Introducing David

1 Samuel 16:1-13

August we are introducing Friendship as our theme at LHC kids. We will study the life of David.

When we first hear about David, God pulls a Moses moment. You know the moment. God appoints the least expectant one to lead His people.

Gods tell Samuel to go to the house of Jesse and there he will find the new king to rule over Israel.

Jesse has 8 sons. He brings the oldest 7 to see Samuel. The youngest he keeps to tend the sheep.

Samuel assumes God will tell him to take one of Jesse's oldest sons. They are strong, tall and handsome. Yet God chooses the youngest, David. A boy who is out tending the sheep.

This famous verse is present here........

But the Lord said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."

God is referring to Saul at the beginning of this passage. Saul is the strong, handsome one. God has rejected Saul and God is telling Samuel to 'get over' Saul. In God's eyes Saul is no longer king. God will appoint the next king and he may not be strong and handsome. A mans appearance is not as important as a mans heart.

I have to park here. As a women I am concerned with my outward appearance. Before we go out I always ask my husband, "Do I look okay?" Or if I am going somewhere with girls I traditionally ask, "What are you wearing?" I might even say, "Do I look fat in this?" (transparency).

When I reflect back on how I feel about people in my life I hold dear. Do I care if they haven't gone to the hair dresser in 6 months? Do I care (unless it is affecting their overall health) if they put on 5 pounds? Do I care if they aren't wearing the latest trendy clothes?

No! I love them for who they are! I love their spirit. I love when they make me laugh! I love seeing them with their kids. I love having a deep conversation with them. I don't care what they are wearing or how their hair is fixed!!!!

God is so good. He tells us what He looks at and if we are completely honest with ourselves we will see that that is what draws us to people. Its how he wired us. Only if we are living in the world (what man says) will we feel differently. In God's world we reflect on how He made us. We are drawn to someones heart!

This should even apply to choosing leaders (spiritual or secular). We should look at their integrity. We should look at their heart. We shouldn't care where they bought their clothes or if we like their hair style. Or how handsome and tall they are (remember Saul).

Go hug a friend and tell them how much you love their heart!!!

See you Sunday!

Genesis 45 - Joseph and his family

After Joseph revealed himself to his brothers he gave God the glory and honor. A big switch from the Joseph who bragged about his coat and made his brothers so angry with his boastful stories of his dreams to rule over them that they sold him to slavery.

The stories Joseph told his brothers about his dreams were true and from God. But Joseph was not discerning and made everyone angry.

In Genesis 45 we meet a new Joseph. This Joseph learns a little about discernment. This Joseph forgives his brothers for selling him into slavery. This Joseph promises them riches beyond what they could ever imagine. No strings attached.

Joseph tells them this; "But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and save your lives by a great deliverance. So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt." Genesis 45:7&8

Joseph is giving God all the glory and yet forgiving his brothers who could have cared less what happened to Joseph, years before. They threw him away. They were glad to be done with him.

So Joseph weeps with them (vs.14&15), sends them back to Jacob (their father) with donkeys, food, clothing, etc. Enough for all their family's, and the journey back to Egypt.

Joseph showed us how God forgives us and showers us with goodness even though we have sinned against him. All we have to do is ask and God forgives. No strings attached. Because we are God's children he grants us grace and forgives us. Joseph granted forgiveness and riches because they were his brothers.

What a great story to teach our children. Especially about sibling relationships and forgiving those who have wronged us.

Also, this story teaches us that God has a plan. During those ugly situations where we cannot imagine God being a part of, He is. He is all knowing.

We need to realize that even in circumstances when people are ugly and disappointing us, He still has a plan. We may hate the situation when someone dumps us, a parent abandons us, a child rebels against us, or a family member steels from us. In all those (and many more) it is still God's plan. Who are we to stand in the way of God's plan for our lives? Even when it is ugly!

Forgiveness is one of the hardest things for us to do. We feel as if we deserve the last word or the acknowledgment we are right. We need to move past that.

We need to form this attitude, this prospective; "It is NOT about me. This is about God's plan. What am I going to do with this situation to honor Him?"

Have a forgiving weekend!

Joseph Sold Into Slavery

Happy Wednesday! Blogging from NY were it is 68 degrees, raining and we are praying it stops before the Yankee game tonight.

Genesis 37

Joseph is the favorite son. Every family has one don't they? If your not the favorite than you are the one that resents that sibling at some point in time in your life.

I think about raising kids and how they all need to learn a level of discernment. Joseph loved to brag about his coat and his dreams. We may have one child get all A's and their brother or sister don't. Or you may have a child that does what you tell them (the first time) and the other seems to forgets and needs to be reminded 5 times.

Kids are kids and we are the same. God doesn't have favorites but sometimes he blesses us. So what we do with those blessings are what matters.

Joseph made his brothers so angry by bragging about his beautiful coat and his dreams that he would rule over everyone someday, that they couldn't stand it any more. They plotted to get rid of him somehow. They nearly had him killed but one of them had a voice of reason and decided selling him to slavery would be a better option.

So when God does bless us isn't it important to recognize those blessings as Gods blessing and not ours? Just like teaching your children their gifts are different than each others. School grades may come easy for one but the other may have to study more.

It took Joseph a long time to learn an important lesson. Because our talents and knowledge come from God, it is more appropriate to thank him for them than to brag about them. Later, Joseph gives God the credit.

Have a great day!

In Him......

Laurie