Disqualified

The life of Saul, the first king of Israel, is really a study in contrasts. In some ways he was big, and in other ways he was very little. In some ways he was strikingly handsome, and in other ways he was decidedly ugly. He was both a hero and a renegade. He began his life in victory and ended in humiliating defeat. He lost his character, his power, his crown, and his very life.

Saul stands as a warning that it is impossible for us to rebel against God without having to face the consequences—maybe not today, maybe not next month, or maybe not even next year. But sooner or later, we will have to face the music.

As Chuck Swindoll has pointed out, "Remember that the end of a life reveals more than the beginning."

Here is what Saul said about himself: "I have played the fool and erred exceedingly" (1 Samuel 26:21). Saul had tremendous potential, but he squandered it.

Revelation 3:11 reminds us to hold fast to what we have so that no one will take our crown. Saul did not hold fast to what he had, and his crown was taken away. He made the wrong decisions.

The apostle Paul said, "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified" (1 Corinthians 9:27). Paul wanted to play by God’s rules.

Every day when we get up, we are faced with choices—choices to do the right thing or the wrong thing. No one is exempt from these choices. These choices will have consequences, and some even will have far-reaching consequences. We need to think very carefully about the choices we make, because we make our choices—and then our choices make us.