David

Sorry it's a day late, but the bathroom has taken all my attention. On to David.

The beginning of Charles Swindoll's book on David talks about three priorities for a God-Appointed Servant Leader.

The first quality God saw in David was spirituality. "The Lord has sought out . . . a man after His own heart. When you are deeply spiritual, you have a heart that is sensitive to the things of God. What hurts God, hurts you. What burdens God, burdens you. When God says, go this way, you go that way, without much hesitation, argument, fear, or anxiety, you cast your cares on Him and you just obey.

2 Chronicles 16:9 says that For the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His. . . When God corrects you, you adjust your behavior. You're grieved over what grieves God. The things that displease God concern you.

The second quality God saw in David was humility. God found David faithfully watching the sheep. A shepherd back then was considered a blue-collar worker. No public upper education needed, no fancy clothes. Just someone who was willing to be the sheep's advocate, day and night, and insure their safety and health. Charles Swindoll puts it this way: "It's as if God says, "I don't care about all that slick public image business. Show me a person who has the character, and I'll give him all the image he needs. I don't require some certain temperament, I don't care if he has a lot of charisma, I don't care about size, I don't care about an impressive track record. I care about character! First, is the person deeply authentic in his or her spiritual walk or is he faking it? And second, is he or she a servant?""

This quote reminds me of the verse that talks about God using the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. It's just like God to take those things that have been the most battered, the least attractive, the slightly quirky, to do great things for Him.

The third quality God saw in David was integrity. Psalm 78:71-72 says, From the care of the ewes with suckling lambs He brought him,
To shepherd Jacob His people,
And Israel His inheritance.
So he shepherded them according to the integrity of his heart,
And guided them with his skillful hands."

Charles continues with, "Circle the word integrity That is so significant! God is not looking for magnificent specimens of humanity. He's looking for deeply spiritual, genuinely humble, honest-to-the-core servants who have integrity."

Scan your heart today. Ask yourself where you fall in regards to spirituality, humility, and integrity. Ask God to reveal where he finds you in these areas and where you need to grow. Then ask Him how you are to grow. I've been finding that God is full of answers, but we seldom ask him any, other than "Will you please . . .?" Start asking questions that start with How and What and When and Why and Where. "How can I grow deeper in the knowledge of you?" "What will my next ministry step be?" "When will you call me onto my next assignment?" "Why do I feel stuck?" "Where will I be a year or five years from now?" He has all these answers. Seek Him with all your heart.

Blessings on this sunny Wednesday!