Courage
I just finished a study by John MacArthur on 1 and 2 Samuel. The last chapter was on the differences between Saul and David- when Saul was called to be the first king of Israel and when David fought Goliath. Saul's first response to his duty was to run and hide from his responsibilities which God called him to. David, on the other hand, stepped up to a role that wasn't even his in the first place. He saw that God's name was being blasphemed everyday by the Philistines because they claimed Baal was a better god. David, the smallest and youngest of his family (with no military training) jumped to the opportunity to serve God.
Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the determination to act in faith, in spite of fear.
I kept thinking about this as it relates to my time raising support. God has called me into ministry and I, like Saul, have run and hid from my responsibility. I keep thinking how much easier it would be to get a full time job in Chicago and just volunteer my time. But God was not honored by Saul's cowardice.
When David stepped up to the plate, his focus was not on his weapons, but on His God. my tendency is to focus on my weapons, like my boldness, rather than on God. if God had allowed Saul to fight Goliath, He wouldn't have gotten any of the credit or glory.
last week God deeply humbled me by making me physically sick everyday. i was on the verge of quitting and thought i surly wouldn't make my goal on time. i thought that God was leading me to do something else, but i decided to exhaust all my resources before giving up. this has been a hard time and i thought it would be a lot easier. i don't know what i had in mind, but this isn't it. i think the summer-time laziness has kicked in and i really just need to step it up. i am praying that God would show up on the battle front like he did for David, so that He gets all the glory. if i make it to 100%, it will surely be His power and not mine.
"Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."
-I Samuel 17:45
Courage is not the absence of fear, it is the determination to act in faith, in spite of fear.
I kept thinking about this as it relates to my time raising support. God has called me into ministry and I, like Saul, have run and hid from my responsibility. I keep thinking how much easier it would be to get a full time job in Chicago and just volunteer my time. But God was not honored by Saul's cowardice.
When David stepped up to the plate, his focus was not on his weapons, but on His God. my tendency is to focus on my weapons, like my boldness, rather than on God. if God had allowed Saul to fight Goliath, He wouldn't have gotten any of the credit or glory.
last week God deeply humbled me by making me physically sick everyday. i was on the verge of quitting and thought i surly wouldn't make my goal on time. i thought that God was leading me to do something else, but i decided to exhaust all my resources before giving up. this has been a hard time and i thought it would be a lot easier. i don't know what i had in mind, but this isn't it. i think the summer-time laziness has kicked in and i really just need to step it up. i am praying that God would show up on the battle front like he did for David, so that He gets all the glory. if i make it to 100%, it will surely be His power and not mine.
"Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied."
-I Samuel 17:45
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