User blog:Nutter Butter/Please read this!

From now on, every Monday, I am doing a sermon. Since today is Monday, let's begin today.

1 Samuel 1-20
Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. This man went up from his city yearly to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. Also the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there. And whenever the time came for Elkanah to make an offering, he would give portions to Peninnah his wife and to all her sons and daughters. But to Hannah he would give a double portion, for he loved Hannah, although the Lord had closed her womb. (1-5, NKJV)

Now notice that even though Peninnah had children, Elkanah loved Hannah more. In fact, he gave her double what he gave Peninnah and her children to Hannah. In this same way, God loves you. Now you may not be able to do something that someone else can. But God loves you just as much, even though someone else is better in some way. You might not do that, but you do something that they don't, too.

And her rival also provoked her severely, to make her miserable, because thr Lord had closed her womb. So it was, year by year, when she went up to the house of the Lord, that she provoked her; therefore she wept and did not eat. (6-7, NKJV)

Hannah listened to Peninnah. Bad idea. Peninnah was just trying to convince Hannah that she wasn't worth anything. But God knew that Hannah was worth more then Peninnah ever could be.

Then Elkanah her husband said to her, "Hannah, why do you weep? Why do you not eat? And why is your heart grieved? Am I not better to you then 10 sons?" So Hannah arose after they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat by the doorpost of the tabernacle of the Lord. And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the Lord and wept in anguish. Then she made a vow and said, "O Lord of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head." And it happened, as she continued praying before the Lord, that Eli watched her mouth. Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard. Therefore Eli thought she was drunk. So Eli said to her, "How you will you be drunk? Put your wine away from you!" But Hannah answered and said, "No, my lord, I am a woman of sorrowful spirit. I have drunk neither wine nor intoxicating drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord. Do not consider your maidservant a wicked woman, for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief I have spoken until now." Then Eli answered and said, "Go in peace, and the God of Israel grant your petition which you have asked of Him." And she said, "Let your maidservant find favor in your sight." So the woman went her way and ate, and her face was no longer sad. Then they rose early in the morning and worshipped before the Lord, abd retyrbed abd cant ti tgeur giyse at Rnag. And Elkanahknew Hannah his wife, and the Lord remembered her. So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked for him from the Lord."

Ok, now this is where I must stop about Hannah. Samuel grew up and became a great prophet. He chose Saul to be king when the Israelites wanted one. When Saul turned against God, he annointed David to be king. But Saul did not like this idea. He tried to kill David because David became better then him. Now, let's begin...

1 Samuel 24: 1-7
Now it happened, when Saul had returned from following the Philistines, that it was told him, saying, "Take note! David is in the Wilderness of En Gedi." Then Saul took three thousand chosen men from all Israel, and went to seek David and his men on the Rocks of the Wild Goats. So he came to the sheepfolds by the road, where there was a cave; and Saul went in to attend to his needs. (David and his men were staying in the recesses of the cave.) Then the men of David said to him, "This is the day of which the Lord said to you, 'Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you.'" And David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul's robe. Now it happened afterward that David's heart troubled him because he had cut Saul's robe. And he said to his men, "The Lord forbid that Ido this thing to my master, the Lord's annointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the annointed of the Lord." So David restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul. And Saul got up from the cave and went on his way.

Wow, that one went faster. Anyway, David spared Saul. Even though Saul was David's arch-enemy and David could kill him right then-and-there, David spared him. David could have killed Saul for all Saul had done to him, but he didn't. Now let's jump to 2 Kings. Elijah, another great prophet, has risen to Heaven and sent his servant, Elisha, to continue his ministry. There is a drought, and Elisha finds his way to a widow's house, where the Widow is in despair...

　

2 Kings 4: 1-7
A certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, "Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that your servant feared the Lord. And the creditor is coming to take my two sons as slaves." (1, NKJV)

Now, you may be wondering who "Elisha's servant her husband" is. Well, earlier, there was a man known as Obadiah. He hid in a cave with the priests and paid a high amount to stay there. But he died before he could pay it off. The woman could not afford to pay it off.

So Elisha said to her, "What shall I do for you? Tell me, what do you have in the house?" And she said, "Your maidservant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil." Then he said, "Go borrow vessels from everywhere, from all your neighbors - empty vessels; do not gather just a few. And when you have come in, you shall shut the door behind you and your sons; then pour it into all those vessles, and set aside the full ones."

Wait a second! Elisha is telling her to fill up several jars, when the only oil she has in 1! What is wrong with him?

I'll tell ya what's wrong with him. He believes in God. God provides.

So she went from him and shut the door behind her and her sons, who brought the vessels to her; and she poured it out. Now it came to pass, when the vessels were full, that she said to her son, "Bring me another vessel." And he said to her, "There is not another vessel." So the oil ceased. Then she came and told the man of God. And he said, "Go, sell the oil and pay your debt; and you and your sons live on the rest."

See? God gave more oil then she had. If she had poured the oil in the vessels back into her jar, the jar would've overflowed. There was too much for the amount she used to have! Just like God provided Samuel, and a way for Saul to live, he provided the extra oil.

Now, all this is true. I did not make one bit of this up, nor did anyone else. It's in the True Book, the Bible. And God can provide for you in the same way. God can provide everlasting life. In fact, he's been trying for a long time. About 2000 years ago, God sent his son, Jesus Christ, to die on Earth. Jesus' death washed away all our sins with his blood. But do you really think that God would die? No way! Jesus came back in 3 days. He then went back to Heaven to prepare a place for you. A wonderful place. A perfect place. Home. God wants you to come to Heaven. So if you say this prayer, God will save you. But don't just type it. Say it. Mean it. Feel it.

Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner. I believe you died for me. I believe you returned. But I need your help to live. I want to go to Heaven and be with you eternally when I die. I pray that you will forgive me for my sins and help me to be an example. In Jesus' Name, amen.

That's not it. If you really truly said that prayer and believed, then you must do better.

1. God wants you to stop swearing. Not just censor it, stop it althogether.

2. God wants you to do what I just did. Talk to people about Him. Don't you want your family to be saved too?

3. God wants you to try your best. Sinning (swearing, inflicting pain, using God's name in vain (for example, OMG)) is unnacceptable. But no one's perfect. So just try your best, and apoligize to the sinee and God when you sin.

So, please say this prayer. I'm begging you.