THRIVE Spring Summer 2023

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PSALM 78:70-71 (NIV) TELLS US, “[GOD] CHOSE
DAVID HIS SERVANT AND TOOK HIM FROM THE
SHEEP PENS; FROM TENDING THE SHEEP HE
BROUGHT HIM TO BE THE SHEPHERD OF HIS
PEOPLE JACOB, OF ISRAEL HIS INHERITANCE.”
God chooses a sheep “midwife” to receive the Lord’s great inheritance, His precious
people. Our Heavenly Father leaves a legacy to David. A humble shepherd boy becomes
the servant-king of Israel.
David was constantly being used to serve: he played his harp in the palace, and he
brought food to his brothers at the war front. David was always more concerned
with serving people than being served. Even when he received the news that he
would not have the privilege of building the Temple, he decided to collect all the
materials needed for his son Solomon to build the Temple in the future. David characterized
a servant heart over and over again.
Like David, there are leaders in our Movement whom I have witnessed consistently
modeling the heart of a servant. None of them did it for public recognition. In fact
they served quietly, often without anyone watching.
What a marvelous legacy has been left, passed on for all of us to celebrate! May we
receive the baton and carry forward this legacy of servant-hearted leadership.
In this edition of Thrive, “Upgrade: Train, Coach, Mentor”, we’ll learn what our
churches, Regions, and National ministries are doing to support our pastors, missionaries,
chaplains, and church leaders to become — and to remain — life-long
learners.
of them expecting the great things they
would do for the Lord.
The prophet Samuel was in search of
Israel’s king when he met Jesse’s first son.
He was very impressed, saying, “This is
the one.” After the Lord rejected all of
the sons Jesse presented, Samuel asked
if there was another son. Interestingly,
Jesse almost forgot about David. But,
though he was not esteemed by man,
David was the Lord’s chosen leader. God
isn’t interested in our résumé, but in our
heart.
Steven Jones
is President of
The Fellowship
of Evangelical
Baptist Churches
in Canada. Follow
Steve on Twitter @
FellowshipSteve.