All good parents share the same concerns about their own children and their proper upbringing. Every mother and father worry about the impact and effect that environmental influences have or will have on their children as they grow and mature. Every human being who is “growing up” will indeed be influenced by their own personal mental environment. Such an environment is determined by the books they read and the people with whom they associate.
God always wants to be included in the leadership impact on His children. He tells us so in the Book of 1 Chronicles, Chapter 28, verses 1–10, NKJV:
(1) “Now David assembled at Jerusalem all the leaders of Israel:
the officers of the tribes and the captains of the divisions
who served the king, the captains over thousands and
captains over hundreds, the stewards over all the
substance and possessions of the king and of his sons, with
the officials, the valiant men, and all the mighty men of
valor.
(2) Then King David rose to his feet and said, ‘Hear me, my
brethren and my people: I had it in my heart to build a
house of rest for the ark of the covenant of the LORD, and
for the footstool of our God, and had made preparations to
build it.
(3) But God said to me, ‘You shall not build a house for My
name, because you have been a man of war and have shed
blood.’
(4) However the Lord God of Israel chose me above all the
house of my father to be king over Israel forever, for he has
chosen Judah to be the ruler. And of the house of Judah, the
house of my father, and among the sons of my father, He
was pleased with me to make me king over all Israel.
(5) And of all my sons (for the LORD has given me many sons)
He has chosen my son Solomon to sit on the throne of the
kingdom of the LORD over Israel.
(6) Now He said to me , ‘It is your son Solomon who shall build
My house and My courts; for I have chosen him to be My son,
and I will be his Father.
(7) I will establish his kingdom forever, if he is steadfast to
observe My commandments and My judgments as it is this
day.’
(8) Now therefore, in the sight of all Israel, the assembly of the
LORD, and in the hearing of our God,be careful to seek out all
of the commandments of the LORD your God, that you may
possess this good land, and leave it as an inheritance for your
children after you forever.
(9) “As for you, my son Solomon, know the God of your father,
and serve Him with a loyal heart and with a willing mind; for
the LORD searches all hearts and understands all the intent
of the thoughts. If you seek Him, He will be found by you;
but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever.
(10) Consider now for the LORD has chosen you to build a house
for the sanctuary; be strong and do it.”
Chapter 28 of 1 Chronicles rings with strong statements from David. He reminded Solomon that God had chosen both him and his task. God had said to David: “Solomon your son is the one who will build my house and my courts, for I have chosen him”(v.6). Then David summed up his godly, fatherly advice in verse 9 as above.
David’s words to Solomon apply to us in every area of potential success.
David gave his son three vital directives we would be wise to obey:
1. Acknowledge God. Acknowledging God first thing every morning transforms my day. I often begin my day by reconfirming His authority over me and submitting to Him as Lord in advance of my daily circumstances. I try to accept the words of Joshua 24 : 15 as a personal daily challenge: “Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve.” When I fail to begin my day by settling the matter of authority, I am often in a mess by noon! Remember, any day not surrendered to the Spirit of God will likely be lived in the flesh (Gal. 5 : 16–17). Spiritual living does not come naturally–sin does. The first step to victory is acknowledging the authority of God in our lives.
2. Serve Him with wholehearted devotion. The Hebrew word for
whole-hearted is “shelem” and means “unhewn, untouched stones.” In
the Old Testament, shelem often referred to rocks that were uncut.
Notice something quite interesting about the temple God commanded
Solomon to build. 1 Kings 6 : 7 tells us, “In building the temple, only
blocks dressed at the quarry were used, and no hammer, chisel, or any
other iron tool was heard at the temple site while it was being built.” Do
you see the significance? No stone could be cut in the temple. The
uncut stones represented the kind of devotion God was demanding from
His nation–Shalem, whole hearted devotion, uncut hearts. David was
used of God to describe shalem perfectly in Psalm 86 : 11: “Teach me
your way, O LORD, and I will walk in your truth; give me an undivided
heart, that I may fear your name.”
Do you have an undivided heart? Does God have only a piece of your heart, but the rest belongs to you or someone else? If you have given your heart wholly to God, perhaps you remember a time when your heart was divided.
A divided heart places your entire lives in jeopardy. Only God can be totally trusted with our hearts. He doesn’t demand our complete devotion to feed His ego but to provide for our safety. God uses an undivided heart to keep us out of trouble. David learned the price of a divided heart the hard way. He lived with the repercussions for the rest of his life. Let’s just take his word for it and surrender now! Never forget, God’s commands are for our good.
3. Serve Him with a willing spirit. The Hebrew word for “willing” in this reference is “chapherts” which means “to find pleasure in, take delight in, be pleased with, have an affection for, to desire, to choose ; to bend, bow. The main meaning is to feel a strong, positive attraction for something, to like someone or something very much.” Do you see what God is saying? He wants us to serve Him and honor Him because we want to! Because it pleases us! Because we choose to! You see, the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts! Hear the beat of His tender heart as He says, “Choose me because you delight in me!”
Many motives exist for serving God other than pleasure and delight. God wants us to serve Him with a willing spirit, one that would choose no other way. Right now you may be frustrated because serving and knowing God is not your greatest pleasure. You may be able to instantly acknowledge a divided heart. Your question may be “How can I change the way I feel?”
You can’t. But God can. Give Him your heart–your whole heart. Give him permission to change it.
The words of the Book of Deuteronomy, Chapter 30, verse 6 have changed my life and my heart:
“The LORD your God will circumcise your hearts and the hearts
of your descendants, so that you may love him with all your
heart and with all your soul, and live.”
I pray daily that God will circumcise my heart to love Him. I know we will never be men and women after God’s own heart with half-hearted devotion. A heart wholly devoted to God is a heart- His.
We started this journey with a pair of underlying questions: Why was David a man after God’s own heart? And how can I be a man or woman after God’s own heart?
Any old heart will do. Any whole heart will do.
Beth Moore
Portraits of Devotion
God wants your whole-hearted attention, obedience, and devotion to His directions and instructions. You will only reach that particular point in your life when you first Know God personally through having and continuously developing a close personal relationship with Him, and secondly, by growing closer and more intimate with Him through your reading and feeding upon His Word on a daily basis.
Remember, according to God’s Word, you will only reap in life that which you first sow. Through reading God’s Word on a daily basis, you are sowing the Truths of His Word into your own spiritual heart,…into your own mind. Therefore, through this process you will be sowing that which God wants you to learn and know into your own being. Once you have done that, you have positioned yourself to reap a great and good crop of exactly what you have sown into your own mind. The words of the Lord will then ring loud and clear in your life…because you sowed abundantly,…you shall reap abundantly.
God will reward an increase in your faith. By reading and feeding on the Word of God you will have grown and increased your faith and thereby will have earned a great reward from your heavenly Father. The Scripture tells us in the Book of Romans, Chapter 10, verse 17 NKJV:
“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
God’s Greatest Blessings to All of You………………