any vehicle, any space that you occupy a Sanctuary. If you are a surgeon the operating room can be your Sanctuary. If you are a school teacher your classroom can be a Sanctuary. Wouldn’t that be wonderful today. God saved us to serve, and we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works. Who are you? You are a plainclothes agent in the Jesus revolution, the only revolution that will ultimately endure. You are a full-time servant of God who happens to bring home the bacon by being a carpenter, a sales associate, a banker, or whatever. Getting the concept of Sanctuary motivates good attitudes and promotes sustainability. Let me ask you this trillion-dollar question. Actually, I can’t really put a proper value on what your answer to this question means. Do you want a better world, a better country? If it doesn’t matter to you, then nothing I say will make a difference. If you want what God wants for your life, then you must be willing to give the right response, and we must all be willing to adjust our attitudes. Will you make your spaces Sanctuaries?
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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