Daily Devotion - Courageous Men

Courageous Men of God

God said that King David was a man after His own heart. Wow. What a description! What gets me is that David was far from perfect. There were so many instances where David sinned and got into trouble. He impregnated someone’s wife after lusting after her then sent her husband to the front battle line to be killed. Did God wink at this sin? No. Absolutely not. They lost their “love child” as a result of this sin. But what set David apart was his attitude of recognizing when he was wrong and seeking forgiveness for his sins.

David’s life was far from perfect. Before becoming king, he spent many years running for his life from King Saul, hiding in caves and living in fear. But he had been anointed to become the next king of Israel, and even though it took many years between his anointing and ultimately becoming king, God was faithful to the promise He had made.

Oh, to have the patience of Job! I’m always asking God for patience, but Job exuded it. He lost his whole family (except his wife) along with his wealth because the devil was trying to prove a point. He went through so much physically and his wife tried to convince him to curse God and die. He did not! He suffered through and, in the end, was able to say, “My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you” (Job 42:5, NIV). What a statement!! Through loss, devastation, and complete heart break, Job was able to know God for who He was and not for the good gifts He gave.

These are men of God. God himself called David a man after His heart, and while Job questioned God, he never sinned. How do we follow their examples?

First, the man is truly the head of the household. The Bible clearly tells us that. Both of these men displayed these characteristics. The problem we have these days is that the woman is trying to take over the man’s role, and in some cases, the man hasn’t learned what his role is. There is to be submission on the part of the wife, but the husband is not to “rule” with an iron fist. He is to love his wife like how Christ loves the church.

If you are a man who hasn’t fully learned your role as a husband, what do you do? You seek God first for wisdom. You seek out godly older role models that will guide and mentor you.

What if you are a woman who doesn’t know how to submit? The advice is the same. Seek God and godly role models.

And if you are single and searching for a spouse? Look for the quality that the person puts God first, yes, even before you; only then will they know how to treat you properly and you will be able to lead or submit according to what your role ought to be.

David and Job were courageous men. They weren’t perfect, but they led their homes as they were called to do, and they put God first and recognized when they were doing what they were called to do.