Faith Building Friday

Today I'm going to share with you some things I've loved from Beth Moore's "David: Seeking a Heart Like His" Bible Study. I truly believe that every Christian should do this Bible Study - man or woman, new or seasoned. It really opens your eyes about what your relationship with God should really be like and how much He gives us grace and mercy even when we mess up. I think a lot of times we think of David as being nearly perfect because he was called "a man after God's heart", but boy have I learned a thing or two about how he wasn't. There were so many things in this study that spoke to me, but today I'm going to focus on something that she actually spoke about in one of the videos.

Beth showed us a pattern of how Christ related to people and how we should follow that same pattern. She didn't really touch on how/if David followed this pattern, but at the end of my study yesterday I realized that he did. Here is the pattern - picture it in a circles that start with #1 being the farthest outside circle and #5 the innermost circle. Oh and the numbers aren't exact, just a representation of the size of the group.

1. The world - key word WITNESS (John 3:16). Example would be staying up on current events going on in the world and doing only what you can, not trying to feel overwhelmed by thinking you have to fix everything.
2. The 72 - key word SERVICE (Luke 10:1-2). The 72 were the multitude that followed Christ from town to town. She related that to the active members in your church. And interesting fact is that the median number of active members in the American church today is 75!
3. The 12 - key word DISCIPLESHIP (Matthew 20:17). The 12 were Jesus' direct disciples that he taught personally. In your life that means a small group or Bible study that you learn and grow with.
4. The 3 - key word TRANSPARENCY (Matthew 26:36-38). This one spoke to me the most. It needs to be people you are WITH. In the scripture reference it says Jesus was "with" them. That means it can't be someone who doesn't live near you. You have to be able to call them up and they can be there for you in an instant. And it must be at least two people. I was actually shocked to realize that I don't think I have enough of those people in my life. Those I can be completely transparent with face-to-face.
5. One - key word INTIMACY (Matthew 23:38-39). Our relationship with God and God alone. When no one else is around, just you and Him.

She encouraged us to examine each area and decide which ones need addressed in our lives. I was a bit in awe about how many of them I really need to work on establishing. It's been really good for me to think about these areas and see what I can do to build them up.

I just read 2 Samuel 23:8-39, the list of David's might men. We know David has "the one" - his relationship with God. In this scripture passage it lists David's 3 - literally. There were 3 men that were closest to him, the cream of the crop. Then there was the 30 (his "12")- the mightiest men in the kingdom. It doesn't specifically reference where David's "72" would be, but I know that would include the 3, the 30 and then any leaders and advisers that were around him. And then "the world". David loved his people. He was in awe of the kingdom God had given him to rule and he did it to the best of his ability. What a great example of leadership and obedience to God!

I'm not going to do the linky because no one linked up last time. I'll just make this for me.