Read 1 Samuel 9 – 11
And it was so, that when he had turned his back to go from Samuel, God gave him another heart: and all those signs came to pass that day. And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them. 1 Samuel 10:9-10 KJV
Saul was chosen to be the first king of Israel. In chapters ten and eleven we find that God gave him every opportunity to succeed. He was given signs by God that confirmed his choice. In 10:9 God gave him a new heart. While some debate what this actually meant, clearly God changed his attitude and life. To me, that was the greatest opportunity of all. That’s exactly what God does for each one of us. When we place our trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, He gives us a new heart, and with it the opportunity to freely serve Him. In 10:10, God also gave Saul His Spirit. He enabled Saul to prophesy, to speak for Him, and to lead the nation to victory in battle. So, the opportunity to be right and to do right before God was available for Saul. But early on it became obvious he would waste his opportunity through disobedience. Let’s be sure not to follow the example of Saul.
Lord, as with Saul, You have taken me out of a humble past, changed my heart, and put Your Spirit in me. These have all been tremendous blessings, thoroughly undeserved, filled with great opportunity. Help me use this opportunity provided by You to fulfill Your will in my life, rather than wasting it on my will as Saul did.
