Now David said, “Is there still anyone who is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?”
2 Samuel 9:1 NKJV
I have often read this verse and thought what a great man of grace David was. In a day when the standard procedure was to eliminate all the off-spring of the king who preceded you to insure your children’s future as the nobility of the land, David is asking to show kindness. This time though I noticed that David’s grace was intentional. I think we need more intentional grace among God’s people today. David wanted to be kind to Saul’s descendants for Jonathan’s sake. He was trying to fulfill the covenant they had made the day he had fled into the wilderness to escape Jonathan’s father. The covenant was that however the king situation turned out they would be kind to the other’s children. They made grace a requirement in their relationship.
In a day where the standard procedures is to let everyone look out for themsleves, I encourage you to look at the church (the people, not the building) with David’s eye for intentional grace. Say to yourself, “Is there any one I can show kindness to for Jesus’ sake?” We have a covenant with Him that requires grace in our relationship just like the one David and Jonathan had. According to scripture we are members of one another. (Romans 12:5, Ephesians 4:25) He brought Jonathan’s son, Mephibosheth, to his own table. David is a picture of Jesus bringing us to His table because of the love-covenant He has with us. If we want to be like Christ we must intentionalize our grace too. We can’t wait for the mood to strike us. We have to predetermine specific things we will do and specific people to demonstrate God’s grace or we will miss opportunities lost in the moment.
The best way to be intentional with the grace of God is to evaluate your gifts and resources so you know what you have to bless others with. Then look for circumstances to use those gifts. Peter tells us, Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)
Taking Stock,
Pastor Jason
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