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Sent to Serve

by Stenoy (Steve) Stephenson

 
As a three-year-old, my favourite song was "Only a boy named David, only a little sling, only a boy named David, but he could pray and sing. Only a boy named David, only a rippling brook, only a boy named David, but five little stones he took. And one little stone went in the sling, and the sling went round and round, and round and round and round, and one little stone went up in the air, and the giant came tumbling down…". Pretending to be David, I was crazy about the sling shot. There was no windows or tiles that was left unbroken, to the point where I took aim at my grandmother and knocked her down. The rest is history; I had to face my giant - my dad!! You can imagine what followed... 

Excellence doesn't start when the crowd gathers, excellence doesn't come when everybody is watching, excellence is nurtured in mediocrity, in ordinary days when you begin to appreciate the little things. God puts no warning label on greatness. He does not tell you that when you meet this person he or she is going to change your life; He does not tell you that when you walk through this door you'll never be the same again; He does not tell you that this little job, this little assignment that you're working on is going to be the catalyst through which your destiny is released. David is the baby of his family and has a little chore to do. It's just an ordinary chore where he has a little assignment to take care of. He must manage his normal and yet perform a little assignment. David is a shepherd boy who cared for his sheep. Now his father is asking him to take some food for his brothers who are doing great things... David didn't initially know he was destined for battle with Goliath but was simply fulfilling a task. God has given him practice with managing responsibility and was grooming him for greatness. God is grooming you for greatness! If you cannot manage the little things, you'll never be able to manage the big things.

David didn't realize he was walking into a battle or that he would need to fight Goliath. We don't often know the purpose or magnitude of the challenges we'll face. Many of us have not yet met our Goliath but our Goliath is coming, without warning, and he's coming without an invitation and he's coming without you having preparation. It is just that everything that you have been through in your past has been getting you ready, the little things have been getting you ready, the small tasks has been getting you ready. Even small tasks can lead to larger, unexpected opportunities and that preparation often happens in seemingly ordinary moments. When David comes walking down to the battlefield carrying lunch, he thinks it's about the lunch. It's not about his lunch; it's about his legacy. It's not about the bread, it's not about the food, that was just what God used to get you in the field of your destiny. Embrace the small tasks and trials you face, as they are part of a larger plan and preparation for greater things. There he stood with no training and no background, he wasn't even enlisted in the army, he wasn't even in the service, but he made up in his mind. God will put you in the right place and the right time because He's working all things after the counsel of His own will, and He'll cause you to love who you love, and like who you like, and meet who you meet, and be drawn to who you're drawn to, because what God is doing is bigger than you think.

The struggles David faced, such as fighting lions and bears, were part of his preparation for the battle with Goliath. This means that even seemingly mundane tasks or challenges can be building blocks for future victories. The lion that attacked the cub is getting you ready, the bear that came down after your sheep is getting you ready. They don't come with a sign on their neck that says, "I'm getting you ready for Goliath," but these light afflictions, which are but for a moment, are getting you ready for the fight of your life, so that when you get in the fight of your life, it will not feel like the fight of your life because all of the fights that preceded it will cause you to deal with this fight with another level of confidence and strength. David was not sent to fight. He was sent to serve!!! 

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