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RUN LIKE A CHAMPION

RUN WITH ENDURANCE THE RACE SET BEFORE YOU

DAILY VIDEO DEVOTIONAL

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Anyone can love someone who loves them. And a few people can love those who are not attached to their lives in any way. But only by the grace of God can anyone truly love those who hate them. Yet that was the standard of Jesus. He taught His followers to love their enemies — and to pray for those who persecute them. Only when we taste the love of God are we enabled to love our enemies.
I remember hearing a young communist yell in my face, “I’ll put my fist down your throat! I hate you!” He didn’t know how to handle my response when I said, “I love you! And if you hit me, I pray that every drop of blood will remind you of the blood that Jesus shed on the cross to forgive you of your sins.” All he could do was run away. He didn’t know how to stand in the face of such love.
Religion tells us to love others. But only the grace of God can enable us to love those who hate us. David had every human reason to develop a heart of bitterness and hatred. Saul determined to kill him. His reasons couldn’t be justified. But jealousy and rage had eaten away Saul’s spiritual life, and he decided to eliminate David.
Once, due to the providence of God, David found himself in the same cave as King Saul — only Saul didn’t know it. David had the perfect opportunity to kill Saul. It appeared that David had the providence and the promises of God on his side. God had promised that David would one day be king. And providentially, Saul unknowingly entered the same cave as David. So David could have rationalized killing Saul. Even his men wanted him to take advantage of the opportunity. He was so close to killing Saul, he cut off a part of his robe.
But he didn’t kill the king. There were reasons he didn’t. Important ones. First, we need to understand that David did indeed flirt with revenge and death. The Spirit of God took David to task. The Bible says, “David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe” (1 Samuel 24:5). Revenge and hate are choices we can make. But when we entertain those thoughts, we are playing with fire. The best thing to do with revenge is to lay it at the feet of Jesus.
Second, David showed respect to Saul. The Scriptures say, “Then David went out of the cave and called out to Saul, ‘My lord the king!’ When Saul looked behind him, David bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground” (1 Samuel 24:8). He knew that God had placed Saul as king and allowed him to continue in that position. He also knew how evilly Saul had acted. But instead of becoming bitter, David became better. He respected Saul: not for his character, but for his position.
Third, David appealed to Saul. He showed the king the part of his robe he had cut off and said, “Don’t you understand?! I’m not against you.” David spoke in the most tender terms. He referred to Saul as “my father.” David chose the way of love over the way of hate. He made a decision to draw from God’s love rather than allow a root of bitterness to take hold in his life.
Finally, we see that God rewarded David’s decision. Saul was deeply moved by David’s words and actions. He was broken and began to weep. When we make the right decisions, it doesn’t mean we will never again have difficulties. But it does mean that we are prime candidates for God’s deliverance. God delivered David. And He’ll deliver you and me. But we must make a choice. To hate rather than love is easy. But to love rather than hate is supernatural. And to love those who hate us shows nothing less than the supernatural grace of God. Why don’t you draw on God’s grace today?

1 Samuel : Chapter 24
1)  [a]After Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2)  So Saul took three thousand able young men from all Israel and set out to look for David and his men near the Crags of the Wild Goats. 3)  He came to the sheep pens along the way; a cave was there, and Saul went in to relieve himself. David and his men were far back in the cave. 4)  The men said, “This is the day the Lord spoke of when he said[b] to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.’” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5)  Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. 6)  He said to his men, “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 the anointed of the Lord.” 7)  With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.

Book of the Month

Sammy Tippit told his fiancée, “I can’t promise we’ll be rich, but life won’t be boring.”
Sammy had no idea what an understatement that would become. Beginning in the bars of Baton Rouge and the nightclubs of Chicago, Tippit has shared the news of life-changing faith in Christ all over the world – including in the middle of a revolution in Romania, the aftermath of genocide in Rwanda, and war in Burundi and the Congo.
Sammy’s lifelong adventure has come at a great price. He’s been cursed, threatened, arrested, deported, and blacklisted. He’s also been personally broken, ravaged with illness, and devastated by grief.
Yet he continues to preach to in stadiums, in open fields, and via satellite technology to hundreds of thousands around the globe.  For all other books…

About Sammy Tippit Ministries

STM has been providing inspiration and help around the world for nearly 50 years. Sammy Tippit, founder and president, is a world renowned counselor, teacher and evangelist with experience serving and helping people in over 80 countries. Sammy provides materials that help people tackle a broad array of social, societal, psychological and spiritual issues. He is particularly passionate about making materials accessible to other countries around the world. Sammy is married to Debara “Tex” Tippit, and they have two children and five grandchildren.
Sammy Tippit Ministries is a registered 501c3 non-profit organization.
Contact: info@sammytippit.org

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