Fight or Flee

April 27

(Acts 9:23-25 NIV) “After many days had gone by, the Jews conspired to kill him, {24} but Saul learned of their plan. Day and night they kept close watch on the city gates in order to kill him. {25} But his followers took him by night and lowered him in a basket through an opening in the wall.”

(Acts 9:29-30 NIV) “He talked and debated with the Grecian Jews, but they tried to kill him. {30} When the brothers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.”

(1 Samuel 19:8-12 NIV) ““Once more war broke out, and David went out and fought the Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him. {9} But an evil spirit from the LORD came upon Saul as he was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand. While David was playing the harp, {10} Saul tried to pin him to the wall with his spear, but David eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall. That night David made good his escape. {11} Saul sent men to David's house to watch it and to kill him in the morning. But Michal, David's wife, warned him, "If you don't run for your life tonight, tomorrow you'll be killed." {12} So Michal let David down through a window, and he fled and escaped.””

Sometimes you fight -- sometimes you flee. At times Saul stood his ground… other times he ran for his life. King David did the same. Those with wisdom know whether to fight, or to flee. Only a fool does one or the other, all of the time. Those who flee from every battle, never finding a hill worth dying on, seldom make an impact on this world. But those who never back down, who make every molehill into a mountain worth dying on, seldom last long. Being courageous in the face of overwhelming odds is sometimes the right choice. Retreating so that we can live to fight another day is sometimes an even better choice. Saul fled, because Damascus and Jerusalem were not the hills he was destined to die on. One day he would stand toe to toe with kings and emperors, but not yet. Sometimes you fight -- sometimes you flee. Choose your battles wisely. It’s a sign of wisdom. -- Friar Tuck’s Word of the Day