Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 25:21, Now David had said, “Surely in vain I have protected all that this fellow has in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belongs to him. And he has repaid me evil for good.
David and his men had done a good thing for Nabal and his servants. They made sure that no harm came to them while they were with them. Yet, Nabal shows great disrespect for David and his polite request for provisions for him and his men. Although it was wrong of Nabal to return evil for good, I wonder if David would have been less apt to lose his temper due to Nabal’s actions if he had made up his mind, before making his request, that he expected nothing from Nabal in return for David’s unsolicited help. There will be times when our help will be requested by others or times when we choose, on our own to do good for someone. There might be a need that arises and the Lord may choose to use us to meet that need. My question to us is, “What are we expecting in return?” In relation to giving something to others, whether material, providing a service, or anything else the Lord calls us to give, our attitude should be as Jesus described in Luke 6. In verse 30 He said, “Give to everyone who asks of you. And from him who takes away your goods do not ask them back.” In verses 33-36 He continued, “And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. 34 And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive back, what credit is that to you? For even sinners lend to sinners to receive as much back. 35 But love your enemies, do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High. For He is kind to the unthankful and evil. 36Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” When we give as the Lord leads we are giving it to Him. It means that what we have chosen to give we have relinquished and it no longer belongs to us; but to the Lord to be used to be a blessing to whomever He has chosen. If this is so, why do we get upset when such a kindness is not reciprocated? If we give with great expectations of receiving, then we set ourselves up for disappointment, and give the devils an occasion to use our anger to sin against the Lord who clearly tells us to be angry but sin not (Ephesians 4:26), as happened with David. Jesus told us in Luke 6 that if we give and expect only heavenly reward from Him, then great is our reward. Far too often we forfeit heavenly reward because our desires are too entrenched in the earthly and what we can receive and gain here. Although Nabal was wrong in his response and actions, it would have been best for David to trust that the Lord saw what was done for him by David and his men, and have confidence in the fact that God would take vengeance on Nabal for his foolishness as happened shortly thereafter. When we do for others, we need to expect nothing, and must also be ready to forgive their ingratitude, knowing that we personally cannot out give God. Any form of blessing God chooses to give us in return for our generosity will be far greater than anything man can give us in return. The most pleasing form of giving we can practice is a giving that is done cheerfully (2 Corinthians 9:7), with absolutely no expectation, except whatever God chooses for us, even if we have to wait to see that reward when we stand before Him to be judged for our works done by faith. Giving to the Lord, by giving to others, can be the biggest test of faith that God can give us, because we often have great difficulty letting go of our earthly possessions. However, without faith it is impossible to please Him (Hebrews 11:6). So give freely, give cheerfully, and give it by faith. Leave the rest to the Lord who is faithful and will always provide for our needs (Matthew 6), as He already knows what we need, even before we ask (Matthew 6:8).
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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