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Gifts To Be Returned
by Steve Troxel (Steve's bio)
[Note: If you'd like to read more from Steve, be sure to visit God's Daily Word.]
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After Joshua led the Israelites into the promised land, the nation was "governed" by a series of judges. The period of the judges lasted several hundred years and ended with the prophet Samuel. Samuel lived his entire life dedicated to God - in fact, Samuel's mother dedicated him to God before he was even born.
For many years Hannah and her husband had tried to have a child, but God did not allow her to conceive. The desire to have a child became such a consuming portion of Hannah's life that she could think of little else: "In bitterness of soul Hannah wept much and prayed to the Lord." (1 Samuel 1:10).
Finally, Hannah made a vow to God. She said that if God would give her a son, "then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life." (1 Samuel 1:11). God honored Hannah's vow and Samuel was soon born.
1 Samuel 1:27-28
"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord."
When Hannah made her vow, something had changed in her heart. She no longer desired a child to satisfy her own needs, but truly desired to honor God by returning her son to Him. In turn, God blessed Hannah with five additional children after Samuel. (1 Samuel 2:21).
We must learn to consider everything in our life from the same perspective as Hannah. We have created nothing of lasting value with our own hands. Everything we have - everything which defines who we are - is a gift and must be returned. This includes our possessions, family, business, school, special skills, and talents. ALL we have is by the grace of God.
We live a shallow life if we use His gifts solely for our own benefit and pleasure. Let's bless our Lord by giving back what we have been given. Let's praise Him and truly seek how our lives might be used to bring Him glory and honor. God has blessed each of us with many wonderful gifts - but they are all gifts to be returned.
Copyright 2001, Steve Troxel. All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
| About Steve Troxel: Steve Troxel is the President of God's Daily Word Ministries. Steve was trained as an Electrical Engineer and received his PhD in 1994. After working as a researcher in a laser laboratory for several years, Steve felt the call from God to leave his trained profession and enter into full-time ministry. His devotionals are now sent around the world via email as well as distributed in book format. More information about this ministry as will as a "sign-up" page can be found at: http://www.godsdailyword.org |
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