VALIANT WINNERS, GALLANT LOSERS

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'Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward...' (I Samuel 16:13 NKJV).
     The first three sons of Jesse - Eliab, Abinadab and Shammah, were men of valour who served in the army of their nation. But in spite of their princely qualities and admirable stature, God did not consider them suitable for kingship. Rather, He chose their apparently ineligible baby brother David and made him king over them. The remarkable thing here is that, rather than turn against their 'king' in envy and strife, they faded into the background while still quietly supporting their God-chosen brother, and vice versa (1Sam.17: 17-18). David was installed king in place of the reigning monarch King Saul, and as would be expected Saul desperately sought to kill his rival. But hear what David said to his men when he found a great opportunity to destroy his opponent and persecutor, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, to stretch out my hand against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord.” (I Sam.24:6). David rose to become the greatest king that nation ever had, for the Lord was with him.
This is a proverb for our own nation at our present crossroads. The battle has been fought, won and lost. Winners and losers have emerged among the gladiators but the victory has to be sustained and appropriately channeled towards progress in the land. We must be like sportsmen whose intrepid spirit tells the loser, 'Go ahead and congratulate the winner, then you will be celebrated when your own time comes!' The commendable act of one of our past presidents is noteworthy. Despite the power of incumbency that he had, and through his tainted reputation and some weaknesses that mitigated against him, He lost the election that would have given him the opportunity to continue a full second term in office as president. Still, he chose to step down for the declared winner even though he could have contested the decision, perhaps successfully too. As the outcome of that noble act, peace reigned in the country and he became a respected African statesman, a big lesson for those coming behind. 
PRAYER:  O Lord of hosts who alone gives victory, send us The Prince of Peace to rule and reign in Nigeria. Amen.
olusegunisaac2018@gmail.com



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