Outwardly Perfect

Saul had it all. He was the perfect leader. At this stage he was faultless, but as time goes by what was initially buried deep starts to surface. Saul often gets a hard time because of the person that he eventually becomes, but at the start of his rule there is actually nothing to suggest that there was anything wrong with him. In fact, if you want to continue reading in chapter 10, you’ll see he is filled with the Spirit of God and even prophesies. His reign started off great.

The lesson to learn from this is that no matter how great things look on the outside there’s always more going on underneath. If anything, the higher up the ladder we get, the more dangerous it is. The same is true in our Christian walk. There are times when we feel like we’ve got it all together. We aren’t committing any “major” sins, and life’s going pretty well. If you’re anything like me, it’s easy to start to develop an unjustified high opinion of yourself. It’s also only a matter of time before God reveals how much growing we still need to do.

Following Jesus isn’t about having it all together. Faith like that creates a church where we hide our faults and our flaws. We breed judgement and shame. Following Jesus is about revealing His glory through our weakness. When we can be open and vulnerable about our shortcomings it helps us all to see how much we all need Jesus.

Thought Point

Do you present a certain image at church? How could you be more open about your need for Jesus?

Prayer Point

Ask God to give you the courage to be vulnerable with others about your struggles and shortcomings.