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The life of David makes for a fascinating character study. His is one of those great “rags to riches” stories. David started out a shepherd boy and ended up as a king. He became a great warrior and consolidated the tiny nation of Israel into a powerful kingdom that ruled a large part of the Middle East during the tenth century B.C.
But with all his accomplishments, David’s greatest claim to fame, so to speak, is God’s epitaph, “I have found David...a man after my own heart.”
I find this statement perplexing! God is declaring His approval of David’s heart and life. That is puzzling in light of the fact that David’s actions weren’t always godly. In case you’re unfamiliar with David’s life, let me give you a brief overview of his checkered history.
And yet God states, “I have found David...a man after my own heart.” How can that be? How could God possibly commend a man with this kind of background?
Yes, David was a man with feet of clay, a man who at times committed sins that most of us could not imagine, let alone commit. Yet, over the long haul, David sought to be righteous and his heart’s desire was to do God’s will.
This is the kind of person God looks for, as indicated by Jeremiah 5:1-9. God doesn’t expect perfection, as we can clearly see from David. With all that David had done wrong in his life, God could still look at David’s heart and say he was a man after His own heart—a man who did all God’s will.
This, my friend, is the grace of God. There can be no other explanation! By his actions, David didn’t deserve God’s blessings. But in his heart he had the right desire—a longing to follow and please God.
That brings me to an important question—one that can lead to a lot of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in your life: Do you want to be a person after God’s own heart? Or, put another way, is your heart’s desire to follow after God?
You may think that’s unrealistic because you have a tendency to take three steps forward then two steps back in your spiritual walk with God. You may imagine that being a person after God’s own heart is too lofty a goal. You may conclude that it’s not possible because of some of your past actions.
But you and I must never forget one thing: God looked at David’s heart. And that’s where God is going to look in our lives, too. When it comes to becoming a person after God’s own heart, we can count on the grace of God—a grace that enables us and strengthens us at all times.
RESPOND
Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I want to repent of my sins and turn and follow You. I believe that You died for my sins and rose again victorious over the power of sin and death, and I want to accept You as my personal Savior. Come into my life, Lord Jesus, and help me follow and obey You from this day forward. Amen.
RENEWING RESOURCES
One Minute with the Men of the Bible—Jim George shares reminders of how God can work in your life. ORDER this devotional before January 30 and receive two FREE gifts!
REFLECT
Have you discounted yourself from following after God because of past actions? Ask God for His forgiveness and begin to follow Him today!
REMEMBER
We can count on the grace of God—a grace that enables us and strengthens us at all times.
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Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
Jim and Elizabeth George are bestselling authors and national speakers dedicated to helping people live a life after God’s own heart. Together, they have written over 150 books with more than 14 million copies sold around the world. For over 35 years, the teachings and steadfast example of Elizabeth and Jim have helped countless men and women:
I know from personal experience that living a life of prayer is not easy. Our lives are filled with a multitude of activities that tend to crowd out time for prayer. How many times have you been guilty of telling someone that you would pray for them? Your heart genuinely yearned to be a part of bringing their need before the throne of God. And then what happened? I’m sure that, if you’re like me, more times than you would like to admit, you forgot about the promise to pray before you rounded the corner of the church building! Why? Because you didn’t write the request down.
Paul knew the importance of strategic prayer in his own life and the lives of others. And he knew what to pray for. His prayers focused on spiritual issues. He knew that if those he was praying for were spiritually mature, they could handle anything.