𝐀 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬

1 Samuel 23:16-18

16And Saul’s son Jonathan went to David at Horesh and helped him find strength in God. 17“Don’t be afraid,” he said. “My father Saul will not lay a hand on you. You will be king over Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.” 18The two of them made a covenant before the Lord. Then Jonathan went home, but David remained at Horesh.

Jonathan was well aware that David would cost him the throne—that David would receive what was rightfully (from an earthly perspective) considered his. Yet he knew God's will. And not only did he accept and tolerate God’s will, he even grieved at his father’s treatment of David:

1 Samuel 20:34

Jonathan got up from the table in fierce anger; on that second day of the feast he did not eat, because he was grieved at his father’s shameful treatment of David.

Can you imagine having that kind of humility?! That rather than grudgingly accepting the will of God to give David what would have been considered his, Jonathan honored it from a deep internal place. He didn’t only submit to God’s will through his actions, he submitted to God’s will in his heart.

Complete humility. Complete selflessness.

𝘖𝘩 𝘓𝘰𝘳𝘥, 𝘭𝘦𝘵 𝘶𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘑𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯. 𝘏𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘥𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘭𝘰𝘱 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘦𝘭𝘧𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘦𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦, 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘰𝘳 𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘢 𝘥𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘶𝘣𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺. 𝘈𝘮𝘦𝘯