Devoted: Examining Key Men In The BibleSample

Say What?

David honored God’s command, even those that involved his enemies.

Breakdown: I am not sure if you have “true” enemies today, but we do have people that we don’t like and who don’t like us. Our country has enemies that include other countries that want to do us harm and see us fall. This is where David found himself in 1 Samuel Chapter 24. His enemy, Saul, wanted to see him dead, and he spent a large amount of time chasing David to kill him. Then one day Saul made a mistake. He walked right into the place where David and his men were without realizing David was there.

Imagine how you might have felt if your worst enemy, who had tried to kill you, was in front of you and didn’t know you were there. Would you attack that person? Most of us would not think twice about killing that person, especially since doing so would mean we would no longer have to run and hide from them. However, David was different. Even though David wanted to stop running and hiding, he wanted to honor God more. Saul was a King that God anointed, and David knew that he could not just kill him. Understanding this, he denied his initial thought to kill Saul.

As a young man, you, too, will have opportunities to choose between what you want to do and what is right. As a young man devoted to God, you will have to deny yourself in order to do what God has called and/or required you to do. What does this mean? Sometimes your friends might try to talk you into doing things that might be fun for the moment, but don’t honor God. There might be something online or on TV that everyone is watching, but you know participating won’t honor God. Devoted young men choose to honor God in every situation and at all times, no matter what. David didn’t kill Saul when he had the chance and God counted it as honor. Later in David’s life God honored him.

Prayer: Lord, today help me to honor you with my life. Help me to make decisions that will honor you as my Heavenly Father. Help me to deny the things I want to do that are against Your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Live it out: Today, think about how you can honor God. What have you been doing that does not honor God and how can you change that? Make a list of the things you are doing that honor God and those that do not. Work today to do more to honor God.