Daily Devotionals

Truths to Live By - One Day at a Time

Devotional: August 18th

“Let not him who girds on his armor boast like him who takes it off.” (NASB)

Although these words were spoken by a wicked king, Ahab, they are words of truth. Even ungodly men sometimes lapse into truth.

The king of Syria had made insulting, degrading demands of Ahab, threatening military disaster if he did not obey. But in the battle that followed, the Syrians were forced to retreat and their king had to flee for his life. His performance didn’t match his boast.

Today’s text would have been good advice for Goliath also. When he saw David approaching, he said, “Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field”. But David easily felled him with a single stone from his sling. The giant had boasted too soon.

When we are young Christians, it is easy for us to overestimate our own ability. We act as if we could take on the world, the flesh and the devil single-handed. We might even reproach older Christians for their failure to evangelize the world. We will show them how to do it! But our boasting is premature. The battle has only started and we are acting as if it were all over.

In an informal gathering of believers one evening, the spotlight was shining on a brilliant young preacher who was present. He found it quite satisfying to be the center of interest. Also in the group was a Sunday School teacher who had had a profound influence on his life. Someone said to this teacher, “You must be quite proud of your former student.” His reply was, “Yes, if he goes on well to the end.” At the time, the young preacher thought that that was a rather sour note to inject into an otherwise pleasurable evening. But later, given the perspective of years, he realized that his old teacher was right. It isn’t how you put on your armor that counts. It’s how you finish the battle.

Actually the battle is never over in this life. It will not be over until we stand before our great Captain in heaven. Then we will hear His appraisal of our service—the only appraisal that really counts. And no matter what His appraisal might be, we will have no grounds for boasting. We will say with heartfelt humility, “We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do” (Lu. 17:10).