A Heart Like His

07 Sep 2011 Leave a Comment

Most of us have read about the life of David in I & II Samuel a million times. There is no other person in the Bible that more is written about than David. This fall session of women’s bible study, I am teaching on the friendship of David and Jonathon. But before I can teach on their relationship, I had to first give some background on David’s life.

In re-reading about David’s life, something “stuck” on me that I couldn’t shake. The Bible says that when God was searching for a king to lead Israel, he found a “man after God’s own heart”. I know that I’ve read that a million times over my lifetime, but something was different this time. God found someone’s heart that He recognized as resembling His own heart.

I wonder how many other people God looked at when searching for a new king? How many other hearts did He gaze on, only to pass them by because their heart condition wasn’t one that looked like His own?

David didn’t come from a royal bloodline (in fact, he had despised Moabite blood in his family heritage), he wasn’t from a family of priests or prophets. David wasn’t even “called into the ministry”. There was absolutely NOTHING special about David. Nothing special except the pure heart that he carried. A heart that loved God. A heart that looked much like God’s own heart. A heart that was so exceptional in God’s eyes that God chose David to be king BECAUSE OF HIS HEART.

I don’t know about you but I find great encouragement in that revelation!! There are many things in my life that I cannot change. I can’t change many of my circumstances. I can’t change my family history or heritage. I can’t change some of the mistakes that I’ve made, or disappointments of my past. But there is one thing that I can change: THE CONDITION OF MY HEART.

I alone can change the condition and purity of my own heart. I can make sure that nothing sinful stays in my heart. I can guard my heart against unforgiveness, bitterness or resentment. I can open my heart for God to fill it with more of His love, His compassion, His grace, His forgiveness. I HAVE THE POWER TO CARRY A HEART LIKE HIS. A heart that can look much like the heart of God.

That’s the only qualification that God is looking for when His eyes roam over the earth to find someone who He can use for His glory: A HEART LIKE HIS OWN. David caught God’s eyes because of his pure heart. Can the same be said of me? Of you? May our pure hearts capture God’s attention when He’s searching for someone to be used by Him.

What choices do you need to make today for your heart to resemble the heart of your Father? Is there someone you need to forgive? Is there someone you need to release to God because you’ve allowed them to control your life long enough? Do you need to repent because of things you’ve carried in your heart that no one else knows about….except God?

Those choices aren’t easy to make, but they are necessary to carry a HEART LIKE HIS. I think we all have room in our hearts for more of God’s grace, faith, love, hope, and forgiveness.

I don’t want the eyes of God to pass me by because I haven’t allowed Him to purify my heart. My greatest desire is for His eyes to see in me a HEART THAT LOOKS LIKE HIS. I think that’s the greatest accomplishment of all. Some days I think I carry that heart. Other days, it seems like I have such a long way to go.

Will you join me in making a committment to our Heavenly Father?

A committment in carrying a HEART LIKE HIS.