Devotion
When jealousy rears it’s ugly head
David Jacobs
I have been a musician for most of my life, playing the piano and violin and even composing some of my own music. I always enjoyed playing in front of people and sharing what I had learned. Playing with other people can get competitive, and I remember playing for an orchestra in my youth. I was the concertmaster, meaning I was one of if not the best violinist in the orchestra, when a young girl, maybe 11 years old, joined the orchestra. "She can't possibly play with us," I thought, but then I heard her play. She was incredible, probably better than me, and instead of being happy to have such a young and talented musician in the orchestra, I became jealous and insecure. Eventually I grew to really love that young girl, because she was sweet, innocent, and talented, but I vividly remember the embarrassment I felt when I first heard her playing better than me.
Saul and David's story occurs in the reverse order of my orchestra story. Saul's eldest son, Jonathan, becomes close friends with David. Saul initially loves David like a son, and every task that Saul gives to David he achieves with amazing results. He felt like I should have felt when the young girl joined my orchestra: lucky to have such a valuable member on our side.
Things change when Saul hears women singing the praises of David, saying that Saul has killed thousands and David his tens of thousands. This flips Saul's opinion. He thought they were allies, but hearing others compare him with David leads him to make the same comparison. He feels insecure and cautious, wary of every move that David makes thereafter.
Prayer
God has blessed us all with so much, including Saul and David. Don't make the mistakes that Saul and I made: view other people positively. Everyone can leave a positive impression on you, especially if you try to make a positive impression on them. God would want it no other way.
Night Prayer
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.
Inspiration
We despise the thought of a pile of dirty dishes in the sink. The outside is easy to clean; it's the caked-up residue on the inside that's so difficult to remove. Jesus compares the scribes and Pharisees with dishes that have been wiped clean on the outside while dirty inside. The Pharisees took exceptional care of their outward appearance and neglected their inward spirits. We are guilty of allowing our hearts to be left filthy as well. We look and act as we should while our souls are full of darkness. We must continue to converse with the Holy Spirit daily and trust His guidance to cleanse our sinful nature.
Prayer
Dear God, Please forgive our sinful nature. We yearn for cleansing from within, so we are genuine witnesses to Your name. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
