Early the next morning Samuel went to find Saul. Someone told him, "Saul went to the town of Carmel to set up a monument to himself; then he went on to Gilgal." When Samuel finally found him, Saul greeted him cheerfully. "May the LORD bless you," he said. "I have carried out the LORD's command!" "Then what is all the bleating of sheep and goats and the lowing of cattle I hear?" Samuel demanded. "It's true that the army spared the best of the sheep, goats, and cattle," Saul admitted. "But they are going to sacrifice them to the LORD your God. We have destroyed everything else." (1 Samuel 15:12-15 NLT)
Have you ever built a monument to yourself? Maybe it’s your boat, your car, your house, or even just a special place in your house that is all about you. Saul probably figured it was ok to build a monument to himself as long as he built a bigger monument to the LORD. He knew that the LORD commanded that we do not make any images of God, but animal sacrifices were ok back then. So, Saul put together a great worship service with plenty of top notch, grade “A” animals for the sacrifice.
Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stop! Listen to what the LORD told me last night!" "What did He tell you?" Saul asked. And Samuel told him, "Although you may think little of yourself, are you not the leader of the tribes of Israel? The LORD has anointed you king of Israel. And the LORD sent you on a mission and told you, 'Go and completely destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, until they are all dead.' Why haven't you obeyed the LORD? Why did you rush for the plunder and do what was evil in the LORD's sight?" "But I did obey the LORD," Saul insisted. "I carried out the mission He gave me. I brought back King Agag, but I destroyed everyone else. Then my troops brought in the best of the sheep, goats, cattle, and plunder to sacrifice to the LORD your God in Gilgal." (1 Samuel 15:16-21 NLT)
Saul just wasn’t getting it. The LORD had given him a calling. God had a plan and Saul was an important part of that plan. Saul may think too highly of himself. After all, he built a monument. But the LORD said he thinks too little of himself. He’s building the monument to feel better about his insecurities. The think is, he doesn’t need to build a monument. He is already secure in the LORD. He is already significant to the LORD. The LORD has a plan and Saul was invited to be an important part of that plan. The same is true for you today.
In fact, some parts of the body that seem weakest and least important are actually the most necessary. All of you together are Christ's body, and each of you is a [separate and necessary] part of it. (1 Corinthians 12:22, 27 NLT)
When God planned the Church, He referred to it as His Body. When we come home to the Father through the Son, we receive the Holy Spirit so God can empower, equip, and encourage us in the special role that God picked out for us. We are secure. We are significant. We have an important part to play in His Plan.
How about you? Do you battle insecurities? Do you try to make up for it by doing things that help you feel significant? Do you see that you are already significant? Are you ready to fulfill your part of God’s Plan?
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