Focused on Excellence: Lessons from David

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Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things. Philippians 4:8

This is a much beloved scripture, and though I would say I love all scripture, I mean that only in the way that it is the Word of God, and therefore--because it is wisdom and power--I love it! But I dislike this scripture. I dislike it because whenever I'm feeling badly, I read it for encouragement. But instead of being encouraged I become frustrated because it's SO HARD to think about what is noble, right, pure, lovely and admirable when you're so overcome by: 

1. The ignoble nature of your own actions
2. Everything that seems to be going wrong in your life
3. Your own impure thoughts and motivations
4. The ugliness that is everywhere in this world (just read CNN comments)
5. All the things you find contemptible

 All 10 things (the 5 good and the 5 bad) exist. However, the Bible calls for you to concentrate and focus on only the five good ones. It, in effect, requests that you have a one-track mind--which for many of us is negative. It seems like common sense; it is better to be singularly focused on the positive than to spend one second concerned with the aforementioned bullets of tragedy.

Which brings me to a lesson from David:

Text: 2 Samuel 12: 13 - 22
Context: David has been informed by Nathan (the prophet) that his sin with Bathsheba will cost him the life of his unborn son. David has been fasting and praying the whole time his son is sick, and then:

But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David perceived that the child was dead; so David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” And they said, “He is dead.” So David arose from the ground, washed, anointed himself, and changed his clothes; and he came into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he came to his own house, and when he requested, they set food before him and he ate. 

2 Samuel 12:19-20

 People were perplexed! He had fasted and prayed and wept the entire time his son was sick, but now...?

He said, "While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, 'Who knows, the Lord may be gracious to me, that the child may live.'

2 Samuel 12:22

I look at this, and I look at my top 5, and I realize: I'm not like David. At all. David did bad stuff, extremely bad stuff (for which there were grave consequences), but instead of dwelling on the ignoble nature of his actions, instead of blaming and lashing out...he focused on the grace of God. Stuff got real, and his focus went to God, to His grace, mercy, and faithfulness. And he went all in, appealing to the characteristics of God. I just realized that the noble, right, pure, lovely, and admirable things are most easily found in God! Part of my problem is that I was looking for them elsewhere. Looking for them in ME (laughable), and looking for them in other people (still laughing). 

But back to David...he has appealed to God, and God said "no." Now it's time for him to fall into my list of 5, right? That's where I would've been, all 5 would have washed over me like a wave. But David gets up, makes himself physical presentable for what? Worship. Takes himself to the house of the Lord and worships!???!!! It's almost incomprehensible to me (because I don't--yet--have a heart like David). His focus stayed on the thing he found to be excellent and praiseworthy: God. I focus on everything else. 

Classic mistake.

*Richard Gere was a super hot King David!