Hey, welcome to today's podcast. Today I want to talk about charisma or character. Which one of these two does it really take to serve God? I don't know about you, but I was never a gifted athlete or musician.
I'm not the best dancer, and I can't really say that I'm an expert at anything. What about you? How does it make you feel to not be the most talented or gifted, to just be normal? I want us to take a look at a passage today that might change the way that you see yourself.
It's found in the New Testament in 1 Corinthians, chapter 1, verse 26, 28. Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that few of you were wise in the world's eyes or powerful or wealthy when God called you instead. God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful.
God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. How seriously do you take that passage as a believer that God chose the things that the world considers foolish? Do you really believe it? Because in our culture, what we do is we shine the spotlight on the most gifted and the most talented.
But you know what? God has a different way of measuring life. Take the last two lines of the passage. It says, God shows things despised by the world, things that are counted as nothing, and all use them to bring to nothing what the world considers important.
I love this passage of scripture. And if you've always been the underdog and an outcast and you can get excited about what God does with people who are not the most naturally talented and gifted. God doesn't measure your worth by your success or your talent. He looks at the heart.
And this passage, every time I read it, it always reminds me of the story of the life of David, the young shepherd boy who God chose to be king over an entire nation. Nothing about this David's life as a teenager would have made anyone believe that he could be the next king of Israel one day. Even his own father overlooked them and missed it. Even the prophet of God, Samuel, overlooked David.
Let me make an extremely long story short about David. David wasn't the first king of Israel. Matter of fact, there was already a king sitting on the throne when God chose David to replace him. The current king named was Saul.
And he was a typical strong warrior leader who would take them into battle. He looked the part of a king. He was tall, dark and handsome. He looked.
He played the part well for a while, but eventually the pressure and the stress showed that he was getting by on his charisma and not characteristic. Saul became mean, selfish and disobedient to God. So God decides to remove him as king. So because of Saul's disobedience, God chooses David to replace him.
And this is what God says about David in 1 Samuel, chapter 13, verse 14. But now your kingdom must end, for the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart. He's talking about David. It's no longer about charisma, but it's about character.
When Samuel's trying to choose the next king, this is what God says to him. Samuel shows up at Jesse's house, which is David's father. He's trying to choose a king from within. Seven sons.
And first Samuel, chapter 16, verse two through seven, says, when they arrived, Samuel took one look at Eliab and thought, surely this is the Lord's anointed. But the Lord said to Samuel, don't judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.
The minute that Samuel saw Jesse's oldest son, he thought that that was the man. And God said no, because Eliab was the one everyone there would have chosen to be the king. He was the oldest, he was the strongest, he was the most handsome. But God told Samuel that he had already rejected him.
Jesse offered up all six of his sons, and each time God said no to each of them. Finally, Samuel asked if this was all of his sons, if there were any others. In chapter 16, verse 11, Jesse replies, They're still the youngest, but he's out in the fields watching the sheep and the goats. Jesse didn't think that David was worth bringing in from the field because he could not possibly be the next king.
He wasn't the king material. He was a nobody. He was just a kid out there in the fields watching the sheep. Even though he was playing in the background, God saw him.
David was being prepared in silence. Out in the fields. There was no one that could see him, or God chose to prepare him. David showed courage and he risked his life to snatch a lamb from a bear and a goat from a lion.
These moments are what built up his courage and his character to face and defeat Goliath. And God saw David's heart and knew that this teenage boy would be the one to be the next king of Israel. This story is really encouraging if you tend to look at others and compare yourself to them. This story should be a wake up call.
Even within the church and among other believers, we often discern the wrong way. We're drawn to people by their charisma more than by their character. But you know what? Charisma cracks under pressure while character lasts.
The late great Billy Graham said, if you lose money, you've lost nothing. If you lose your health, you've lost something. But if you lose your character, then you've lost everything. David never asked to be chosen, but his character was being formed while he was out in the field working, striving to do the best job that he could, doing something that no one else wanted to do.
Everything can change in an instant, just like it did for David. You are worthy of being chosen. The God of the Universe has already chosen you. So all that is left is for you to ask this question.
Why are you so desperate to be seen and chosen? Is that you're really wanting to live out your God given calling? Or is it that you want to be in the spotlight? God bless you.
See you tomorrow. You've been listening to the daily 5. Apply the word and make today count.