Quiet Time: You Never Arive

You Never Arive

Read: 1 Samuel 18:5-7

The women sang as they played, and said,
“Saul has slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands.” - 1 Samuel 18:5-7 (NASB)

As a teen, I remember winning several competitions as a bassist. After which I received invitations to work college performances, local bands, and a few Disney gigs. I made some decent money and it seemed as if everyone was patting me on the back. It felt good - really good - too good. In my eyes, I was, as the saying goes, “At the top of my game”. However, a personal instructor of mine saw the attitude change, as well as, the first flickers of pride. He took me aside, looked me straight in the eyes and said, “You know Doug, you never arrive.” At first I didn’t know how to take his stern rebuke, but then it hit me; I wasn’t at the top of my game, I was still in training, and I’ve been in training ever since.

In 1 Samuel 18 we see that David went wherever Saul told him to go and did better than expected. He did so well that Saul made him one of his generals. Well, David was already popular with his peers, but his new position and the fact that he never lost in battle really made him famous. Even Saul’s household jumped on the D-train. Of course that’s when the trouble started. As is often the case with living legends, people began to get excited about his exploits and put together a hero’s welcome home parade. The young women actually created a song for the event, but the lyrics unintentionally put Saul down in front of his men, and from that moment on Saul was out to bring David down. Yet, you never see David acting proud or displaying an elitist attitude. David simply wanted to serve and bring God glory.

It’s easy to get prideful when we forget Who gave us our gifts and talents. It’s doubly hard when we lose sight of who we serve, but then again, it can be pretty difficult to humble ourselves when people are singing our praises.

So, let’s just sing His praises and give the glory all to God.

Proverbs 27:21

The Message (MSG)

The purity of silver and gold is tested

by putting them in the fire;

The purity of human hearts is tested

by giving them a little fame.