16/07/2023 - WITHOUT PARTIALITY

• 
• 
• 
• 

I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality. 1 Timothy 5.21

No servant of the Lord can partially keep God’s commandments (James 2.10); after all, without Jesus, we can do nothing (John 15.5). The works mentioned in Scripture to be accomplished by us are the essence of the Lord’s will. So, we must enter the fight with a willingness to do as we have been commanded. This means that we cannot let the evil one influence us for any reason in the battle where we have been placed. To work in God’s harvest is our faith obligation!

When a person sets out to do the work according to his own criteria, using his instruction or his thoughts, he is acting outside Jesus’ example. This is tantamount to belittling what the Savior did here, when He trained His disciples to fulfill the divine commandments. Christ was clear when He said, For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you (John 13.15). That’s the secret!

Our struggle against the principalities, powers, princes of darkness of this world and the hosts of wickedness is the same as that of the Lord, who has called us to continue the process begun in His days on Earth, only in a different way. Jesus came to defeat the devil, snatching us out of his clutches. Now, we strive to live in holiness (1 Corinthians 9.27), without which we will never have the strength and authority to fulfill the mission: to snatch many lives out of the fire (Jude 23).

To act with partiality was Saul’s attitude, when the Lord sent Samuel to give him an assignment regarding the Amalekites (1 Samuel 15.1-3). These people had harmed Israel on its way to occupy Canaan, the Promised Land. Amalek, the king at the time, surprised the Israelites from behind and wounded many of those in the rear (Deuteronomy 25.17-19). The Amalekites did this as an act of wickedness, for Jacob’s sons had not gone against them. God had promised that one day He would bring justice to His people!

The Amalekites descended from Esau, Jacob’s brother (and therefore cousins to the Israelites), but they were wicked and cowards. The day came when Saul received a message from God through the prophet Samuel to utterly destroy them. The Lord waited for the Amalekites to repent, which never happened. Saul then led more than 210,000 men of Israel to battle; however, after winning, he acted with partiality, pardoning King Amalek and taking his cattle.

Saul’s attitude displeased God, and this caused the first king of Israel to be rejected (1 Samuel 15:10-23). He tried to deceive Samuel, but Samuel did not believe the lie, because he had heard directly from the Most High that Saul had been partial in obeying His command. As a result, the king was rejected by God, who informed him that there was another one to take his place as head of the chosen people (1 Samuel 15.28). Make every effort to serve the Lord with all your heart!

If you don’t want to have the same fate as Saul, don’t do anything partially. When you pray, never give in to the enemy. Cry out with faith and confront the devil with your strength in Christ. Certainly, the evil one will give you unfounded promises, but if you want to live well, obey God’s Word with faith and determination. Love the Lord!

In Christ, with love,

R. R. Soares