October 18 -- "Righteousness Rewarded"

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 26

"Righteousness Rewarded"

David has just spared Saul’s life (for the second time). David now confronts Saul with the fact that he did him no harm when he had the perfect opportunity to end his life. Surely David would have done himself a great favor by getting rid of Saul, who was making his life miserable. Or, would he?

David, in his words to Saul, explains why he did not jump at the opportunity to harm him – because the “Lord rewards every man for his righteousness and faithfulness.” David refused to better his own life if it meant compromising his convictions. He weighed out the situation and came to the conclusion that eternal rewards from the hand of God were far more important than the instant gratification he would’ve gained by killing Saul. He chose eternal gratification over instant gratification because He knew that His Lord was a God who rewards righteous acts.

It isn’t hard to understand what the Lord wants from us.  It’s not complicated. To gain His blessing and reward we don’t have to go through some complicated series of actions or religion. No, the Lord blesses us and rewards us for two actions – righteousness and faithfulness.

Righteousness means to act rightly and in accordance with God’s moral guidelines. That means He wants us to live in accordance with His holy word. When faced with a dilemma, we must do as David did and weigh the consequences of our actions against God’s moral law. We must choose obedience to His word over instant gratification.

Faithfulness means to be firm in your allegiance to God and His expressed purpose for your life. When we came to Christ, we made a promise to be faithful to Him and His calling upon our lives. Faithfulness involves remaining true to that promise and carrying out His plan (to the best of our ability).

The Lord rewards every one of us for our righteousness and our faithfulness. His rewards come in many forms. Sometimes He rewards us instantly with temporal blessings. Sometimes His rewards wait until we enter His eternal kingdom. But you can be sure of one thing – the Lord will reward you for your righteousness and faithfulness. Especially when your action or reaction comes from a decision to choose His ways and His truth over your own benefit and gratification.

David spared Saul’s life because his desire for God’s rewards far outweighed his need for temporal advantage.