Thursday SHINE...

Today's reading: 1 Samuel 24 

Happy Thursday, sweet SHINE friends! Is this story getting good or what?

Wow, talk about a twist in events.

Saul continues to pursue David in a cave. Yes, a cave. Can you imagine?

David was hiding from a man that was trying to kill him in a cave. Talk about hide-and-go-seek gone awry. Good grief.

David's men are encouraging him that this would be the day that he would kill Saul. Finally!

However, David's conscience gets the best of him. He decides to not kill Saul when he has the perfect chance.

"May the Lord judge between you and me. " 1 Samuel 24:12

Seriously? Is David for real?

Once again,  David's heart wins over his flesh.

Let's bring this back home to our own little worlds.

 Do you have an enemy? Maybe not necessarily someone trying to kill you, but someone that just likes to trip you up? Someone that never ever gives you a break? Someone that always seems to say the wrong things to you at all the wrong times? Someone that just seems to make it their goal in life to make you miserable? Someone that just has no clue about how wrong they are?

How does this person make you feel? Be real...do you cringe just thinking of this person?

Don't you just sometimes wish they would do something really stupid so that you could secretly (or openly) laugh at them and feel like justice has been served?

Yep, me too.

Maybe this person is not even an enemy technically but somebody that just seems to always "have it together" in their perfect little world. It's nauseating, right? You would love to see them fall...for once.

Who is your Saul, sweet friend? Is it your co-worker, your neighbor, a family member, a parent,  a friend who wronged you or betrayed you?  Your Saul may even be your husband....

Forgive them. Love them. Show them grace. Pray for them.

Isn't that what David did?

He had the chance to finally get Saul and what did he do?

He courageously humbled himself before Saul. He chose to trust God with the outcome instead of taking matters into his own hands, literally.

David, once again, chose obedience over his flesh.

Girls, are we getting this?

How did Saul respond? He wept and then asked the Lord to reward David for the mercy he had shown him.

(Saul has a change of heart in the near future....BUT, that's not the point.)

The point is this: What is God showing you through your "Saul"?

Is He trying to teach you something about grace, mercy, love, and obedience?

Whew. Yes, I am feeling the same little ping in my heart.

What will our response be, girls? Will we kick them when they are finally down? Even if we don't show them our delight in their troubles, do we smirk and cheer for their demise in our heart...where we think nobody can see?

Or will we be the one, like David, who makes peace and shows mercy. Even at the expense of those around us wondering what in the world we are doing. Why in the world are we showing someone like that grace.

Okay, listen up. I'm gonna get nitty gritty here for a second.  I remember telling God once that if He would just remove this person (my Saul) from my life, everything would be so much better. I would be happy and things would be great.  I asked the Lord for this person to move to another state, anything...just get her out of my hair.

Mmmm, not proud of this.

I will never forget the Lord's answer back to me:

 "Jill, she's not the problem, you are. If I remove her from your life, I will just send two more just like her. Until you let Me fix you, nothing will ever change."

You could have knocked me over with a feather.

 Okay, I get it, Lord.

It's me who needs the change of heart. No matter how someone treats me, I need to have such a purified heart that I will not be moved. I will trust that the Lord is molding me in this situation. If I just stay obedient and show this person grace and love, my perspective will change.


Not sure about you, but the Lord sure is molding this heart of mine. Each day I feel Him shaping and scraping the rough edges that have formed over the years.


How will we respond, girls?

Let's be like David. Once and for all.


chiseling of the heart happening here,

jill

" I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity." 1 Chronicles 29:17