Sin, Faith, Duty
17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. 2 It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. 3 So watch yourselves.
“If your brother or sister[a] sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. 4 Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”
5 The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”
6 He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.
7 “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? 8 Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? 9 Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? 10 So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke+17&version=NIV
Choose Thankfulness
For years, nothing in King David’s life looked “good.” His family underestimated him, giants despised him, and his father-in-law spent years trying to kill him. But the whole time, David clung to a promise that God would establish him, and eventually make him king of Israel.
David never gave up or gave in—he chose to stay close to God and wait for Him to act. And when God showed up, this is how David responded:
“Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”
1 Chronicles 16:34 NIV
David knew that even when life didn’t look good, he served a God who IS good. And this same God is still actively fighting for us now.
Through His Son, Jesus, He has given us continual access to Himself. We can never lose His unfailing love toward us—a love that endures forever, no matter what goes on around us.
David recognized this, and proclaimed it. And every day, we have the opportunity to do the same.
Here are 2 practical ways that we can respond to ...