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God Reveals Himself Through His Word

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God Reveals Himself Through His Word Hook If you want to know a person, you listen to them. You learn their words, their thoughts, their values and their heart. The same is true of God. God reveals Himself through His Word. You cannot truly know God while neglecting the Word through which He has chosen to make Himself known. Scripture “The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word.” ( 1 Samuel 3:21 NIV) John takes this even further: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” ( John 1:1 KJV) Jesus said, “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), and, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Explanation The Word is not merely a collection of instructions from God. The Word reveals God Himself. In John 1, we see that the Word was with God and the Word was God. Jesus, the living Word, reveals the Father to us. And in 1 Samuel 3:21, we see that God revealed Himself ...
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Samuel Grew Up

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Samuel Grew Up Hook Growth is not measured by age, titles, or years lived. It is measured by who you are becoming. If you are not growing, you are simply repeating yesterday. Scripture "As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him, and everything Samuel said was wise and helpful." — 1 Samuel 3:19 (NLT) Explanation We can talk about KPIs, CSFs, and every performance metric available, but there is one measurement that cannot be ignored— growth . Growth is not an event; it is a continuous process. You don't grow once; you keep growing. Ask yourself: Am I better today than I was yesterday? Have I learned something new? Can I do better than I could before? If all you know today is what you knew yesterday, yesterday will simply repeat itself. And if tomorrow brings no new growth, life becomes one endless cycle of repetition. Samuel's growth was evident because the Lord was with him , and the result was visible: his words became wise and helpful . That is ...
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Parents, Restrain Your Children

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Parents, Restrain Your Children Hook Children do not naturally grow in the right direction. They grow in the direction they are guided. Restraint is not punishment; it is loving protection. Scripture "For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, and he failed to restrain them." — 1 Samuel 3:13 (NIV) Explanation One of Eli's greatest failures was not that he did not know his sons were doing wrong—he knew. His failure was that he did not restrain them. God held him accountable, not just for their sins, but for his neglect as a father. The best time to shape a child is while they are still young. It is much easier to bend a young branch than to straighten a grown tree. In the same way, a wild animal is easier to tame when it is young than after it has developed its habits. That is why Scripture says: "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are...
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What to Do When He Calls

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What to Do When He Calls Hook Many people are eager to be used by God. Far fewer are willing to be quiet long enough to hear what He wants to say. Before God sends you, He first speaks to you. Scripture "GOD called again, 'Samuel!'—the third time! Yet again Samuel got up and went to Eli, 'Yes? I heard you call me. Here I am.' That's when it dawned on Eli that GOD was calling the boy." — 1 Samuel 3:8 Explanation What do you do when God calls you? It sounds like an easy question until the call actually comes. Samuel had never heard God's voice before. Naturally, he assumed the voice belonged to Eli, the authority figure in his life. He wasn't being rebellious; he simply lacked discernment. Many believers are still where Samuel was. They are sincerely responding to human voices, convinced they are responding to God. So they spend their lives going back and forth, busy but not necessarily directed, until someone—like Eli—helps the...
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Blind and Asleep

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Blind and Asleep Hook One of the greatest tragedies in life is not physical blindness—it is living without spiritual sight while drifting through life asleep. A person who is blind cannot see where they are going. A person who is asleep is unaware of what is happening around them. When both happen together, danger is inevitable. Scripture "One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had just gone to bed." — 1 Samuel 3:2 (NLT) Explanation Eli's condition was more than a description of old age. It paints a sobering picture of Israel's spiritual state. Their leader was blind and asleep just when God was about to speak. A nation is in trouble when its leaders can neither see God's direction nor stay awake to His voice. Sadly, many people today are in the same condition. Some are spiritually asleep—comfortable, complacent, and slow to respond to God. Others are spiritually blind—unable to discern His will because they have neglected the qualities th...
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A Scarce Word

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A Scarce Word Hook One of the greatest tragedies in life is not a lack of money but a lack of God's voice. When God stops speaking to a people, purpose begins to suffer. Scripture "The boy Samuel was serving GOD under Eli's direction. This was at a time when the revelation of GOD was rarely heard or seen." — 1 Samuel 3:1 "Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline and understanding." — Proverbs 23:23 (NIV) Explanation The Proverbs of Solomon tell us to buy the truth and not sell it. Truth is one commodity that is always worth buying but is never on sale. Think about that for a minute. When God's truth is revealed, light comes. When light comes, purpose becomes clear, and when purpose is clear, lives are transformed. But when the revelation of God is rarely heard or seen, purpose is trampled upon because people are left to walk in darkness. The more of God we see, the more of God we know. The more of God we know, the more of Him ...
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Actions Are Weighed

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Actions Are Weighed Hook Many people are careful about how they appear before others, but God looks beyond appearances. He not only sees what we do—He understands why we do it. Every action is weighed, and every motive is known. Scripture "Talk no more so very proudly; let not arrogance go forth from your mouth, for the LORD is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed." — 1 Samuel 2:3 (AMP) "For the word of God is living and active... it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." — Hebrews 4:12 (NIV) Explanation Hannah's words remind us that God is the perfect Judge. He is all-knowing, all-seeing, and all-powerful. Nothing escapes His attention. While people often judge by outward performance, God examines both our actions and the motives behind them. Everything we possess—our abilities, opportunities, influence, and achievements—is a gift from God. We entered this world with nothing, and we will leave with nothing. Therefore,...
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