Seek & Serve

Narrow is the road that leads to life. It is found as you love your neighbor as yourself putting into practice the words of Jesus. 

“When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept…David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; David found strength in the Lord his God. and David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue…They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. David asked…Can you lead me down to this raiding party?” He answered, “I will take you down to them.” David fought them…recovered everything the Amalekites had taken…all the evil men and troublemakers among David’s followers said, “Because they did not go out with us, we will not share with them the plunder…No, my brothers, you must not do that with what the Lord has given us. He has protected us and delivered…The share of the man who stayed with the supplies is to be the same as that of him who went down to the battle. All will share alike.” 1 Samuel 30:3-24

Can you imagine coming home and finding everything you loved gone? Wouldn’t that send you into a spiral or send you into a rage? Look at how David responds. In the midst of his pain, he still pursued God.  He stopped to ask God before he went on the attack. He inquired of the Lord. How many of us would stop to ask God if it was okay to go fight back?

David does not know how it will all work out and what’s remarkable is that he takes the time to feed a foreigner on the way to the fight. Who would ever do this? Would you not feel justified in running right by the Egyptian? Remember he needs to save his family but he doesn’t miss the opportunity to save a single person in the process. How often do we miss God’s purposes because we hurry to pursue what we think we need to do? 

It is so amazing to see how God works. In feeding the foreigner David finds the answer he was looking for in how to find his family and friends. As we do God’s work, He does our work.  David recovers everything that had been taken and more.  Afterwards, the evil men argue that those who didn’t join the fight shouldn’t share in the blessing. David says all will share alike. 

Does that not remind you of the words of Jesus when he tells the parable of the workers who get the same wages? Seeing all victory and rewards as gift from God allowed David to maintain a generous spirit. What lessons could we learn from the story that could shape how we live and how we give? 

“I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; The cords of death entangled me, I was overcome by distress and sorrow. Then I called on the name of the Lord: “Lord, save me!” The Lord is gracious and righteous; our God is full of compassion. What shall I return to the Lord for all his goodness to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord. Truly I am your servant, Lord; you have freed me from my chains. I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of the Lord.”

Psalms 116:1-17

David sang of how he asked and how God answered. Paul said in the book of Romans that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved. David told how that happened for him. He praised God for his grace, righteousness and compassion then wonders how he can repay and reflect God. 

What was his response?  He chose to lift up the cup of salvation and serve God with thanksgiving.  Why does it matter that he lifted up the cup? It changes his focus.  As he lifted up the cup, his eyes saw all that God has done, and it empowered him to serve as he was made to serve.

“The integrity of the upright guides them, Wealth is worthless in the day of wrath, Those who are kind benefit themselves…the one who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward. Truly the righteous attain life, but whoever pursues evil finds death. Be sure of this: The wicked will not go unpunished, but those who are righteous will go free. One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed…the one who is wise saves lives.” Proverbs 11:3-30

Solomon described a dividing line. There are those who are righteous, and those who are not.  He calls out the people who commit their lives to doing what God commands and those who do not.  He says the righteous will receive a sure reward and attain life. The righteous will experience freedom as they follow. It helps to understand where the path you are traveling will lead. If you want a sure reward, freedom, and wisdom then pursue the road that leads there. Consider these words in light of Jesus promise of forgiveness of our sins, the Holy Spirit and eternal life. 

Solomon gets very specific about how you can see if you are living righteously. The measure he uses is how we treat other people. Will we be generous and kind? Solomon said those who are kind benefit themselves and those who refresh others will be refreshed. What keeps us from being generous? Is it not a fear that we will not have enough? Consider how David refreshed the Egyptian even after losing all of his stuff and in doing so found the reward he had been hoping for of his family. His limited resources did not stop him from loving well.

Solomon said wealth is worthless on the day of wrath. Have you ever been so focused on acquiring more or afraid of what might happen that you missed a moment where you could have been God’s answer to someone else’s prayer? Do we believe that we can be generous and do we trust that God will provide for what we need later? How could you grow in your giving? What would happen if we committed to giving more each year? 

“In the streets they wear sackcloth; on the roofs and in the public squares they all wail, prostrate with weeping. So the wealth they have acquired and stored up they carry away over the Ravine” Isaiah 15:3, 7 

Isaiah warns Moab that there will be a day where all the wealth she had stored will be carried away by others. He said you will have a time of wailing and loss. 

Why does God tell them this through Isaiah? Because He wants them to repent and turn to Him. He wants them to change their ways and stop walking the road to destruction. 

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you…Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it…Watch out for false prophets. By their fruit you will recognize…every good tree bears good fruit…Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name…I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you…Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.”

Matthew 7:7-24

We live in a world that tells you to do what you want, when you want, how you want. Where will that take you? To the broad road of destruction. That’s what happened to the Amalekites who raided Ziklag and the people in Moab who hoarded wealth. Solomon said the wicked will not go unpunished. Living for oneself and not for God leads to dark, lonely, destructive places. The words of Jesus can be a little chilling if you listen closely.  He said there will be people who say, Lord, Lord but end of living apart from Him. He will tell them to leave. 

Jesus said it is those who listen and obey, those who do the Father’s will, and put into practice his words that will receive the kingdom here and now. He said ask, seek, knock, and serve. Many people simply stop at ask, seek, knock, but Jesus commands us to serve like He did. Are you willing to serve before you see your prayers answered?

He said you should know that God answers, God is present, and God opens doors. Think of how this connects with what David did during his most difficult time. He sought the Lord and asked for guidance then God sent him on his way where he met an Egyptian in need. In being a good neighbor, the door he had knocked on was opened and his reward was given. Is that not exactly how God works? Many times the answer to your prayers comes when you answer someone else’s prayer by serving God. 

Those who refresh others will be refreshed.  Jesus said the same thing in this passage when he said, do unto others what you want done. Jesus said take the initiative.  Do not sit back and wait for someone else to do something for you first. Many people have the mindset that they will be generous when they have more money or they will help others when they have more time. The wide road of when and if leads to never and no blessing. 

The gate to the narrow road begins by being a good neighbor.  Who could you help today? Ask God to put someone on your mind and then respond like David did by lifting your cup of salvation and letting God use you to bless them. 

It is easy to start thinking about your own performance and which road you are walking. The truth is you might have traveled both roads at times. The call is to narrow your focus and know that God will meet all your needs.  God is gracious, righteous and compassionate.  He is the giver of all things and each of us receive the same heavenly prize when we believe in Christ. As you focus on just doing the next right thing, our heavenly father is always working all things out for our good. Like David, we will see our prayers answered as we ask, seek, knock, and serve the next person we see in response to how God has already been working in our lives.