Thanks For The Wheels

At the end of the service a man came up to me and said "Thanks for the wheels. For much of my life I ran without wheels or with the wrong ones on. With Atlee's help I now have the right wheels on and it is making a big difference in my life." I love that imagery! But you know even with the right wheels on sometimes they can fall off.

Last Sunday's chapter of The Story focused on David. Pastor Ross Wright challenged us with this question: When the wheels fall off, is God still God of your life? Make sure you watch his message if you missed it.

Here are some further thoughts from Ross:

After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ (Acts 13:22)

You can use the life of David to teach any number of moral lessons. He’s a great example of bravery, justice, friendship, steadfast faith and righteousness. On the other side of the coin, David’s life is a cautionary tale about abuse of power, falling to temptation and how two wrongs don’t make a right.

Throughout our summer series, The Story, we've seen how God uses people just like us – human and flawed – for extraordinary purposes. David is no exception. He was as human as you can get. His failures were severe and because of them, he endured heavy consequences.

For David – a man after God’s heart – it wasn’t his specific actions for good or bad that defined him in God’s eyes. Instead it was the intent and focus of his heart. When David strayed from God’s will, he was quick to place his feet back on the righteous path. In many of the Psalms we see David exposing his shame, confessing sin and then embracing forgiveness. He knew in all situations God could make him righteous again.

            

David’s focus was obedience to a just and loving God.

           

Even when infidelity and murder poisoned David’s soul, God remembered his covenant with David, a covenant to prosper his throne forever. Those who believe in Jesus today serve a savior from the line of David.

Though David sinned like us, he owned his sin and was not owned by it. What about you? Where is your heart? Forget your one-off mistakes or split-second failures. Where does your heart reside?

David is an example that a very human heart can rest in the interest of God’s will and his righteousness. It’s my prayer that we will examine our hearts and place our focus on the way, word and will of the Lord.

                                                                                                                           - Ross