I Samuel 12:20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.
It is interesting to note people’s perspectives on age and the passage of time. A person who is well up into their nineties will talk about how brief life is and how quickly it happens, but when you talk to a child, he will talk about how long the days are. Years ago, when my daughter was just a child she said, “Daddy, why does the Bible say that life is so short when it seems so long?” Now that is a matter of perspective, isn’t it?
None of us knows how long we will live. Ultimately, we cannot choose how long we will live. We can do things that can better our chances of a long, healthy life. We can eat well, exercise, rest and so on, but we can’t chose how long we will live. We are not victims, however, because we can choose how to live, which is far more important. As long as you live, you can choose how to live.
That is what makes the difference. Some people live long, long lives that have no significance as to helping the world or changing people. Others may live a very short time, but make an impact because God uses them in a profound way.
I Samuel 12 gives us a contrast between Samuel’s record and the record of the nation of Israel. Samuel says to Israel, “Look, because of God’s guidance and command, I have listened to your voice when you asked for a king. I have done that, but I want you to know that I am innocent. I have not defrauded you or lorded over you.” He continues in verse 2, “I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.” He says, “You have seen my family, my life, and my failures, but you know that I have not lived for myself. In contrast, you have been thinking about yourselves. You have wanted to be like everyone else. You wanted a king. And you have sinned against God.”
Samuel says something interesting in verse 20. He says, “Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.” In both cases, there was a record. Samuel had a record of integrity. The people of Israel had a record of discontent, complaining, and wishing to be like other nations. So, like Samuel and the children of Israel, you have a choice. You can stand on your record or you can learn from it.
Perhaps, to some extent we all need to do a little bit of both. There are times we have a good record and we need to remember that God has been faithful. You, by God’s grace, have done the right thing, and you don’t want to change that now. You need to finish strong. None of us knows when we will finish; so live every day in God’s strength because you want to finish strong. You can’t finish strong if you don’t begin strong. You won’t begin strong if you are living for yourself.
On the other hand, learn from your record. When you have done wrong, don’t dwell in that, but learn from it. That is what Samuel was telling Israel to do. He told them, “Your record is not so hot. You are not doing right. You have made mistakes, and you have sinned in asking for a king.” “Yet,” he said, “Turn not aside from following the LORD with all your heart.”
Verse 24 says, “Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.” Look back at your record and at God’s record. God has done great things for you. It just makes sense to consider that and to serve Him truthfully and sincerely with all your heart.
Today, I don’t know what you see when you look back. If you are like most of us, you see some good and some bad. You see some instances in which you need to stand on your record and some where you need to learn from it. A wise person will do just that, stand on what is right and learn from what is wrong because as long as you live, you can choose how to live.