Good advice for daily life

I like King David from the Old Testament.  I like him for several reasons:
1.  He's not some super-smart dude like his son Solomon which means I can relate to King David (he had only a handful of wives compared to Solomon who had nearly 1000! I know, not TOO smart!)
2.  David's life story is full of screw-ups.  As I said, I can relate.
3.  God used David in incredible ways to do incredible things David still messed up - which gives me hope!
4.  Even though David messed up often he still was very close to God and displays so many incredible character traits that are worth copying even today.

So the other day I was reading in 2 Samuel about when Absalom, David's son, staged a coup to try and overthrow his father and take control of Israel and Judah as king.  While David was fleeing Jerusalem with his family and personal body guard there was a guy Shimei who yelled curses at him and threw rocks.  When one of his military advisers said, "let me go cut off his head."  David actually says that God was using Shimei to "preach to him" and that he could not be cursing if God didn't let him so who was David to stop him.  Incredible!  David. KING David lets some peasant scream insults and curses at him and does nothing to stop him.  That's a guy I could look up to because my reaction would have been to take the sword and off his head myself!  (I've got a lot of work to do...).

Anyway, once David is safe back in Jerusalem with Absalom dead and the country again safe in his hands he sings a song to God.  And I love the way David lays it out, so plainly, so perfectly.
2 Sam 22
21 God made my life complete when I placed all the pieces before him. When I cleaned up my act, he gave me a fresh start.22 Indeed, I've kept alert to God's ways; I haven't taken God for granted.23 Every day I review the ways he works, I try not to miss a trick.24 I feel put back together, and I'm watching my step.25 God rewrote the text of my life when I opened the book of my heart to his eyes.

You can't break it down any more plainly then that!  When we lay the pieces of our broken lives before God He is able to make us complete, fill in the gaps and glue it all back together!  If we are willing to "clean up our act" by working to obey Him in our daily lives then He gives us a fresh start every day!  (come on now, if you're not willing to adjust your lifestyle but want salvation there's a problem.  Don't expect God to do His part if you don't do yours).  David then says that he pays attention to the way God works in our lives so that he doesn't take God for granted (giving luck or karma the thanks for what God is doing) and so that he will not miss what God IS currently doing - blindly flying through the day without recognizing God's hand at work (I need to pay attention to this more!).  The result is that David feels like his life is ordered, that it makes sense and his new life makes it easier to watch his steps as he tries to follow God.  And here's the best part!  God rewrote the text of his life!  Would you like your life text to be read aloud somewhere?  in front of your parents?  your spouse?  We all make mistakes but God can rewrite our stories so that He's the center and our lives become a living testament to His glory and goodness.  When we open our lives to Him and His scrutiny (eyes) He reveals the sin, convicts us of it, forgives it (been paid for in Jesus already) and then shows us how to live according to His standard.

How incredible.  God, reveal my sin, convict and forgive and rewrite the story of my life with You as the main character.