Dear Hope family,

Thought for the Week

Samuel – Returning to God!

1Samuel 7v2 “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts …”

Do you want to return to the Lord? Are you crying out to Him in complete dependence?

Last week we saw that Israel had faced disaster at the hands of the Philistines. It took 20 years before Samuel gathered the people for a revival meeting. He saw that their hearts were beginning to turn back to God and said, “If you are returning to the Lord with all your hearts…”

It’s possible to turn to God for the wrong reasons — because it seems like the best option, because others are doing it, or just to play it safe. But God calls us to return to Him with all our hearts — with deep desire, passion, and determination. The one thing to do, is to turn fully to the Lord.

Samuel told the people to prove their sincerity by removing the idols in their hearts and homes. They had been giving their time and attention to false gods. The sign of a true heart for God is to clear out the things that compete with Him in our lives. Samuel said, “Commit yourselves to the Lord and serve Him only, and He will deliver you.”

This is echoed in Jesus’ words: “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” (Matthew 6:33)

We need that same return to the Lord today — in our lives, in our church and in our nation.
Am I willing to be among the first to return to Him with all my heart?

With love and blessing,

Roland