I Samuel 30:25
“So it has been from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel to this day.”
There are many positive things that David did. This verse refers to the customs he instituted. He's making positive reforms with his men. They were rough people; many of them bullies. They needed order and rules. People will follow patterns. We can do some complicated things on a frequent basis when we are in a routine.
Psalm 5:3 says, "Oh Lord in the morning You hear my voice, in the morning I prepare a sacrifice for You and watch." David did morning quiet times with God. Outside of Jesus, He may have been the single greatest example to do so. This may have been when he penned the Psalms.
David had a heart after God from his youth. What we know of him was developed by being the shepherd to his family's sheep. Much happened out there in the pastureland. We know that he encountered predators to the sheep. He engaged them and learned to fight, but also learned that God helped in whatever situation he was in. This would help with Goliath. He was a musician. He probably played for his sheep. I imagine this calmed or entertained them. We learn in the Psalms that he would worship and praise God. The Psalms may have been put to music. This would help him to do the same to others, eventually king Saul. He was developing his talents out there. He was becoming the man he would be in those fields.
We are always developing as people and as christians. Every trial is meant to make us better. I learned at church last night that the seasons of trials present us with gifts, the grind and grief. This is the cycle of life. We wake up each day and make the best of it.
The gifts in trials are the lessons we learn. Hebrews 12:11 says, "No discipline seems enjoyable at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it yields a harvest of righteousness and peace to those who have been trained by it." They provide a harvest of righteousness and peace. That's the way God works, He doesn't give us a little more, but a harvest. David said, "My cup runneth over" in Psalm 23.
David was a man after God's heart. We learn that from him as well. Early on as a believer, I had a strong guilt motivation. I did things for God out of compulsion, not desire. By walking with Him, He has been changing that. Part of that is the new heart, other changes came as a result of the blessings. The Word also shaped me. He loves a cheerful giver. What a blessing to learn to bless God.
Lord, thank You for David. You used him to teach us much. You also delighted in him. He was a man after Your heart. Help us to be so.