" When the time of David's death drew near, he gave these instructions to his son Solomon: "I am going the way of all mankind. Take courage and be a man. Keep the mandate of the LORD, your God, following his ways and observing his statutes, commands, ordinances, and decrees as they are written in the law of Moses, that you may succeed in whatever you do, wherever you turn, and the LORD may fulfill the promise he made on my behalf when he said, 'If your sons so conduct themselves that they remain faithful to me with their whole heart and with their whole soul, you shall always have someone of your line on the throne of Israel.' “(1 Kings 2: 1 - 4)
At the end of David’s life, he gave the most important advice to his son and heir, Solomon. He reveals to him the key to success:
· Obey God in everything
· Obey God at all times
If Solomon does this, then he will succeed in whatever he does and wherever he goes.
Where did David learn the secret from?
· Word of God
· Life experiences
David is highly qualified to give this advice because:
· He lived to be 70 years.
· He reigned for 40 years.
· He experienced much success.
· He failed and learned from his failure.
· He was rooted in the word of God.
Jesus Christ revealed to the twelve apostles at a very important point in their mission key to success in evangelization:
· Obedience to His instructions in everything
· Life of evangelical simplicity
Christ made provisions in all the cities they are to visit. What did he provide for them?
· People to give them hospitality
He wanted them to depend on their host for all their material needs. He wanted them to travel light so that they can prove God’s providence. If they travel with heavy luggage, they would travel more slowly and there would be the irresistible temptation to look to their luggage for provision.
Are there parallels in the Journey? Plenty. The first three years of the Journey MIU provided hospitality and all the basic needs, viz:
· Food, shelter, water, clothing
This is the 4-item plan. It is Christ’s instruction at the beginning of the Journey. Temptation to ask for more has been constant. Today marks 5500th day of the USP. I affirm that Christ is faithful. I commit to obey Him in everything and at all times so that I can succeed completely in this Journey. I will use all the word of knowledge and word of wisdom that Christ taught me since the Desert Experience.