favor

1 Chronicles 14:2 And David realized that the Lord had made him king over Israel & had made his kingdom very great for the sake of His people Israel.

Here' what my Life Application Bible says in the footnote...

"God gave David honor & success, but not simply for David's personal gain. David realized that God had prospered him for a special reason - for the sake of God's people!

"Often we are tempted to use our position or possessions only for our own good. Instead, we must remember that God has placed us where we are & given us all we have so that we may encourage others & give to those in need."

For the past 2 or 3 months God has been telling me through different verses in different areas of the Bible this simple truth - I am who I am, I am where I am, & I am having the influence, favor, & results because He, God, chooses to favor me with it.

I don't know why He does. One thing I'm slowly seeing is that all this stuff I'm involved with isn't about me. (This is stuff like the dear & cherished people who fill my life, working at Christ Chapel, all the daughters & sons, House of Grace, downtown, etc.) It's about God's overarching dream & plans for humankind. I'm just someone He chooses to use right now to implement part of those dreams & plans.

If I receive a blessing from it while I'm at it, well, that's just great. But the bottom line is that God is choosing to be doing stuff through me.

Maybe He keeps reminding me of this to keep me from getting more arrogant & prideful? Maybe there's some lean times comin'? Maybe there's some even more stupendous times coming?

I don't know. Like I say to people these days, I've quit trying to explain my life. Living it takes most of my energy. Plus, God's about all kinds of things in it & I can't see what it all about & what it's all for, sometimes. I'm just proceeding in the direction I'm going & seeing the why's of it all when they present themselves when the rest of you see it, too.