By Edd Sterchi
When young Samuel was with Eli training to be the Lord’s servant, the famous incident of the Lord speaking to him occurred in 1 Samuel 3:1-18. Immediately after that, these words are in the holy text, “So Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground” (1 Sam 3:19). The meaning of the metaphor in the latter part of the verse is that the Lord made sure that all of Samuel’s prophecies were true and beneficial. None of them would be wasted as in a precious liquid spilling into the earth.
In this passage, we can also see what led to Samuel’s success. First of all, we can see that he grew. Earlier in the book, it states that Samuel grew not only in stature, but also in favor with both men and God (1 Sam. 2:26). So he grew not only physically, but socially and spiritually. Secondly, we can see that he stuck with the Lord. The Lord was with him, because he was with the Lord and devotedly followed His ways. And as a result, Samuel was successful.
It seems to me that we can make an analogy to us and being successful in our service to the Lord. To be successful, we too must grow and stay connected to the Lord. If we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord (2 Pet. 3:18) by studying the Bible and applying it to our lives, and if we remain in a faithful relationship with God no matter what (Rev. 2:10), He will see to it that nothing we do in His name will fall to the ground and be wasted (Psa. 1:1-3).
Here’s the bottom line: effort and dedication combined with the Lord’s blessings brings guaranteed success.
- Edd Sterchi preaches for the Broadway Church of Christ in Campbellsville, KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.broadwaychurchofchrist.net/
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