Can We?

Can We?
by David Brenneman

After God's Heart

"After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’"
ACTS 13:22

    Can you think of any higher goal in life than to be a person. after God's heart? Although David was far from perfect, this is what he was commended for. I believe this was because of four characteristics David demonstrated, which we would be wise to emulate.
    The first quality that set David apart was that he prioritized his
personal fellowship with God. If you need evidence of this, look to
the Psalms. David made it a habit to commune with the Lord and
mediate on His Word. Second, David exhibited a strong desire to
obey God. Regardless of what the Lord called him to do, he did so
with reverence and devotion. Twice he could have killed Saul but
refrained out of respect for the Almighty. Third, David had the
courage to put bis faith in God. There's no more striking example
of this than when he faced Goliath. Fourth, David demonstrated a
servant's spirit, Even when Saul tried to kill him, David continued
to serve faithfully,
    By following David's godly example, you cn can be be a a person after God's own heart as well, Certainly, there's no higher calling than that.

Jesus, help me to be a person after Your heart. Amen.
- Trusting God with Today, Dr. Charles Stanley.

In Luke 9:23-25 it says "And He was saying to them all, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross daily and follow Me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake, he is the one who will save it. For what is a man profited if he gains the whole world, and loses or forfeits himself?".

“He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. [38] And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. [39] He who has found his life will lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 10:37-39.

"Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?  For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds." Matthew 16:24-27.

When you find things repeated in the Gospels, pay attention.

When we 'love' things in this world do we really take into consideration the spiritual implications of that? 

We are not endowed with the wisdom of Solomon.  We can pray for wisdom for life but must also have a discerning heart to use that wisdom properly. 

We can be enthralled with things in the world and lose sight of what it will do to our walk with Jesus.

We don't consider such things as traps in which we will inevitably stumble and alter our walk with Jesus even in imperceptible ways.

We don't see immediate effects and yet the Word of God says that they are there.  When we don't try to make it a habit of taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ Jesus in life then we open ourselves up to tainted walks with Jesus.

Is not your true desire to be known as a man or woman after God's own heart?  When I read in Ezekiel 15 and 16 in these the Lord Jesus pointed out to Israel the ways they loved the world and the things of the world more than their relationship with Jesus.

What have you made equal to Jesus in your life?

What has your joy, your passion, your keen interest other than your growing in Christ? 

What have you surrounded yourself with?  What do you wear on your clothes for all the world to see?

What do you speak about that almost comes from your lips as singing that isn't of God's work in your life? 

We do that.  We find such joy in things and people that it overflows and yet do not find that in our relationship with Jesus.

Look at King David and how passionate he wrote of his relationship with the Lord Jesus!

Look at the prophet Job and how he lived his life blameless before the Lord.

Look at the prophet Daniel and how he walked so closely with the Lord that he was considered highly esteemed.

Do we think so highly of ourselves that we don't believe ourselves capable of such a thing as a wandering heart, a heart not truly devoted to Christ?

We have the same fallen nature as all other before us going all the way back to Adam and Eve.

We are not going to succeed in such a way as to come up with a way to embrace "the best of both worlds" and yet still live a life holy and acceptable to God.  We can't pour ourselves into the world's desires without depriving our relationship with Jesus.   Jesus said plainly that you cannot serve two masters.

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth." Matthew 6:24

Yet professing Christians everywhere both in little ways and big ways deceive themselves into thinking they can achieve it.

The Disciples were trained to put their relationship with Jesus first.
They were to teach others to do the same. 

Are you putting something or someone before Jesus in your life?

A big giveaway is when you set aside no time with Jesus in any given day.  Another is when our minds justify loving anyone or anything in this world and don't see a conflict with loving Jesus alone...with what? What does the verse say?  "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and spirit."  As one once said "all means all and that's all all means".

It may mean you cleaning house.  It may mean getting rid of things, activities, rethinking relationships in order to put Jesus where He is supposed to be in your life.

Do you mourn things in your life yet are unaffected by where you aren't growing in Christ? 

Are you daring enough to ask the Spirit to show you what in your life needs to go so that you are really in a right relationship with Jesus?

Everything we are pursuing that isn't glorifying God will turn to ashes when we see our lives tested by the fire of the truth of God. 

What we did in life that's glorifying God will become that crown of righteousness we will give back to Jesus. 

Recognizing that we're really trying to serve two masters is but the beginning.  Praying for God's help to right that ship is what needs to come next.

Set your mind on the things that are above and not on the things that are of this world. 

Can we have a heart that's after God's own heart?  Our obedience and devotion will have everything to do with that.

Love God with our everything and love people as He loves us this is the only right and true order of life.

All NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission.
New American Standard Bible
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