1 Samuel 3 (ICB) 3 The boy Samuel served the Lord under Eli. In those days the Lord did not speak directly to people very often. There were very few visions.2 Eli’s eyes were so weak he was almost blind. One night he was lying in bed. 3 Samuel was also in bed in the Lord’s Holy Tent. The Ark of the Covenant was in the Holy Tent. God’s lamp was still burning. 4 Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “I am here!” 5 He ran to Eli and said, “I am here. You called me.” But Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed.” So Samuel went back to bed.6 The Lord called again, “Samuel!” Samuel again went to Eli and said, “I am here. You called me.” Again Eli said, “I didn’t call you. Go back to bed. 7 Samuel did not yet know the Lord. The Lord had not spoken directly to him yet. 8 The Lord called Samuel for the third time. Samuel got up and went to Eli. He said, “I am here. You called me.” Then Eli realized the Lord was calling the boy. 9 So he told Samuel, “Go to bed. If he calls you again, say, ‘Speak, Lord. I am your servant, and I am listening.’” So Samuel went and lay down in bed. 10 The Lord came and stood there. He called as he had before. He said, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel said, “Speak, Lord. I am your servant, and I am listening.” 19 The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up. He did not let any of Samuel’s messages fail to come true. 20 Then all Israel, from Dan to Beersheba, knew Samuel was a prophet of the Lord. 21 And the Lord continued to show himself to Samuel at Shiloh. He also showed himself to Samuel through his word.
Relationship: Truly Knowing Him
Samuelhadn’t yet had a personal encounter with God— he had religion, but he didn’t recognize God’s voice because he had yet to develop a relationship with God.
“The Church is not a servant bride.”
“We should be loyal to Jesus because we love Him, and have a relationship with him.”
Praise: Building a Relationship
“Praising is something that we do to show a thing or a person how good it is, and how much we love it.”
“The more time you spend with something, the more you’re going to copy it.”
“If we worship something imperfect, we copy attributes that are imperfect.”
"We have to be careful that we worship Jesus: not our religion, our pastor, or our teachers."
John 14:6 (ICB) Jesus answered, “I am the way. And I am the truth and the life. The only way to the Father is through me.”
Getting Closer to Jesus
1. Read the Bible “There won’t be a day where you regret reading, but you will regret not reading.”
2. Pray Often “You will feel the connection if you start the conversation.”
3. Worship Meaningfully. “If there is a way to help you focus on the time you dedicate to God, do it!”
