Who are we exalting?

Based on 1 Samuel 10-12, Luke 9:37-62

What takes up most of our attention? Is it our family issues? Our daily tasks? Or is it just our own personal needs? I know sometimes for me those things, while important, bring me to a point where I'm too aware of them...like I'm stuck in a tunnel and I'm not able to see anything else clearly except for the needs of my children and my home. They do deserve our most, but our best should always go to God! He has the instructions of how to properly handle situations which arise in our families.

He is love, so HE knows how to love them best...when we appoint ourselves as their lifeline by overdoing it, we take the place of God! And we become drained in the process! So...who, or what, are we exalting?

"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." 1 Samuel 10:9.

The direct connection Samuel had with God was incredible. God said he would meet Saul, and shortly, he did. God spoke to Samuel in the above chapter and gave Saul instructions of what to do, and in giving Saul another heart, all the things which Samuel said came to pass...because they came from God!

We are in need of another heart most of the time...a heart which exalts God over our issues. One that puts God first instead of thinking that WE are the ones who save the day...HE MUST BE EXALTED! Here is the first step in the heart-transplant process (our hearts are always needing examination, but this is the first step in cleaning it out & starting fresh!):

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."
Acts 2:38.

"And Samuel said unto the people, It is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which he did to you and to your fathers." 1 Samuel 12:6-7.

And Samuel explained the process they had gone through many times where God saved them out of the hands of their enemies...so many different instances...and Samuel was trying to show them that He doesn't just want to be the God of our problematic desperation, but the God of our everyday devotion, regardless of what is going on or how we feel! We need to escape the tunnel. We need to take the blinders off. I want to be able to see Jesus clearly in my life and exalt Him above all! HE IS KING!

"And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the Lord your God was your king. Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over you. If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the Lord your God: But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against your fathers."
1 Samuel 12:12‭-‬15.

Jesus has always been King, but the question is, are we putting Him on the throne? Our feelings and emotions each day will be stable if we keep Him in place as King in our lives. We can't replace Him with ourselves. We can't do it all in our own strength. We can't hide in the tunnel of our problems without giving them to God, because we are not only trapping ourselves, but idolizing our issues! Let's exalt Him together!

"And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." Luke 9:62.

"But what about...?" That's the question of us all! In this chapter of Luke, a few were asked to follow Jesus, but they had different excuses. To the people, they seemed like legitimate reasons/issues/desires which should be addressed before leaving them behind...but they didn't realize that in following Jesus, all those things would be taken care of!

And that's not to say we just stand there and do nothing while doing the work of The Lord, for Jesus says above, it is putting our hands to the plough; it's true work! It's just a matter of who we are exalting! If we are doing God's work, relying on His strength to get us through, then we shouldn't be looking back and longing for anything else! We shouldn't look back to our tunnels of despair! WE CAN'T LOOK BACK TO EGYPT! WE NEED TO KEEP OUR EYES FORWARD AND EXALT JESUS!