Lessons from David

I've been reading in my Bible lately about David and have learned some things that I need to apply to my life. There is a lot to learn from a man after God's heart,so I am just touching on a few. Maybe it will encourage you to get out your Bible and study about him a little yourself.

Lesson 1: SHUT YOUR EYES. I make snap judgements all of the time because of the way a person looks or dresses. If you are dressed all in black with dyed black hair and thick eyeliner, I assume certain things about you. If you are in a suit and tie with polished shoes, I assume different things. It is so unfair, wrong, and against the will of God. I know I shouldn't do it, but I do, and I am not sure how to stop. I do know this, though. God sees right through that outside covering into the heart. God chose the least likely of Jesse's sons to become the king of Israel. Why? Not because of anything that anyone could see on the outside, but because his heart was right with God. I pray that I will one day stop judging the book by the cover, until then, I promise to continue to work on it.

Lesson 2: WAIT YOUR TURN. When David was anointed as the new king, he didn't run off to the palace and kick Saul off the throne. He went back to the pasture to take care of his father's flock. David treated Saul with the respect that was due to the king. He even went to court to play music for the king and fought in the army for him. Did it run through his mind that these things were below him? Did he think he might die in battle and never get to be king? Did he ever want to shout out to God, "Hey, I'm not getting any younger here"? I would have. David spent the time learning and growing so he would be a better king. God's timing is perfect. I've seen it in David's life, and I've seen it in mine. Now, I just need to remember that when I get impatient with Him.

Lesson3: REPENT AND MOVE ON. David sure wasn't perfect. In fact, if we compare sins (as we Americans so often do) his were pretty big. Adultery and murder rank right up there. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. We know that. What we need to do is acknowledge our sins, repent and move on. When David was confronted with his sin and realized what he had done, he was sorry. Boy was he sorry. His passion is evident in the Psalms. He begged God for forgiveness and trusted that God would forgive as He promised. Then David moved on with his life. He doesn't constantly refer back to how he messed up his life, how things would have been better if he had obeyed, or how he should just give up obeying God because he'd already screwed up so badly. David understood that God forgives the truly repentant and their sins are no more. We need to trust God more and move on with our lives. We are forgiven. Praise Him.