1 Samuel 12:3-4 Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.”

“You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

Samuel had a calling, like all of us. His job was to be a prophet. It started with his mother begging God for a child. She promised that if she had a son, she would devote his entire life to serving God.

Samuel became the mediator between God and His people. It certainly wasn’t an easy job. On the one hand were the people with their expectations and requests, and on the other hand Almighty God, who had wanted to wipe the people off the face of the earth so many times because of their unfaithfulness.

And in all this time, Samuel never did anything wrong. He did exactly as God expected of him. Nowhere did he succumb to pressure, and he never even took money from anyone under the table. His life was blameless.

Ours should be like that too. Our lives should be blameless before God and before people. We should not hand out jobs to our younger brothers. We should not try to please everyone and, in the process, compromise our relationship with God.

It was certainly not always easy for Samuel to stay within God’s plan for his life in every situation. Likewise, it was certainly not easy to stand firm against all the temptations that people brought across his path. Today, it’s also not easy for us to stand firm against everything the world tries to tempt us with.

Yet, each of us has a calling. Each of us has a job to do for God. We are His representatives, so we should live in a way that pleases Him.

May we live our lives here on earth like Samuel, so that God’s light shines through us and we can be a light to other people at the same time. May they also see something of God through the way we live and find the right path. May we never succumb to temptations and accept from people what God doesn’t want to give us.

Not always so easy, right …

Prayer
Father, I want to follow Your path. I want to mean something to others. I want to and will walk the straight path, come what may …

Questions
Do I live in a way that allows people to see God’s light through my life?
Are there areas where I am tempted to not be completely honest or straightforward?
What legacy do I want to leave behind for my family, friends, and those around me one day?

Do this now
Take an honest look at your life today and ask God to show you where you might be compromising.
Make things right, even if it’s just something small like sincerely apologising or giving back something that isn’t yours.
Also, intentionally choose to do one thing right today when no one is looking, just because you want to honour God.