Thursday 4/3/14
2 Samuel, Chapter 23 is supposedly a record of King David’s last words. With them, he expresses his gratitude for the heroic and extraordinary men who helped him in his lifetime. Three of them whose names are mentioned in the chapter did one thing that was especially noteworthy. It happened during a time of conflict with the Philistines. David and his men were hiding in a cave and a detachment of the enemy was encamped in the valley below. Without giving it much thought, David said casually, “Oh, how I would love some of that good water from the well in Bethlehem, the one by the gate.” ( 2 Samuel 23:15) Keep in mind that David, just like Jesus, was born in Bethlehem. The water from that well was obviously one of his delights. So what did his men do when they heard him say those words? They broke through the Philistine lines, drew some water from the well, and brought it back to David. I am not sure whether to call this love, loyalty, devotion, or dedication, but all of these things are excellent virtues. It is also indicative of how these men felt about their leader. It can also be concluded that these men fit Jesus’ description of a real friend when He said, “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)
What drives people to do selfless deeds such as these? To me, it is something as simple as having the love of God in your heart. Think about it. Why did Jesus come into the world to suffer pain and pay the price for our redemption? It was God the Father’s love for mankind. It was that same love that motivated Jesus to give Himself for us. What drives us to love Him in return? Again, it is just the response to His love, as I John 4:19 says, We love Him, because He first loved us, or the fact that His love lives in our hearts as well.
What about you? What are you willing to do for those you love dearly? The list is endless and sometimes the act itself may seem small and insignificant, but if we knew the hearts of people we would see how big a sacrifice it really was. I saw one such example recently while at HEB. It was very early in the morning and the young man in front of me only had one item. I was wondering why he was so fidgety and looking all around. When I saw what he was buying, I understood. It was a product exclusively made for women. It thought to myself, “Now that’s something I would never do.” Oh well, like the song said, “The things we do for love.”
Memory verse for the week: (1 Corinthians 13:1) If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
PS: Sorry for today’s late entry. I suffer from brain freeze often.
