The end of Saul’s life is a tragic episode. It is not because he died a violent death; we read of many such deaths in scripture. It is not because he suffered; others have suffered more. It is because it was so needless. Everything he tried to escape, met him at the end. It is always that way. Any running from God is a short race. It is much better to fear God and obey His commandments, for this is what it means to be human.

 

Did you ever almost win? There is something that awakens in a person when they find themselves there. Did you ever almost win, and give up, so insuring the loss? What is the difference between these scenarios? Each individual has the ability within them to win. It may be at a different level than others, but it is still there. I can guarantee that you will never win if you give up.

 

The day that David left the land of Israel and moved to the land of the Philistines, he made a decision that had unintended consequences. Had he known, perhaps he would have done things differently. That is the problem with big decisions. It is also the motivation to be people who strive to follow the will of God, which is a filter for the decisions we make.

 

With the passing of days, complications in life ebb and flow. That means I must dig deeper in my faith as life becomes more complicated. Is there something there to dig out? That is what today is all about. We are to be active disciples, constantly changing and growing. When you get to the end of your days, that is all you will have.

 

The statement above is wisdom given to the world by Carlo Collodi in the 1880’s. He wrote The Adventures of Pinocchio, the story of a wooden puppet who becomes a real boy. The struggles of life often call for great wisdom and courage. The conscience can be a good guide, if the conscience is morally trained by the knowledge of God…head knowledge and heart knowledge.

 

In 2 Peter 1:5-7, Peter encourages a type of faith that is constantly growing and changing. Once we come to faith, however difficult that process may be, we have only just begun. God puts within us the desire to do good with our lives, but good has to be directed by knowledge that comes from above.

 

What happens when things appear to be getting out of hand and out of your control? Sometimes we become desperate and do things in a frantic way. Other times we turn to our faith and make a commitment to do things differently, hopefully bringing about some sort of change. A third option is what we see in Jonathan, son of King Saul. His actions are of a person who knows that in all things, God is in control.

 

This most popular of stories from scripture reveals many lessons about bold faith. David’s action establishes him as a hero of faith. Most heroes don’t set out to be heroes. They usually just do what needs to be done.