KJB Daily Devotion – Following Jesus Through Every Chapter
Date: Wednesday, April 28, 2018
Chapters: I Samuel 26-27, Psalms 35, 63
Message: God Perfecting His Saints
Hello My Friend,
Of all the positions I have worked, none were more challenging or rewarding than the positions God has for me now. I am a Sunday school teacher, nursery director, and choir member in my church, I am also a missionary out of my church, and on top of all that I work two jobs that keep me out in the world more than I care to be. I am out of bed most mornings by 4am, and often do not get to bed until 11pm or later. Wow, no wonder I fall asleep on the sofa as my mom tries to have a conversation with me? Okay, so, God knows what we are capable of and what we can endure on our own, He never gives us anything that we cannot handle, and when He does He makes sure that He shows us that we can do all things through Christ. Praise God! “And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:” – Ephesians 4:11-13.
“For the perfecting of the saints,” Perfection; The state of being perfect or complete, so that nothing desired is wanting. Did you know that the second you accept the perfect Christ as your Saviour that He completes you and perfects you? Well, at least, our soul anyway, the rest of us needs work, and since Christ dwells in us we can expect that God will put things in our lives to perfect us. And of course, they are not all joyful. After David’s last encounter with Saul he thought that it was over, he can live in peace and Saul would not try to kill him anymore. However, that was not the case, he was right back at it, and once again David finds himself running from him. The opportunity came again where David had the upper hand, he could have killed Saul on the spot.
“Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the people lay round about him. Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite him the second time. And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD’S anointed, and be guiltless? David said furthermore, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish. The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD’S anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go. So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul’s bolster; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.” – I Samuel 26:6-12.
“because a deep sleep from the LORD was fallen upon them.” Do not think for one moment that God does not know what is going on, that He is not watching over us to see if we are going to make the right decisions. These men, Abishai, Abner, and Joab will play a huge part in David’s life, all them will discover what happens when they go against God’s anointed. No one can go against God’s anointed and not face the consequences. David prayed to God that night, it was probably as he overlooked that camp.
“A Psalm of David. Plead my cause, O LORD, with them that strive with me: fight against them that fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler, and stand up for mine help. Draw out also the spear, and stop the way against them that persecute me: say unto my soul, I am thy salvation. For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit, which without cause they have digged for my soul. Let destruction come upon him at unawares; and let his net that he hath hid catch himself: into that very destruction let him fall. And my soul shall be joyful in the LORD: it shall rejoice in his salvation. All my bones shall say, LORD, who is like unto thee, which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him, yea, the poor and the needy from him that spoileth him?” – Psalm 35:1-3,7-10.
“All my bones shall say,” With our every being we must come to the knowledge that we are physically incapable of doing some things, but Christ is our strength and the only one who can deliver us from the things we cannot handle. David decides he was going to confront Saul and let it be known that his life was spared once again, he also discovered something in all this, God was able to deliver him out of all his tribulation.
“Now therefore, I pray thee, let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, Go, serve other gods. Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains. Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. And David answered and said, Behold the king’s spear! and let one of the young men come over and fetch it. The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD’S anointed. And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.” – I Samuel 26:19-25.
“because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day:” I believe that it was the devil who corrupted Saul’s mind, he turned him into a jealous, bitter man that despised anyone who was being blessed by God. This world today is full of jealous, bitter people that despise those who are blessed by God. Do not let them fool you, they may say they hate God, but they want to be accepted of Him, yet they refuse to accept Him as He is, so, therefore, they are the fools. “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.” – Romans 1:22-25.
Let me tell you, when God chooses the position He has for you there will be times when you get tired of all the drama, you just want to serve God and live your life the best way possible, but live itself never works that way. The best thing we can do us talk to God about it. Later that day, a little discouraged and sorrowful, David prays out to God. “A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.” – Psalm 63:1-4.
“my lips shall praise thee.” We cannot always get to church, but we can always take God every where we go, the key to overcoming our tribulations is simply by talking to God. I know, sometimes we do pray and pray and still find no relief, but as long as we keep praising Him, knowing that He will soon deliver us from our tribulation, we will see not only our circumstances change, but that He has been with us all along. Still a bit discouraged, David decided that the best thing was to leave Israel, so, he made the strangest decision ever, he moved into Philistine territory, even got the king to give him, his family, and those who followed him a city to call their own.
“And David said in his heart, I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul: there is nothing better for me than that I should speedily escape into the land of the Philistines; and Saul shall despair of me, to seek me any more in any coast of Israel: so shall I escape out of his hand. And David arose, and he passed over with the six hundred men that were with him unto Achish, the son of Maoch, king of Gath. And David dwelt with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, even David with his two wives, Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and Abigail the Carmelitess, Nabal’s wife. And it was told Saul that David was fled to Gath: and he sought no more again for him. And David said unto Achish, If I have now found grace in thine eyes, let them give me a place in some town in the country, that I may dwell there: for why should thy servant dwell in the royal city with thee? Then Achish gave him Ziklag that day: wherefore Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day. And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever.” – I Samuel 27:1-6,12.
“therefore he shall be my servant for ever.” It may seem like David made a decision against God’s will, but God did allow it for several reasons, one, He was preparing David to be king, two, He used David to do something that should have been done centuries ago, and third, He took him away from was about to happen in the battle that was to come. Sometimes the things God allows in our lives seem strange, and it can discourage us, but if we trust Him we will more than endure, we will learn that the tribulations we went through helped mold and shape us into the positions He wants us to be in. Whether it be a king, a missionary, a servant, a wife, a maid, or anything in between, Christ perfects us as we follow Him by faith. “For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.” – Romans 12:4-8.
Jesus Christ Magnified: “The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for the LORD delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine hand against the LORD’S anointed.” – I Samuel 26:23.
Today’s Prayer: God, It seems like it has been years since I chose to dedicate my life to Your Son, I know I have had my ups and downs, I have gotten discouraged, depressed, and sorrowful as I went through tribulations as not everyone accepted my decision to make His LORD of my life. I have come a long way since then, and it is only by Your mercy and grace that I am who I am today, one thing is for sure, I see Your hand holding on to me wherever I go, and although You keep my on my toes with my newest endeavor, I will keep praising You because I know You are not only perfecting me, you are also perfecting those You bring into my life too. Lord, lead me and guide me, early I will seek You, my soul thirsts for You, my flesh too in this dry and thirsty land. You have my soul tucked under Your wings, and it is perfect, the rest of me needs work, fill me with Your mercy and grace, never let me cease from praising You, in my tribulation, keep me looking to You and holding on to the hope of something great coming out of it. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
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