"Be on your way"

A couple of months ago, I came across a good word from Steven Furtick, a pastor from North Carolina. Quoting from 1 Samuel 16:1, he wrote,

The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king."

It broke Samuel's heart to realize that Saul's reign as king was coming to an end, even though he knew it was for the best. When God brings a season, an initiative, or a relationship to an end in our lives, it can be devastating, even if it's for the best. 

If God is currently bringing something to an end in your life, your church, or your business, consider what God said to Samuel: "Fill your horn with oil and be on your way." Move on. Receive a fresh anointing and continue making progress. 

You lost a staff member? Learn from it, be gracious, and be on your way. You lost your job? Adjust the family budget, draw near to God, overhaul your outlook and be on your way. . . . 

The oil of God flows freely to those who make a conscious decision to stop mourning for what God has rejected, fill up, and get moving. Be on your way today.

When I first read those words, I mentally filed them away for a day when I might need them. That day came sooner than expected when I left my job about a month later. It has indeed been a grief, but we are now seeking and receiving that fresh oil and moving on to something new. The long term plans remain pretty uncertain, but for the moment I know about as much as I can and need to know—about as much as Samuel knew—the next direction to head on a journey of faith. 

Bob