http://www.bellairebaptist.org/blog/index.php http://www.bellairebaptist.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry100903-080000
It wasn't his stature, his moral perfection, or the size of his bank account.
It was the size of his heart.

Time and time again David exhibited unparalleled devotion to God.

Every one of our clues points to the heart of a worshiper.
The New Testament teaches us that God seeks those who will worship him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). He promises to reward those who diligently seek him (Heb 11:6). That is exactly what we see shine so brightly in David. His wasn't a religion or spirituality or worship that bounced along the surface, following the path of least resistance. He wasn't determined or deterred by custom, popular opinion, or tradition.

He overflowed with a passion toward God.

More than that his worship was always marked with sacrifice. He didn't give God only what he could not longer use. He was interested in garbage can or garage sale religion as some call it. Such faith only gives God what is left over or what has already had all the use squeezed out. You know how we do it.

"God can have our time” as long as there is nothing else happening that we might want to do. Or he can have claim to our treasure, but only after we get our wants taken care of first.

None of this for David! His heart wouldn't let him.
No half-hearted worship, cheap offerings, or left over religion!
His heart overflowed with a zeal for God that nothing else could rival.

God looks at the heart, Samuel learned.

When God looked at the heart of David, he didn't find a perfect man, but he found a soul on fire for God.

That is always what God is looking for --then and now!

Have a blessed weekend!]]> http://www.bellairebaptist.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry100902-080000
We find a third clue in 2 Samuel. David had sinned. This time contrary to what God had always told him, he numbered his soldiers. It seems that the Lord wanted David to always trust him and not his own ability to defeat an enemy. David quickly realized his mistake and cried out to God in repentance. The Lord said that he could choose his punishment: three years of famine, three months at the hands of his enemies, or three days of plague. David chooses the plague. The nation is ravaged. Many die. Finally the prophet calls upon David to offer a sacrifice of worship to the Lord and the punishment would end. This is what follows.

18 So Gad came to David that day and said to him, "Go up, erect an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite."
19 David went up according to the word of Gad, just as the LORD had commanded.
20 Araunah looked down and saw the king and his servants crossing over toward him; and Araunah went out and bowed his face to the ground before the king.
21Then Araunah said, "Why has my lord the king come to his servant?" And David said, "To buy the threshing floor from you, in order to build an altar to the LORD, that the plague may be held back from the people."
22 Araunah said to David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up what is good in his sight. Look, the oxen for the burnt offering, the threshing sledges and the yokes of the oxen for the wood.
23 "Everything, O king, Araunah gives to the king." And Araunah said to the king, "May the LORD your God accept you."
24 However, the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price, for I will not offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God which cost me nothing " So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.
25 David built there an altar to the LORD and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. Thus the LORD was moved by prayer for the land, and the plague was held back from Israel. (2 Samuel 24:18-25)

Did you hear the words? No cost no offering.

I would never give something that cost me nothing and call it an offering to my God.

In David we find unrestricted sacrifice in the pursuit of God.
]]> http://www.bellairebaptist.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry100901-080000
We find another clue in 2 Samuel. The second passage from near the end of the book provides a flashback to an earlier battle scene. In a series of stories, this section of 2 Samuel tells of the courage and caliber of the men that served David. Once incident tells as much about David as it does his most loyal soldiers.

13 Then three of the thirty chief men went down and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam, while the troop of the Philistines was camping in the valley of Rephaim.
14 David was then in the stronghold, while the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem.
15 David had a craving and said, "Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!"
16 So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD;
17 and he said, "Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went in jeopardy of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did. (2 Samuel 23:13-17)

Do you see the picture forming of David's heart?

When offered his heart's desire, he so was awed by the devotion of his man that he can only give such a valuable object to his God. He cannot take it for himself.

David demonstrated unreserved gratitude for the provision of God
]]> http://www.bellairebaptist.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry100831-083638
We find a clue in 2 Samuel. Soon after David had conquered Jerusalem and made it his capital, he took steps to make it God's capital as well. David knew that for Jerusalem to be the center of God's activity, it must be the home of the Ark of the Covenant.

Ever since God had given directions for its construction at Mt. Sinai, it had been the center of Jewish worship (Exodus 25).

One of the saddest days in Israel had been when the Philistines had defeated the Israelites in battle and stolen the Ark.

The Philistines soon learned that while the Ark may not have not have brought God's power upon them it had brought God's judgment on them. The nation was ravaged by plagues. The terrified Philistines loaded the Ark on a driverless ox cart and sent it rolling home toward the Israelite border. Out of fear of further judgment from God, the Israelites left the Ark at Keriath Jearim for twenty years.

Now David has become king and wants to move the Ark to his new capital. (See 2 Samuel 6:1-11) The King calls together thirty thousand men to lead a giant parade of the entire nation on this important day.
God rains on David's parade when on the first day out one of the attendants is struck dead when he touches the Ark when he shouldn't have.

At first David doesn't know whether to continue or not. David leaves the Ark at the home of Obed Edom's out of fear. Three months later David begins to move the Ark again.

Let’s read 2 Samuel 6:12-16

12 Now it was told King David, saying, "The LORD has blessed the house of Obed-edom and all that belongs to him, on account of the ark of God." David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-edom into the city of David with gladness.
13 And so it was, that when the bearers of the ark of the LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed an ox and a fatling.
14 And David was dancing before the LORD with all his might, and David was wearing a linen ephod.
15 So David and all the house of Israel were bringing up the ark of the LORD with shouting and the sound of the trumpet.
16 Then it happened as the ark of the LORD came into the city of David that Michal the daughter of Saul looked out of the window and saw King David leaping and dancing before the LORD; and she despised him in her heart.

Now let’s continue reading in 2 Sam. 6:20-22

20But when David returned to bless his household, Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David and said, "How the king of Israel distinguished himself today! He uncovered himself today in the eyes of his servants' maids as one of the foolish ones shamelessly uncovers himself!"
21So David said to Michal, "It was before the LORD, who chose me above your father and above all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel; therefore I will celebrate before the LORD.
22"I will be more lightly esteemed than this and will be humble in my own eyes, but with the maids of whom you have spoken, with them I will be distinguished."

Despite criticism and danger, David demonstrated unrestrained joy in the presence of God. Such is the nature of a man after God's own heart.
]]> http://www.bellairebaptist.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry100830-080028 If you own the cattle on a thousand hills, it can't be wealth or possessions.

If you are all knowing and understand the end from the beginning, it can't be smarts or education.

If you created the sun and moon and stars, cause the thunder to roll and the lightening to flash, it can't be strength or power.

If you created the rainbow, the sunset, and the purple mountains majesty, it surely isn't artistic talent. Nor musical ability if you made the songbird, the babbling brook, and the very laws of physics that make tones melodious to the human ear.

What is it that impresses God?

This week we will study David, described in the Bible as a "man after His own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14). If we can discover what God saw in David's heart, perhaps we will find what God is looking for in us! Once we know, then perhaps we can set our sights on becoming that kind of person.

]]> http://www.bellairebaptist.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry100827-080000
Do you know why we often find ourselves tempted? It is because we put ourselves in tempting situations. There are places that only invite temptation and there are people that only invoke temptation.

Let me give you two things you should always remember concerning temptation.

First, there are the places we should flee. A person who has trouble with alcohol does not want to hang out in a bar. A person who has trouble with gambling no business watching poker on TV, pornography has no business lingering around the magazine rack "Then stay out those places!"

There are not the places we should flee, but there are also the people we should fear. I know that young people don't always understand why parents are so hard and strict about whom they run around with. They think their parents are just being mean. But that is not the case at all. Parents know that certain people will have a negative influence on you. The Bible says in

1 Corinthians 15:33, " Do not be deceived: "Bad company corrupts good morals."

Let me give you a RH translation of what that verse is saying. You hang around bad people and you will do bad things.

We can't avoid temptation, but if we keep putting ourselves in a situation that tempts us we can only expect to get up with fleas. Avoid tempting places and fear people that will have a negative influence on you.

It's not about pleasing yourself but about pleasing our Lord.]]> http://www.bellairebaptist.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry100826-092614
As Christians, we must be determined to do the job we have been called to do. Our faith must take a stand against the enemy. We must never let anything deter us from serving Christ. We have been called to live for Jesus. I can tell you, our enemy, the Devil, is a formidable foe, and the only way we can win against Him is through Christ. And, let me be quick to add; Jesus expects us to fight for Him.

When you and I watch the news, and we see our military men in battle gear, is there any doubt that these men are ready to fight? Is there any doubt that they are able to stand their ground? They have their backpacks, extra ammunition, radio communication, night goggles, helmets, and everything else they need to stand in this battle. There will be times in your life and mine when we won't feel like we are advancing--we are pinned down. It may be discouragement or trouble of another sort; but that's when we need to stand; we need to take a stand and wait for help; the heavy armor is on its way. When our faith is challenged, let us be reminded that we are not in the battle alone; Jesus always comes to the rescue.

]]> http://www.bellairebaptist.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry100824-095032
We must ask ourselves, “Were we there when they crucified our Lord?” Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble, when I think about it, but I thank God that the Victim of the cross is also the Victor over the cross.
]]> http://www.bellairebaptist.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry100823-081548
I remember a fellow talking to me one time and he used a curse word. He caught himself and said, "Oops Preacher, I don't know where that came from." I didn't say it, but I know where it came from. It came from inside him. If it wasn't in him it wouldn't have come out of him.

Do you know why a dog barks? It barks because it is a dog. A dog is going to bark because that is its nature. It does what it does because it is what it is. You have heard the saying, you can take the pig out of the pig-pen, but you can't take the pig-pen out of the pig.

You can clean a pig up, put a pretty bow on it, and make it smell good with perfume, and call it Arnold, but the first chance it gets it will head for a mud-hole and the slop-bucket. Why? That's its nature. What it is on the inside results in what it does on the outside.

What am I saying? Our actions manifest our attitude. What we do always reflect what we are.

Remember, the condition of our heart is always seen in the conduct of our life.]]> http://www.bellairebaptist.org/blog/index.php?entry=entry100820-090135
In Hebrews 11, we see a beautiful picture of an Old Testament saint who understood what it means to walk with God by faith.

Heb. 11:5-6 – “By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6) And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”

You know there is nothing I want more in my life than to walk with God. How about you? Unfortunately, throughout our Christian life, it seems we have lots of people teaching us how to work for God:
• Soul win
• Teach Sunday School
• Attend church services
• Organize a church
• Lead a youth group
• Drive a church bus.

But no one ever taught us how to “walk with God!” I can’t tell you what a relief it was when I discovered that God is far more interested in my walk than my work. Now I don’t mean to say that we should quit working or serving the Lord. In fact, we need more workers more than ever, but knowing that God is more interested in my walk, than my work, makes me far more relaxed and rested in Christ than I have ever been! Our relationship with Christ is described as a walk not a run – some of us have been in a marathon ever since we got saved. So remember, walking with God by faith begins with a step, will you take it?
]]>