David

Our True Worth

Carol Purves Carol's Blog ,

When I think of some of the members that make up the congregation of my church I realise that they could be described as saints but they are not necessarily the ones who have positions of importance. I think of Justin who is always helping when there is anything to be moved or lifted. Then there is Hilda who makes cakes for every occasion. Pamela is the one who always phones anyone who is sick or in trouble. During the pandemic she was a life-line to so many.

It reminds me of the story of David being chosen as king of Israel. He was the youngest son and only a shepherd and although being described in 1 Samuel 16 as glowing with health, having a fine appearance and handsome features, he obviously wasn’t as striking as his brothers

When we think of how much is spent in this country on cosmetic products, cosmetic surgery and other procedures to defy aging, we realise that society looks on the outward appearance. In Samuel we read ‘ The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart .

Michal

Carol Purves Carol's Blog , ,

How often have you heard a sermon about the life of Michal (pronounced mee CHAL)? Well I have now. At our church we are going through a list of dubious characters in the Bible and last week Michal was the topic. She was the daughter of Saul and given to David as his wife. It seems that she was very much in love with David but for David it was probably a political marriage.

The most well known incidence in her life was when she despised David as he danced with joy before the ark, scantily clothed. She also suffered periods of exile and it seems she was not happy in the marriage.

As always I wondered what moral the preacher would have for us in the 21st century. What did I need to learn from the story and the sermon? Where did Michal turn her eyes. We fix our eyes on who we love. As she loved David, she only fixed her eyes on him and not God. Do we fix our eyes on what we love? – God. And a final thought God fixes His eyes on us because He loved us.

Lonely

Carol Purves Carol's Blog , ,

I read that in a certain nation it has been known for people to commit crimes so that they can have the companionship of inmates in a prison cell. That sounds a bit extreme to me, but have things really got that bad? Jesus knew how important it was to have friends and a support team. If Jesus needed that, surely so do we. There is the saying that to have a friend, we need to be a friend. That could be a ‘double whammy’ as we wouldn’t be so lonely and befriended would also have fellowship.

Of course isolated or sick people can’t do much remedy the situation but in my own life I make connections when I am fit so that when ill-health overtakes me, there are some friends already in place. The Bible is full of examples of friendship. Take David with his Jonathan, Elijah with Elisha, Paul with Timothy. Ecclesiastes 4:9 tells us ‘Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work.’ Mankind was made for relationships.