Who Is A Person After God's Own Heart?

But God removed Saul and replaced him with David, a man about whom God said, ‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do.’ Acts 13:22 (NLT)

All these years I've heard and read this text about David. A man after God's own heart. And of course the next question that pops into your head (well, mine at least) is what did David do to make him a man after God's own heart. One thought is that he was always seeking God. But this weekend, I was reading this text again and for the first time I saw the line "He will do everything I want him to do."

WOW! Was that it? Was that why David was a man after God's own heart? Now we know that David didn't do everything God wanted him to do because of his involvement with Bathsheba, right? That was definitely not something God wanted David to do. He probably wanted David to be out on the battle field with his men or when David saw Bathsheba bathing on the rooftop God wanted him to go inside and follow God's commands.

David definitely did not always do what God wanted. Could it be that God is just looking for someone who is willing? Willing to put God first in their life? Willing to follow where ever God leads even if it's into the wilderness with no hint that you are even going to make it through? Willing to stick with it because God said not to give up?  Willing to trust God even though what he said would happen took over 15 years? Willing to confess and repent when he did something really horrible and turn back to God for his salvation?

It’s comforting to know that to be a person after God’s own heart I don’t have to be perfect. That’s not what he is looking for. We have Jesus to thank for that. What God is looking for is someone who seeks him and is willing to do everything he wants. What do you think? Do you think you can do that? I’m certainly going to try.

Musings About Fathers

Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. Psalm 103:13 (NASB)

A few weeks ago I asked folks on Facebook and through email to answer these two questions:

What is one character trait you like about your father?
What is one character trait you don't like about your father?

I received quite a few answers! After reviewing the answers, I realized a couple of things. 1) Most of us could/would provide an answer for each question. 2) While we were being honest about our father's character traits, in most cases I could tell that not liking a character trait didn't mean that we didn't love our fathers, it meant we could see things we didn't like and loved them anyway.

This made me wonder about our relationship with God. Many people blame God for things and think he doesn't love them because things don't work out the way they want. We want the good from God but not necessarily the bad. Why is that?

I began to think about our relationships with people. If someone we know well, we've shared life with, experienced ups and downs and loved each other through it all does something to hurt us, we are more likely to forgive or overlook the offense. We are more likely to do that because there are memories we've shared, things we've walked through, we know the person really well and we know their heart.

I think it's the same with God. If we don't have a relationship with him, if we haven't walked with him and shared experiences with him, we haven't been able to learn to trust him. Trust is built through experiences and time. So let me ask you,

What is one character trait you like about God?
What is one character trait you don't like about God?

I'll tell you my answer. I love how intimate he is. He talks to us about what is important to us so that we can be in a relationship with him. And the one thing I don't like? I don't like it when he is growing me and he asks me to wait to see what the plan is.

Are you having a hard time answering those questions? That's OK. God wants you to know him so well that the answers will rattle off your tongue. He wants you to trust him so deeply that even when things go wrong you are OK because you know he's got this. He is taking care of it even if you don't know the plan.

It's never too late to build a relationship with your Heavenly Father. Never. Start by having a conversation with him. He's listening.....

Revenge Is Not Mine

For God is pleased when, conscious of his will, you patiently endure unjust treatment. 1 Peter 2:19 (NLT)

Many years ago, our extended family was on a vacation together. During that vacation we found out that someone else in the family had done something really wrong to one of our parents. It caused a lot of chaos on that trip and needless to say, that was probably the worst vacation I've ever been on.

During the uproar one of the family members said, "I would like to get revenge on them. I would really like to hurt them." They looked at me as if to say "What do you think?" Now, I am not the calmest person in the world and Lord knows I often say things I probably shouldn't but for some reason that day these words came out "The Bible says revenge is the Lord's." The person looked at me and said "Yea, but that will take too long."

For some reason this has stuck in my head all these years. She was right. God's timing is often more elongated than ours. We want results now. And, I totally understand the revenge thing. It's not in our human nature to overlook something. We want to retaliate and retaliate quickly. But, we are not called to live according to our human nature. We are called to live according to Christ's nature. Once we accept him as Savior and Lord, our thinking needs to change. We need to be changed from the inside out.

Today's Bible verse reminded me of the vacation story and it reminded me as to why we as Christians should not seek revenge. Always, foremost in our thinking should be the question "What does God want?" If I retaliate against the person who hurt me, if I seek revenge, hold a grudge or say all the things that have popped into my head, how will I represent Jesus? Will I bring glory and honor and a true representation of Jesus if I behave as myself?

I think the key in 1 Peter 2:19 is the words "conscious of his will." Always, no matter what is going on in our lives, we always need to be conscious of his will.

The Ultimate 'Loving Others' Lesson

After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter replied, “you know I love you.” “Then feed my lambs,” Jesus told him. Jesus repeated the question: “Simon son of John, do you love me?” “Yes, Lord,” Peter said, “you know I love you.” “Then take care of my sheep,” Jesus said. A third time he asked him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that Jesus asked the question a third time. He said, “Lord, you know everything. You know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Then feed my sheep. John 21:15-17 (NLT)

Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him. Some of that may have been because Peter denied him three times - maybe Jesus was giving him the opportunity to redeem himself. In studying this though it's interesting to note the words Jesus uses for love. The first two times he asked Peter, he used the word agape. Agape means unconditional love. It's the way God loves us and the ideal for how we should love others. When Peter answers Jesus, he uses a different form of the word love, phileo. Phileo means brotherly love, the love you would express toward a friend.

The third time Jesus answered he asks Peter if he loves him using the word phileo. I always found it interesting that Jesus didn't start with phileo and move up to agape. Isn't agape the ideal? Shouldn't we all strive for that unconditional love? Shouldn't Jesus be setting the example of how we strive to love each other?

He was. You see, first Jesus was communicating to Peter that he wanted his love. He was showing Peter not only was he loved but Jesus wanted his love in return. The gospel is not about a one-sided love arrangement. Second, Jesus was telling Peter the kind of love he ultimately wanted from him but when Peter couldn't deliver it, Jesus met him where he was.

You see, Jesus knew exactly where Peter was and he knew he couldn't get to the unconditional love yet. Jesus accepted where Peter was and encouraged him. So often we expect people to 'be' what we think they should be or be where we are. It doesn't work that way. Jesus left us with the ultimate lesson in loving others. He showed us how to meet them where they are and accept them there.

 

Maybe Messy Is A Good Thing

So he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” John 13:4-7 (NIV)

We've heard this story a million times it seems...every time I read it, it'd remind me how we need to be washed clean of our sins.

But this week, I noticed something different - the dirty feet. I'll admit - I was a bit grossed out. Have you ever worn sandals and walked around an area with a little dirt before? And have you ever taken a look at your feet at the end of the day? DISGUSTING!

That's NOTHING compared to the disciples. They had been walking around different  towns with Jesus, in sandals I'd imagine, through the dirt, mud, rain. These were not the steets you and I are used to, friends.

But amidst the messiness, I heard God tell me, I love their dirty feet.

That's when I realized - Our feet should be so dirty from doing God's work, from walking with people IN THEIR MESS, that at the end of the day, they have to be cleaned. 

I thought about my own feet. Are they dirty at the end of the day? Are they so full of grime and mud that I have no choice but to scrub away the dirt at the end of the day? Have I used them to do God's work?

Maybe being messy isn't such a bad thing after all. 

A Minute In It - Green Pastures

A little time in the Word every day changes you. Take a few minutes, put yourself in these verses and ask yourself a few questions.

The Eternal is my shepherd, He cares for me always.
2 He provides me rest in rich, green fields
    beside streams of refreshing water.
    He soothes my fears;
3 He makes me whole again,
    steering me off worn, hard paths
    to roads where truth and righteousness echo His name.

4 Even in the unending shadows of death’s darkness,
    I am not overcome by fear.
Because You are with me in those dark moments,
    near with Your protection and guidance,
    I am comforted.

5 You spread out a table before me,
    provisions in the midst of attack from my enemies;
You care for all my needs, anointing my head with soothing, fragrant oil,
    filling my cup again and again with Your grace.
6 Certainly Your faithful protection and loving provision will pursue me
    where I go, always, everywhere.
I will always be with the Eternal,
    in Your house forever.
Psalm 23 (VOICE)

What does it mean for someone to be your shepherd? How has God cared for you recently? How does God comfort you? What does it mean to have your cup filled? Have you seen evidence of God's pursuit of you? What does it look like?

What other questions does this make you think of?

Ch-Ch-Ch Changes

There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we all know you’re a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren’t in on it.”
Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to—to God’s kingdom.” “How can anyone,” said Nicodemus, “be born who has already been born and grown up? You can’t re-enter your mother’s womb and be born again. What are you saying with this ‘born-from-above’ talk?”
Jesus said, “You’re not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the ‘wind-hovering-over-the-water’ creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it’s not possible to enter God’s kingdom. When you look at a baby, it’s just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can’t see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit. John 3:1-6 (MSG)

This whole being born again thing can be a little confusing. I like the way The Message puts it. You have a body. You have a spirit. The body, whether it is a baby or an adult, can be seen and touched. The spirit cannot be seen or touched. The spirit is going to grow and become something. And that is the key, right? What is the something it will become?

That is the job of the Holy Spirit. Once we accept Jesus as our Savior and invite him into our life, the Holy Spirit gets busy. He starts to talk to us about lots of different things; how we love each other; the activities we are doing that keep God at a distance and so on. He talks to us about who God really is and shows us how involved he is in our lives. This process begins to change us from the inside out.

Often we say that God is not talking to us or we can't see him but if you look at your life and your thought patterns, I bet you could recognize how you've changed. If you have been convicted of a behavior that needs adjusting, if you've recognized God in anything, if you have had a change of heart about people or sin, God is working in your life. You are being born again.

Being born again is sometimes very subtle. It is a quiet changing of who you are into what God wants you to be. In my case, it has happened over years. Don't be fooled. This is still a God thing. You are experiencing him. You are experiencing his power.  He is intimately involved in your life. And, oh by the way, it's a process. Sometimes it is super messy. It will go on until Jesus comes again so relax and let God be God. He loves you too much to give up on you.

 

““God can’t give us peace and happiness apart from Himself because there is no such thing.”
― C.S. Lewis”