Flea, flee or free?

by Jonathan Krause

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… for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea (1 Samuel 26:20b).

Read 1 Samuel 26:5–25

Isn’t this just like yesterday’s reading? Two parties, far apart, one fearing the other, one brooding for revenge. Yet instead of the kind of bloodthirsty climax we’d expect if this were a Netflix show, a peaceable way forward is found.

Yesterday, it was Esau embracing and welcoming Jacob – Jacob was expecting to be the victim of what he likely thought was justifiable revenge for his act of trickery.

Today, it is David in a position to kill King Saul, who pursued David into the mountains in a fury of jealousy. Killing Saul would ensure David both safety and status … yet David holds back, knowing it would be going against God’s plan.

While David could have taken the opportunity to humiliate Saul, he instead humbles himself, calling himself a ‘flea’.

Could I do the same?

Is my trust in God complete enough that I will follow God’s command and plan? Even when my own human logic, my inbuilt desire for power and success, and the urging of those around me who see strength only in human terms, would lead me to do otherwise?

How hard it can be to be humble. Especially when we live in such a ‘Look-at-me’ world.

I think of social media influencers. Celebrities famous for being outrageous, rather than doing anything worthwhile. Footballers who kick a goal and then run to the boundary with their arms in the air, seeking the crowd’s acclaim, rather than turning to thank their teammates who did the hard work to make the goal possible.

Jesus shows us a different way.

In Philippians 2:8, we read that ‘Christ humbled himself and became obedient unto death’. Because Jesus has done that for us, we no longer need to fear being only a flea in the face of the world, nor do we need to flee the challenges and dangers it places before us.

Instead, Jesus has set us free. All we need to be is humble enough to trust.

Lord, sometimes it can be hard to place all my trust in you. My pride and confidence in my own powers get in the way. Sometimes the challenges I face seem too overwhelming, or I struggle to see you near me. Help me be humble enough to always place my trust in you in all ways. Amen.

Jonathan describes himself as a ‘happy husband, proud dad and grandad, ALWS worker and long-suffering Magpie fan’.

Sight for sore eyes

by Jonathan Krause

Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.

and then you will see clearly … (Matthew 7:5b).

Read Matthew 7:1–5

When I turned 50, I gave myself a gift. I’d saved for three years to afford to have my eyes lasered. In what seemed like moments, I could toss away the glasses I’d worn ever since I was 13. Glasses that needed to get thicker and more complex (and expensive) the older I got. I don’t remember the lasering hurting (apart from the hip-pocket), but it felt like a miracle.

Part of my working life was with an aid agency restoring sight in Africa through simple cataract operations. It was fascinating to watch the operations, often in remote villages in the poorest parts of the world, sometimes powered only by a car battery. I remember the joy as we peeled back the bandage, the patient slowly opened their eyes, and we saw the look of joy on their face as they realised they could see.

(Except for one old gentleman who hadn’t seen for 20 years. Through all that time, he had been cared for by his devoted wife. When his bandage was taken off, and he saw his wife for the first time in 20 years, he asked out loud, ‘Who’s this ugly old woman?’ Oh dear. It’s a wonder she didn’t give him two black eyes.)

It’s so easy for us to see the fault in others. To look at them and wonder why they did this, why they didn’t do that, and how could they?!

Too often, though, we fail to consider what might lie behind other people’s actions and the stories that have led them to do things we are quick to judge.

And how often do we fail to turn that mirror back on ourselves, to see how what we do may be hurting others?

There is an amazing liberation in having your sight restored. To see the world in all its true beauty. It’s not so lovely when you look at yourself, warts and all.

Yet, while that’s what God sees in looking at us – all the bits we try to hide away, cover up, ignore, defend and justify – somehow, God sees beyond that and loves us anyway. He sees a beauty in us that maybe we don’t when we hold ourselves in judgement.

Knowing God does that for us encourages us to do the same for others, no matter how tough that can sometimes be.

Let’s never lose sight of that.

Father God, thank you for letting me see you in Jesus. Help me be the person who helps other people see you, too. Amen.

Jonathan describes himself as a ‘happy husband, proud dad and grandad, ALWS worker and ever-hopeful Magpie fan’.

Why? Oh, why?

by Jonathan Krause

Click here to download your printable verse to carry with you today.

But he said, ‘Why should my lord be so kind to me?’ (Genesis 33:15b)

Read Genesis 33:1–16

You likely have more Bible-smarts than me, so I’ll leave it to you to explore the backstory of today’s reading.

Just make sure you enjoy the wonderful story of forgiveness, reconciliation and healing. While it’s not exactly a classic ‘happy ending’, it’s still encouraging to see the coming together that allows two brothers to carry on with their own individual life journeys with a sense of peace. They can move forward.

The words that jumped out to me were Jacob asking, ‘Why should my lord be so kind to me?’

Do you ever find yourself asking the same question? But about God’s love for you?

For me, I look at myself and see all my flaws and all the times I have fallen short, done wrong, messed up and think: How could God possibly ‘be so kind to me’? How could I be in any way worthy of forgiveness, acceptance and love?

That’s such a ‘human’ thing to feel. You and I are used to having to earn what we receive, to pay a price for what we get. In fact, if you’re anything like me, you’re wary of anything that looks too good to be true. Because usually it is.

Yet again, I find myself trying to shrink God down to fit the limited scope of my human understanding. And experience.

Surely no one could love me that much.

How do you and I get past this?

When you look at Jacob, he approached Esau warily. Nervously. Uncertain of what would happen. (I counted at least six acts of humility in just these few verses.)

That’s what I feel I should do when I approach God seeking forgiveness.

Head bowed. Down to the ground. Afraid to look up.

Yet if I only ever look down, I miss seeing the smiling face of forgiveness. The love that overflows in joy.

For Jacob and Esau, it was tears, embrace, kisses – intimate physical expressions of love, prepared to let go of the past and to move forward. What is it for you and me?

That’s the challenge I take away from today’s reading, and why I pray that you might feel, in a special way today, God’s answer to the question we ask of him, ‘Why should my Lord be so kind to me?’

Lord, I come to you in wonder that you could love me, forgive me and welcome me with hugs and kisses. Help me reflect that joy to each person you place before me in the hours that remain today. Amen.

Jonathan describes himself as a ‘happy husband, proud dad and grandad, ALWS worker and gracious Magpie fan’.