Reading your Bible for today July 18

July 18: 1 Samuel 24:1-7

KJV Key Verse: 1 Samuel 24:5
5 And it came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's skirt.

Devotion:
I think all of us would jump at the chance to get our own back on our enemies... How many of us would jump at the chance to silence people who are treating us as enemies? And would we do it even if we did not think of them as enemies... Unfortunately, many people would answer yes to all of the points above and that is becoming the norm in society. We are acting more like beasts trying to assert their authority than humans trying to gain respect!

Gaining respect is not done by beating someone over the head until they realise you are stronger than them! If anything that will only encourage them to go out and become stronger so they can get back at you some day. We let our personal feelings control our lives rather than logic and respect! We allow feeling to consume our minds until our minds are slaves to our feelings... You may be thinking all this is not such a bad thing until you realise the strongest feelings we have are feelings like rage and jealousy! With them ruling our lives, how are we ever going to make friends and influence people!

David was given Saul on a plate. He could have ended the fight there and then. He could have set himself free... those were the thoughts going through the minds of all of his men as they stood in the shadows of the cave. David was even tempted and cut off part of Saul's garment. Immediately he had done that, he realised the futility of his actions and also the fact he had lost respect for Saul, his king, and had stooped to barbarism! Without respect for others, we have nothing. God wants us to have respect for each other so we can love each other. It will often take the person being persecuted to make the first move before mutual respect is returned...

Points to Ponder:
How can we have respect for others without forgiving them?

How can God have respect for us without us first being forgiven?