Please the Lord I Samuel 12:20

20 Samuel said to the people, Fear not: you have done all this wickedness; yet turn not aside from following the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart. Turn not aside and go after vain things that cannot profit nor deliver. They are in vain. The Lord will not forsake His people for His great namesake. It has pleased the Lord to make you His people.



The children of Israel came to Samuel and demanded that he anoint them a king. This was a terrible mistake for God had led them and protected them and provided for them. However, God told Samuel to let the people have their way. They wanted to “be like other nations.” Doesn’t that sound familiar today? We want to be like everyone else instead of being unique and set apart to God and His righteousness.

Notice what Samuel tells the children of Israel. “Fear not.” Even though the children of Israel had made a very serious mistake, his words from God to them were fear not. Even though we make bad decisions and serious mistakes before the Lord, He does not want us to be afraid to come to Him. God can take the mistakes that we make and turn them into good if we will just do as Samuel instructs the children of Israel to do here. “Do not turn aside from following the Lord.” There is nothing that we have done in the past that will keep us from being able to turn to the Lord today. God is more concerned about what direction we are headed in today than He is the direction that we were going yesterday.

One of the mistakes that too many people make today is thinking, “I made a mistake yesterday and I might as well do it again. “ Samuel warns against that. In fact, he speaks to its futility. He says, do not go after vain things that cannot profit nor deliver.” Folks, listen sin can never profit nor deliver. It may seem to deliver but when the story is over and everything is finished we are the losers not some of the time, not most of the time, but all of the time. Sin causes death. Sin always takes us farther than we want to go; sin always costs us more than we want to pay and sin always keeps us longer than we want to stay.

The Lord will not forsake His people. We are His namesake and He cares about us as well as His own reputation if you will. God is pleased to make us His people. He wants to bless us. He wants to meet our need and He will if we will determine to follow His direction found in His Word without compromise and without turning to the left or the right. God’s glory is contained in His ability to be God in our lives. When we follow after Him and allow Him to do for us as He so much wants to do, then His joy is made full and His heart is filled to over flowing and God is blessed as He is able to bless us.

Please the Lord with your prayers to Him today and follow after Him and allow Him to move the mountains that are in front of you today. Try Him; you WILL like Him!