Editor’s Note: Today’s QT is written by RCC intern pastor Andrew Kim.
Devotional Thoughts for Today
1 Samuel 18:6-9:
6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. 7 And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” 8 And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on.
Have you ever had a friend or knew somebody who was always good at everything? Smarter, funnier, better looking, more social, more successful, etc. When I was growing up, I had a friend who fit this description, and as much as I cherished our friendship, I couldn’t help but feel jealous. I grew up in a culture where comparing yourself to others was something innate within us. Mothers would always compare their children to other children like trophies to be bragged about at their next hangout.
This culture doesn’t stop there, but I see it as I walk through San Francisco today where you can feel the competition. It’s almost as if no one can actually be genuinely happy for someone’s success without a part of them feeling, “Where’s mine?” Charles Spurgeon describes this reality as “the depravity of our nature that we do not readily rejoice in the progress of others if they leave us behind; but we must school ourselves to this.” Everything we do is relative to what the person next to us does, and as we compare ourselves to each other, jealousy is inevitable. We’ve all seen it, been a part of it, guilty of it, and we all know the dangers of it.
Here in this passage, we see that jealousy takes root in the heart of Saul. Any victory that Saul took pride in, David accomplished more. Saul was king by title, but it seemed like David was king in the hearts of the people. Saul compares his worth to that of David’s achievements and forgets that it was God who had ordained Saul as king. Jealousy leads to Saul’s unexplainable feelings of anger, discontentment, and threat as he is now crippled with fear and insecurity. It not only destroys Saul’s calling over his life and his heart, but also the work that God is doing through David.
It’s easy to dismiss such an account because maybe we have not let our jealousy lead to murder. However, how many times has jealousy robbed us of our own calling and anointing over our lives? Rather than understanding and living in the identity that God has called us in, we see others and can’t help but feel less competent, and it’s hard to feel genuinely happy for them. Thus, we strive to be more like them, to be better than them, and create expectations that only leave us emptier. Essentially, when we are being jealous, we discredit the unique gift and calling God has over our lives. As D.L Moody said, “My friend, if you are jealous, the only man you can hurt is yourself.”
Take some time to reflect on areas in your life where you find feelings of jealousy that have led to feelings of bitterness and insecurity. Maybe you feel like you’re not good enough and you’re asking, “Where’s mine?” Remember God the Father, His name is Jealous and unlike people, His jealousy is rooted in an unexplainable love for you. He loves you for who you are and not for what you can offer or for your achievements but simply as His child. Remind yourself and believe that He has a special calling over your life tailored to who you are. Remember all the things He has done and thank Him. Let us strive to not be like others, but to be more like Christ.
Bible Reading for Today: Jeremiah 14-15
About a month ago, my wife asked me my thoughts on the Brian Williams’ scandal, to which I responded with a blank, inquisitive, and ultimately clueless look. My wife then rebuked me, telling me, “You’ve got to look at more than just sports on the Internet.” She then proceeded to fill me in on the details of how Williams claimed to have been in a helicopter that was shot down in Iraq in 2003, but over ten years later it was reported that he was not on that helicopter. He then claimed to be foggy on the details, and how embarrassing this incident was looking for him.
Every time I read this passage I think, “What is wrong with Saul? He totally fell off the wagon and is setting up idolatrous images of himself,” similar to Nebuchadnezzar’s statue (Dan. 3) or the golden calf (Ex. 33). In other words, I start to self-righteously judge Saul, thinking, “I could never do such an idolatrous thing like that.” But as I read this passage more carefully, I realize that the Bible never says that this monument was supposed to function as a center of idolatry, worshiping Saul. It simply says a “monument for himself.” It could have simply been a pile of rocks celebrating his victory over the Amalekites. In that light, I realized that not only do I set up monuments for myself, but our society is preoccupied with self-monuments. Think about it: Why do people write their names in wet concrete? Why do teenagers who are “in love” carve their names together in trees? Why are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. so popular? Why does every architect dream of designing a New York skyscraper? I could go on and on.
I cannot prove this scientifically, but I think “Saul” lives at my house in the form of a five-year old boy. I tell my son, “Saul (not his real name), clean up your room.” When I come back five minutes later, I see him in the middle of his still messy room, playing with legos or whatever toy he is into this month. Again, I tell him, “Saul, I told you to clean up your room!” Saul replies, “I did clean up my room. Look, I put the books away.” Sure, the lad has put the books away, but there are still a ton of legos, action figures, and craft supplies out all over the place.
When we think about growing in godliness, there are many factors that we can attribute to positive spiritual growth. We think about dedication to reading God’s word, faithfulness in prayer, serving, attending small group, and the list goes on. But one important thing that we often neglect in our pursuit of godliness is watching how we speak. With the exception of the heart and the mind, the tongue is probably the most sinful part of the body. Think of all the sin that comes out of our mouths: lying, slandering, gossip, put downs, cursing, boasting, just to mention a few.
When I think of Jonathan, the first word that comes to my mind is “friendship.” Biblically speaking, we know Jonathan was the best friend of David, but even in this passage, we see that friendship was a vital part of Jonathan’s leadership style. It’s not difficult to get people to follow you using force, positional power, or even fear and intimidation, but it is entirely a different matter to have people give you their heart and soul. Clearly, there was something special about Jonathan that attracted people’s undivided friendship and loyalty. Even when faced with an impossible situation where Jonathan’s life hung on the balance, his armor bearer was willing to go with him heart and soul, even to death. Wouldn’t we all benefit from a friendship like this?
We live in a world where patience is losing its value. Remember when the Internet was first introduced, and you could hear the sound of the AOL dial up struggling to make that connection – only to hear your mom picking up the phone and that entire precious waiting wasted in a second? Today, we complain about lagging YouTube videos or long lines. We have entered into an era of instant gratification, and sadly this mindset is plaguing our spiritual lives as well. In many cases, waiting means losing, and we must do whatever it takes to win as self-sufficient people.
When I turned 30, I remember struggling with the concept of legacy, because I thought I had wasted most of my twenties and had accomplished little in my life. By the word “legacy,” I’m referring to the idea of how you will be remembered and whether or not your life has made an impact. As I thought of all the people that I knew who had gone on to become successful in business and other respected professions, for the first time, I seriously gave some reflection on what I was leaving behind as a pastor. In hindsight, maybe I was overly self-critical because I was reading the biographies of people who had accomplished great things before their 30th birthday. For example, John Calvin wrote The Institutes of the Christian Faith during his twenties. Charles Spurgeon was leading the London Tabernacle, a church of ten thousand people, before the age of thirty. But this self-reflection provided a healthy sense of urgency as well.