2 Qualities of the Servant God Chooses & Uses (Pt. 2)

In the Bible, King David is known almost as much for His staggering defeats and failures as He is for his victories and triumphs. Yet in all of this, God described Him as a “man after My own heart.”  What was it about David? What are some of the qualities that he possessed that put Him in a position to be used by God?

In my previous post, we talked about the fact that David was a servant that shepherded God’s people with “integrity of heart”.  In this post, we’ll talk about a second quality found in Psalm 78:

70 [The Lord] chose David His servant and took him from the sheep pens; 71 from tending the sheep He brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. 

72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

Quality #2: God is looking for servants that desire to serve and lead skillfully.

“With skillful hands he led them.” God is looking for servants that will lead with intentionality, wisdom, and grace. He is looking for those that literally have “intelligence, understanding, [and] insight”. Notice however, that He’s not necessarily impressed by nor concerned with formal education or training, though those are valuable resources. David didn’t develop his skills in the classroom, he learned them in the “sheep pens.”

The kind of skill God requires can only be obtained in the “sheep pens” of life — knowing and applying God’s Word in our daily walk and circumstances; learning valuable lessons from triumphs, but also from mistakes and failures; and engaging in serving and loving people! Without a “sheep pen” there can be no throne room! David’s experience with real sheep made him the perfect candidate to be a shepherd of God’s people!

Until we are willing to “get our hands dirty” when (we think) no one is watching, we will never be able to serve in area where everyone is watching! God wants skillful servants that serve with integrity of heart!

How do these two qualities apply to you? Think of some of the ways you can apply them in your home, ministry, or area of service!

2 Qualities of the Servant God Chooses & Uses (Pt. 1)

If asked the question, I believe we all would say that we want to be used by God to do great things for His kingdom.  There is a desire within us to be effective in our ministry, our leadership, our homes, our workplaces — and the list goes on.  If that is our desire, we also must understand that nothing happens by chance.  There are principles, based on His word, that God uses when searching for an “honorable vessel.” Today, I want to look at the one of two of those qualities.

Psalm 78

70 [The Lord] chose David His servant and took him from the sheep pens; 71 from tending the sheep He brought him to be the shepherd of his people Jacob, of Israel his inheritance. 

72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart; with skillful hands he led them.

The Bible says that the Lord himself chose David and decided to use him to be the shepherd of Israel.  The way it says David chose to lead shows us the qualities that he possessed, the qualities that God was looking for:

Quality #1: A servant that will shepherd (feed, care for, protect) people with “integrity of heart”. 

What does it mean to have “integrity of heart”?

“Integrity of heart” or an “upright heart” does not indicate the absence of sin, but rather the presence of:

• Humility
  We must recognize that without God we have nothing to offer, and understand that without His grace and power our best effort will be fruitless! Ask God to show you where you stand and be ready to hear what He has to say!
   
• Repentance
  Once we’ve humbled ourselves before the Lord and seen the damaged, dirty areas of our hearts, we must take the appropriate action to turn away from those things and turn to God, to draw closer to Him. Knowing is only half the battle!
   
• Sincerity
  We finally choose to lead, love, and live as an offering of sincere worship unto the Lord.
   

Leading with integrity of heart means that we are 100% invested in the work that has been assigned to our hands. It means that there are no hidden motives, agendas, or ambitions. Our goal is glorifying God and leading others to do the same. This kind of servant lives a life of integrity and is therefore able to lead the same way.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” - Psalm 139:23-24 (NIV)