Greetings.
The Thanksgiving holiday is here tomorrow, and the Christmas Season after that. This Tuesday morning ahead of the special day, the elves were working back in our food and clothing distribution center (Careworks). The holidays put people in a “bless others” type-of mood, and a woman came in with her own bags of clothing, delivering help when we needed it. Let this be not only the theme of the devotional this week, but a value we carry throughout the years: helping others with what we have been given.
Today’s Scripture is out of 1 Samuel chapter 17, which reads:
Now Jesse said to his son David, “Take this ephah of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread for your brothers and hurry to their camp. take along these ten cheeses to the commander of their unit.”
David left his things with the keeper of supplies, ran to the battle lines and asked his brothers how they were. As he was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, stepped out from his lines and shouted his usual defiance, and David heard it. Whenever the Israelites saw the man, they all fled from him in great fear.
Now the Israelites had been saying, “Do you see how this man keeps coming out? He comes out to defy Israel. The king will give great wealth to the man who kills him. He will also give him his daughter in marriage and will exempt his family from taxes in Israel.”
David asked…, “Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?”
David said to Saul, “Let no one lose heart on account of this Philistine; your servant will go and fight him” (1 Sam 17: 17-18; 22-32).
Firstly, instead of facing their giants alone, that without our help people are regularly on the run.
Delivering timely help to any and all who arrive at the door is what our Careworks staff does each and every week. I also know of people in our community like Brian and Rebecca Bicknell who are giving away turkeys and meals this evening. This is another wonderful example of bringing our little blessings to help others.
Let me suggest, our delivery becomes much more significant than we might originally anticipate. And, the same was true, when David’s father, Jesse, sent his young son David to supply his brothers and their commander food help. The army was partially nourished and encouraged, but God also used the circumstance to put David in the place where he would be mightily used as well.
We are in a good season, and that is because of your commitment to follow in the ways of the ancients who stood at the crossroads of hardship themselves, and walked down the better roads of offering timely help to others who are already engaged in battles that we’re often not aware of.
I’m excited that Joe and the team will again facilitate our worship time and then I’ll continue the conclusion of The With-God Life sermon series. We’ll follow the story of the life of a genuine believer and encourager in the Old Testament – Joseph.
Happy Thanksgiving,
Seth
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