A snip of fabric proved David to be trustworthy. It demonstrated his allegiance and his submission both to God and to His anointed King, Saul.
Sometimes having a tangible reminder of who we are is important. It’s the visible evidence of God’s work in us that reminds us when we are tempted to act, instead, on the lies of the enemy. We cast our eyes on that remembrance, recall who we are without Christ and who we are, now, because of Christ, and we find the strength to continue in the hard path ahead.
The remembrance is not to exalt us, but to extol the God who empowers us for every good work. The trophy, the medal, the award — they remind us of how God can take a dead man and raise him. He can take a shepherd boy and make him king. He can take a slave and a prisoner and make him second in command over a great nation. There is nothing our God cannot do with one submitted soul.
Likewise, the token does not guarantee our future course. From our vantage point in history, we know David’s future. We know his failures and his faults. Submitting to God in honoring Saul did not prevent him from later committing adultery and plotting murder. Our laurels may be precious reminders of God’s grace, but they don’t keep us from presuming upon His grace in the future. Especially if we mistakenly think they are about us, not about God.
What reminders do you keep of God’s grace to you? Do you ever slip into the delusion that they are about your skills and your abilities and forget that your next breath is a gift from God? What narrow scrapes has He rescued you from? How do you remind yourself of God’s generosity in saving you?
Sometimes having a tangible reminder of who we are is important. It’s the visible evidence of God’s work in us that reminds us when we are tempted to act, instead, on the lies of the enemy. We cast our eyes on that remembrance, recall who we are without Christ and who we are, now, because of Christ, and we find the strength to continue in the hard path ahead.
The remembrance is not to exalt us, but to extol the God who empowers us for every good work. The trophy, the medal, the award — they remind us of how God can take a dead man and raise him. He can take a shepherd boy and make him king. He can take a slave and a prisoner and make him second in command over a great nation. There is nothing our God cannot do with one submitted soul.
Likewise, the token does not guarantee our future course. From our vantage point in history, we know David’s future. We know his failures and his faults. Submitting to God in honoring Saul did not prevent him from later committing adultery and plotting murder. Our laurels may be precious reminders of God’s grace, but they don’t keep us from presuming upon His grace in the future. Especially if we mistakenly think they are about us, not about God.
What reminders do you keep of God’s grace to you? Do you ever slip into the delusion that they are about your skills and your abilities and forget that your next breath is a gift from God? What narrow scrapes has He rescued you from? How do you remind yourself of God’s generosity in saving you?
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