Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 25:7, Now I have heard that you have shearers. Your shepherds were with us, and we did not hurt them, nor was there anything missing from them all the while they were in Carmel.
To say that David was going through hard times is an understatement. Although anointed to be the next king by Samuel, at God’s direction, he spent many years literally running for his life. During those years, there was plenty of opportunity for him to think about how unfair all of this was, since he was a faithful servant to both God and Saul. Yet, his faithfulness was repaid with jealousy, envy, and being pursued for the purpose of ending his life. The many years of being on the run were an opportunity for David to become bitter, as he did not ask to be king, be given the opportunity to serve in Saul’s army or even be a part of those who served in the palace. His years on the run could have made him the kind of man who would pillage, steal, and harm anyone who might have come between him, his men, and surviving in the wilderness. Yet, this man, who was a man after God’s own heart, did not become bitter toward life or God because of his harsh circumstances. Although we read in many of the Psalms that there were times of distress and tears, the one thing we see about David was that he continued to have a heart of service to both God and man. This could not have been an easy task, especially after being joined by the group of men who chose to follow him. 1 Samuel 22:2 says this about these men, “And everyone who was in distress, everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was discontented gathered to him. So he became captain over them. And there were about four hundred men with him.” This could have easily turned into a band of marauders who cared about nothing but themselves and their own survival. Instead, David’s own testimony of who he had been in tough times was confirmed by one of Nabal’s servants. Verses 14-16 of this chapter read, “Now one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying, ‘Look, David sent messengers from the wilderness to greet our master; and he reviled them. 15 But the men were very good to us, and we were not hurt, nor did we miss anything as long as we accompanied them, when we were in the fields. 16 They were a wall to us both by night and day, all the time we were with them keeping the sheep.’” So often, in our own lives, we experience hard times, even as children of God. It has been said about surviving these times that it not so much about what happens that determines how we live through them, but how we respond to them. In other words, life is two percent what happens and ninety eight percent how we react or deal with it. In those trying times in David’s life he chose to respond by staying faithful to God and doing good to those around him when the opportunity arose. My personal observation has been that when difficult times come, God also presents opportunities for us to be a blessing to someone else. While dealing with our own difficulties and sorrows, God brings others who need help dealing with their difficulties and sorrows. The choices we make during these times are really opportunities to bring honor to God. David felt comfortable asking Nabal for help because he (David) knew that he and his men had chosen not to do evil against Nabal, even when such opportunities presented themselves. Of course, he did not know that the man he had been good to was a fool and a man of wicked ways. Nonetheless, it is always more important to be good to those who do not deserve it because God calls us show the love of Christ to all people, as He does, regardless of who they might turn out to be deep down inside. It is more about God’s glory than our feelings or people’s attitudes. So how do we, as God’s children, come to the place of doing good to other while living through hard times? Well, first it comes down to obedience to, and reverence for, the Lord. Next, we must remember this valuable truth as stated in 1 Peter 5:6-7, “Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” When we cast our care upon God, it gives us the peace of mind and frees us to do what we are told to do in Galatians 6:2, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” Our good works towards others, especially during hard times is evidence of our faith in Christ. James calls us to prove our faith by our works (James 2:14-26). Performance of good works, even in hard times is worship toward God (Hebrews 13:15-16). Jesus Himself said in Matthew 5:16 that our good works, seen by men, will glorify our Father in Heaven. Regardless of what happens during difficult times, know that God will always present us with opportunities to do good to others, not only to help us grow in our faith, but to be a blessing for His glory. Let us not be so self-absorbed in hard times that we miss out on heavenly reward when God presents us an opportunity to bring praise to His Name.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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