Monday; November 28
One of the great stories of the Bible is found in I Samuel 17. David, the young Israelite, answers the challenge of Goliath, the giant Philistine. Here, the young man armed with a slingshot, a few stones and a faith in God, killed the nemesis of his people. While most people are familiar with the David and Goliath story, there is something that is tucked away in I Chronicles 20 that is an interesting inspiration. Sometime after David’s feat, the Scriptures state, “And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan the son of Jair killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver’s beam. Again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot; and he also was descended from the giants. When he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David’s brother, killed him. These were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.” (I Chronicles 20:5-8). While this account praises the bravery of the Israelites, it also speaks volumes of David’s legacy. Had it not been for him, we don’t know if the Israelites would have had the confidence to face down their own giants.
When we live a life filled with faith, not only do we accomplish our own tasks, we can also inspire others to step out in confidence. When we accomplish the improbable, we show what can be done and others are more apt to accept the challenges.
Is there a challenging task ahead of you? Enter into it in faith. Not only will God be with you, you just might become an influence on others to think (and act) big!
Think About It!