MONDAY July 8, 2019
A Step Away from Death
“But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” So Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you yourself desire, I will do it for you.”
1 Samuel 20:3-4
Saul was trying to kill David at every turn––he pursued him relentlessly. David reasoned with Jonathan; he spoke the truth about Saul’s intentions to kill him. Saul kept his plans secret from Jonathan. David and Jonathan were such good friends. Saul knew the plan to kill David would cause Jonathan grief. Jonathan loved David. In truth, David told Jonathan he was but a step away from death, but he knew God held his life in His hands. Jonathan was committed to assist his friend any way he could.
David lived his life in the consciousness of death; the reality of death was on his mind. David’s statement––a step between me and death––is true for our own lives. None of us knows what is going to happen tomorrow or even the next hour! We do not know when death will happen. It sneaks up on us and often comes as a shock to us and our loved ones. Death is something we do not plan!
The truth is we are all a step away from death. Death can happen any moment––it can come any time. If we could know the day of our death, we would be warned, and we could plan ahead, but we do not know. We are not in charge of our lives. Knowing this,God wants us to trust him with our lives every single day.
The declaration David made, there is a step between me and death, should cause us to plan our lives in such a way to serve God now with everything we can––more than anything else we do in life. How long do we have? I do not know! What are we going to do with the days and years God has given to us?
Righteousness delivers from the sting of death, but not from the stroke of it.
~Matthew Henry~
For more from Raul Ries, please visit SomebodyLovesYou.com!