Don't Take it Personal

1 Samuel 8:7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. Don't take it personal. That's what God was telling Samuel. The people wanted a king instead of a prophet. They wanted to be like the other nations. Rejection is never easy, especially when it's someone close to you. In this case, it was rebellion that brought rejection. Samuel had served faithfully for many years and now it seemed as if he wasn't wanted or needed. God's words must have been a great source of encouragement as Samuel realized that the offense was not directed at him, but was squarely aimed at God. The sins of others may sometimes affect us in a negative way, but every sin that is sinned is sinned against God. No one else is perfectly holy. He upholds the standard of complete righteousness. In the Psalms, David recognized that his sins were against God alone (Psalm 51:4). On the cross, Jesus willingly took the blame and punishment of every sin of the whole world. He took it personal so that we wouldn't have to.