CHASING LIONS FOR GOD’S GLORY

Bible Verse:
Benaiah son of Jehoiada was a valiant fighter from Kabzeel, who performed great exploits…He also went down into a pit on a snowy day and killed a lion.
2 Samuel 23:20 (NIV)

Devotional:
Wow! I love this nested story of Benaiah and his courage. It reminds me to take risks for the kingdom of God.

This great warrior must have seen this ferocious beast with his peripheral vision on that cold, winter morning. And despite the freezing temperature, the snow, the slick surface, the dark cave, and all odds collaborating against him, Benaiah went in to fight the lion!

Oftentimes as a Christian, I’m tempted to gauge my walk based on all the things I’m not doing wrong (Didn’t lie today — check. Didn’t kill anyone — check. Didn’t rob a bank — check). However, the Christian walk is more than just a checklist of “what not to do.” Benaiah challenges me to “want to do” something for the kingdom.

I don’t know about you, but if I were in Benaiah’s shoes and I saw a big scary lion, I would run away as fast as I could! And I wonder in my life, how many lions am I hiding from? I wonder how many times I see God at work, inviting me to join Him, and I ignore His call. Maybe it’s His call to serve at Hidalgo and read with under-privileged Hispanic children, or take my dog to the retirement home with Paws for Care and visit the elderly, or witness to my co-worker, or go on a foreign mission trip. We all have lions that we can take by the mane and defeat, knowing that it’s not by our might and not by our power, but by God’s sweet Spirit that we will have victory.

I’m so proud to be a member of a church that is fighting a lion and constructing a new building despite all the odds! And I look forward to the prize of following God’s calling! Benaiah was appointed head of King David’s bodyguard for his bravery, and I know that there is a sweet blessing and great reward that awaits us individually and corporately as we chase and conquer the lions God calls us to destroy!

Prayer:
Take a moment and reflect on where you have seen God working. Ask Him what lions He wants you to defeat in your life. Pray for the grace and courage and victory as He works miracles in your life for His glory! Ask Him how you can join with our church body as we work to reach a lost and dying world through this building project.

Written by Suzanne McDuffie. Suzanne has attended Northwest for one year.