OPEN HEAVENS DAILY DEVOTIONAL
DATE: MONDAY, MAY 5, 2025
TOPIC: LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION 2
MEMORISE
“And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.” - (1 Samuel 15:22)
READ: 1 Samuel 15:1-28 (KJV)
1 Samuel also said unto Saul, The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the words of the Lord.
2 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from Egypt.
3 Now go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.
4 And Saul gathered the people together, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah.
5 And Saul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley.
6 And Saul said unto the Kenites, Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them: for ye shewed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of Egypt. So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites.
7 And Saul smote the Amalekites from Havilah until thou comest to Shur, that is over against Egypt.
8 And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword.
9 But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but every thing that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
10 Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying,
11 It repenteth me that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from following me, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved Samuel; and he cried unto the Lord all night.
12 And when Samuel rose early to meet Saul in the morning, it was told Samuel, saying, Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal.
13 And Samuel came to Saul: and Saul said unto him, Blessed be thou of the Lord: I have performed the commandment of the Lord.
14 And Samuel said, What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?
15 And Saul said, They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed.
16 Then Samuel said unto Saul, Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, Say on.
17 And Samuel said, When thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the Lord anointed thee king over Israel?
18 And the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said, Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed.
19 Wherefore then didst thou not obey the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the Lord?
20 And Saul said unto Samuel, Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites.
21 But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal.
22 And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
24 And Saul said unto Samuel, I have sinned: for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people, and obeyed their voice.
25 Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord.
26 And Samuel said unto Saul, I will not return with thee: for thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from being king over Israel.
27 And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of his mantle, and it rent.
28 And Samuel said unto him, The Lord hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou
MESSAGE
Yesterday, I mentioned the importance of obeying God at all times because He wrote the script for your life. Not only did He write the script, He is also the Executive Producer, Producer, and Director of the play, Psalm 33:11 says, "The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations." What God wrote in His play is what we are acting out.
Actors aren't meant to do what they like on stage; whatever the author of a play has written is what must be acted out. If some actors are proving stubborn, all a director needs to do is replace them. There are many examples of people in RCCG who had a role to play in God's plan, but they either left the church or decided to disobey God. Since God's agenda must be fulfilled, He simply replaced them, and they lost out on the things He had in store for them.
God can never be left without options. The moment He calls on one fellow to do something and the person disobeys, He will prepare another person to take over. An example is King Saul; the moment he started to disobey God's instructions, He sent Samuel to anoint David as king in his stead (1 Samuel 16:1). When footballers are playing on a field, and one of them misbehaves or is not meeting up to the coach's expectations, that fellow might be replaced immediately.
Disobedience positions people for replacement. In today's Bible reading, God gave Saul a special assignment and told him exactly how to go about it. He, however, disobeyed God and decided to do things his own way. His disobedience was a sin before God and he got replaced. Another person who got replaced because of his disobedience to divine instruction was Eli. Although God had given his ancestor, Phinehas, the covenant of everlasting priesthood in Numbers 25:11-13, He revoked it when Eli started acting his own script on the stage (1 Samuel 2:27-36). He was eventually replaced by Samuel, his protegee (1 Samuel 3:11-20).
Beloved, God loves you so much, but if you start disobeying His instructions deliberately, you have set yourself against His will. Those who keep disobeying Him will eventually get replaced if they don't repent. Do not be like them; follow the instructions of the Executive Producer, Producer, and Director of your life. Play your part in His script obediently, and you will experience His glory in all aspects of your life.
PRAYER POINT
Lord, You are the Executive Producer, Producer, and Director of my life; please help me to obey Your instructions at all times.
AUTHOR: Pastor E. A. Adeboye
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
1 Chronicles 20 - 23
HYMN 28 - GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT JEHOVAH
1. Guide me, O Thou Great Jehovah Pilgrim through this barren land; I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
Hold me with Thy powerful
hand: Bread of heaven! Bread of heaven! Feed me now and evermore (2ce)
2. Open Thou the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream
doth flow: Let the fiery, cloudy pillar Lead me all my journey
through: Song deliverer! Song deliverer! Be Thou still my strength and shield (2ce).
3. If I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside: Bear me through the swelling torrent, Land me safe on Canaan's side: Songs of praises! Songs of praises! I will ever give to Thee (2ce).
4. Saviour, come! We long to see thee, long to dwell with thee above and to know in full communion, all the sweetness of Thy love. Come, Lord Jesus! Come, Lord Jesus! Take thy waiting people home (2ce)
