April 5 1 Samuel 26-31 & 1 Cor. 15

Do you trust in the Lord or yourself? In the end, Saul could not or would not trust the Lord. His armor bearer would not take his life, so he did it himself. It is sad when Saul or anyone gets to the point that they see no value in their lives or are unable to see where help can come from. Regarding Salvation History, yes Saul was going to need to exit stage right. David was to be king, but David would not take Saul’s life and neither should he have taken his life. Yes, there was the prospect of suffering ahead for Saul if the Philistines captured him, but neither he nor we know that was a done deal. So while we can see the movement to having David as king, we can not know as human beings how Saul would end up. Life is a gift from God. It would be a blessing if we could all honor that reality.

1 Corinthians 15:3-8, “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures; that he was buried; that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures; that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me.” The core of the Gospel is that Jesus died for us and rose and was seen. That is it. The rest is gravy. Paul tells us that some are still alive that witnessed all this and he encouraged the Corinthians to talk to them. Let us trust Paul’s witness and live the gift that Jesus has given us by freeing us from our sin. Today when you are tempted, recall these verses and draw strength in Christ.