Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, “Here I am.” (1 Sam. 3:4)

SAMUEL FACED LIFE WITH ENTHUSIASM. The background Scripture for today’s verse tells us Samuel did not know the Lord was calling him. He thought it was the old priest, Eli. Yet Samuel responded enthusiastically. I imagine he sat right up in bed and answered aloud.

Life always goes better with enthusiasm. A man stopped at a restaurant in a small town and ordered a piece of pie. It was delicious. Every time he stopped there, the pie was fresh, delicious, and had a crisp, flaky crust.

One day the pie was ordinary. When he asked about it, the owner told him the woman who baked the pies was ill and could no longer deliver.

To the man, this was a major disaster. So he went home and talked his wife into baking pies. She baked a half dozen assorted pies and he took them to the restaurant. The owner sampled them and found them delicious. He bought all six and ordered more. Other restaurants began ordering pies. The couple hired helpers. Ultimately, they had a large pie plant that delivered fresh baked goods each morning to the restaurants.

If people can get that enthusiastic about pies, why should we not be enthusiastic about serving Christ? A pie can make you happy temporarily, but Jesus brings inner joy and contentment forever.

Ask yourself, “How would an enthusiastic person face my circumstances?”

Ron McClung lives in Fishers, Indiana, with his wife Carol. He has written his weekly column, Positive Perspective, for more than twenty-nine years.

© 2018 Wesleyan Publishing House. Reprinted from Light from the Word. Used by permission.