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David continued to succeed in everything he did, for the Lord was with him. 1 Samuel 18:14 (NLT)
A mark of Godly wisdom is how we conduct ourselves during adversity. True followers of Christ will conduct themselves wisely during the most trying situations. David shows this kind of wisdom early in his life. David was taken from the quiet obscure life of a shepherd boy and thrust into the role of military hero and heir to the throne of Israel.
This should have been a dream come true soon became more like a nightmare. After he killed Goliath he was invited into the palace to live with King Saul. David bonded immediately with Saul’s son, Jonathan, and all the officers and staff of the palace. Socially, David was apparently easy and fun to be around.
But David was more than just a nice guy. He was a driven leader. Every assignment Saul gave to David turned into success. As a result, Saul gave him more and more responsibility. He was never disappointed with the outcome.
So if David was so successful in everything Saul gave him to do, what could possibly go wrong, right? Wrong. David’s following grew so quickly that soon all of Jerusalem was singing the praises of David. He was fast becoming more popular that the insecure King Saul. As a result Saul began a campaign to wipe David out. That’s when David’s true colors came to the surface.
Although Saul tried to kill him on numerous occasions, David remained loyal to Saul. There is no indication in scripture that David did anything to provoke the King’s anger or speak evil against him. David patiently waited until God’s timing brought him to the throne. Even though he had several opportunities to kill Saul and take the Kingdom by force, David would not sin by taking things into his own hands.
When we encounter adversity it is important to keep the end result in view. David was told that he would someday ascend the throne. He saw no need to hurry that situation along because he was content with who he was. Rather, David focused on the task at hand and worked hard to be excellent at whatever he was doing. He realized the fact that no job is too small, nothing is beneath him. As a result, in everything he did he worked to be excellent. Others took note of that and admired him for it.
Remember that God has placed us where we are at this time for a specific purpose. As Christ followers, strive to for excellence now so that you will be ready for greater work in the future. Expect adversity as you excel in your work. The adversity that David faced in the 20 years he waited to ascend the throne prepared him for greater challenges ahead. Build relationships along the way. David had many friends in the midst of Saul’s attacks. One of his closest friends was Saul’s very own son! God didn’t wait until David was ‘great’ to use him. He used him mightily throughout his life because with all David’s faults, he trusted God.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father. Thank you for the story of David and his patience during adversity. Help me to see every activity of this day as an opportunity to show Godly excellence. Forgive me for my impatience in waiting for you to remove the obstacles that keep me from moving forward. Help me to be content where I am while I strive to grow stronger. Amen.
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. Psalm 8:5
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28
We are unsure of when King David wrote the words of Psalm 8. It could have been written while he was on the throne in Jerusalem, or it could have been while he was on the run from one of King Saul’s murderous rampages. His present location isn’t clear, but his mindset is.
I imagine David writing this Psalm as he thought back to simpler, safer and easier times in his life. Times when his biggest enemy was loneliness as he sat in the hills of Judea watching over his father’s sheep, and his biggest fear was an occasional bear or lion or other enemy attacking the sheep when he least expected it. The words of this Psalm could very easily have come to David during his time as a shepherd, only to be written down later.
Imagine laying in the soft, cool mountain grass during the stillness of the night and looking up into the vast array of stars that make up our universe. While staring into space David is reminded of God’s great love for him. A love that is so great and enduring that God not only loves us, He honors us. He lifts us up and esteems us! To think a frail, weak, rebellious human such as I would be honored and esteemed by the ruler of the universe!
Years later, the Apostle Paul is writing his letter to the Romans and he too is reminded of God’s great love. He candidly shares with the Roman disciples his own shortcomings and struggle with sin and with failure. In the midst of this he reminds all of us that God’s love is directed to us on the basis of who Jesus is and what we do with Jesus, not on whom we are or what we can do for Him.
If the God of the Universe loves us so much that He honors and esteems us above all other things then how could He be any less anxious to bring his very best into our lives? We may not always understand the struggles we are going through or why God allows things to come into our lives. But we can know that in the end He will work everything for good in our lives.
Your Heavenly Father wants to do great things in your life. You may not understand all that is going on in your life right now, but you can know that your Heavenly Father can take even the toughest times of our lives and use them for our good and His glory.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father. I have to admit I don’t understand why you do what you do, particularly at this point in my life. I thank you for the promise that you love and honor me even though I’m so unworthy. Help me grow more in my love for you as you lead me through the tough times of life. Amen.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! 2 Corinthians 5:17
We are not remodeled. We are not restored. We are not refurbished. We are new creations. What an amazing truth to ponder. To remodel, restore or refurbish means that we take what is good from an object (car, building, etc.) and try to recreate it to its previous state, or improve upon its previous state to make it better and more useful.
The Bible tells us that when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we are new creations. Our Father doesn’t reach down and try to refashion us into what we once were. He doesn’t take the good parts and set them aside, remove the bad stuff and then rebuild us. He makes us new.
The Apostle Paul says, in Corinthians, that all of the old is gone now. The past has been removed. In Jesus Christ we are brand new creations. That means that we no longer need to live in the shadows of our past. The poor choices, the broken relationships, the addictive tendencies no longer need to rule over us.
Does that mean that we won’t ever struggle with sin? NO! In Romans Paul tells the candid truth that even this great man of God struggled daily with sin. He says, “The things I want to do, I don’t do. The things I hate to do I find myself doing!” As long as we live on earth we will struggle with the temptation to do things wrong. But Jesus wants better things for us. He died to remove sins penalty. He rose to give victory over the grave. He ascended to Heaven to prepare a place for us. He sent His Spirit to empower us to live more fully for Him each day.
You are a new creature in Jesus. Don’t let the past haunt you any longer. The things of your past no longer have any control over who you are. In a sense you no longer have a ‘past’, only life with Christ. Walk daily with Jesus. Let Him direct your paths and show you the way to living live fully in Him. Jesus alone can free you from the barriers of the past and empower you to live completely new lives in Him.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father. I thank you for the love you have shown through Jesus. Thank you for the way you made me in your image. I confess that the sins of my past have kept me from living the life of fullness you have for me. I pray that I will learn to walk more closely to you and that through your Spirit the baggage of my past will be left behind. Help me to live as the new Creation I am. Amen.
The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 2 Corinthians 10:4
Every day we encounter situations which can affect our entire outlook on life. One negative comment can send us scrambling for shelter like a frightened armadillo or startled turtle. It can be something as simple as a cross word spoken or a misunderstanding of the meaning behind something we hear.
When we fight the world’s battles with the worlds weapons defeat is inevitable. How we react to daily situations in our lives can have a lasting effect on how we feel about ourselves and what we can accomplish in life. A parent’s disappointment in us can affect us well into adulthood and even affect how our children feel about themselves. It isn’t the obstacles in life that determine our success or failure. How we view of ourselves is more often the determining factor between success and failure.
The Apostle Paul tells us that the weapons we have to fight life’s battles aren’t the same weapons the world uses. The weapons of the world are destructive. The obvious weapons of physical warfare are easy to see and while they can cause death and destruction, the unseen weapons of the world are in some ways more destructive because they don’t leave bruises or blood, only inner pain.
Because of Jesus we can overcome these weapons or strongholds of criticism, judgmental attitudes, vindictive rumors and the like. When we listen to the attacks of the enemy and allow them to determine how we see ourselves, depression, poor self-esteem and discouragement are bound to follow and have detrimental effects on our relationships.
The divine weapons we have been given offer life not destruction, healing not wounding, building up, not tearing down. They are based on God’s view of us and not the view we or others have of us. When I see myself as God sees me it doesn’t matter how others view me! Other people see my failures, my mistakes, and my faults. God sees me as His beloved Child. He looks at me through His Son, Jesus.
Don’t allow the weapons of the world to thwart Gods power to attain the life you want to have. The abusive words and actions of those in your past can be set aside as you pursue all that God has for you in Christ Jesus. With the weapons we have we can overcome the strongholds the world would like to place on us.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, help me to see myself as you see me and not be affected by the negative and destructive actions of those in the world. Empower me through your Spirit to lift the fallen, encourage the weary and patiently bear with those intent on my demise. Amen.
