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Whos the greatest Basketball player? Regardless its a short list of 3. I will take Michael Jordan.
Who is the greatest golfer, again a short list of 3, but I will take Arnold Palmer.
Who is the greatest swimmer… another short list of 3 and i will take Michael Phelps.
But why were they the greatest? That is really the question we should be asking when it comes to greatness.
The first and second books of Samuel tell the story of 2 kings.
2 Kings…
One was Saul - head and shoulders over the people. He started out awkward and almost humble. He was immediately appointed King by the prophet. And he quickly rose to fame… and just as quickly crashed and burned.
David - hidden in obscurity, the youngest of 8 brothers, neglected by his father, a kid, a runt, and worst of all a shepherd. He didn’t rise to the throne, he slowly waited all the while endlessly escaping death at the hands of King Saul.
Why was one a man after Gods own heart? Why did one rule and acquire the goods to be a great King while the other seemingly should have been the best of both but hit a wall early on and failed miserably?
Have you ever put yourself in Davids shoes? As a kid he is anointed King. Its a done deal. The prophet Samuel does not do things carelessly- he knows God. Then David Kills Goliath, then he begins to work for the King, then he has to flee from the king. Continually proving his loyalty to the king, but only to have the King turn on him again and again. David has to run on fumes and hope for 15 years before he becomes king.
But here is the beauty of it. He always trusted Gods timing… and God knew what he was doing.
During this time that we might call waiting or running or even disappointment… God teaches David some amazing lessons and prepares him for Kinghood. He learns how to attract low life men and train them up and create great loyal followers. He learns how to map out attacks and how to escape. He makes friends with allies and learns the ways of his enemies. He learns the terrain of his nation for future battles and more than anything gains a mind that is able to deal with any obstacle… he doesn’t panic, he has learned in all things to trust God. Yes, it is true that the kingdom was not just handed to him because he had a bowl of oil doused over his head… but it was rather rationed out to him in trial by trial.
King Saul was just the opposite. He had no trials by which to learn to be King. He was immediately appointed and granted access to whatever he deemed right. He made passive decisions one day and irrational ones the next. He never had the tests nor the preparation that David had.
So do you want the easy life? - What does one get with the easy life? Really do you have the guts to answer that?
What are the things you struggle with while going through trials?… Maybe you don’t see it as preparation.
We many times fall into a trap thinking that if I am in Gods will than I should be firing on all cylinders right now… but I have found that most of the time life is teaching me so that as I get older I am actually more prepared for greater service to God. I am way more prepared at 55 than I was at 45, and even more so than when I was 35. I have no doubt even as I feel like I am in the middle of my greatest work… I will still look back on this as preparation for when I am 65, and then 75 and yes 85 and 95.
To quote Bruce Lee
“Do not pray for an easy life; pray for the strength to endure a difficult one.”
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