It must have grieved David to have suffered evil from those he loved and only sought to do good for; but the old evil of jealousy entered into the heart of Saul and the man that Saul once loved and respected was now considered an enemy.

Jealousy is a dangerous trait which was the cause of the very first murder when Cain killed his brother, Abel.  We must be glad and rejoice when our co-workers or friends are placed in a higher position or given a raise instead of letting envy enter our hearts.  We can deceive ourselves into thinking that we are justified in our envy.  We can listen to others who are envious when they speak to stir up hatred within us.  "We have been here longer and have worked harder and deserve a raise more than them."   It is so easy to murmur and complain and feel like we are justified in doing so.  This can be avoided by prayer.  Look to God as our source.  Seek to please God and not man and He will reward you with His presence and power.  Seek treasure in Heaven and not on earth and God will supply what you need.  Be glad when something good happens to your neighbor and avoid the enemy's temptation to envy them.  Be thankful for what you already have and perhaps you will be rewarded with more.  Do you really think God will reward us with better things if we are not thankful for what we already have? 

What grieves me also is election campaigns. If we believe in God and are living for God, we must not allow ourselves to be part of the hate and discord in party politics. Yes, we must stand out against sin and wrong but not allow the hate and mud slinging to enter our hearts as believers in Jesus Christ.

If we find ourselves desiring to hear something bad about the candidate that we are not supporting, then that is a bad sign. If we find ourselves laughing at jokes that belittle any candidate, we need to examine ourselves. Let us not be part of the mudslinging that goes with presidential campaigns. If we find ourselves quick to believe the worst of the one we are against and our willingness to overlook a dangerous trait in the one we are for, then we need to examine ourselves and make sure we do not become part of the political scene which is out to discredit and destroy someone's reputation just to win an election. Its not worth it. Envy causes much of this.  One party wants power and envies anyone who gets credit for doing something good so they seek to discredit the person they envy.  This is evil and wrong. 

David was hunted down by Saul and fled for his life. This was not because of any evil that David had done but because Saul was insane with jealousy of David. David at that time was a man who feared and depended on God. David was loyal to King Saul and would have never lifted up his hand to undermine Saul's authority and his rule. God was the one that replaced Saul with David. David himself would not lift up his hand against Saul. Yet David was hated and hunted down like a criminal. Saul probably slandered and made people think that David was evil.  The news media will do this today if we let them.  Let us refuse to be stirred up against someone just by a rumor.

We need to pray for our country also because we are getting to the place where we love evil more than good. The bible today is torn apart, questioned and taken lightly. When I was a child, even the drunks and rebellious people respected the bible and the church. Today people who believe in the bible is called evil and people who ignore the bible and do what is right in their own eyes are called good. 

Do we love to hear words that are devouring the reputation and credibility of someone? Do we love to hear the words of deceit and flattery to ourselves but love to hear words the demean someone else?

Saul was removed from being king for his rebellion against God and his treachery against David. We must pray that we ourselves do not become part of the evil of tearing down and destroying someone with false accusations and complaining. Pray for the leaders of your country. If you happen to have an evil leader then pray that God will remove him and replace him with a leader that fears the word of God. I would rather see God change the heart of a bad leader than to remove him but if they refuse correction, God can cause him to be removed. 

We cannot trust in anything accept God. All other things pass away and become as nothing. Riches cannot deliver the soul from spiritual death. The soul that sins, shall die. We need to look to God for the salvation of our souls and not look to the strength of man that passes away. Please God, not man. God is our refuge. Trust in man will fail every time.

God will never fail anyone who trusts in Him and acknowledges Him as Lord.

Webmaster: newlighthouse@emailservice.com