Mighty Men and Women of God (1)

'All these men of war...were of one mind to make David king.' 1 Chronicles 12:38 NKJV

Sitting here this morning listening to the hum of the vacuum cleaners as our awesome cleaning team is making this place clean for weekend services. I've been thinking lately what it takes to be mighty men and women of God. I look around our church and I can see many who help make Calvary the incredible place that it is. It takes many and it takes those who are willing. 1 Chronicles says they were of "one mind." How does this apply to us? Looking at David's life his 'mighty men' helped established his rule in Israel. Likewise, you are called to submit to the Lordship of Christ and demonstrate to the world what it's like to live according to the rules-and benefits-of His Kingdom. Jesus would not have taught you to pray, 'Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth...,' if it's a prayer God wouldn't answer (Matthew 6:10 NKJV). And He answers it through people like you. So, are you interested in becoming a mighty man or woman of God? Then let's look at King David's army. First: They were balanced! 'They were armed with bows, and could use both the right hand and the left...' (1 Chronicles 12:2 KJV) When you go to extremes and get out of balance, you hurt God's Kingdom rather than help it. For example, there are nine 'gifts' of the Spirit and nine 'fruits' of the Spirit listed in Scripture. The gifts are skill sets needed to get the job done. The fruits are Christ-like qualities that help us work together. And you must have both! Notice how God designed the garments of the high priest. On the hem at the bottom of his robe were pomegranates and bells-fruits and, surely, gifts. Why? Perhaps one reason is the bells would clang harshly against each other. So God placed pomegranates in between to keep that from happening. Getting the idea? If you're joyful at church but cantankerous at home, you're out of balance. If you can talk to Christians but you've nothing to say to non-Christians, you're out of balance. Spiritually speaking, you're supposed to be ambidextrous! More tomorrow...you are loved!