More to The Story - Chapter 11 - 1st & 2nd Samuel
THE KIND OF PERSON WHO LIKES GOD AND WILL LIKE HEAVEN
“The LORD said to Samuel, "Do not consider his appearance or his height . . . .The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." (1 Samuel 16:7)
GOD JUDGES THE HEART
Legalistically “following the rules” is not the path to God, God’s Kingdom or Heaven. Trying to be good enough almost always turns a person into something bad or disappointing. The apostle Paul tried the “being good” route and he jettisoned it in favor of casting his fate on trusting and following Jesus.
Relying on good works leads to bad things like spiritual pride (absolutely the worst kind of Christian), or to giving up on the project of trying to make it as a Christian and then dropping out and then even disliking Christianity because of all the hypocrisy they feel they see. Or it can lead to living a double life, being one thing in church and another outside of it. Being good and trying harder is all too often a dead end street.
King David is the one person in the entire Bible who is described as a “man after God’s own heart”. He was not good. But he loved God. Ezekiel 36:26 applied to him. Today’s scripture is written about him. Psalm 51 describes how David, a murder and adulterer, can have a heart that loves God, receives God’s love, and will be at home with God in heaven. Please read these passages. What is in them that applies to David and all those who spend eternity with God? Can you see the forgiveness of Jesus on the cross working backwards to move David to be a “man after God’s own heart?”
PRAYER
"Lord, I want so much to just love you and love people. I have so much trouble with what this means. Loving you must be and is so different from everything 21st century America says love is. Lord, give me your heart, one that leads into a Christian faith that brings me joy and peace and confidence and leads me to deep breaths of the freedom from all of that which stands between me and You. I love you Lord.”
God has been showing me what it means to understand who he is and who I am not.
ReplyDeleteHe is merciful. I mess up.
He is patient. When I don't think I mess up.
He is gracious People get on my nerves
He understands. I get tunnel vision.
He is kind I look the other way
He perseveres I get fed up
He is peace turmoil can sometimes describe my psyche
He is always good I am not
The point is not what we do but who He is. Its been done. And we won't be perfect until He returns and for some of us that may be a moot point.
I need to center on Him, depend on Him, look to Him and thank Him everyday that He is who He is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEJnePjJZaM&feature=related