Today you should read: 1 Chronicles 14
“Things work better when you do them ______ ____!”
If you’ve been around Center Point for a few years, you might be able to complete this statement, and it might have been rolling around in your head as you read this passage today. The completed part of that phrase is: “Things work better when you do them God’s way!” This applies to our passage in the sense that the leadership and character of David is being compared to that of king Saul; one did things God’s way (for the most part), and the other didn’t.
Saul lost his position that was given to him by God because he did not do things God’s way. He made decisions on behalf of God, and in general was not a man after God’s own heart. David on the other hand, while not being perfect, generally sought the heart of God, and that is seen in our passage today.
Verse 10: And David inquired of God…
Verse 14: And when David again inquired of God…
Multiple times we see David seek God in his decision making, because, like Saul, he knew that his kingship had been established by God for the purposes of God (v. 2). But unlike Saul, David sought the Lord, and because he did, he saw greater success.
What I don’t want for you to take away from this is that if you just seek God, all your problems will be solved. That is certainly not the case! However, when we seek God, things can generally go better, because God is the one who created and designed the world; and because he did, he knows how it should function. When we seek God on a daily basis, we recognize that we are not self-sufficient. Self-sufficiency is often related to foolishness.
So, the general take-away from today is that seeking God consistently reflects the gospel by reminding ourselves that we are not able to truly care for, rely on, or save, ourselves. We must be completely dependent upon God. Jesus dying on the cross for your sin is the purest picture of that. It is by God’s grace that we are able to come to God, and grow in our dependence upon him.
By: Graham Withers — Pastoral Ministry Apprentice
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