Corona Devo 737

Do we have a "score to settle"? Or do we have a family/friend/professional feud that has been going on longer than the Hatfield's and the McCoy's?

While our "flesh" and pride may find strength in "standing firm" and "not relenting", God's word reminds us that we do not gain from maintaining a hard heart, infact, have you noticed (yet) that grudges/separation/hatred cause a famine in our spirits? Staying angry/bitter/entitled slowly steals God's gifts of joy/contentment/love/gratitude from our souls. The opposing forces cannot thrive together, and so we must choose which one we will "feed".

Jesus teaches forgiveness and the relief of letting "the feud" go will be a feast for our hearts, minds, and spirit.

~~~~~~

King David came into reign after King Saul, and in doing so, he inherited some negative consequences of Saul, who was not a man who whole-heartedly lived and ruled in God's favor. But King David checked in with God about what the "issue" was.

Do we have an "issue" within our hearts that has been there a while? Is it time to check in with God to see how we can go about rectifying it? We may or may not even be aware that while we "feed" the grudge, we are starving our opportunity to live in full-purpose for the Lord. What if we "ruled" our kingdoms" as David ruled his?

There was a famine during David’s reign that lasted for three years, so David asked the Lord about it. And the Lord said, “The famine has come because Saul and his family are guilty of murdering the Gibeonites.”

(2) So the king summoned the Gibeonites. They were not part of Israel but were all that was left of the nation of the Amorites. The people of Israel had sworn not to kill them, but Saul, in his zeal for Israel and Judah, had tried to wipe them out. (3) David asked them, “What can I do for you? How can I make amends so that you will bless the Lord’s people again?”

(4) “Well, money can’t settle this matter between us and the family of Saul,” the Gibeonites replied. “Neither can we demand the life of anyone in Israel.”

“What can I do then?” David asked. “Just tell me and I will do it for you.”

(5) Then they replied, “It was Saul who planned to destroy us, to keep us from having any place at all in the territory of Israel. (6) So let seven of Saul’s sons be handed over to us, and we will execute them before the Lord at Gibeon, on the mountain of the Lord.”

“All right,” the king said, “I will do it.” ~2 Samuel 21:1-6

We don't live in the Old Testament times, and the way I receive these verses (in applying to our lives today) is NOT that we would ever murder someone for any reason (Thou shalt not kill. ~Exodus 20:13), but I do see the process that David went through as being a Biblical example for us in handling conflict/strife/grudges and the like in our lives.

David humbly came before those that there was an existing issue with.  While it is true that the "wrong" committed against the Gibeonites was not committed by David, he was now in the position to be suffering from the past mistakes, and it had "become" his problem.  

Any work/family/neighbor similarities "popping" into our minds?  We may not have "done" the "wrong", but we are affected/afflicted/some-part-of-our-life/relationship/heart is being "starved" as a result of the past-wrong.  

David was humble enough, diplomatic-enough, interested-in-positively-moving-forward-for-his-sake-and-for-the-sake-of-others-enough that he led the efforts of reconciliation.

It's a big step.

Is it one that we need to "take" today?

David went to the source (the Gibeonites).

He got to the root of the problem (The people of Israel had sworn not to kill them, but Saul, in his zeal for Israel and Judah, had tried to wipe them out. ~2 Samuel 21:2).

He was willing (in humility) to make amends (“What can I do then?” David asked. “Just tell me and I will do it for you.” ~2 Samuel 21:4)

And David "carried out" their requested measures in an effort to begin reconciliation and to "start fresh" with their partnership, and to move forward in reinstating a functioning and healthy relationship between the two.

Do we have a "score to settle"? Or do we have a family/friend/professional feud that has been going on too long?

While our "flesh" and pride may find strength in "standing firm" and "not relenting", God's word reminds us that we do not gain from maintaining a hard heart, in fact, have you noticed (yet) that grudges/separation/hatred cause a famine in our spirits?

Staying angry/bitter/entitled slowly steals God's gifts of joy/contentment/love/gratitude from our souls. The opposing forces cannot thrive together, and so we must choose which one we will "feed".

Jesus teaches forgiveness and the relief of letting "the feud" go will be a feast for our hearts, minds, and spirit.

If we are ready to settle it God's way, David's example advises us to take the first step.

Maybe today we need to go to the source of our "long standing" broken-relationship (even if we were not the ones to "cause" the brokenness.)

Maybe today we need to get to the root of the problem.

Maybe today we need to be willing (in humility) to make amends.

And maybe today we can begin the process of "carrying out" the measures to begin reconciliation and to "start fresh" with our partnership/relationship/friendship and to move forward in reinstating a functioning and healthy relationship.

It's a big step.

But some of us have been suffering from a famine in our spirits for far too long.

What if we "ruled" our kingdoms" as David ruled his?


Blessings, 

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com

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