Do you secretly maintain a list of transgressions that disqualify sinners from the reach of God? Our beliefs affect our behavior, especially when encountering those who have blatantly sinned against God. Consequently, we must examine God’s passion for the lost to find life in Him and His desire to use us in the process.

In an attempt to reconcile David with his banished son Absalom, the wise woman of Tekoa seized the moment at the conclusion of her parable to craft one of the most insightful word pictures ever expressed to the shepherd turned King: “Like water spilled on the ground, which cannot be recovered, so we must die. But God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that a banished person may not remain estranged from him” (2 Samuel 14:14). She painted a portrait of God on the inner canvas of the King. If God devised ways for life, would the man after God’s own heart do the same?

David would not only inhale God’s breath of life, he would also exhale that breath of life to others by yielding to God’s ways.

We must yield to God devising ways in us to help the banished not remain estranged from Him. When we were banished, God reconciled us in Christ in order to use us to reconcile others to Him (2 Corinthians 5:16-21). Not only must we inhale the breath of life from God, but also, we must exhale the breath of life to others by yielding to the Spirit of Christ in us.

When we yield to God devising ways in us to help restore the banished, we exhale the breath of life to others through the same methods in which we inhaled the breath of life: worship, Word, and workout. Jesus’ disciple Peter said: “But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15). Worship sets apart Christ as Lord in our hearts. The Word prepares us to give an answer to everyone who asks us to give the reason for our hope. Workout is how we exhale life to the banished with gentleness and respect.

Exhale the breath of life to others through worship, the Word, and working out your faith with gentleness and respect. Yield to the Holy Spirit who devises ways in you to help the banished not remain estranged from Him.

Episode 33: God Devises Ways for Life from mitchkrusetv on Vimeo.