To all the young and young at heart, I'd like to ask a rhetorical question. Have you ever considered how the early life of David, before he became king of Israel, could provide a pattern for you to emulate as a Christian? Well, let's take a look at a couple of small parts of his life as examples. The first is in 1 Sam 17:12-37.

There was an incident after David had been anointed to be king, where David is asked by his father to take some bread and cheese to his brothers who were fighting against the Philistines. So David goes to the battlefield with the food.

When David gets to the front line, he finds the soldiers cowering before one tall Philistine but we find David is not scared at all!

Let's ask the question why not?

I would suggest to you, it's because the soldiers compared the Philistine with themselves, and David compares him with God!

So for all you young or young at heart, can I also suggest that for you to live the overcoming life, you like David should hold God as your highest authority and highest power. Always remember that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus and with Him all things are possible.

Now David asks the people around, 'What's going on?' 'Why isn't anyone challenging that Philistine?'

His elder brother is not happy that he is getting involved though, so David asks his own question, 'Isn't there a reason?'

In other words, if there is a Godly reason why you should be doing something, then don't let others who are jealous of you, stop you living for God. You should not be rude, but just quietly go about your 'Heavenly Father's' business, as David did!

So later, when Saul the king of Israel asks David why he thinks he can defeat Goliath, David tells him this :-

“ Look when a lion or a bear takes one of the sheep I look after, I go after it with a club! If it turns on me I catch it by the jaw and I club it to death! I've done this to lions and bears and I can do it to this Philistine!

Then David said what is perhaps the most important point in his statement - “The Lord who rescued me from the lion and the bear will also rescue me from this Philistine.”

David was close to God and he recognized that this closeness had brought God close to him, so that God fought for him!

God protects His friends! Get close to God and He will protect you! Draw close to God and He will draw close to you. When you call on God, He will be there! Just like he was for David. And David illustrated this in one of the Psalms.

Let's set the scene...

Imagine yourself back in David's time, and you have come upon David's camp, as he is looking after his father's sheep. You hear him singing to the sheep to calm them down and you stop to listen as David starts a new song – Psalm 23. And David sings...

“ The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.”

“ He makes me lie down in green pastures.”

“ He leads me besides still waters.”

“ He restores my soul.”

“ He guides me in the path of righteousness, for His name's sake.”

“ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil,”

Then David says...

“ For your rod and your staff they comfort me.”

Did you ever notice the change in the text at this point? In the early lines David is talking about God in the third person. It's as though David is singing to the sheep about God, who is a long way off somewhere else. So David says -
“He leads me besides still waters. He restores my soul”.

But then it's as though God hears David speaking and praising Him and He comes down and sits at the camp fire with David. And David notices the difference when, the glory of God, the presence of God, is close because you are singing His praises. So David says to God -

Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.

You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy will follow me, all the days of my life. And I will dwell in the “House of the Lord”, forever.

David caught a glimpse of our age; this time after Jesus came and died for our sins; because he was so close to God. He saw and experienced the goodness and mercy which follow the believer all his or her life!

So slow down; study, pray and praise God; draw close to Him and goodness and mercy will catch up with you too!

This is what you have to look forward to, as you get close to Jesus, who loves you and wants to do His best for you.

That's when you get to see how, in the midst of a fallen world, you can have life and have it abundantly. God makes you His righteousness on earth and puts you in His kingdom.

The summary is this...

Love God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength and the love of God and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit will be with you always.

Those are not pretty statements to make. They are realities to experience! Draw close to Jesus and the rest will be history – your Godly history!

Amen.

Attlee.