Skip to main content

Spiritual Maturity Starts Here

                Many stories from the life of David are well known (think “Goliath”), but this less familiar story is one of the best.
David ruled Israel from approximately 1010-970 BC.  During that time, his son, Absalom, gathered an army of his own, rebelled against his father and declared himself king. This, of course, put David in a bind.  He could not allow the rebels to overrun the country and take the throne by force, but he did not want to see his boy harmed.  Eventually, David sent his army out to fight, but he commanded them that they must not hurt Absalom.  He was to be brought back alive. 
                Ultimately, David’s forces won, but, unfortunately, Absalom was killed in the battle.  This sent David into such a deep depression that when the victorious army returned home, David was not there to greet them, thank them or celebrate with them.  In fact, he hid in his palace and was not seen for days.
                Eventually, Joab, the commander of David’s army, confronted David saying, “You have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you. I see that you would be pleased if Absalom were alive today and all of us were dead. Now go out and encourage your men” (2 Samuel 19:5-7).  You have to admire Joab’s courage.  It would not have been an easy thing to tell the king that he was acting foolishly and doing something wrong, but that is exactly what Joab did.
                The best part of this story is David’s reaction: “So the king got up and took his seat in the gateway” (verse 8).  Did you get that?  When David was told that he was wrong, he listened, admitted his fault and changed.  (David displays this same attitude in 2 Samuel 11 – 12).
    In other words, David was teachable.
                Everyone makes mistakes.  Perfection is not an option.  Therefore, the question becomes, “How do you respond when you are wrong?”  Humility allows our mistakes to become our teachers instead of our undertakers.
                Spiritual maturity and growth is always preceded by a teachable spirit.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Art of Noticing.... Seeing what we need to see and what we miss when we don't

 What we focus on in life matters. Here are some scriptural reminders that will help us see correctly.  https://youtu.be/Rn76tV0ZH8s    
Post a Comment
Read more

New Article: A Path Worth Following

  Jehoram was a terrible king.  He reigned in Judah around the year 850 B.C. and he did not care about God or his people.  His first act as king was to assassinate his six brothers so that no one could challenge his authority.  He was brutal and selfish.   Therefore, when the Bible sums up his life, it says, “Jehoram… passed away, to no one’s regret, and was buried in the City of David” (2 Chronicles 21:20).  Did you catch that?  “To no one’s regret!”  What a terrible phrase for your tombstone. On the other hand, consider a lady named Tabitha.  She lived in the city of Joppa in the first century A.D. and we are told, “… she was always doing good and helping the poor” (Acts 9:36).  She became sick and died.  This caused the community so much grief that they called Peter, who was in the nearby town of Lydda, to come and help them.  When Peter arrived, a crowd gathered, bringing all the robes and other clothing that ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consider This.... Which Way Are You Leaning?

   When Ben Patterson agreed to join three friends climbing Mount Lyell, the highest point in Yosemite National Park, he did not realize what he was signing up for.  Early in the day, it became clear that he was completely unprepared for the task.  In an effort to keep up with his more experienced friends, Ben took a shortcut.  It did not occur to him that there might be a reason the others had not selected this route, but he soon found out why.  Ben became stuck on the glacier.  He could not move up, down or sideways and one wrong move would send him sliding down a forty-five-degree slope to the valley floor miles below.   That is when one of his friends came to the rescue. His buddy leaned over the edge and carved some footholds in the ice.  He told Ben to step to the first foothold and immediately swing his other foot to the second, then his buddy would pull him to safety.  Lastly, his friend gave him one more piece of advice....
Post a Comment
Read more