Daily Treasure

“Don’t envy sinners, but always continue to fear the Lord.  For surely you have a future ahead of you, your hope will not be disappointed” (Proverbs 23:17-18 NLT).

We’ve all done it.  We’ve grumbled about it, mumbled unkind things in reference to it and stood back scratching our heads in wonder.  Good things happen to the worst of people, and well, we don’t understand it.

We’ve all sat in a waiting room.  Waiting, impatiently at times, for news on a believing loved one.  A biopsy result, a test finding or a surgeon’s report.  We’ve judged the answer we received against the one of the family on the other side of the room—and well, to the best of our estimation, we got the bad end of the deal.

We’ve been sidelined at work, in our families or in life in general.  Our dreams broken.  Our goals yet to be met.  And we’re called to applaud the promotion of the guy down the hallway, to work under the unbeliever in the office.

We’ve received what to us looks like a great role in the play of life, only to find out we’re the understudy to a less than desirable, foul-mouthed, never-darken-the-door-of-a-church star.

We’ve all been handed a 2nd place ribbon at some time or another.

We’ve all been announced as runner-up.

We’ve all thought about throwing in the towel on this Christianity thing.  After all, what’s it doing for us?  Where’s it gotten us?  Is anyone, anyone at all, noticing how you’ve put heart and soul into living in godliness?  All our best efforts are getting us no where.

Don’t.  Don’t throw in the towel.  Don’t give up on walking the straight path.  Don’t envy the lives of those living without Christ, no matter what they seem to have going for them.

Our bright future is not necessarily going to occur here.  All they have now, may in fact, be all they’ll ever get.

Your hope, your commitment, your determination and your work for Christ will not disappoint.

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for discouraged believers in your congregation today. Ask God to renew their strength and remind them of the bright future ahead.

“He said to them, You are the leaders of the Levite families. You must purify yourselves and all your fellow Levites, so you can bring the Ark of the Lord, the God of Israel, to the place I have prepared for it” (1 Chronicles 15:12 NLT).

I could probably say without disagreement that each and every one of us are waiting for people we know and love to turn to God and clean up their acts.  We anticipate the day they wash their hands of sin and give their hearts and lives over to Christ.  We pray to that end.  But are we expecting miracles without a little hard work on our parts?

What are you trying to carry? The love of God to a dark world? The Good News to the hurting? The gift of salvation to the unsaved? The Christian way of life to the dying?

Are you cleaned up and ready for the job? Are your hands washed of wrongdoings? Your mind cleansed of all unlovely thoughts? Your heart purified of sin?

The preparation we make for taking the gift of salvation to the world is directly proportional to the importance we place on our job.

Who are we taking it to? Strangers? Neighbors? Extended family? Our own children? Whoever they are, aren’t they worth your whole-hearted effort?

Malinda Edgell
Illinois

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for YWAC groups meeting this month and for increased participation in this ministry. If your church does not have a group, prayerfully consider starting this vital ministry for teen girls in your congregation.

“For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we say, Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15).

The Living Bible paraphrases today’s verse like this: “And so we should not be like cringing fearful slaves, but we should behave like God’s very own children, adopted into the bosom of his family, and calling to him, Father, Father.”  Paul uses two different words that mean the same. Both are terms of endearment—one for the Jew, the other for the Gentile.

I like these words of our study writer. “Though we are orphaned and crippled and impoverished and estranged, God searched for us, invited us into His kingdom, restored to us a meaningful life, and made His own children. Hallelujah!”

Ponder these words from the familiar song, “I’m a Child of the King.”

Once I was clothed in the rags of my sin,
Wretched and poor, lost and lonely within.
But with wondrous compassion, the King of all kings,
In pity and love, took me under His wings.

CHORUS:

Oh, yes, oh yes, I’m a child of the King
His royal blood now flows in my veins.
And I who was wretched and poor now can sing
Praise God, praise God, I’m a child of the King.

Now I’m a child with a Heavenly home,
My Holy Father has made me His own.
And I’m cleansed by His blood, and I’m clothed in His love,
And some day I’ll sing with the angels above.
—Skeeter Davis

“When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up” (Psalm 27:10).

As we start to wrap up this week’s devotionals, let’s look at the comments of Charles Spurgeon concerning today’s verse. When my father and my mother forsake me. These dear relations will be the last to desert me, but if the milk of human kindness should dry up even from their breasts, there is a Father who never forgets. Some of the greatest of the saints have been cast out by their families, and persecuted for righteousness’ sake. Then the Lord will take me up. Will espouse my cause, will uplift me from my woes, will carry me in his arms, will elevate me above my enemies, will at last receive me to his eternal dwelling place.”

What beautiful words of comfort and assurance!  We don’t ever have to feel forsaken or abandoned. We don’t have to go through life alone.  God’s protective, restoring and caring hand will be there; we will never have to feel like an orphan.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Think about modern-day orphans in your community. Is God calling you to step up and take an active role in their lives? Read James 1:27, then pray about how God would have you serve.

“ ……As for Mephibosheth, said the king, he shall eat at my table as one of the king’s sons” (2 Samuel 9:11b).

I really love the next part of our story.  Remember Ziba. Well, he, his fifteen sons, and twenty servants would now work the land of Mephibosheth.  They would become his servants. The honor of eating at the table, “as one of the king’s sons” is one Mephibosheth never expected. One last note on Mephibosheth—he had a young son named Micha who became a leader in the tribe of Benjamin. Obviously, his life had been spared along with his father.

The author of the online commentary enduringword.com offers these two conclusions. “David’s grace to Mephibosheth is a wonderful picture of God’s grace to us. We are Mephibosheth.  David’s grace to Mephibosheth is also a pattern for us in serving and ministering to others. We are David.”

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for special needs individuals in your church and community. Does your church offer easy access facilities? Classes for special needs children? Activities or fellowship opportunities for young adults with physical/mental/emotional challenges? Pray about beginning or expanding these rare but rewarding ministry opportunities.

“Now when Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan, the son of Saul, was come unto David, he fell on his face, and did reverence. And David said, Mephibosheth.  And he answered, Behold thy servant!  And David said unto him, Fear not: for I will surely show the kindness for Jonathan thy father’s sake, and will restore thee all the land of Saul thy father; and thou shalt eat bread at my table continually” (2 Samuel 9:6-7).

I can only imagine the horror Mephibosheth felt as David’s messengers knocked on the door of the place where he had been hiding. They were there to take him to the king.

He would soon find his uneasy thoughts and fears unfounded. When the king called out Mephibosheth’s name, I wonder if he saw any resemblance of Jonathan in his son’s face.

Mephibosheth was humbled in the presence of the king. What happened next was beyond his comprehension.  As this portrait of forgiveness was unveiled, we see how God  “restores the palace.”  David  promised to restore to Mephibosheth all the land of his grandfather, Saul.  “Mephibosheth knew about these lands all along but he was afraid to take possession of them because it would expose him to the king. David went against all custom in showing such kindness to an heir of the former dynasty.”  Lastly, David offered a close relationship with him by giving him the honor of continuously eating bread at his table. Jonathan’s son had once felt he was a worthless human being. Surely he never thought he would end up wealthy and dining with the king.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for veteran home missionaries Jerry and Julie Barron (now associate missionaries) as they work to plant a church in San Luis, Mexico .

“And the king said, Is there not yet any of the house of Saul,, that I may show the kindness of God unto him?  And Ziba said unto the king, Jonathan hath yet a son, which is lame on his feet.  Where is he?  And Ziba said unto the king, behold he is in the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, in Lodebar. Then King David sent, and fetched him out of the house of Machir, the son of Ammiel, from Lodebar” (2 Samuel 9:3-5).

The last week of our study is entitled, “God Restores the Palace.” I found an interesting article on the link www.enduringword.com   helpful in writing this week’s devotionals.

King David is speaking with a servant of the former King Saul.  He asks him a question that we might think puzzling unless we understand the culture of that day. “It was customary in those days for the king of a new dynasty to completely massacre anyone connected with the prior dynasty. David goes against the principle of revenge and against the principle of self-preservation and asks what he can do for the family of his enemy.” His mortal enemy Saul and his son Jonathan, David’s best friend, had been killed in battle. As far as David knew, probably any other members of Saul’s family had died.  However, there was at least one member not accounted for and Ziba, a former servant of Saul knew him.  He was an orphan named Mephibosheth.  He was Jonathan’s son who was about five years old when his father and grandfather were killed. It was believed he became lame in his feet when he heard of their death.  Out of fear, his nurse fled with him to protect him from what she thought would be certain death.

Mephibosheth lived a lowly life in the house of Machir, a man who was possibly part of Mephibosheth’s mother’s family. David sent messengers to bring Mephibosheth to him. David wanted to show him kindness for his friend Jonathan’s sake.  More importantly he wanted to show the kindness of God. This story reveals God’s restorative care upon a crippled orphan.  He was going to be taken from a life of obscurity and poverty to one of prominence and wealth. Tomorrow we will share more of the crippled orphan’s story.

Sue Winchester
Missouri

PRAY TOGETHER: Pray for workers Mick and Rachel, leaving for a short term assignment this week. Pray also that they would soon receive visas enabling them to begin a long-term assignment in a European country.