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The true mark of God’s children – Part 3

By Abel Ukachi Amadi
19 February 2023   |   3:54 am
In the sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:44, the Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us that we may be the sons of our Father in heaven.

Amadi

Text: Matthew 5:43-45; Genesis 45:1-3; 1 Samuel 24:1-5

Key verse: 1 Samuel 24:1: “Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand: for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it.” (KJV)

In the sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:44, the Lord Jesus Christ commanded us to love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us that we may be the sons of our Father in heaven. A good example of obedience to this command is the story of how David resisted the temptation to kill his avowed enemy King Saul in 1 Samuel Chapter 24. Saul chose trained and experienced three thousand soldiers to search for David all over the place to kill him and David was aware of this plan. One day it happened that as David was running around for safety, he entered into a cave in the wilderness of Engedi to hide himself. Unfortunately for Saul, in his search for David with his men, David entered into one side of that same cave to take a little rest, but Saul did not know that David and his soldiers were there already.

When David’s men saw king Saul, they said to David, now is your opportunity to kill Saul; here is the day of which the Lord promised you your trouble would end.

David’s men rejoiced that God has answered their prayers and they pleaded with David to allow them to use their spear to kill Saul. Then David arose, and cut off the edge of Saul’s robe secretly. David turned to his men and said to them: “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is anointed of the Lord,” (1 Samuel 24:6).

The Bible said that David restrained his soldiers from killing King Saul and Saul left the cave unhurt. David’s men knew that by the time Saul was killed, it would be their turn to rule and occupy the seat of kingship. David preferred to be in the bush running around for safety than to kill the anointed of God. He preferred to wait for God’s time to deliver him from his enemy than to kill him.

David said to Saul: “Why are you believing the lies of people who say I intend to harm you?” (1 Samuel 24:9). There are people who grow fat with crisis. There are those who get enriched with causing trouble and they would not want the crisis to end because they are gaining from it and making fortune out of it. These were the kind of people that surrounded Saul. Some people evidently laboured to deepen Saul’s jealousy and to widen the gap between Saul and David.

Today in the believer’s circle, there are some people who insinuate something between two brethren so that they continue to quarrel and then, they will continue to grow fat and fatter. The Bible said that ill-gotten riches have no lasting value, but right living can save your life (Proverbs 10:2).

The true mark of a child of God is that you are ready to forgive and let go countless time. Let us like David restrain ourselves from causing more harm; paying evil for evil, storing bitterness and anger in our hearts and seeking for an opportunity to do harm. It is when you do these things that you will be called a son of God.

• Today’s nugget: Restrain yourself from doing harm. Prayer: Lord help me to restrain myself from doing harm. Prayer lines: 08033299824. E-mail: amadiabelukachi@gmail.com Rev. (Dr.) Abel Ukachi Amadi, General Superintendent, Assemblies of God Nigeria

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