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Day 106, or April the 16th.

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Move from the edge to nearer the centre.

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Our thoughts today are from 1 Chronicles 11, verse 10.

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These were the chiefs of David's mighty warriors.

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They, together with all Israel, gave his kingship strong support to extend it over the whole

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land, as the Lord had promised.

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Notice the big picture surrounding this verse.

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The book of 1 Chronicles tells us little about the rule of King Saul, but a lot about

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King David's reign, and in particular the support he had from his mighty men.

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We are given lots of names, but sadly, for many of them, that's all we have, their

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names.

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At least they've got a mention in the Bible, and that's amazing anyway.

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These exceptional men were obviously a vital part of David's success, as possibly the

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greatest king Israel ever had.

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He was far from being a one-man band.

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And now today's action step.

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King David had some very special men who supported him with all they had and were.

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They were often referred to as his mighty warriors.

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They were men who were specially close to him and upon whom he relied.

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The Lord Jesus did the same with his disciples.

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He had hundreds who followed him, but a special twelve whom he called apostles.

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Of these twelve, three were particularly close, and one of them was described as the one whom

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Jesus loved.

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Most of us are happy to attend church services, where we are predominantly in non-participatory

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mode.

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In other words, we sit and listen, or at least look as though we're listening.

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On average, only about half of the average church are willing to attend house groups,

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where we need to be involved on a more personal level.

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David knew his mighty men at a deeper level than the rest of his army.

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This was true of Jesus and his disciples.

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The only way these deeper relationships can develop is in house group type meetings.

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So if you are relying on Sunday services alone, you are likely to fail.

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The solution is very simple.

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So do it if you want to grow closer to Jesus and be more effective as a Christian.