Surrender to God’s Purposes
Delayed Rewards

Scripture: 1 Samuel 24:19

When a man finds his enemy, does he let him get away unharmed? May the Lord reward you well for the way you treated me today.

Yesterday’s devotional set the stage for us to understand another slice of how to be led by God. David had the opportunity to take things into his own hands and kill King Saul. But David knew that opportunity doesn’t automatically mean it is God’s way! When we get serious about being led by God, we will need to be very cautious about handling the “opportunities” that come our way. Some Christ followers assume that when a “door opens” to some issue we are dealing with, it must have opened by the hand of God! That is not a good assumption. David relied on his knowledge of God’s principles…the king, at that time, was an “anointed by God” position. David knew better than to cause harm to an anointed man of God, even if that man might be doing wrong at the time. David knew to let God be the judge and avenger of another man’s sins.

Because David acted upon principle, God would bring great rewards to his life. But these rewards were not immediate. Our scripture for today is King Saul’s response to the kindness of David’s decisions. Though King Saul had turned to evil deeds, he knew God was going to reward David for acting on principles rather than the emotion of the immediate.

All of us want to enjoy the rewards of God in our lives – who wouldn’t? But not everyone is willing to deny immediate gratification and act upon what we know to be right! God’s greatest rewards are usually “delayed rewards.” Are you willing to wait?

Father, as you unfold your divine purposes in me and around me, I commit, today, to look to your principles more than immediate opportunities. In Jesus’ Name, amen.