2009 – Day 102.Apr. 13 – Youthful Integrity

2009 – Day 102.Apr. 13 – Youthful Integrity

Passage of the Day: 1st Samuel 16: 1 – 11 … Link to study passage …

My Journal for Today: Here again we move toward answering the question as to why God chose David to the His anointed successor to King Saul. And in today’s study Swindoll, from his devotional, points to the character trait of youthful integrity which was developed in young David out there in the fields of the desert wilderness. But I remind any reader here, … we have to focus now on YOUNG David and what God saw in the heart of this teenage shepherd. And Swindoll contends that the shepherd King was chosen because his character of integreity had been developed by four disciplines.

And the first of these, according to Swindoll, was SOLITUDE. The discipline of solitude develops depth of personality. One who requires superficial or meaningless noise in his life will likely avoid being able to focus on the really important aspects of life. Young David, out there alone in the desert, tending his flock, had learned how to focus on the main things in life; and the quiet he experienced helped to develop that focus. Meaningless noise has a tendency to cover over the deep, unresolved issues in life. However, developing and maintaining solitude in life helps one see and deal with those issues; and God can be heard more clearly when one develops and uses the discipline of solitude in. There’s an awful lot of meaningless noise in life these days. Do we have enough solitude in our life to be able to hear God’s still, small voice?

Secondly, and in a somewhat related discipline, David was honed through OBSCURITY. Servant leaders, Swindoll contends, are first “… unknown, unseen, unappreciated, and unapplauded.” And I love another quote about the life which David experienced which helped shape him for being king. Swindoll writes, “Strange as it may seem, those who first accept the silence of obscurity are best qualified to handle the applause of popularity. How about it? Are we seekers of the affirmation of others rather than doing the job behind the scenes?

The third training ground which developed young King David was MONOTONY; and that, according to Swindoll is learning to be faithful “ … in the menial, insignificant, routine, uneventful, daily tasks of life.” If one requires the drama or applause in life, he will not be able to deal with the small, but significant, details which are required to make one a leader. Servant leaders must be able to serve first; and service requires an attention to the mundane and repetitive details of life, … taks which may be boring but are absolutely necessary to get “the job” (of life) done in a way which is pleasing to God.

And finally, Swindoll claims the fourth discipline which helped to shape the Shepherd King was REALITY. And there’s probably no more real life on earth than that of being a shepherd out there in the deserts with a bunch of sheep, … where one must get to know the sheep, deal with the threats of predators, and have to provide for the needs of his flock. David didn’t have the luxury of living in fantasy out there with his flock. He had to learn to deal with solitude, obscurity, and monotony in the context of a very real existence. How about us? Are we dealing with real life; or are we drawn into fantasy to escape life?

How about it, fellow Christian? Are you doing the self inventory from this study as I am? And from conviction, I admit needing noise in my life to cover over my deeper, very personal issues. Often I’ll get in the car and instead of relishing the solitude, I’ll turn on the radio to surround myself with meaningless chatter; or I’ll turn on the TV or computer when I come in the house rather than listening for God’s still, small voice in the midst of quiet. But I’m learning to seek out and relish these quiet times with God, much as I am right here, listening for God and writing in this place.

I also confess that too often I seek out the affirmation or applause of other people, rather than just focusing on the more obscure and/or monotonous tasks which need to be done to get God’s job done. I’ve always, well, maybe not so much lately, been focused on getting into the public eye …to be seen by others doing the things which the world has a tendency of applauding. As I’ve matured in my faith, however, I’m recognizing and learning that getting the small details accomplished, those things which use my God-given gifts for His glory, will likely make God smile much more than feeding my human need for human applause. Now, I’m learning that the very real, but important, things like encouraging someone or doing a lesson plan for teaching my adult Sunday School class, can be used by God a lot more than seeking out the flashy applause or doing the stuff which give ME pleasure, rather than glory to God.

Perhaps in my later years of life, I’m finally learning what made God smile about David when he was a teenaged shepherd boy and what drew our Lord to the heart for God whom He could anoint as His King.

My Prayer for Today: Lord help me seek out the quiet in life to help me be shaped into Your image. Amen

2009 - Day 59.Mar.1 - A Major in Obscurity

2009 – Day 59.Mar. 1 – A Major In Obscurity

Passage of the Day - Exodus 3: 1 … Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.

My Journal for Today: We revisit the concept of God using lessons in obscurity (see my entry of Feb. 27th) to use our God-given gifts for His glory or to prepare us for some God-ordained plan for our future. The latter, of course, was the reason why God had Moses out in the desert of the Sinai, tending sheep for the second third of his life.

Swindoll reminds us again of Moses’ first forty years, spent in the lime-light of Egyptian royalty, where everything he did was scrutinized and revered. But when God led him into the Midianite deserts to become a shepherd for the next 40 years, the sheep he tended didn’t care who he was. They just followed him from one source of water and food to another; and God was using these lessons in humility to prepare our protagonist for what was to come.

I talked about this earlier (again, see Feb. 27), that often we may live a “hum-drum,” repetitive, and even boring lives; and we wonder why God has planted us there. And I maintain that these types of feelings are the result of God’s testing of our faith, … testing our belief in such truths as Prov. 3: 5 – 6 and Romans 8: 28. Sometimes we need to earn our degree in obscurity and followership before we can get the job as “leader” in God’s Kingdom. OR … it may be the case that where we are exactly where God can use our gifts and talents for His kingdom purposes for the rest of our lives.

In Moses’ case, he was in the desert as a shepherd for those 40 years in the college of obscurity, learning what God needed him to learn and preparing him for his burning bush diploma. And today’s verse has him about to get his degree in obscurity and to be thrust once again into the lime-light of leadership. I pray that whatever is God’s intention for my day-by-day, life in obscurity, I accept it and do what my Savior commands all of His disciples to do … to deny self, to take up the crosses of life laid before us, and to follow Him (see Luke 9: 23). If I do that, I know that I will get my Master’s degree in followership; and maybe I’ll have the opportunity and the privilege to lead others to the Lord.

My Prayer for Today: Lord, You said to Peter, “Tend My sheep.” I feel You saying that to me; and I will do that, Lord, to follow You. Amen