The Co-pilot

Oct 18, 2026

Devotional

Day 1: Surrendering the Robe: Letting Go of What Was Never Yours

Jonathan strips off his royal robe, sword, and belt—symbols of his claim to the throne—and hands them to David. This act defies human ambition, choosing humility over inheritance. His surrender mirrors how God’s plans often reroute our expectations. True friendship means releasing what we cling to—status, control, or identity—when God elevates others. What feels like loss becomes worship when we trust God’s greater story. [51:33]

“Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow, and his belt.”
(1 Samuel 18:4, NLT)

Reflection: What “robe” have you been clinging to—a position, title, or dream—that God might be asking you to release? How might surrendering it deepen your trust in His timing?

Day 2: Two Golds: Celebrating Shared Victories in God’s Kingdom

Olympic high jumpers Mutaz Barshim and Gianmarco Tamberi chose shared gold over solitary glory. Like Jonathan cheering David’s rise, they refused to let competition poison partnership. God’s kingdom thrives when we reject scarcity mindsets. Celebrating others’ wins doesn’t diminish ours—it multiplies joy. Rivalry dies when we see every victory as God’s work, not ours. [52:17]

“Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another.”
(Romans 12:15-16a, NLT)

Reflection: Who in your life needs you to celebrate their “gold medal” moment this week? What practical step can you take to champion their success without comparison?

Day 3: Hesed at the King’s Table: Love That Outlives Us

Mephibosheth, crippled and hidden, is summoned to David’s table not because of merit, but because of a decades-old covenant. David’s hesed—loyal love—transcends generations, politics, and betrayal. This love mirrors God’s promise-keeping nature. His covenants aren’t contracts; they’re unbreakable vows rooted in His character, not our performance. [01:02:35]

“David replied, ‘I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.’”
(2 Samuel 9:7, NLT)

Reflection: Where have you struggled to believe God’s love for you isn’t based on your “usefulness”? How might accepting His invitation to the table change how you see yourself?

Day 4: Hesed Personified: Love That Bleeds for the Broken

Hesed isn’t a feeling—it’s flesh-and-blood sacrifice. Jesus left heaven’s throne to rescue the broken, paying with His life. Like David hunting for Mephibosheth, God pursues us in our mess. This love costs everything: dignity, comfort, control. Yet it’s the only love that heals paralysis—physical, emotional, or spiritual. [01:06:55]

“But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.”
(Romans 5:8, NLT)

Reflection: When has someone’s costly love—time, forgiveness, sacrifice—mirrored Jesus’ hesed to you? How can you “bleed” for someone else’s healing this week?

Day 5: Crippled at the King’s Door: Welcomed Before We Walk Right

Mephibosheth approached David expecting death, not a feast. God’s hesed meets us in our lameness—spiritual exhaustion, shame, or failure—and says, “Sit. Eat. You’re family.” We don’t earn a seat; we receive it. The church isn’t a museum for the polished, but a hospital where the wounded find belonging before they’re “fixed.” [01:09:31]

“Then Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.’”
(Matthew 11:28, NLT)

Reflection: What part of your story feels too broken to bring to God’s table? How might embracing His “come as you are” invitation free you from hiding?

Sermon Summary

First Samuel places David before Saul with Goliath’s head in his hand, and Jonathan sees more than a famous warrior. Jonathan sees a kindred spirit: a man who is brave, who loves God, and who trusts God when everybody else is scared to move. Jonathan’s heart becomes knit to David, and that friendship shows that following God is a team sport. Faith is not meant to be run alone.

Jonathan’s covenant with David also puts relationship over rivalry. Jonathan is Saul’s son, the heir to the throne, the proven warrior who could have seen David as a threat to everything he expected for his life. Yet Jonathan takes off his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt and gives them to David. Those royal things carry weight. Jonathan recognizes that God’s hand is on David, and he chooses to honor what God is doing instead of fighting for his own spot.

Jonathan’s love gets tested when Saul begins hunting David. First Samuel 20 shows that faithful love is more than words, fam. Jonathan risks his relationship with his father and even risks his life to find out the truth and protect David. David also risks trusting Jonathan, because Jonathan could have handed him over and secured his own family’s throne. Hesed, the Bible’s picture of steadfast, loyal, covenant love, always costs something.

Jonathan asks David to remember his family when David becomes king. That request matters because new kings normally wiped out the old king’s family. David later finds Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, who had lost his father, grandfather, position, and ability to walk. David tells him not to be afraid, restores Saul’s land, provides for him, and brings him to the king’s table. David keeps a promise that Mephibosheth did nothing to earn.

God’s hesed goes even deeper. God knew His people before they took a first breath, and God planned redemption through Jesus before they knew they needed saving. Jesus is hesed personified, God’s steadfast love on display. Christ does not wait for people to clean themselves up, become worthy, or stop being messy. God’s love does not waver when doubt, grief, failure, anger, exhaustion, or shame show up. God is hesed, and His faithful love cost Him His Son.

Key Takeaways

1. Following God is a team sport Jonathan’s friendship with David shows that faith needs people who recognize God’s work, offer courage, and stay close when life gets messy. Isolation makes fear louder, but faithful friendship helps people keep moving toward obedience. God often strengthens His people through somebody else’s presence. [49:47]
2. Choose relationship over rivalry Jonathan had every earthly reason to compete with David, yet he celebrated God’s call on David’s life. Rivalry turns another person’s blessing into a personal threat, while love asks how God’s work can be supported. Humility can honor another person’s moment without denying grief over unmet expectations. [53:19]
3. Faithful love always costs something Jonathan’s covenant with David was not sentimental language with no stakes attached. Both men took real risks because loyal love protects another person even when protection becomes costly. Hesed refuses to treat relationships as valuable only when they are easy or beneficial. [56:54]
4. God’s hesed does not waver Mephibosheth came to David empty-handed, afraid, and unable to earn the king’s favor. God’s love meets people before they have repaired their lives, figured out their pain, or found the right words. Jesus displays that costly love by seeking sinners and giving Himself for them. [1:06:38]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[39:50] - A New Hope and David’s Story
[41:55] - David’s Anointing and Goliath’s Defeat
[42:50] - Best Friend Culture
[44:47] - Jonathan Meets David
[46:49] - Jonathan the Warrior
[49:47] - Following God as a Team
[50:57] - Relationship Over Rivalry
[51:33] - Jonathan Gives David His Royal Garments
[55:02] - Hesed Comes With a Cost
[57:19] - Jonathan’s Covenant Request
[1:00:35] - Mephibosheth’s Story
[1:03:01] - David Keeps His Promise
[1:04:39] - God’s Steadfast Love
[1:06:38] - Jesus Is Hesed Personified
[1:09:31] - God Meets People Where They Are

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

1 Samuel 18:1-4
“After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.” [45:34]

1 Samuel 20:14-15
“But show me unfailing kindness like the LORD's kindness as long as I live, so that I may not be killed, and do not ever cut off your kindness from my family—not even when the LORD has cut off every one of David's enemies from the face of the earth.” [57:19]

2 Samuel 9:7
“Don't be afraid,' David said to him, 'for I will surely show you kindness for the sake of your father Jonathan. I will restore to you all the land that belonged to your grandfather Saul, and you will always eat at my table.” [01:03:01]

Observation questions

In 1 Samuel 18:1–4, what actions show Jonathan’s commitment to David beyond simply saying that he loved him? [51:11]
What made Jonathan’s gifts of his robe, tunic, sword, bow, and belt especially meaningful considering his place as Saul’s son and heir? [51:33]
In 1 Samuel 20:14–15, what does Jonathan ask David to do for him and for his family in the future? [57:45]
In 2 Samuel 9:7, what specific gifts and assurances does David give Mephibosheth? [01:03:01]

Interpretation questions

Why might Jonathan’s covenant with David have required humility as well as friendship, especially when David’s future kingship threatened Jonathan’s expected place on the throne? [51:37]
Jonathan and David both take risks in 1 Samuel 20. What does their willingness to risk something reveal about the difference between convenient friendship and steadfast love? [56:23]
Why would Mephibosheth likely have been afraid when David summoned him, and how does David’s response go against what would normally be expected from a new king? [01:01:53]
David shows kindness to Mephibosheth because of a covenant made with Jonathan. How does this help the group understand God’s love as something received rather than earned? [01:03:36]

Application questions

Following God is a team sport. Who are the people currently helping you trust God, obey Him, or keep moving forward in a hard season? Is there someone you need to invite into your life more honestly? [49:47]
Is there someone whose success, recognition, opportunity, or blessing has been hard for you to celebrate? What could choosing relationship over rivalry look like in that situation this week? [54:03]
Jonathan honored what God was doing in David’s life, even though it meant releasing his own claim to the throne. Where might God be asking you to release comparison, control, or an unmet expectation? [53:22]
Steadfast love costs something. What is one tangible way you could show loyal, patient love to a friend, family member, or fellow believer when it would be easier to pull away? [57:00]
Mephibosheth came to David afraid and empty-handed, yet David welcomed him to the king’s table. Where do you feel tempted to believe that you must clean yourself up before coming honestly to God? [01:06:58]
God’s hesed does not disappear in doubt, grief, failure, anger, or exhaustion. Which of those realities feels closest to your life right now, and how might God’s steadfast love meet you there? [01:06:05]
How can this group become a place where people are welcomed in their mess, encouraged toward obedience, and reminded that Jesus’ love is steadfast? [01:10:00]

Sermon Clips

48s

#GodsSteadfastLove

“Just like David went looking from someone from Jonathan's family to show kindness to, Jesus came looking for the loss, motivated out of his hesed. It's just who he is. keeps his promise no matter how many times we fail. We're a messy church and yet God still has hesed for us. His steadfast, faithful love is never impacted by the things that we do or don't do or say or don't say. He is steadfast. He is faithful.”

55s

#RelationshipOverRivalry

“Relationship over rivalry looks like celebrating when your coworker gets the promotion that you were hoping for, but instead, you know, you you don't wanna, like, wish that they're gonna fail at it. Relationship over rivalry looks like encouraging a friend whose gifts are being recognized even though your gifts are not being recognized. Relationship over rivalry sometimes looks like choosing not to turn someone else's blessing into a personal attack saying things like, why would God bless them and not me? Instead, we ought to ask if we value relationship over rivalry, we ought to ask how can I support what God is doing in their life?”

58s

#FaithfulLoveCosts

“And he promises to tell David the truth and this is where their friendship gets tested because David's taking a risk here. David's taking a risk by trusting Jonathan. Jonathan could go to his father, Saul, say everything is okay when it's not. Tell David that it's okay. David could go, get killed, and then that would secure Saul's lineage on the throne. Jonathan's taking a risk here because even though he says that his dad, he doesn't wanna believe, would hurt David, he's gonna go and spy for David, which could also end his life. Do y'all see the risk for both sides? Faithful love is more than words, fam. It's more than words. It will cost something.”

51s

#ComeAsYouAre

“But I wanna encourage you, family. You don't have to you don't have to clean yourself up to come to church or to God. so proud of y'all for showing up today. God wants to meet you right where you are. His hesed for you is not dependent on anything that you do, anything that you say. You know, here at The Point Church, we do our best to serve you. We can't promise that we have all the answers that we're able to fix everything that you're going through. But we try our best to love you with God's chesed, faithfully.”

44s

#KnownByGod

“because before you ever took your first breath, God knew you. Before you ever knew that you needed a savior, God had a plan to redeem you through Jesus. God's hesed, his steadfast love wasn't something that he just came up with when you started to get your life together. His hesed didn't just develop as a feeling as you walk through this church door.”

60s

#PromisesKept

“Now Bo wasn't there when the covenant was made. He wasn't there. Bo had no say what the terms and conditions of the covenant were. He did nothing to earn David's favor. The promise existed before Bo ever actually benefits from it. And later in second Samuel, we see that potentially Beau has betrayed David, and yet David still keeps the promise to Beau. Not only did it cost David to protect Beau the first time, but steadfast love continued after the betrayal because loving someone, having faithful love. It will cost something.”

60s

#HesedLove

“And as they made this covenant, as both parties agree to the terms, we see words in the scriptures for covenantal loyal love and it uses phrases like the word, it's a Hebrew word, hesed, hesed. Can you all say hesed? Hesed. You gotta use some glottal. Hesed. Means unfailing love, it means deal kindly, loyal love. In fact, our English language has trouble forming the meaning of the word. We have to string together almost a paragraph of words to be able to bring the weight and clarity of this one Hebrew word, hesed. The best that we can do with one word is steadfast love. Steadfast love.”

57s

#HumilityAndSurrender

“So I want you to notice Jonathan's humility, recognition, and then action here in light of David's kingship found in verse four. Says, then Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David along with his tunic and even his sword and his bow and his belt. Now this detail is significant when we consider Jonathan's position. Who was he? He was he was heir to the throne, he was Saul's son. And in humanly speaking, he would have been next in line to be king and so what we see is that he's taking off all of his kingly garments. And he's giving them to David, symbolically saying that he's giving up his claim.”

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