So the next aspect of David's Character that we are going to look at is Obedience. This is a key fundamental part of being a Warrior. A soldier is no good to his commander if he cannot follow simple or complex orders. Being a soldier in God's Army is no different. If we do not obey the commands we are given then the plans of our Commander must be corrected for our lack of obedience and this is to our disadvantage.
Obedience is easy when we like the orders we are given. If we are told to go on short leave to the Bahamas or to go on an exciting special ops mission that will save the world, I believe most of us would jump at the chance. We as human beings are always ready to do the work that WE want God to send us on, yet how often are we ready to go on a mission He wants us to go on? How willing would you be to go on a mission to wash toilets or to help in the nursery during Sunday Morning Service? How willing are you to become uncomfortable for the furthering of His Kingdom? There are all kinds of missions God can choose to send us on, why He chooses the missions that He does we do not know, but God ALWAYS has a plan. Take David for example in 1 Samuel 17:17-22, here we see David is obedient to God, through obedience to his father, and he was sent on a mission that would change his life forever. His mission wasn't critical to the nation of Israel or so he would have thought at the time. Since when does being the Cheese Boy bring any praise and honor, let alone a pleasant time. I can just imagine his brothers watching their brother come strolling up, waiting for news of their father and seeing what their father sent for them, only taking heed of their brother when he starts talking "self-righteously" about this giant. (1 Samuel 17:28-29) David knowing his brothers, probably saw their attitudes coming, yet he was still obedient, David saw the unpleasantness of the task and yet he obeyed. Unpleasantness can come in many forms, such as boredom, fear and the thoughts and words of others. These mind sets distract us from the mission God has put before us. David could have easily made excuses about going to the battle-line. He had the sheep to look after, he could say it was his calling to be a shepherd all his life and he had no need to deliver cheese or he could have claimed fear of travel and of war, he could have been afraid to face his brothers knowing that they may be harsh with him. Yet if David was not obedient he never would have become a Giant slayer, Israel could have suffered a great defeat or another would rise up and win the day for Israel. How many times have we made excuses out of fear or laziness not to be obedient? We do not know the plans of Him who sent us. We can see the Hand of God work here in David's life and yet we forget that God work's in our lives the same way today. We must always be obedient,
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a Bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point o death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:5-8.
If Christ can be obedient to the point of crucifixion, we can be obedient to the point of cleaning toilets. There should be nothing we would say no to God about. There is a great blessing that comes from being obedient, look at David, even though this jump starts his "career", he still will not be king for at least another 10 years probably longer and a lot of those years he will be running and hiding from King Saul. But this was God's Will for his life, this is how David gets his training to be king. Do not think that obedience means instant gratification, but rather as it is part of God's Plan for your life. So embrace whatever God sends your way and I guarantee he will use you mightily as He used David.
When you encounter trials while you are in obedience, hang on to the fact that He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it. (Philippians 1:6). God Bless you faithful Warrior.
Obedience is easy when we like the orders we are given. If we are told to go on short leave to the Bahamas or to go on an exciting special ops mission that will save the world, I believe most of us would jump at the chance. We as human beings are always ready to do the work that WE want God to send us on, yet how often are we ready to go on a mission He wants us to go on? How willing would you be to go on a mission to wash toilets or to help in the nursery during Sunday Morning Service? How willing are you to become uncomfortable for the furthering of His Kingdom? There are all kinds of missions God can choose to send us on, why He chooses the missions that He does we do not know, but God ALWAYS has a plan. Take David for example in 1 Samuel 17:17-22, here we see David is obedient to God, through obedience to his father, and he was sent on a mission that would change his life forever. His mission wasn't critical to the nation of Israel or so he would have thought at the time. Since when does being the Cheese Boy bring any praise and honor, let alone a pleasant time. I can just imagine his brothers watching their brother come strolling up, waiting for news of their father and seeing what their father sent for them, only taking heed of their brother when he starts talking "self-righteously" about this giant. (1 Samuel 17:28-29) David knowing his brothers, probably saw their attitudes coming, yet he was still obedient, David saw the unpleasantness of the task and yet he obeyed. Unpleasantness can come in many forms, such as boredom, fear and the thoughts and words of others. These mind sets distract us from the mission God has put before us. David could have easily made excuses about going to the battle-line. He had the sheep to look after, he could say it was his calling to be a shepherd all his life and he had no need to deliver cheese or he could have claimed fear of travel and of war, he could have been afraid to face his brothers knowing that they may be harsh with him. Yet if David was not obedient he never would have become a Giant slayer, Israel could have suffered a great defeat or another would rise up and win the day for Israel. How many times have we made excuses out of fear or laziness not to be obedient? We do not know the plans of Him who sent us. We can see the Hand of God work here in David's life and yet we forget that God work's in our lives the same way today. We must always be obedient,
"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a Bond-servant and being made in the likeness of men. And being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point o death, even death on a cross." Philippians 2:5-8.
If Christ can be obedient to the point of crucifixion, we can be obedient to the point of cleaning toilets. There should be nothing we would say no to God about. There is a great blessing that comes from being obedient, look at David, even though this jump starts his "career", he still will not be king for at least another 10 years probably longer and a lot of those years he will be running and hiding from King Saul. But this was God's Will for his life, this is how David gets his training to be king. Do not think that obedience means instant gratification, but rather as it is part of God's Plan for your life. So embrace whatever God sends your way and I guarantee he will use you mightily as He used David.
When you encounter trials while you are in obedience, hang on to the fact that He who began a good work in you is faithful to complete it. (Philippians 1:6). God Bless you faithful Warrior.
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