David's Example of God-led Leadership

INTRODUCTION

In difficult times take your problems to God – David, provides some insight on how to handle joy and sorrow...what a great lesson for our children?


We are living in difficult times.  The world economy is in the middle of a deep recession.  There are many hot spots in the world that could erupt into war at any time.  Many people are dealing with financial or physical difficulties. Difficult issues come and go for each of us.  Adversity forces us to make choices and decisions that may affect our lives and others for years to come.


How do you handle adversity?  Do you respond with fear, anger or anxiety?  Maybe your response is why me. How should a Christian handle them?  The answer is in the Bible.  The Bible is full of accounts of people dealing with difficulty.  Some handled it wisely and some foolishly.  We can take comfort in knowing that there is a godly way to handle times of trouble.


The first step in dealing with trouble is to take it to God in prayer.  God cares about us and what happens in our lives.  There is nothing that can happen to any of us beyond Gods control.  David provides us with an example of taking our problems to God (we move from praying scripture to memorizing scipture in our prayer section, vital parts to aid in your communication to God and a life long lesson for your children).  The life of David was full of joy and sorrow.  He endured many trials.  Some of his own making and many a part of life.  We can all identify with that.


I’ve always been fascinated by the life of David.  Musician and warrior, poet and king, he is the only person described in the Bible as a “man after God’s own heart” (see 1 Samuel 13:14).  You know, when you read his story, at least for me, I often find myself wondering: What does it take to become a person who chases after God’s heart?  David offers an answer in the shape of his own life . . . a life lived for the glory of God. In battle, he modeled invincible courage. In decisions, he judged with wisdom and integrity.  In loneliness, he wrote with transparent vulnerability and quiet trust.  In friendship, he was loyal to the end.  Whether a humble shepherd boy, a musician in the court of King Saul, or a King himself, he remained faithful and trustworthy.
But his journey with God began in a very unlikely place, because, Bethlehem was a tiny, unimportant town, eclipsed in the shadow of larger cities. And David was the youngest son of Jesse, living in the shadow of his seven brothers.


As Pastor said this past Sunday, David’s early years as a shepherd were lonely, monotonous, and grounded in the messy reality of daily life.  God placed him in the wilderness outside of Bethlehem with smelly, dirty sheep in order to quietly shape and carefully equip him for a future David never could have imagined.  Over time, he developed into a young man whose heart yearned to please God in every way.


You see, greatness is not made through one trial or one victory, it is hammered out over and over on the anvil of daily demands that we face. Most often this work is done alone—in complete obscurity. But God sees every word, every choice, and every action. Devoted hearts are never wasted. When you look through the Bilble you find that God frequently uses the obscure, the broken, or the outcast for some of His greatest work.  And when God looked at young David, out in the middle of nowhere, obeying his father and tending his sheep, He said, “That's my man.”  Then the prophet Samuel anointed David as king over all Israel.


I believe that God has provided biblical accounts of men like David as models for us to follow as we move forward in our spiritual journeys.  The more I look at David's life the more I am inspired to pursue God with renewed passion.


Sit down with your children this week and go through some of Davids life with them, it will take time but stories of his life with help shape a leaders heart in your child, and you will both learn and grow from your time spent together.


Just as God prepared David for the calling on his life, He has continuously developed our 5+2 club to a calling to reach people with the truth of God’s Word and its application.  And like David, we will spend many years following His leading—moment by moment, day by day, and year after year—so that we might fulfill His ultimate will for the ministry of 5+2.  God has been faithful, consistently using familys and children like yours to prayerfully participate and support 5+2 as we seek to follow Him.


Even when you feel that your work is done in obscurity like David’s once was, God sees it all.  And in the same way, we celebrate each and every person who is standing alongside the 5+2 family. No individuals gifting is unimportant; the ministry of 5+2 is supported by people who simply give with what they are spiritually blessed with!


Beth and I want you to know that You are vital to our ministry, so please; don’t count on someone else to do your part. No one can take your place.  Make it a priority to attend each Monthly leadership meeting , Monthly Outreach and attend as a family.


We want to thank all of you for your support and making 5+2 such a success. I believe that you will find our coming meetings to be an inspiring time where we all (as a family) become men and women who diligently seek after God’s own heart.


Thank you for all your efforts you invest in 5+2 with your children. To be who your are today, somebody invested in you..please do the same for your children...




LEADERSHIP


A Leaders Heart


"But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart." 1 Samual 16: 7


The selection of David to be Israel's king illustrates how God often disregards human customs and traditions to accomplish His purposes. By human standards, David, as the youngest son of Jesse, appeared least likely to be considered for a leadership position. But God saw the heart of this young man and knew that His people needed a leader with a tenderness of spirit. David might have become a warrior, but gentleness was his defining trait.


David began his leadership journey as low man on the totem pole.  He did what was asked of him with a great attitude. While his own brothers looked down on him, God lifted him up.  David's life illustrates that faithfulness in small things often results in much larger assignments and greater responsibility down the road.  David loved the Lord and lived his life as a man after God's own heart.




PRAYER


We embark on a new segment in leadership prayer, shifting from praying scripture to memorizing Scripture.
We continue to encourage you to practice praying with your children as we continue on with this new series on memorizing Scripture.  Each week we will memorize a scripture that will aid us in our spiritual battle btwn flesh and spirit. This week we center on temptation.


"I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you."  Psalm 119:11


To tempt means, "to draw people toward sin by causing them to hope or believe that they will get something good out of it".  Look at temptation Satan tried with Jesus in Matthew 4:1-11.  Did Satan lie, or did he say something true?  If Satan said what was true, why would it have been wrong for Jesus to do it?  Jesus was tempted more than just this one time.  So, how did Jesus fight temptation?  Why do you think he quoted God's Word, the Scriptures?  If Jesus came to show us how to live based on Matthew 4:1-11, how should we fight temptation?


Memorize this scripture with your kids and say it every time temptation rears its face. Thank you for joining us on this journey of memorzing Sciptures over the next several weeks, I'm sure something very exciting will happen.

Blessings,


5+2, making a difference in the community around us, one step at a time!