Tuesday, October 27, 2015
As I was reading yesterday in I Samuel, Chapter 30, I saw many spiritual lessons which can be applied to our everyday lives. In it, David made a mistake by leaving the women and the children by themselves while he and his men were out on a mission and when they returned, they found they had been taken captive and carried away by the Amalekites. With God’s help, they would later save them and bring them all back unharmed, but during their absence his soldiers were so grief stricken they considered stoning David because they felt he was solely to blame. They all quickly changed their mind and opinion of him once the captives were recovered.
For a brief period, David’s men had forgotten that they volunteered to follow him, and that they had because, on many occasions, he had proven himself worthy of their trust. Were it not for God’s gracious intervention, David would have died and his followers would have never experienced the many victories they would later enjoy because they chose to stay by his side. That momentary loss of trust almost destroyed the relationship that David had with his men. Today, all types of relationships are built on trust and when it is lacking or absent altogether, that relationship will not stand. Sadly, it happens in families, marriages, in the workplace, in sports teams, and yes, even in church. If the leader or one of the main players in the unit no longer has the trust of those he or she serves, the relationship will soon be dissolved.
Among the qualifications set out by Paul for all church leaders in 1 Timothy, 3, they were to be above reproach, which basically means that others would have no valid reason to accuse them of wrongdoing. They should be temperate, self-controlled, apt to teach, gentle, and one who, just like David, had proven himself worthy time and time again. A bible teacher recently said that many members will, from time to time, wonder if their pastor can be trusted. They ask themselves if he is able to stand up to the task because, for whatever reason, it seems to them that he doesn’t appear to be the one to lead them safely and properly. The teacher used this little story as an illustration: A man and his family needed to cross over to the other side of a river and they came up to this creaky old bridge that didn’t seem to be too sturdy. They were afraid and asked “Can this old bridge be trusted to get us to the other side?” While they talked amongst themselves, they saw many people quickly get on it, crossing over with no problems and then one big truck after another crossing over too. That was all the proof they needed and they also happily walked on it and crossed over. That is the basis of our faith in God. We know He can be trusted because He has never failed anyone. If your leader has always been faithful, why doubt or question him or her now?
Memory verse for the week: (Psalm 103:2) “Bless the Lord, o my soul, and forget not all His benefits.”
