King David was described as a man after God's heart. But, have you ever wondered what that means and how you can equally be described as a person after God's heart?
The scripture, as usual, gives us understanding in Acts 13:22 - Later, God removed Saul and let David rule in his place. God said about him, "David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most! He does everything I want him to do" (CEV). A person 'after God's heart' is someone who pleases Him. And to be such a person, we have to be like David in that we do everything God tells us to do.
Many may wonder how David could ever be described as someone who did everything God wanted him to do. After all, David watched Bathsheba having a bath, lusted after her and slept with her. This despite her being a very married woman. And David didn't stop there, after trying to pin the pregnancy that he caused on Bathsheba's husband, he eventually set the man up to be killed on the warfront. All so he could have Bathsheba to himself. Therefore, how could David ever be described as a man after God's own heart?
Or, what about the fact that David disobeyed God's law by conducting a census of all the men in his nation, without having those men pay an atonement to the Lord. Exodus 30:12 - “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. As a result, the entire nation of Israel experienced a three day-plague that killed 70,000 people (2 Samuel 24).
Thank God that He "does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities" (Psalm 103:10) but instead shows us mercy, because it is this same mercy that David benefitted from each time he sinned against God. This was because in every instance of iniquity, David soon placed himself at the feet of the Father for forgiveness and mercy. And having received both, he never returned to the error of his ways. That is true repentance - to confess, seek mercy and never do what is warned of in Proverbs 26:11 - As a dog returns to its vomit, so fools repeat their folly.
We must be thankful for Jesus because through Him we also receive grace despite our iniquity. He intercedes on our behalf at the right hand of God when we repeat our sins. Even when we renege on our apologies and pledges to "never again." This is why we are told in Acts 13:38 - “Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you.
Given our sinful nature, we don't deserve grace, yet, He provides it. And that grace, combined with our repentance and God's never-ending mercy, enable us flawed human beings to be men and women after God's own heart. Just like David. Understanding this and taking things day by day, in faith that God's grace will get us through, is how we become people who do everything God wants.
May the Lord help us to never listen to satan's lie that there is no redemption for us. May we keep our eyes on the cross and the salvation Jesus bought for us there. May we submit to God's molding grace as He builds us up for His greater purposes, IJMN Amen. That the Lord shall testify about us that He has found a person after His own heart. Someone who will do everything He says. IJN Amen.
See you at noon ET when we'll gather to enter God's gates with thanksgiving, praise, and worship. We'll then pray for people, putting our own issues to the side. And, during the last 10 minutes of fellowship, we'll pray to be more like David - men and women who please God and are described as being after God's own heart. God bless you and see you then!
To read more on the issue of obedience, consider:
Don't Delay To Obey - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) December 15, 2020
Hear, Accept, Obey - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) June 22, 2021
Listen, Obey, Trust - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) August 12, 2022
God's Best is for His Children - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) January 3, 2023
Obedience - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) June 2, 2023
FINAL MESSAGE
This weekend gives each of us the perfect opportunity to think of how we can be more obedient and thus more pleasing to God. The Lord has called us to worship Him, to not tell lies, to meditate on His word, to love others, among other things.
Why don't we do something fun together? Identify one thing you can do differently in your life to please God, then do it for seven days! It could be praying for someone else once a day for a week. How about not using foul language when you speak or communicate on the web and via text (Ephesians 5:4)? Many of us have forgotten that certain slang words we frequently use are actually curse words or include curse words. And if you opt for this approach, how about not listening to songs that include such foul language as well? Fine, maybe see how you do with the first task then tack the foul music ban a week later.
The challenge, brothers and sisters, is to pick one thing that you will be obedient to God about and do it for a week. This is not to say that you should go about opting to sin in other ways. What I'm encouraging us to do is to stop doing something that He doesn't want us doing. It's okay to choose something you won't fail at, such as intentionally saying, "thank You, God" three times a day, for instance. Then do that for seven days. Or, wake up an hour earlier to praise God, read your Bible and pray, for seven days. Maybe give out a dollar to a person in need, for seven days?
There are just so many things we can do that we know will make God happy. I'm encouraging you to do just one thing for a week.
What do you guys think? Will you accept the challenge or am I going to be on my own with the one? Can we have a Please the Lord week starting from Monday? Maybe we should let each other know we'll try to do this. And if any of us mess up, we just need to repent, receive God's mercy in faith, and continue.