Hi, and welcome to a new year! This is Kathleen Diaz greeting you. I know you have been greeted with this phrase many time but it was my turn and I didn’t want to miss it, so happy New Year! We’ve had many sunny days here in Southern California and the mountains are filled with vegetation and color.
Remember last year in my message I said it would be a two-part series? Well here is my second part. Let’s retake the story. We're talking about David. How a feeble boy arrived at a camp where a battle was eminent. Those around him were trying to persuade him and convince him he was just not strong enough. But he had courage and trust in God. He know God had called him to that very place for a purpose and he was ready to answer the call.
So the first lesson we learned about this story was: Encourage those who the Lord has called.
Losing the battle would be to be slaves of the Philistines. But Saul took a risk, he trusted that David had received a call from God to go and fight. And as we go back, let’s read again 1 Samuel 17:37 “Go, and the Lord be with you!” Everyone around him had tried to discourage David but here is Kind Saul saying, "If you trust in the Lord, I will trust in Him also." What a
great testimony in such a short time. What can you do for the Lord? What is the Lord placing in your
heart for you to go and tell other about Christ?
Now for the second part of the story. Let's change the scenery, we are about to go to battle. We are ready to go and shout for war.
Here is our second lesson: when God has called you and the called was been recognized, get into action!
Let’s think about a race. You see, professional runners, they train, and after training several times, sometimes they are spotted by a recruiter. And the recruiter will sponsor them and train them so they can be runners. But now, after they were recruited, the runners need to put their work into action. When it comes to world records, athletes try to achieve and hold the best time. Well, there is a record of who can run the fastest mile. The World Athletics has 32 world records for fastest mile, and it is notorious to see that from 1979-1981 there were five improvements. They went from 3:49.0 per mile to 3:47.0 per mile. When a person can achieve the impossible more try to follow and improve it. David was in the field, after receiving the call, he was ready for action.
How are we preparing ourselves for action? We read in Matthew 28:19, "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Yes, it is a challenging world we live in. We live in a society that is not interested in God. But we have a great task ahead of us—a task to go and preach. Action is needed to defeat a giant. Battles are not conquered only in thought, but in actions. Just like athletes always in training, trying to improve the previous marking, we need to improve our previous year of sharing.
Was is your goal this year? One bible study, baptizing, sharing God in unexpected places? Ask God for wisdom. Ask God, "I have heard Your call and I am ready to be Your disciple, just as David give me the courage to put my skills into action and defeat the giant."
Blessings to all.