Beloved: grace and peace to you from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. It is with great delight that I welcome you into another week of the month of July 2020. And I pray that God will perfect all that concerns you and make your life a point of reference for good things, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
As we see in the bible, the very first king God ordained over the Israelites was Saul. But after the record of his death, nothing serious is mentioned about him again. Why? It was because he did not live an exemplary life. Yes, he reigned for forty years. But those forty years meant nothing to God, for they were not lived to honour Him.
But the case was different with David, who became king after him. He so gave his heart to God that He continually used him as a point of reference to others. For instance, when He was going to tear the kingdom of Solomon into two and give the larger part of it to Jeroboam, He said to him by the mouth of Ahijah the prophet, “If you do whatever I command you and walk in my ways and do what is right in my eyes by keeping my statutes and commands, as David my servant did, I will be with you. I will build you a dynasty as enduring as the one I built for David and will give Israel to you.” (1Kings 11:38-39NIV)
Did you see that? God was using David as a standard for that young man to emulate. In other words, if Jeroboam would just order his life the way David ordered his own life, he would not have any problem with God but win His approval. And there are a number of other places in the bible in which we see God using this man as His standard for judging the performance of other kings. (Cf. 2Kings 14:3, 18:1-3 & 22:1-2)
But why would God use David as a standard for judging others? Was it because he was utterly sinless and absolutely perfect? No, he was not any of these things. He had his own flaws as a man and even committed sins that most of the other kings did not commit. Nevertheless, he was someone that was always after God’s heart to please Him and bring Him praise. And because of that, when he sinned, and it was brought to his notice, he would not start arguing with God or making excuses for his sins. Instead, he would lose no time in sincerely repenting and also in seeking forgiveness. You can, then, see why God continually used him as the standard for appraising all the kings that came after him. (Cf. 2Sam 11,12&24; Ps 51)
In like manner, God wants us to live our lives in such a way that He can tell others to learn from us. Yes, we know that none of us is ever a perfect example of man, as He wants man to be. Only Jesus Christ is. However, if we will follow the Lord holeheartedly and pattern our lives after His, it won’t be long before God is able to use us as a point of reference in showing others how to live lives that are well-pleasing to Him (1Cor 11:1; Phil 3:17). And my prayer is that, as you continue your journey through life, your heart will be strengthened to walk everyday in this consciousness, so that your life may continually be a blessing to everyone in your world.
Do have a great week.
Copyright © 2020, Reality Desk, a ministry of Alaythia Bible Church –This material is the sole property of Reality Desk. It may be copied for personal non-commercial use only in its entirety free of charge. All copies must contain this copyright notice. Please direct any questions you may have to alaythiabiblechurch@gmail.com / alaythia4all@gmail.com or call: 08037592851 (WhatsApp Number: 07085711280)
By: J.O. Lawal | Date: July 19, 2020 | Series: From Pastor’s Desk | Number: Vol. 9, No. 10