Consider Your Obedience | September 8th, 2026

1 Samuel 15:20-23
And Saul said to Samuel, “But I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and gone on the mission on which the Lord sent me, and brought back Agag king of Amalek; I have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 But the people took of the plunder, sheep and oxen, the best of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice to the Lord your God in Gilgal.”
22 So Samuel said:
“Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices,
As in obeying the voice of the Lord?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice,
And to heed than the fat of rams.

The people of Haggai's day heard the word of the Lord and, within 23 days, were back at work on the temple. They did not argue or delay. They heard, they feared God rightly, and they obeyed. Samuel reminded Saul that God desires obedience over sacrifice — that no amount of religious activity covers a disobedient heart. Today, reflect on whether you are checking in with God or simply checking a box. Is there something God has clearly called you to do that you have set aside because it became difficult? Obedience is not a burden — it is the pathway back to blessing.