The Simple Life

2 Samuel 11:1 (ESV) In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem. David chose to pull rank, to stay home. It was normal for the king to go to war to participate in the battle, but for some reason, David, at least at this moment, was willing to let others fight his wars. There were probably several justifications for his behavior. He was the king. He was entitled. He had put in his time. He was more valuable, more important than the normal citizen, and so forth.  What is more troubling is the idea that he was willing to demand his people to do something he was no longer willing to do. Ministry leaders today struggle with the same issues. They often expect others to volunteer their time while they volunteer little or none. (It would be unpaid "overtime" for them.) Leaders expect others ...

David departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam. And when his brothers and all his father's house heard it, they went down there to him.  And everyone who was in distress, and everyone who was in debt, and everyone who was bitter in soul, gathered to him. And he became commander over them. And there were with him about four hundred men. 1 Samuel 22:1-2 (ESV)  Those who are needy are positioned well to see the hand of God. Those who are well off usually have much that eclipses God's hand. David was on the run because he did things right. Those who saw him, identified with him, and joined him. Perhaps the church needs to rethink things here. Perhaps we need pastors and leaders who are more like the common man than like the elite class. Instead of paying our pastors like CEOs of companies, why don't we pay them the average salary of those who attend the church? Instead of stacking our board with those who are the social and financia...

Then Saul clothed David with his armor. He put a helmet of bronze on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail, and David strapped his sword over his armor. And he tried in vain to go, for he had not tested them. Then David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them." So David put them off.  Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the brook and put them in his shepherd's pouch. His sling was in his hand, and he approached the Philistine. 1 Samuel 17:38-40 (ESV)  David already had the tried and tested tools of war at his disposal. He had tried and tested God in the fighting off of dangers in the past, and trusted that God would be there to fight off the present dangers. Perhaps many are consumed with the current dangers because they never practiced fighting off the enemy during the times when the enemy was not so formidable. Perhaps we should be looking to be faithful today in the little things, ...

Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him.  And Saul's servants said to him, "Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well." 1 Samuel 16:14-16 (ESV)  A tragic period in history begins with these words: "Now the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul."  There could be nothing worse for an individual or a nation. Moses understood this and told God that he would not go if God's presence was not with him. So often we do not recognize the importance of the presence of God in our lives. We live as if His presence is only necessary when we are in trouble. We often want the benefits of being in a relationship with God, yet not spend time with Him or even know Him. If God's ...