David, God's Chosen King

One of the things that Christians often struggle with is knowing the will and call of God on their life. We’ll assess our gifts, our abilities, and our circumstances, and try to figure out what God has in store for us. 

The problem is we often see ourselves as small and unimportant; a mere speck in the pool of seven billion lives on this planet. But if that is how we see ourselves, we would be wrong! Each and every life is important to God. Each and every believer has a plan and a purpose for the life they have received. Jesus said

I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly! -- John 10:10

You see, God’s ways are higher than ours. He see’s the future, we cannot.  He see’s what we are capable of, while we do not.  Even more important, God can see what He is going to accomplish through us by the working of His mighty power in our lives.

This Sunday we will be introduced to a young man named David who, it could be said, was fairly obscure.  He was the youngest of eight brothers.  He was the least of all the members of his family.  He was so unimportant that when the prophet Samuel invited his family to a sacrifice and a meal, he wasn’t even invited.  But God knew who David was.  God had already searched the heart of this young man named David, and saw things in his future that David had never even dreamed of.

What was the defining characteristic of David?  Was he big and strong?  Was he valiant?  Was he skilled with a sword? Doubtful, as David was probably between 10-15 years old at that time. But there were two things in particular that set David apart:

#1 – David was a man after God’s heart:

The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people – 1 Sam 13:14

#2 – The Spirit of the Lord was on David:

…the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. -- 1 Sam 16:13

The interesting thing about these two attributes is that we aren’t born with them, and they aren’t the result of good genes or family endowment.  These are attributes that are available to any born-again believer that is willing to submit their life to God, and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit.

God’s choice of David shows that we don’t have to quit our jobs and enter into full-time ministry to be people after God’s own heart. We don’t need to be famous or prominent to be people after God’s own heart. We don’t need to be respected or even liked by others to be people after God’s own heart. We don’t need status, influence, power, the respect or approval of men, or great responsibilities to be people after God’s own heart.All we need is a heart that is submitted to God and to the Holy Spirit that lives within us.

Don’t miss this Sunday, as we open a new chapter in our study of 1 Samuel: David, God’s Chosen King

… till the whole world hears,

Pastor Clay