David therefore departed from there, and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when his brothers and all his father’s house heard it, they went down to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
— 1 Samuel 22:1-2
David took care of those the Lord sent him. This was one reason he was able to raise them up to be his “mighty men” (2 Samuel 23:8-39).
We should see others in this way. We should never view others as a means of furthering our own interest. We will never fully mature if we do not know how to raise up others, just as people never fully mature until they become parents. As they help their children grow, they experience another stage of growth themselves.
Those who do not invest themselves in others will never mature properly. Therefore, if you want to grow, invest yourself in somebody else. Though you may become a manifest leader in your church, you will not have truly grown unless you have invested yourself in others.
Adapted from David: After God’s Heart, page 71.
Tomorrow: “Investing Ourselves in Others” (4)