FINISHING STRONG or CRASH & BURN?
He had it ALL. God had given him everything. Listen to God's words to him:
"I
anointed you king...I delivered you from the hand (of your enemy)...I gave your
master's house to you...I gave you the house of
David had been plucked from obscurity in the nation, in his tribe, even in his own family, to become THE national hero.
God did everything possible to get David off on the right foot.
David had a strong start. A great start to a career and a Godly legacy. He was not alone. Others started equally strong.
Saul had been plucked from obscurity, much like David. HE had been transformed into a king. The spirit of the LORD had come upon him in power and for leadership. A great start to life and dynasty.
Eli and
Samuel had been used by God as priests. They were given the great
privilege of helping to discern the will of God for kings, leaders, and the
nation of
Unfortunately, a great start does NOT guarantee a great finish.
David crashed and burned with lust. The sword would never leave his family.
Saul crashed and burned because he didn't carry out God's commands with the Amaelkites.
Eli and Samuel, though men of integrity, were failures as fathers. Their kids were rebellious and the people refused to follow them. The next generation was so bad, the priesthood lost its power and its Godly force.
How 'bout you? You've had a great start. You know about God's love for you. You know God has called you to follow Him. You have said "yes" to the invitation to relationship.
I'm convinced God wants the end of my life to be even stronger, more fully committed to Him, than the first part of my life has been.
I'm convinced God wants the end of my week to find me being shaped into the image of His Son even more than I was at the beginning of the week.
I'm convinced God longs for men and women who will stand up in the middle of their journey with Him and say, "I don't care WHAT it costs, I'm gonna finish STRONG!"
Will you join me, right now, before you delete this message, in making sure your finish will be as strong as your start? Tell God you want to commit to it. Tell Him you want to make sure all He's poured out upon you isn't wasted. I'm doing it now as I'm typing it to you.
Grace & peace