Day 106, or April the 16th.
Move from the edge to nearer the centre.
Our thoughts today are from 1 Chronicles 11, verse 10.
These were the chiefs of David's mighty warriors.
They, together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole
land, as the Lord had promised.
Notice the big picture surrounding this verse.
The book of 1 Chronicles tells us little about the rule of King Saul, but a lot about
King David's reign, and in particular the support he had from his mighty men.
We are given lots of names, but sadly, for many of them, that's all we have, their
names.
At least they've got a mention in the Bible, and that's amazing anyway.
These exceptional men were obviously a vital part of David's success, as possibly the
greatest king Israel ever had.
He was far from being a one-man band.
And now today's action step.
King David had some very special men who supported him with all they had and were.
They were often referred to as his mighty warriors.
They were men who were specially close to him and upon whom he relied.
The Lord Jesus did the same with his disciples.
He had hundreds who followed him, but a special twelve whom he called apostles.
Of these twelve, three were particularly close, and one of them was described as the one whom
Jesus loved.
Most of us are happy to attend church services, where we are predominantly in non-participatory
mode.
In other words, we sit and listen, or at least look as though we're listening.
On average, only about half of the average church are willing to attend house groups,
where we need to be involved on a more personal level.
David knew his mighty men at a deeper level than the rest of his army.
This was true of Jesus and his disciples.
The only way these deeper relationships can develop is in house group type meetings.
So if you are relying on Sunday services alone, you are likely to fail.
The solution is very simple.
So do it if you want to grow closer to Jesus and be more effective as a Christian.