DAILY DEVOTION No. 29

                           WHAT IS ETERNAL?                                      

Acts 5:19-20 ^19”But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and 

brought them out. ²⁰“Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people the full 

message of this new Life.” 

I ask myself in these days of constant wars between countries, what is important in my life?  

Stories that have come out of tragic experiences tell us that victims think of the people they love 

not the things they love. What is important is relationships. Family – friends – who I influence – 

these things are eternal. These are the things I will carry into heaven with me. We are living in 

troubled times as we very well know. We should be asking the question of the Lord, "What do you 

want to say to your people?"

As we read above, Acts 5:19-20 says ^19”But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the 

doors of the jail and brought them out. ²⁰“Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the 

people the full message of this new Life.” Are you always prepared to share the message of this 

new life?

Let us look at King David’s life and the influence he had on others. First of all, he had a big 

influence on his best friend Jonathan. In 1 Sam 18:1 we read, “¹After David had finished talking 

with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.” We all need to 

have a good friend to tell our heart to. Someone who will be our soul mate, and a person who we 

will have unity of spirit with. 

What about David's relationship towards God ordained authority? In 1 Sam 18:10-11 we read, 

^"The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his 

house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he 

hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice." What was 

David's response to King Saul's desire to kill him? We see this in 1 Sam 24:10 - ^"This day you 

have seen with your own eyes how the LORD delivered you into my hands in the cave. Some 

urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lift my hand against my master, because 

he is the Lord’s anointed.’ David honoured and submitted to Saul even though Saul had lost the 

kingdom and was wanting to kill him. This life was in David.

Even with David’s mighty men we see how he changed them from a bunch of distressed, in debt and discontented men (1 Sam 22:1-2) when they first joined him, to a group of mighty men. This happened because of his example and the life of God in him. When they were to fight the Philistines in 1 Sam 23:1-5, David showed he was a man of God and presented courage in the face of fear - ¹When David was told, “Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah and are looting the threshing floors,” ²he inquired of the LORD, saying, “Shall I go and attack these Philistines?” The LORD answered him, “Go, attack the Philistines and save Keilah.” ³But David’s men said to him, “Here in Judah we are afraid. How much more, then, if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces!” ⁴Once again David inquired of the LORD, and the LORD answered him, “Go down to Keilah, for I am going to give the Philistines into your hand.” ⁵So David and his men went to Keilah, fought the Philistines and carried off their livestock. He inflicted heavy losses on the Philistines and saved the people of Keilah. These men watched David, they lived with him. David lived the life that was in him. 

Even before the ungodly David showed God’s life in him. In 1 Sam 29:6 after spending some time with Achish the Philistine, Achish said these words, “As surely as the LORD lives, you have been reliable, and I would be pleased to have you serve with me in the army. From the day you came to me until now, I have found no fault in you..”

David had a beautiful, intimate relationship with God and this was why he was so effective. He taught his men good attitudes, submission to authority, repentance, and worship. He saw change take place in their lives by allowing the life of God to be lived out through him. We have a responsibility to God to serve Him well, by how we live. Let us keep eternity in our hearts and like David plus the apostles in the above scripture reference, let us, by the life we live, go, stand and speak to the people around us and present to them the whole message of this life.

Challenge  

How do you live before others? Do they see the life of God in you or are they disappointed with what they see? Each of us are 'living epistles know and read of men' so we must always keep watch over our lives to make sure people see Christ in us. 

Prayer

Father, help me to present to others the full message of this life. May they not be disappointed by what they see but rather, let the life that I live bring change in them.