Daily Reading: 1 Chronicles 12
They were bowmen and could shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand; they were Benjaminites, Saul's kinsmen. (1 Chronicles 12.2)
Devotional Thought: Have you ever had an injury that forced you to use your non-dominant hand? I can attest to how hard it is. Recently I have had a pulled muscle on the right side of my back, wrapping around to my chest, and I've been unable to use my right hand effectively. It feels so awkward - and is so unhandy - to use my left hand. I have to really, really focus. And still, it is clumsy and messy.
King David enlisted soldiers of the Benjaminites (a story of risk and wisdom in and of itself!) in his army who did not have that problem. Through careful training and repeated usage, they were able to "shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right or the left hand." The ability to attack from two sides gives great advantage.
How about you? Are you able to "shoot arrows and sling stones with either the right of the left hand?" In the church we need more people who do. We are engaged in spiritual warfare, and Christians are warriors "with the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left" (2 Corinthians 6.7). Sometimes the battle requires quiet and deliberate thought; at other times decisive action must be taken. Some do their work with words, others with deeds. Some worship best with one style of music while others enjoy another. Both left and right are needed, and we must be willing to see things from both sides.
When we get stuck in a rut of "this is how we've always done it" - whether from the left or the right - we compromise our effectiveness and contribute to division. Can you approach things from the left and right?
Prayer: Lord, not everybody thinks like me, worships like me, or serves like me. But that is the beauty of the church - it includes people from left and right in preference, politics, and priorities. Help me to be flexible and inclusive. Amen.
Psalm of the Day: Psalm 41:1-9
1 Blessed is the one who considers the poor! In the day of trouble the LORD delivers him;
2 the LORD protects him and keeps him alive; he is called blessed in the land; you do not give him up to the will of his enemies.
3 The LORD sustains him on his sickbed; in his illness you restore him to full health.
4 As for me, I said, "O LORD, be gracious to me; heal me, for I have sinned against you!"
5 My enemies say of me in malice, "When will he die, and his name perish?"
6 And when one comes to see me, he utters empty words, while his heart gathers iniquity; when he goes out, he tells it abroad.
7 All who hate me whisper together about me; they imagine the worst for me.
8 They say, "A deadly thing is poured out on him; he will not rise again from where he lies."
9 Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.
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