King James Daily Bible Study Devotional
Message Title: Still Saved
Date: Friday March 30, 2012
Today's Chapters: 1 Samuel 28-31

Hello My Friend,

As Christians, we can rejoice in that no matter our past, present, or future, we still have a home to go to when we die and that is the Kingdom of God, not because of any good that we have done, but because we received Christ as our Savior. “As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” - Romans 3:10,11,21-24.

Chosen by God Himself to be the first king of Israel Saul, was once favored by God, because he was an honest, faithful, godly man. All that changed once he became king, the more he got as king the less he relied on God, oh, he still wanted God in his life, but on his terms, not God's, which is why God chose a new king. Now, Saul is in a battle for his life, without David there to defeat the Philistines as David was on their side and Samuel gone he has no where to turn for help except God. He tried everything to reach God to no avail, desperate for help, he turns to a medium, who go the surprise of her life when Samuel appeared. Samuel himself did actually appear to Saul, not by the power of enchantment, but by the appointment and mercy of God, to warn him of his approaching end, that he might be reconciled with God.

“And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul...And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And the LORD hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the LORD hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David: Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the LORD, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the LORD done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the LORD will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the LORD also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.” - 1 Samuel 28:12,15-19.

Samuel told Saul that he and his sons would die in the battle, but the one thing Samuel said that proves God gives hope to all sinners, “Thou and thy sons will be with me.” Even though Saul had stopped serving God on His terms God loved him, he still had a place in heaven if he chose. Why? We do not get to heaven by any good that we have done, it is only by the grace of God through Jesus Christ that we can get to heaven. Everything else that we do for God after we get saved just gives us more rewards when we get to heaven. “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” - Ephesians 2:8-10.

Meanwhile, as David gets ready for battle, this time along side with the Philistines, the princes and leaders of the Philistines did not want David's help, fearing he and his army would turn on them. So, the king had no choice, but to tell David and the six hundred men who served under him to leave. When they arrived at Ziklag they found out that they were invaded by the Amalekites, who took their wives and children captive. David gathered four hundred of his men together for battle, two hundred were sick and had to stop.

“And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away: and David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil, nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all...And David came to the two hundred men, which were so faint that they could not follow David, whom they had made also to abide at the brook Besor: and they went forth to meet David, and to meet the people that were with him: and when David came near to the people, he saluted them. Then answered all the wicked men and men of Belial, of those that went with David, and said, Because they went not with us, we will not give them ought of the spoil that we have recovered, save to every man his wife and his children, that they may lead them away, and depart. Then said David, Ye shall not do so, my brethren, with that which the LORD hath given us, who hath preserved us, and delivered the company that came against us into our hand. For who will hearken unto you in this matter? but as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike.” - 1 Samuel 30:18,19,21-24.

While the men were quick to upbraid David for saluting the men that stayed behind, David was quick to remind them that they all played a part in the battle, even those who just minded the things they took for the battle. Every person that receives Christ as their Savior is part of the body of Christ, from the person who never does anything to serve God to the one who serves Him full-time in the ministry, we all are preserved by the blood that Jesus Christ shed. God is no respecter of persons when it comes to salvation or anything for that matter, “And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.” - Colossians 3:23-25.

Saul's worse fears now come to pass, he along with his sons, including Jonathan, David's friend, as well as the armourbearer were killed in the battle. “So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together. And when the men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that were on the other side Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in mount Gilboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people. And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth: and they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan.” - 1 Samuel 31:6-10.

What a disgraceful end to what began a glorious, blessed life for Saul, all this probably could have been avoided had Saul just asked God to forgive him, but never once do we learn of Saul ever seeking forgiveness from God. God will forgive everyone, even the vilest offender, but they must seek forgiveness or He will not grant it. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” - 1 John 1:9. Everyone has a chance to be saved, even upon their deathbed, when Jesus was being crucified two other men were beside Him, one repented and when he died joined Jesus in heaven. “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.” - Luke 23:42,43. We do not have to be all righteous and knowing to be saved, we just have to believe in Jesus Christ. “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” - Romans 10:9,10.

I have been hearing a lot about people brought up in other religions receiving Christ being forced them to renounce their faith in Christ in order to be saved from death upon themselves. It got me thinking of how many people that are actually saved in the world, who have gotten away from God through sin, walked away from Him, or even renounced their faith in Him. The truth is, every one of these people are still saved, they might have lost sight of God because of circumstances, but God has not lost sight of them. If there was a time when they believed in the Lord, Jesus Christ, and asked Him to save them then they are saved, even if it goes as far as renouncing their faith in Him. How? The second a person receives Christ they are saved, which is past tense, meaning preserved from death and hell, nothing we do can take away our salvation. “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” -Hebrews 9:27,28.

Today's Psalm: 27:1 - “The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”

Today's Proverb: 20:22 - “Say not thou, I will recompense evil; but wait on the LORD, and he shall save thee.”

Today's Prayer: God, When I asked Jesus to come into my heart I had no idea what that truly meant until I was at a point where I had no one else to turn to, but You. Thank You for loving me and protecting me and not forsaking me for what seemed like wasted years. From the time I was saved You have always been guiding me and nudging me in the right direction, yes, I have made some wrong turns, but You do not even remember them anymore because once I sought forgiveness they are no longer a memory to You. Lord, lead me and guide me, never let me lose sight that Christ is in me and I am in Him, never let me forget that I am always Your child, even when I mess things up sometimes, and remind me that You grace is always good enough for me when I just have no strength to fight. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Enjoy the rest of your day/night.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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