1 Samuel 2:11 (NKJV)

“Then Elkanah went to his house at Ramah. But the child ministered to the Lord before Eli the priest.” (See verse 18)

The weakness of religion is that it divides our life into segments. There is a time for work and a time for worship. There is a time to play and a time to pray. With religion, you need to honor the segments and don’t mix them up. Don’t play when you should be praying, and don’t pray when you should be playing. But that’s not the way God created Man. In God’s divine purpose, all of life should be worship. In His original plan, all we do should minister to Him. We live to minister to God – not for a season, but for life.

Elkanah worshipped and then went home to rest. He had performed his duty to God, and now he was free. But the child Samuel, even as a child, remained and ministered to the Lord. Verse 18 says, “…Samuel ministered before the Lord, even as a child, wearing a linen ephod.” So, while others went about doing other things, Samuel stayed focused on the primary priority of his life, which was to minister to the Lord. This also ought to be our life goal. We need to see that we are here on earth first and foremost to minister to God. We need to integrate this life of ministry into our daily routines of life. If we succeed in doing this, our life will no longer seem compartmentalized. Worship, prayer, and ministry will all be part of the daily flow and rhythm of life. Don’t compartmentalize your life. Offer it all as “a living sacrifice to God.”