INSTEAD
Today's reading: 1 Chronicles 10-12

"So Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He failed to obey the Lord's command, and he even consulted a medium instead of asking the Lord for guidance." 1 Chronicles 10:13-14 NLT

The definition of instead is an alternative or substitute.

Makes Saul's choice sound even worse, doesn't it?

An alternative to God? A substitute for Him?

Maybe he asked advisors for their opinions. Maybe he sought out the will of the people. Tested the market for what was desired. Polled the people. Googl-ed. Facebook-ed. Phoned a friend.

Oh, wait, I've jumped centuries, haven't I?

But it's what we do, isn't it?

We seek out public opinion. We find specialists in the area we're needing to make decisions in. We look for friends who have similar issues. We search the world wide web for answers. We ask advice from church family.

Instead of asking the Lord for guidance.

What all have you substituted for the Lord? For His wisdom? For His ways for your life?

It's sure making me think!