David as a young man who literally jumped on the fast track after his upset victory over the giant Goliath.  David found himself working in the administration of King Saul, schizophrenic Saul.  Saul so freaked out one day in anger and envy and jealousy that he tried to rub David out.  He tried to kill him.  And the Bible mentions instance after instance, opportunity after opportunity, that David had to seek sweet revenge.  I’m talking about opportunities to settle the score.  Let me stop here and ask you a question.  Quickly run through the relational Rolodex of your mind.  Can you think of anybody, an ex-spouse, a neighbor, a friend, a wayward son or daughter, an ex-employee or employer that you are lying in wait for, ready to pounce on, to settle the score?  Can you think about someone like that in your life?  Can you?  David dealt with these feelings.  He dealt with the pull of revenge.

Ed wants us to know that God gives us these opportunities for revenge.  What did David do?  Because what David did, is what we should do.  I Samuel 24:12, David says to schizophrenic Saul, the guy who is trying to rub him out, “May the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me but my hand will not touch you.”  David had discipline, didn’t he?  He had patience.  He had endurance.  And every time we have the opportunity for revenge and we are patient and disciplined, God will use it to build character.  It will also allow God room to handle the situation.  And if you read the rest of the story about Saul, God took care of him.

That brings me to a hypothetical situation.  Let’s say that you just  jumped on board a brand new company and your manager saw you and utilized your skill set to such a degree that you doubled the profits of the company in a couple of months.  And let’s say that the person who befriended you, hired you, interviewed you and showed you to this manager, suddenly began to do a smear campaign against you.

It is a book written by a professional fisherman, Jimmy Houston entitled HOOKED FOR LIFE.

And here is the kicker.  It always messes us up.  The consequences are not always immediate but always inevitable.  They are not always immediate but they are always inevitable.  And that trips us up almost every time, doesn’t it?

Solomon searched and searched.  He wasn’t having that much trouble.  He was kind of having a fun time.  But one day after four decades of searching, the inevitability and the consequences of sin hit and it bowled him over.  He looked back an angry and bitter man and asked himself what he had done.  He knew he had blown it, messed up.

You know what the great news about our great God is today?  I don’t care how far you are into the search, how you are looking for satisfaction, what you have been involved in, God can change your life today if you come clean.  You can tell God that you have been living this numbing lifestyle and that today, as a result of the message, you have decided to go His way.

I love coffee. Ed said that yesterday morning I made my daily trek to Starbucks.  I have a big truck, a Ford F250, which is hard to park.  I pulled in next to a little Cherokee Chief.  When I open my big old heavy door, I just rocked that Cherokee Chief.  I put a door ding in it.  People were milling around inside Starbucks and I started asking who owned a Cherokee Chief.  I asked and asked and asked. I went back out and looked at the door ding again.  I jumped in my truck, grabbed my briefcase and started to write a note.  I was going to leave my phone number and the whole deal.  A young lady walked up and said, “Sir, did you put a door ding in my car?”  I said, “Yes, I was writing you a note right now.”  She looked at her door and turned and said, “Don’t worry about it.  Have a great day.”  She got into her car and left.  I thought, wow, that is just like God.

You see, Jonah should have obeyed him when he picked up the cellular phone and just kind of inquired about the trip.  He should have obeyed God when he set foot on the Disobedience Two.

Also experience a sense of security when you know Christ personally.  Do you realize the Bible says over 360 times, fear not.  Fear not.  Jesus said words like this, “I will never leave you or forsake you.  I will never abandon you and make you feel disconnected.  Call upon Me during turbulent times and I will always answer you.”  Can you identify with turbulent times over this holiday?  You see if you know Christ personally, if He is at home in your life, I don’t care where you are, in Bosnia, in Miami Beach, in Aspen, in the Bahamas, you will always, always, always feel a sense of home.

He will also give you true optimism.  In fact optimism is one of the major themes of Christ’s teaching.  He said, “Those of you who feel like you have lived in last place during this life, cheer up, because I am going to make sure that you will live in first place in the next life.  Those of you who have lived humbly in this life, will be exhaulted in the next.  Those of you who gave your resources to others and to the church, someday you will be richly rewarded in heaven. Ed Young Jr said whose of you who are mourning, I am going to comfort you.  Those of you who have suffered, you are going to be honored some day.”  You know at times the disciples, those guys who were really tight with Jesus, would feel down now and then.  They would enter the moan zone.  They would have their own black tie pity party.  And when Christ would see this dark cloud hanging over them, He would draw them together and I will paraphrase what He said.  “Chill out.  I am going to give you power, I’ll give you strength, I’ll give you contentment and one day you are going to have a home in heaven.”  Check out history.  Get to know some folks who have known Christ for a long time.  They usually are the most optimistic people you will ever run across.

And he takes two pennies from his pocket.  All these people going back and forth.  And he does this