Scripture
After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ Acts 13:22

Observation
How did God find out about David’s heart?

There was no resume that David sent to Samuel. There was no referee who put in a good word for him. Samuel didn’t point him out to the Lord. In fact, David’s father had pushed him out of sight by sending him to the back acres to care for sheep. His brother’s belittled him. David had no business card and took no time for networking. And yet he became King of Israel because God spotted him.

How did God find David and then find him useful?

God spotted David during his job interview. What interview you might wonder? David indeed had an interview to become king; it was called shepherding. While he was feeding sheep, fighting off lions and bears and singing psalms under the stars God was reviewing David’s file. Because David made the most of a dead end job God opened another door for him. What change can happen in life if we make the most of insignificant moments. Little do we realize that God is watching and because of our faithfulness in one difficult place the Lord opens the door for the next one.

David worked the way God works, that is why he was called a man after God’s own heart. He cared for sheep with passion just as the Lord does his own. He worshipped with gusto even without cds or mp3s. It is our attention to the trivial things of life that gains the attention of the Lord and gives us entrance into other things.

Had the Samuel advertised for a king in the newspaper his mail box would have been packed with resumes. Instead he listened to the Lord who had been watching when one one else was looking. What is invisible to others is in plain sight to the Lord and he can make the inconspicuous into the obvious just as easily.

Application
What matters most is our heart. We must throw our heart fully in what we are given to do. There can be no excuses that we would work harder if we had something better to do. We must work with heart. It is not enough to show up to work, we must throw ourselves into the job. God delights in passion when energy and emotion blend together to bring results; when love and labor intertwine and life changes for the better. What would happen if we treated every mundane moment like a job interview? Not only would we do our best but more importantly God will open doors for what he next has in store for us to do.

Prayer
Father, today I give you my heart by throwing it into that which you have given me to do. Amen.

Scripture
Meanwhile, Philip found himself farther north at the town of Azotus. He preached the Good News there and in every town along the way until he came to Caesarea. Acts 8:40

Then Moses told the Levites, “Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.” Exodus 32:29

Observation
In one denomination in Papua New Guinea a pastor cannot be ordained until he has started at least one church from scratch. Those leaders know that the proof of a pastor is not in the academic degrees on his wall but in the results of his ministry.

There is a path to full time ministry that involves Bible college, interviewing boards, letters of recommendation, trial sermons, and the like. It is a well worn path and it works well in some cases, but it is not the only method God uses.

There is another path to ministry that is less used but very effective. It comes when a person begins to serve with the gifts God has given and the results get the attention of others and are blessed.

The Levites were self-ordained. Moses did not ordain them; he just recognized God’s hand on their ministry and then blessed them. They took leadership initiative in a crisis, stood up for the Lord, and were given a life call to full time ministry as a result.

Philip the evangelist was self-ordained. He was only given a license to drive for the Meals on Wheels program at Jerusalem First Church. But after a national revival in Samaria, leading a Prime Minister to the Lord and starting fires up the seacoast, God at last gave him a settled place in the megapolis that was Caesarea.

Caesarea was a world-class city, on the scale of New York, Hong Kong or Singapore. King Herod had built the largest artificial port with underwater concrete and had made Caesarea the hub of East and West. Philip earned the right to minister in that world-touching city because of his initiative all along his winding path from Jerusalem, to Samaria, to Azotus and beyond.

Application
I wonder at times if God is bored with our life path because we want permission and invitation to serve him. Could it be that there are times that God simply wants us to act? Certainly we need to pray, test and be led by the Holy Spirit. But great movements of God do not start in committees, but with courageous people who take action. The Levites “earned a blessing” because they took initiative when something needed to be done. There is a professional pathway to ministry, but the lives of Philip and the Levites are there to remind us that it is not the only way that God uses. God loves risk and blesses those who take that path.

Prayer
Father, Philip is my life mentor. The way he took I find very uncomfortable. There were rules and regulations even in his time. James and the brothers had to be consulted first. But he took a risk and was blessed for it. Help me to walk confidently when there are unworn paths you lead me on. Help me to make the most of every opportunity and in it extend your kingdom and bless me for it. Amen.