Leading Like God Leads to Victory

 2 Samuel 7-8    1 Chronicles 15-16     Psalm 117     Galatians 1

As David settles into leadership over Israel, the people not a place, the Lord blesses him and expands his territory. David seeks out God’s leading and begins to think about a central place to house the Ark of the Covenant. We must note that God never ask for a permanent place for the physical representation of his presence. David’s desire for that home for the Ark is related to his building a house for himself and then thinking God needs the same thing. God has allowed David to live in peace within his country and provides for ways for him to defeat those around him so that the kingdom grows under his leadership.

One of the key things I see in these passages is that David continually sees himself as unworthy of what God has done to bring him to the place he is. He remembers where he came from, a lowly shepherd boy, to a king that the people sing his praise. He had been exalted for the sake of the people he ruled over.

Our song is a simple song of praise to the Lord God and a call for all people to praise the Lord. God’s lovingkindness is great toward all of us, and the truth of the Lord is everlasting.

Paul begins in today’s letter telling us he is an apostle of Jesus only by the grace of God who transformed his life. Jesus purpose in coming was to transform lives and Paul was one of them.

He begins but noting that there are those that are those that are disturbing them by distorting the Gospel, the good news of God, and they are to be cursed.

Then he turns to ask the same question of himself that we all need to ask of ourselves, ‘Am I now seeking to please and find the favor of people or of God?’ Might be the most important question we can ask ourselves today. He points out that he in his zeal for God hand done all he could to destroy the early followers of Jesus. When Jesus called him, in a dramatic way, he didn’t call together his friends to consult with flesh and blood but withdrew to enter into the presence of the holy. It would be three years before the Holy Spirit would put him on the path to becoming the man that would transform much of the world. While many received him with fear, when they heard his story, they praised God.

Today we have looked at the call to leadership. The place to start as a leader is always to look to God and ask the Holy Spirit to be poured out on us in such a way that we will touch our community in a way they will praise God for our living in their midst. Like the song today we are then able to praise God in all things in our lives.