You’re a King, Go to Work
Read time: 7 mins
“In the spring, at the time when kings go off to war, David sent Joab out with the king’s men and the whole Israelite army. They destroyed the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained in Jerusalem. One evening David got up from his bed and walked around on the roof of the palace. From the roof he saw a woman bathing. The woman was very beautiful,”
2 Samuel 11:1-2 NIV
I want to remind you that God doesn’t just want to offer forgiveness, He wants to offer freedom. While you are loved through your sin and mistakes you don't have to live there. The Bible says that Jesus came not just to give life but give an abundant life. God wants you to have the best, and the better life He is offering doesn’t involve you settling for a life of avoidable pain and heartache. We can learn a lot from David’s story.
King David was one of the most acclaimed figures in biblical history. He was an authoritative leader, an accomplished warrior, an excelling administrator and an exemplary musician. He was respected and revered in his day and ours.TIME Magazine considers David one of the top 100 most influential figures of history. David seemed to be a jack of all trades. His name literally means beloved one. The biblical writers couldn’t even help themselves from throwing in descriptions of how attractive he was. He had everything going for him. The Bible literally says he succeeded greatly in everything because the Lord was with him. But one blemish will forever be remembered in his story of numerous accomplishments and acclaim. And that will be his relationship with Bathsheba. While David was one of the best leaders of Jewish history and God considered him a man after His own heart, we cannot deny his humanity and mistakes. David made a series of decisions that led to him using his power and position to violate an innocent and married woman and eventually kill an innocent man who had been nothing but faithful and friendly to David. David made decisions that caused hurt for countless others, because he operated below his purpose. He exposed Bathsheba to a myriad of abuses and put a hit out on her husband as a result of not acting out the calling God had on his life.
David messed up a lot but you may be thinking that you're exempt from these types of mistakes. Maybe you aren't as openly adulterous or murdering men you couldn’t get drunk enough to help you lie. But I want to remind you that we are all capable of making the same mistakes. And if we are not honest and humble enough about these issues to give them to God now, they can grow into something bigger. I don't want you to think that just because things are controllable now means they shouldn’t be addressed. The snake in Genesis grew to a dragon in Revelation. We need to have battle plans if we want to flee temptations before they turn into the sins that lead to death. I want us to be intentional about stomping out the secret sins and weaknesses in their early stages before they grow into things that destroy us later. As we grow to be better Christians, friends, children, romantic partners, professionals, visionaries and leaders that God can use for greater, I want to learn from David's mistakes and mine so we can move forward better.
There's a simple principle that can greatly minimize our likelihood to make mistakes like this. Dr. Miles Monroe is quoted saying “when purpose is unknown, abuse is inevitable.” The purpose of a microphone is to receive, transmit and then typically work to amplify sound. That is the vision and muse behind its design. It was intentionally developed and crafted to efficiently and effectively accomplish what it was created for. But that doesn’t mean you can’t also get away with using a mic for other things. You can use it as a door stopper or a drumstick or even a utensil to help you eat your food. You can be creative and get away with using a microphone as a makeshift football or even a dog toy. But when you use it for anything outside of what it was designed to be used for, the likelihood of damage is raised. This goes to say that when you don't operate within what you were designed to do, the likelihood for mishaps and mistakes are exponentially multiplied. This doesn’t just go for microphones, it goes for you. When you operate outside of what God has called you to be and do, you may get away with it, you may even be exceptional at it for a time, but the likelihood of damage just increases with time.
Each and every one of us was designed with intention and purpose. You were created to operate best when you're walking with God. The Bible says that you were made in the image of God for the glory of God. That just means that your DNA, desires and unique circumstances were intentionally set up to function best when committed to allowing God to shine through you as you show the world around you different aspects of who God is. You have to think bigger. This means that you are designed to function best when allowing a God of extraordinary creation to continue to perform extraordinary miracles in and through you. Psalm 84 reminds us that God doesn't want to withhold any good thing from those that walk with Him. That means that allowing Him to set the course of your life is not limiting yourself from good. It’s actually the doorway to good. You function best when your identity is in Christ. You function best when walking out the life God has called you to.
David was called to be a king since he was a kid, but in this story he chooses not to live according to his calling, which opens the door of temptation that leads to decisions and actions that hurt him and many others. The Bible says that kings were supposed to go out to war at this time. But David stayed home. David had a job and position he was called to operate in but living outside of that role gave opportunity for destructive decisions.
This is why understanding your identity is so important. As sons and daughters of God we too are royalty. We are called to live to a standard of kings and queens. We often think a call to standards is pompous or judgmental. Having standards is not a call or excuse to think less of anyone else. My standards for me have nothing to do with what I think about you and all to do with what I think about me. No one is forcing you to live according to your calling. This Christian walk is all about choice. But as for me and my house, we choose to be children of a King and you can too. My standards for me are saying I am aware of my call, my limits and my desire to live a life of greater and I’m not going to waste it on the same low level people and problems that you do. It’s not arrogant to pattern your life around your identity as a loved, chosen and anointed child of The King. When we recognize our identity and calling in Christ, our standards naturally get higher and our limited resources of time, energy, money and emotion go to things that match that level of higher priority. You don't have time to act like your life doesn't matter.
If David was doing what he was supposed to do, he wouldn’t even have had the opportunity to wrap himself up in things that were below him. I’ve often heard it said that those who seem to fall into temptation or get wrapped up in mess less frequently aren't those who were magically lucky enough to have more self control. The people who exhibit the most self control are typically those who exercise the muscle most by limiting their opportunities to fall. You don't have to live at the edge. You have limited time and resources in your life. If you stand firm on your calling and budget out your time and energy based on your priorities, you will literally have less time and opportunity to keep making the same mistakes. I’ve noticed my biggest mistakes happen when I'm not focused on my calling.
Many of my mistakes start off when I lose focus on who I am and what I'm called to do. When I live outside of purpose, abuse is inevitable. When you aren't focused on what needs to be focused on, you will have too much free time and spend it with women you know you shouldn’t have been with. When you are not intentional in walking out your calling, you give yourself opportunities to get caught up in drama and mess that are below you. When you are not intentional about your calling, your money, time and energy seems to disappear with no trace every month.
Mistakes happen when you lose sight of your calling. Old church goers used to say an idle mind is the devils playground. If you just lay in bed all day, you will fall back into the same cycle. That’s what happened to David. But when you intentionally divide your time based on the significance of your calling, you won't find yourself getting wrapped up in a mess while you're supposed to be at war. God has called you to something bigger than you. Don’t waste your time forfeiting an opportunity to be used for His glory. Spend your time focused on Jesus and it will be hard to sink as much as you do when you take your eyes off Him.
I don't want you to think you're hopeless if you keep falling into these same cycles. You will make mistakes. You will fall. God actually factored that in when He made the choice to love you. This isn't about perfection but it is about progression. God chose you and loved you while you were at your worst. Your value in God's eyes never goes down. But God doesn’t just want to offer forgiveness, He wants to offer freedom. And when the Son sets you free, you're free indeed. Get involved in church. Spend time building others up. Be intentional about service and you will literally have less opportunity to fall into avoidable issues. Ask God to help you find wholeness and identity in Him. Let’s learn what it means to live like royalty together.
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- Pace
