14In everything he did he had great success, because the LORD was with him.
In recent years the Gospel has been twisted by some preachers. They have tied material collection with the presence of God. If a person is walking with the Lord, so the preaching goes, then your bank account will increase. But this flies in the face of the people in the Scriptures. So often the godly people, the people who walked closely with the Lord, did not have material success. And it is also true in reality today. The only reason these preachers are materially successful is because they have learned to maximize donations. They have fed on the greed present in our society. Theirs will be a great judgment! Our text today records David’s beginning successes. David wanted to please the Lord first and foremost. This was in contrast to Saul, the king. Saul was about outward appearance and his own success. David was about humility. Are we OK when someone else gets the awards instead of us? Or do we mumble under our breath that we should have gotten the award? Do we grab the glory, or do we let it pass to another? Do we seek the limelight, or do we let it shine on others?
The Arnold Journey 