Gospel Reflections #886: It isn't easy to grow

1 Samuel 3:16,17 "Then Eli called Samuel and said, 'Samuel, my son.' Samuel answered, 'Here I am.' Eli said, 'What was it that was spoken to you? Do not hide it from me.'"

Samuel had been told by God that "the iniquity of Eli's house cannot be atoned for forever, by sacrifice or offering," but he was afraid to tell Eli.

Eli told Samuel to tell him everything that had been spoken to him, so Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from Eli.

Did God use Samuel to declare the destruction of Eli and his sons?

I believe God did not do that; instead, He gave Eli and his sons a chance to repent.

We are imperfect, inadequate, and deeply steeped in the effects of sin. 

We often lose sight of what is good and what is evil. 

When we hear unpleasant truths, it feels like we are being given a chance to pause and change direction.

Even when we desire to repent, we often give up because we cannot change our actions by our own strength.

Yet God perceives even the slightest shift in our hearts.

At that moment, whether we rely on our own strength or God's strength makes all the difference in the outcome.

Through such failures, God allows us to experience and learn that He alone is the One we should depend on.

God does not condemn or rebuke us; instead, He makes us aware when we have strayed from the path.

Our God remains involved with those who seek Him until the very end.

Let us experience this daily.

AUTHOR'S BIO: This Gospel Reflections page is written by Masae San, who resides in Hiroshima, Japan. Masae is a dedicated student of the Bible with a deep passion for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. She shares her daily reflections on Gospel perspectives to reach out to others and spread the message of God's true love through a Christ-centered approach. We are sharing her insights here so that you, too, can experience the joy that comes from knowing and understanding the true Gospel and the love of God through Jesus Christ.