1 Samuel 15:22, New Living Translation

“But Samuel replied, “What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”

The road we walk as Christians is not always an easy road. Many people believe that once you become a Christian, “you have it made in the shade.” That is not the case. Being a Christian is not weak. Trials and tribulations will come; people will walk out of our lives because they don’t want to accept Jesus or the fact that they would have to change some things in their lives. They just “want to have fun.” What is fun? Rebellion against the Lord? Where does “fun” get you?

Rebellion is a heart issue. We can find the first act of rebellion in Genesis when Adam and Eve sinned and ate from the forbidden tree. They doubted, in their hearts, the goodness of God. It is a sin nature we are all born into. With the free will God has given us, we can choose to continue to live in rebellion against God, or we can choose to live for God and have true joy and peace.  

In Samuel 15, we find the story of King Saul. He had been anointed as King to lead the people of Israel. At one point, he disobeys God’s instructions, doing his own thing. “One day Samuel said to Saul, ‘It was the Lord who told me to anoint you as king of his people, Israel. Now listen to this message from the Lord!  This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies has declared: I have decided to settle accounts with the nation of Amalek for opposing Israel when they came from Egypt. Now go and completely destroy the entire Amalekite nation—men, women, children, babies, cattle, sheep, goats, camels, and donkeys.’… Then Saul slaughtered the Amalekites from Havilah all the way to Shur, east of Egypt. He captured Agag, the Amalekite king, but completely destroyed everyone else. Saul and his men spared Agag’s life and kept the best of the sheep and goats, the cattle, the fat calves, and the lambs—everything, in fact, which appealed to them. They destroyed only what was worthless or of poor quality. (Samuel 15:1-3 and 7-9, NLT)

It was this act of rebellion from King Saul that led to Samuel confronting him with these words from the Lord. “… What is more pleasing to the LORD: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams.”

(Samuel 15:22, NLT)

Because of Saul’s rebellion against the LORD, the Holy Spirit is taken from him, and Saul is then being tormented by evil spirits. How often in our own lives have we decided to follow self because self “knew better.” What were the consequences of us following self? Was there really anything that brought “fun” into the picture? The things we seek on earth are temporary and leave us desiring more. When we are truly submitted to God, no matter what comes at us, we are not shaken. We stand on solid ground and have peace that others know nothing about and cannot even begin to understand. When we keep our eyes on the Lord and remain steadfast in Him, we can trust that “For the mountains may move and the hills disappear, but even then my faithful love for you will remain. My covenant of blessing will never be broken,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you.” (Isaiah 54:10, NLT)

During the years that Paul preached the gospel, he experienced many hardships. But yet, he found joy in the Lord and strength from above that he could not have found on his own. When you become a child of God, you experience “fun” in a different way. How can you find this “fun?” How can you experience this “fun?” By surrendering your life to Christ, by accepting Him as Savior. By getting to know Him. When you truly know Him and begin to understand the thoughts He has towards you and the feelings He has for you, your whole life changes, your heart changes. The things you once longed for, and thought were fun, are no longer fun or desired. You desire to do what is right because of love. When you have Jesus, you really have everything you need. Until you “taste and see that the Lord is good,” you will never understand what it means to be free, to be a child of God, to have a peace that passes understanding. If you do not believe in God or have turned away from the Lord, it is never too late to return. The enemy, Satan, would like you to believe it is too late. Do not let him deceive you like he did Adam and Eve. I challenge you in love, “Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!” (Psalm 34:8, NLT)