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What a wonderful funeral! Cindy remarked as we walked out. Helen, our friend, had died. And friend after friend celebrated her by sharing stories of her all-around fun behavior. But Helens life wasnt all jokes and laughter. Her nephew spoke of her faith in Jesus and her care for others. She had taken him into her home when he was young and struggling. Now in his twenties, he said of his Aunt Helen, She was like a mom to me. She never gave up on me in my struggles. I am sure that if it wasnt for her, I would have lost my faith. Wow! What an influence! Helen leaned on Jesus and wanted her nephew to trust Him too.
In the Old Testament, we read that King David took a young man named Mephibosheth into his home with the purpose of showing him kindness for the sake of his father, Jonathan (Davids friend who had died; see 2 Sam. 9:1). Years earlier, Mephibosheth had been injured when his nurse dropped him as they fled after the news that his father had been killed (4:4). He was surprised that the king would care for him; he even referred to himself as a dead dog (9:8). Yet the king treated him as his own son (9:11).
Id like to be that kind of person, wouldnt you? Someone who cares for others and helps them hang on to faith in Jesus even when life looks hopeless.
INSIGHT
: Mephibosheth, Jonathans son, could have been heir to his grandfathers (King Saul) throne and a potential threat to Davids kingship. But David promised his best friend, Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:42), that he would care for his family. In todays passage we read how David made good on that promise (2 Sam. 9:9-13).