If you will fear the LORD and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the LORD your God, it will be well. But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king. - 1 Samuel 12:14-15 (ESV)

In the closing words of the Dr. Seuss' classic Oh, the Places You'll Go, he points the reader into the future with this very suessical farewell. 'You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.' Turning the pages of life can be exciting and scary. They come with opportunities, challenges, and choices.

And Samuel said to all the house of Israel, “If you are returning to the LORD with all your heart, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your heart to the LORD and serve him only, and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.” So the people of Israel put away the Baals and the Ashtaroth, and they served the LORD only. - 1 Samuel 7:3 –4 (ESV)

We live in an era where news, events, tragedy, and triumphs from around the globe are reported to us almost instantly. Often times it is so quick we don't know how or if we should respond. We question a story's legitimacy, and our emotions affect how we react. In our day it seems that slow, thoughtful reasoned analysis of new events is at a deficit.

Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its clans, and the clan of the Matrites was taken by lot; and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. - 1 Samuel 10:20-21 (ESV)

'Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it!' This phrase is a haunting truth that often what we want isn't what we need. Ever been there? Your heart longs for something, but when it arrives it's disappointing. Even worse it not only does not satisfy the desire, but it only multiplies the problems of life.

So the people sent to Shiloh and brought from there the ark of the covenant of the LORD of hosts, who is enthroned on the cherubim. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. As soon as the ark of the covenant of the LORD came into the camp, all Israel gave a mighty shout, so that the earth resounded. - 1 Samuel 4:4 –5 (ESV)

We are a superstitious people. In order to harness the forces beyond our control, we use sacred objects, special words, and potions to obtain the outcome we want. Most of us would scoff at such an idea. Consider what you do or say or wear to ensure your team wins, or what you do to ward off sickness, or what you knock on when you utter something that you fear may happen. All of these are mild forms of superstition. They are funny and odd, but there is something much more dangerous...being superstitious about God.

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” - 1 Samuel 8:4 –5 (ESV)

Have every really wanted something so bad that you begged God for it? Did God answer your prayer? When you received it did it turn out like you planned?

When we ask God for things we want Him to answer our prayers by granting our wishes. When He doesn't we can become disappointed and doubt, but have you ever considered that God giving you something could not be his blessing but actually his judgment? It's a reversal of how we usually think. Getting what we want has to be blessing. Right?

Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD. . .  And the boy Samuel grew in the presence of the LORD. - 1 Samuel 2:12-21 (ESV)

Reporters are always on the look out for scoops and scandals and it seems that there is an endless supply. From politics to baseball, the news is full of them. The church is not without it's fair share. Even in the last few months reports have emerged about that have include churches and clergy involved in varied sins and illegal activities. It's the sad reality of living in a broken world.