The purposes in a manโs heart are like deep water, but a man of understanding draws it out.
Proverbs 20:5 (ESV)
A group of mostly retired military guys in our community meets every Friday morning at a local coffee shop for fellowship. Whenever Iโm not working, I like to join them. The talk around the table usually centers around their shared experiences in the U.S. armed forces, but thereโs also heart-to-heart conversations about the Lord, as all the men are followers of Christ.
One of the brothers is a guy Iโd never met, until I started coming to coffee. Lee, who Iโm guessing is in his early seventies, keeps his shoulder length hair in a neat ponytail, topped with a long-billed fedora. He looks like a retired rock star!
Most Fridays, Lee sits off to the side in an overstuffed chair, with his little lap dog, Lily–taking in the back-and-forth. But when the dialogue turns to the Lord, he sometimes brings over a well-worn King James Bible with an appropriate scripture.
One day during a lively debate about the questionable reliability history of the Bradley fighting vehicle, I moved over by Lee and Lily. โบ๏ธ As we visited, I learned we have much in common; both of us have served in full-time ministry and are musicians.
He told me about playing in Christian bands and starting home-based Bible studies in different parts of the country with his wife of fifty years. In contrast, I shared about becoming a church music minister at the age of 18, graduating from seminary, and serving until I was 32. But then the proverbial wheels fell off, when I left vocational ministry, and my marriage ended.
Lee sensed my sorrow and regret, at least thatโs what I saw in his kind eyes. After a few seconds of silence, I released some self-imposed pressure with the assurance that I was still in the ministryโjust doing it a different way. I then attempted to end the discussion, with an appropriate Bible verse:
For Godโs gifts and his call are irrevocable.
Romans 11:29 (NIV)
Lee nodded with a grin, seeing through my smoke screen, and then said something that made it clear the Lord would have the last word: โDavid, ministry isnโt what you do, itโs who you are.โ
Okay, enough about me. This truth is also backed up by Bible stories. Remember Joseph in Genesis, the dreamer who was hated by his brothers? He went from favored son to a slave, and then to prison, and finally to an Egyptian palaceโsecond only to Pharaoh. Yet, through it all, Joseph succeeded in whatever he did, because God was with him. Undoubtedly, he prospered because of who and whose he was.
What about the shepherd boy, David? Was he anointed king of Israel because he took good care of sheep and could hit anything between the eyes with a sling shot? No. The Bible says David was a man after Godโs own heart. He came to the throne because of who he was.
But here’s the ultimate knew-who-he-was story:
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
Hebrews 12:2 (NIV)
Kind reader, always remember who, and especially whose you are!
Thank you for reading. ๐โค๏ธ prayers and love.
Davids Daily Dose 
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