April 11

Truths we find in the narrative of David and Goliath...

1.) God often hides the glory of our future in the humility of serving others in our present. Remember, Samuel had already anointed David as the future king of Israel yet he is still expected to obey his father and serve his brothers.

2.) Every crisis must be viewed as an opportunity to awaken people to the abiding presence of God. Goliath calls the army of Israel the servants of Saul but David saw them as the armies of the living God. Who we see ourselves ultimately serving, in our life roles, our vocations, our volunteerism, dictates how we respond in crisis and how well we leverage those moments for God's glory.

3.) We all have Eliabs, people who are critical of our capacity to dream big dreams and our faith that God is at work leading us towards the fulfillment of His promises spoken over our lives even when our present circumstances appear to deny His intent.

4.) God is always at work preparing us for our future. David had to conquer bears and lions before he could conquer giants. He had to conquer giants before he could conquer armies. He also had to learn how to handle the praise of people and to not love their songs more than God's approval.

5.) As a leader, we must not expect others to operate in our giftings but their own. As leaders, we must help others identify their unique giftings and see them developed. God has a different kind of "armor" for everyone. In that same vein, we must not be threatened by people who are more gifted than we are. If God brings us our successor, it is an honor to help them grow and ultimately take our place.

6.) Note to self, if I am always the one at odds with everyone, including my own family, I am the one with the problem...remember Saul!

Pastor Fred