Uriah said to David, ‘The ark and
II Samuel 11: 11
Amplified Bible
EXPLORATION
"Uriah the Hittite - A Purpose-Driven Man " - - Part 2
"We are here to add what we can to life, not to get what we can from it."
William Osler
If I were to identify the core purpose of my life, what would it be?
"I expect to pass through the world but once. Any good therefore that I can do, or any kindness or abilities that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now. Let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again."
William Penn
INSPIRATION
"Service to a just cause rewards the worker with more real happiness and satisfaction than any other venture of life."
Carrie Chapman Catt
A number of years ago, Pastor Rick Warren wrote a wonderful, best-selling book called, The Purpose-Driven Life. I believe one of the reasons the message in this book struck a cord with so many people is that we all long to live lives that have meaning. I have never met anyone who said to me directly, "I don't care about anybody. I don't care if my life has no value at all." In each of us, I feel certain there is a longing to live a life that matters - a life that touches others and makes a real difference.
Frankly, a perfect sub-title for Pastor Warren's book could easily have been - The Purpose-Driven Life: Lessons From the Life of Uriah the Hittite. If ever there was a man whose life was driven by a purpose higher than self-interest, it was Uriah.
As we studied yesterday, Uriah was a man who had his priorities in the right order. When David encouraged him to wander off God's path, the first thing we find on Uriah's mind was the "Ark of the Covenant." God was the top priority in Uriah's life.
Once Uriah had priority one in the correct place, his life was open to being filled by a heavenly purpose - a purpose that gave him a focus outside of himself . This is exactly what we find expressed by Uriah in his response to David in
II Samuel 11: 11.
I have to admit, the first several times I read this passage, I missed a very important point. But as I prayed about the lessons God has for us in this text, all of a sudden, a hidden jewel began to gleam brightly.
We already know that Uriah was born of Canaanite heritage. He was a convert. A Hittite who accepted the God of the Israelites. This was not some half-baked attempt to follow the God of heaven and earth. Uriah was whole-hearted in his belief and acceptance of Jehovah.
This is why, it is interesting to note what he said to King David when he told him he would not leave his post to return home during a battle. "The ark and
This is the focal point of our lives - a purpose-driven life which is motivated by heaven's love. When we have this heavenly purpose in our lives, wherever and whenever our Father calls us into service, there we will be. We'll be on the battlefield in tents together, serving our Father. Rather than being part of side-taking divisions, Uriah's single-focused purpose to serve God, led him to think about the unity of the troops who were in tents living together and not divided by wedges as they had been in the past. This leads me to a question I've asked myself, "How much more effective would God's children be today if we joined hands and worked in service together rather than trying to build walls and divide ourselves from each other when what the battle really needs is a team unified by our loving Father's call to service?
This was the purpose that motivated Uriah the Hittite to put aside the personal desires of his life for a season while he stayed focused on the battle that faced all of God's children, no matter their tribe or family. Would that we would do the same when called by God to live a purposeful and service-filled life for Him.
"You will find, as you look back upon your life, that the moments that stand out are the moments when you have done things for others."
Henry Drummond
AFFIRMATION
"O Lord, baptize our hearts into a sense of the conditions and needs of all."
George Fox
1624-1691
"Open my eyes that they may see
the deepest needs of people;
move my hands that they may feed the hungry;
touch my heart that it may bring warmth to the despairing;
teach me the generosity that welcomes strangers;
let me share my possessions to clothe the naked;
give me the care that strengthens the sick;
make me share in the quest to set the prisoner free.
In sharing our anxieties and our love,
our poverty and our prosperity,
we partake of your divine presence."
Your friend,
Dorothy Valcàrcel, Author
When A Woman Meets Jesus
[email protected]
P.S. My book, When A Woman Meets Jesus, is now available wherever books are sold and on the internet at www.amazon.com, Christianbook.com, or by calling toll-free, 1-800-Christian. You can also go to www.whenawomanmeetsjesus.com and purchase the book through Paypal for $8.00. Or by calling
For more from Dorothy, please visit transformationgarden.com.