Good morning sir!

Welcome to day 6!  Join me in prayer: Lord, I give You this day.  I submit to You and Your will.  I want to have Your heart for everyone I meet today!  Amen!

We all have heard this verse: “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it!”  Hebrew 13:2

I find it very interesting, in the despair of David’s heart, but after he and his men were on their way, now in obedience to God’s guidance, that they meet a starving man.  

After all the people they had stolen from, murdered, and plundered, they offered kindness to this stranger.  All the time God is looking at our heart!   

And it seems like this is a good starting point for all of us, who want to honor Christ and to get out of our own mercenary spirit.  How do we treat someone that can give us absolutely no advantage?  God takes notice and uses this stranger to help them!

Victory came after this. David and his mercenaries recovered everything that was stolen from them, including their wives, children, and animals, but there was a split in opinions.  But David knew God.  Just like we heard at the men’s retreat!

Not all of David’s mercenaries went to battle.  A third stayed behind.  And those who fought, thought they shouldn’t have to share with the others.  David said, “My brothers, you can’t do this with what the Lord has given us.  He kept us safe and gave us victory over the raiders.  All must share alike; whoever stays behind with the supplies gets the same share as the one who goes into battle.”  1 Samuel 30:23-25

Generosity is God’s heart and generosity was returning to David’s heart just at the right time! To lead, you have to think of others!

Saul did not find repentance.  He did not know how to recover from failure.  David, had failure, kind of an internal death and resurrection with repentance.  Then he became King as a humble man remembering long the lessons at Ziklag.

My prayer for today: Lord, “Not by might nor by power, but by Your Spirit,’ Says the LORD of hosts!” Zechariah 4:6 Amen!