Monday, February 17, 2020
Opportunities to Return
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 29:10-11, Now therefore, rise early in the morning with your master’s servants who have come with you. And as soon as you are up early in the morning and have light, depart.” 11 So David and his men rose early to depart in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
In the previous devotional we focused on God’s faithfulness to us, in spite of us. When we stop and think about how patient God has been, and is, with us, how can we not stop and praise Him? Along with being patient with us, His love and forgiveness is always available to us in Christ Jesus. After all was said and done with David’s rejection by the Philistines, we see that he was given an opportunity to return. Return where? Well, it was an opportunity for David to return to his own people. Instead, we see him return to the land of the Philistines. It truly is sad when we see a born again believer return to the ways of the world when God is giving him/her the opportunity to return to Him. I praise God that our salvation in Christ is sealed by the Holy Spirit and we can never lose it. However, we can do a lot of damage to our walk with Christ when we choose to remain in the world, even after the Lord gives us an opportunity to turn back to Him. In the Old Testament we see the example of Lot, Abraham’s nephew. He turned to Sodom, a place he never should have dwelled in, and found himself and his family captured. God, in His mercy, allows Abraham to rescue him and his family, and Lot comes out of it without losing a thing. Genesis 14:14-16 tells us, “Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan. 15 He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus. 16 So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.” God was better to Lot than he deserved in that He allowed Lot to come away from that experience without any lasting consequences. Lots had a choice. He could have chosen somewhere other than Sodom to return to, but instead went right back to that wicked place after God had given him an opportunity to return to Him. The consequences of that was that Lot eventually lost his wife, and opened the door for an incestuous relationship to occur between him and his daughters (Genesis 19). In David’s case, it would take something drastic to get him to return to his own people. Why do we wait until severe consequences befall us before we accept God’s gracious and undeserved invitation to turn back to Him? Rather than wait until God has to discipline us with consequences for our refusal to live for Him, why not praise Him, give Him thanks for His goodness, and return to sweet fellowship with Him? Romans 2:4 reminds us, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?” None of us are exempt from finding ourselves in a place far away from fellowship with the Lord. David was a man after God’s own heart, yet he found himself far from the Lord. Nonetheless, God is faithful who will always give us the opportunity to return. He will never forsake His children, and we His children need to be always ready to return to His sweet embrace when we find ourselves in a place we should not be.
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).
Saturday, February 8, 2020
Faithful Beyond Measure
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 29:8, So David said to Achish, “But what have I done? And to this day what have you found in your servant as long as I have been with you, that I may not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
David is really in a bad place spiritually. Although being rejected, he insists on wanting to fight against Israel alongside the Philistines. I cannot think of anyone, including self, who enjoys being rejected. However, rejection can also be a blessing and is one way that God shows His faithfulness beyond measure. The rejection that David experienced is the same rejection God was using to keep David from doing something he would later regret. Quite often, when we choose to walk a path that leads to sin, God places roadblocks and allows circumstances to hinder our journey in order to give us an opportunity to turn back. He is faithful to give us a way to avoid sinning against Him. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.” Sadly, even when God provides us a way out, we insist on trying to find a way around it. God was giving David a way of escape from fighting against his own people. David was a faithful servant to whomever he chose to serve. We saw that when he served Saul. Yet, here, because of all that he had experienced, and because of the emotional and spiritual turmoil he endured for so long, his allegiance is a bit skewed. His feelings appeared to be hurt because the Philistines did not trust him. It truly is a sad place for a Christian to be when we think more of how the world thinks about us, rather than how God thinks of us. Yet, in all of this, the one thing that shines through is God’s faithfulness. God’s faithfulness toward us is far greater than any one of us deserve. In those moments when we deserve that God abandon us, He shows Himself faithful. When we deserve His wrath, He shows His love. In Christ, we have been given far more then we deserve. God’s promise to never leave us nor forsake us in Hebrews 13:5 is a promise that He will be faithful beyond all measure. It is a promise that is unconditional. We may cause there to be a fracture in our fellowship with Him when we sin, but it does not change the fact that He is with us always. Even though David was in such a sad state, God remained with him and used the rejection of the Philistines to keep David from sinning against Israel and the Lord. 2 Timothy 2:13 tells us, “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 promises, “But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.” I could easily go on to prove, by His Word, that the Lord is faithful. However, for those of us who know Him and have walked with Him, we already know this to be true from personal experience. David, instead of seeing this as an opportunity to get back to where he belongs, chose to go back to the land of the Philistines (v.11). Let us praise God today for His never-ending love. His love and faithfulness go beyond measure and beyond what any of us deserve. When we experience rejection from the world, let us not see it as something to be mourned over. Instead, let us praise the Lord that we are rejected for His sake; and rather than trying to find a way to be accepted and stay in the world, let us see it as an opportunity to get right with God and draw closer to Him.
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).
Friday, February 7, 2020
No Peace on the Fence
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 29:6-7, Then Achish called David and said to him, “Surely, as the Lord lives, you have been upright, and your going out and your coming in with me in the army is good in my sight. For to this day I have not found evil in you since the day of your coming to me. Nevertheless the lords do not favor you. 7 Therefore return now, and go in peace, that you may not displease the lords of the Philistines.”
If we are honest with ourselves, we would have to readily admit that all of us, at some point in our walk with the Lord, have tried to walk the fence having one foot in the world and one in Christianity. How did that work? I am willing to bet (if I were a betting man) that it did not work at all. David, a man chosen by God to be the next king of Israel, once stood up against, and defeated the Philistines, in defense of God’s people. Now, he finds himself trying to avoid displeasing the very people he intentionally displeased over and over again. The hard truth is that a Christian will never find peace trying to please God and the world at the same time. A true born again believer will never find peace, joy, and happiness, compromising his/her faith in order to fit in with the world. Trying to do this only ends in making us look like hypocrites. Lot, Abraham’s nephew was a good example of this. If we read about Lot’s life and choices in the Old Testament, and how he tried to fit in at Sodom and Gomorrah, it leaves us wondering if he was a true believer. However, when we read the New Testament, God says this about Lot in 2 Peter 2:6-8, “and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; 7 and delivered righteous Lot, who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked 8 (for that righteous man, dwelling among them, tormented his righteous soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds).” Lot was vexed from day to day. How can we, who are followers of Jesus, in our feeble attempts to blend in with the world, not be vexed from day to day when we see the evil, the wickedness, and the debauchery of the world playing out right before our very eyes?! How can we honestly find true peace, joy, or happiness in an environment that is completely opposite of what we stand for as children of God? Sadly, if we are not careful, our hearts can grow very cold toward the things of God, and although we will put up with the world in order to fit in, we will still have that nagging feeling inside, that conviction that will still haunt us when we are alone and have to face ourselves. The Lord came to save us, give us eternal life and set us apart for His purposes. We must not be like the dog that returns to its vomit. Proverbs 26:11 reminds us, “As a dog returns to his own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly.” 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 also reminds us, “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.” The bottom line is that a true believer, a true follower of Jesus Christ, will never find a home in the world, because this world is not our home any longer. We are pilgrims and sojourners (1 Peter 2:11) who are here for a short while, set apart to serve the Lord and tell the world about our Savior and Lord. Lest we forget, Philippians 3:20-21 tells us, “For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”
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).
Thursday, February 6, 2020
What Is the World Saying?
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 29:3, Then the princes of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of Saul king of Israel, who has been with me these days, or these years? And to this day I have found no fault in him since he defected to me.”
What would the world say about us if the unsaved people we work with, the people we know as neighbors and friends, were asked what we are like as born again Christians? Would any of them even know we were Christians? Would their answers confirm that we are truly different than most people they know, or do they see us like any other unsaved person they know? I began this devotional by asking what the world would say, but what is most important is what God sees and knows about us. Nonetheless, I find that we have a tendency to put on the “Christian” façade when we get around other Christians, but show our true colors when there is no one to keep us accountable. Should we not be the ones with the best work ethic? Should we not be the ones who are known for being kind, gracious, and forgiving toward others? Should we not be the ones who can be depended on when we give our word? Should we not be the ones that people describe as loving? Not because of a “mushy” attitude; but because our actions towards others speak loudly of our love for Christ. Should we not be the most giving in respect to our time, talents, and resources? At the same time, should we not also be the person that others dislike, not because we are mean-spirited or evil, but because we insist on living a life that is right before God, bringing on persecution for what we believe from this world that stand against the things of God? What Achish said about David is both a compliment and a shame. We certainly want to be known as being “good workers, neighbors, and people” in general, but we do not want to compromise our walk with the Lord to the extent that we begin to look just like the world, just to avoid rejection and persecution. In reality, David should have been convicted by the fact that Achish saw him as someone who was now completely dedicated to serving him. As born again believers, the world needs to see and know that we will be model citizens of this world, but our affection and service belong to God alone. There are a number of verses that instruct us to be separate from the world, and be set apart to God. I will only mention a few here. Romans 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Colossians 4:5-6 admonishes us, “Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. 6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.” Finally, 1 Peter 2:11-12 clearly states, “Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul, 12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.” The bottom line is that we must live life with a balance that allows God to use our testimony to draw others to Himself, and at the same time be willing to be persecuted for God’s glory, and have the kind of reputation that provides overwhelming evidence that we belong to Jesus and will not compromise how we live for Him.
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).
Sunday, February 2, 2020
Escaping Our Own Traps
Verse of the Day: 1 Samuel 29:1-2, Then the Philistines gathered together all their armies at Aphek, and the Israelites encamped by a fountain which is in Jezreel. 2 And the lords of the Philistines passed in review by hundreds and by thousands, but David and his men passed in review at the rear with Achish.
The Philistines are preparing to fight against Israel, God’s people, and David is marching in review with the very enemies whom he once fought against, in defending the people of God. He is as much out of place amongst the Philistines, as we are, who call ourselves Christians, when we choose to march alongside the world. We could very easily blame Saul for David choosing to flee and dwell amongst the Philistines, but when it comes down to it, this was David’s choice. Whether David realized it or not, he was in a very difficult and compromising situation. He was trapped. How did David end up here? David’s decision to dwell among the Philistines came about because of discouragement and despair. In chapter 27:1-2 it says, “And David said in his heart, ‘Now I shall perish someday by the hand of Saul. There is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape to the land of the Philistines; and Saul will despair of me, to seek me anymore in any part of Israel. So I shall escape out of his hand.’ 2 Then David arose and went over with the six hundred men who were with him to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.” The last place David wanted to be was on the opposite side of the battlefield, fighting against the people whom God promised he would someday lead as king. As Christians, if we are not careful to stay focused on the Lord when times of discouragement come, we could very easily make decisions, in our despair, that lead us to feeling trapped in the world, and ruin our testimony for Christ. David had to live in such a way before Achish that even Achish came to David’s defense in trying to convince the Philistines leaders that David was now loyal to the Philistines, and not to Israel. Would it not be to our shame, as born again believers, that the world would see us more like them than as Christians? How long will we walk with the world and be friends to the world before we realize that we are in the world, but not of the world? Jesus, in praying for His disciples, prayed this way in John 17:14-18, “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. 18 As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.” When we get discouraged, or experience feelings of despair, we must be careful to seek the Lord’s guidance in the decisions we make. In those times it is of utmost importance that we go to God’s Word to find the encouragement we need. Verses, such as the ones found in Isaiah are great verses to be reminded of God’s faithfulness in times when we are feeling discouraged and hopeless. Isaiah 40:31 promises “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 43:2 also promised, “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.” The one important thing to note in this situation David found himself in was that God remained faithful to David, did not forsake Him, and actually gave him a way out. When all was said and done, as we read the rest of this chapter, God used the Philistine leaders’ mistrust to remove David from the position of fighting against his own people. The Lord is still as faithful to us today as He was with David back then. When we find ourselves in difficult situations and temptations, even ones that we put ourselves in as a result of our choices, God still gives us a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13); so that in reality, we have no excuse to continue down a path that will not be good for us. The bottom line is that our God and Savior is faithful to us, in spite of us, and always gives us a way to escape the traps we sometimes find ourselves in.
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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