Now the sons of Eli were worthless men. They did not know the LORD. The custom of the priests with the people was that when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, and he would thrust it into the pan or kettle or cauldron or pot. All that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there.
1 Samuel 2:12-14
Father God, my soul is sensitive today. I am keenly aware of how my actions and behaviors can betray my relationship with You. Outbursts, emotional responses, self-absorption – the list goes on – where I put me first and what I want, all can be read by others as not only selfish, but in the most extreme cases, as a lack of commitment to You. It is in that space that I can easily be seen as not only worthless, but worse, as not knowing You, my actions betraying the very relationship I have with You. In my pursuit of “what I want” I can easily forget that truly what I want is You. Lord, today help me to see how my relationship with You is viewed through the eyes of others as they interpret my actions. Help me to understand how my obedience or lack thereof impacts the walk of others and give me a heart of repentance. I do not want it ever to be said of me that the Name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of me! Show me my shortcomings, Lord, and help me to turn from them, that my life might point others towards You. Let my actions and behaviors bring glory to Your Name. Amen.