The path to the throne (1)

God described David as 'a man after my own heart'! Wow, high praise. Over the next few days we'll look at David's life. We'll see that David's humble start didn't stop him reaching dizzy heights. He was a shepherd who ended up as a king! The chances of that happening were next to none in those days - shepherds were so low on the ladder they couldn't even witness in a court of law as their word wasn't considered reliable; yet by age 30 David was wearing the crown.

But the story's not all success. During his 40 years in leadership David experienced devastating failure.

There are two lessons we can learn: (1) Don't rush to judgement. It is not over until God says it's over. David's story is a warning to the self-righteous, a testimony to the justice of God that won't allow us to escape our sin's consequences, and to his love that will never let go of us. (2) God can bring good out of it. He can take every experience we've been through, both positive and negative, and make it work for good, either our good or the good of others. When we chase God's purposes despite our flaws, he makes 'all things work together for good' (Romans 8:28 NKJV).



So what now? Have a read of David's life from 1 Samuel 16. It's a great story of a man's journey with God. How can you apply what David learned to your life, and be a man (or woman) after God's own heart?





— SCRIPTURE —

'I have found David...a man after my own heart.' Acts 13:22 NKJV
— SOULFOOD —

Lev 16, Lev 23:26-32 , Heb 9:1-14 , Heb 13:11-16