Man After GOD’s Own Heart
I’ve been pondering of late what it means to be a man after GOD’s own heart. What is it that really sets a person apart? Are there tangibles that one can acquire that would lead to their becoming a man or woman… "after GOD’s own heart"?!
GOD says in 1 Samuel 13 that HE had sought out a man after HIS own heart to lead HIS people. This man turned out to be the shepherd boy David. A deeper look in to the life of David will reveal that the man after GOD’s own heart in no way was deemed so resulting from having a life all put together! David was no model of perfection!
Gary Greenberg, a student of Biblical history and specifically the account of David’s life, wrote that one could make the argument that, "David was a corrupt and ambitious mercenary who committed treason against Israel by working with its enemies to seize the throne from King Saul; an ambitious and ruthless politician who initiated, sanctioned, or condoned murder and assassination as a way to eliminate political rivals, royal or otherwise; a Philistine vassal who used an army of malcontents to terrorize and conquer the Kingdom of Judah while Saul was still on the throne; a usurper who went to war against Israel after Saul’s death and imposed himself as king over the nation of Israel by military force; a cruel and unjust tyrant who used foreign mercenaries to centralize power under his direct control and who oppressed the people of Israel with high taxes and forced labor; a military imperialist who waged wars of conquest against his neighbors and exposed the peaceful Israelites to military counter-attacks that left many dead, wounded, or widowed; and the beneficiary of tales and legends that made him the doer of other peoples’ heroic deeds."
In this light, David doesn’t seem all that impressive—and scripture confirms—David was no white-as-snow-pristine saintly man of GOD. But, if David was such a despicable guy, what in the world set him apart and led GOD to say of him, "I have sought out and found David to be a man after MY own heart"?
A further look into David’s life will demonstrate a consistent pattern in his life with regards to how he responded to his own sins. Time after time you will find that David was quick to run to GOD after he screwed up.
The one after GOD’s own heart is the one who after tripping, stumbling and falling, gets up and runs as fast as they can back to GOD. How we deal with our sin says a great deal about who we are. David would run to GOD and cling to HIM knowing that his true source of LIFE was GOD. The same is true of all who cling to GOD as their true source of life. A man after GOD’s own heart is not a man perfectly sinless—but, when they do fail, they run for their lives back to GOD—clinging to HIM as their only source of LIFE, HOPE, and FORGIVENESS!
the cover-up-and-hide method
There is also the more favored example set by our father Adam—the method of sinning followed by running and hiding from GOD. Adam after disobeying GOD in the garden ran together with Eve to hide from GOD. Many try to hide from GOD and deny sin in hopes of avoiding shame, guilt, and the admission of wrongdoing.
Just take a look at a couple of examples from today’s current headlines: Lindsay Lohan attempting and failing to convince a Judge in California that the Lohan version of reality was legit. Steve Jobs and Apple working hard to deny and cover up a widely proven flaw in the iPhone 4’s antenna design. The handling of BP's spill in the Gulf... and, let’s don’t’ even get started with all the mess of Washington Politics!
Truth is, examples of Adam’s cover-up-and-hide methodology abound. BUT... make no mistake... the cover-up-and-hide method of dealing with sin cannot bring a person true peace or abundant life.
There is a way to experience peace… it is the way of the man after GOD’s own heart! The way of bolting towards GOD after a screw-up! This is a way of life that results from a deep seated belief in GOD’s goodness and HIS good intentions towards us! It's also the way of a life freely admitting dependence to GOD.
Are you experiencing peace in your life? Do you feel it could be said of you that you were a man or a woman after GOD’s own heart? The key to living a life of peace and being known as such is all in how you deal with your sin. You’ll either live by the cover-up-and hide method denying your failure and denying GOD’s goodness—or, you’ll cling to GOD and run straight to HIM freely admitting your inability to attain a sinless perfection.
When's the last time you ran to GOD and admitted your need of HIM? If it's been a while, might I suggest you stop what you're doing now and go spend some time with your heavenly FATHER?! And, let’s all be quicker to run for dear life to GOD!
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“NO AMIGOS” Directive
I recently posted a tweet inspired by 2 John 1:10-11 (msg) ... my tweet was, "If anyone shows up who doesn't hold true to the teachings of CHRIST—don't become their partner by giving them a platform to perpetuate evil."
A dear friend of mine (@wilandlisa) responded to my tweet and asked, "As Christians, how do we really do this while at the same time helping those who struggle with staying true to Christ's teachings by their un-Christ like actions?"
Her question is not a new one with regards to the instructions given here by John in this scripture. It seems people have been debating over the exact meaning of these instructions for as long as the book of 2 John has been in the Canon of Scripture!
So, ok… well, the statement made from 2 John 1:10-11 (msg) is not necessarily directed at the type of person Lisa was inquiring about in her question. There is a BIG difference between the one she described in her question and the one defined by John in this scripture.
The person Lisa describes is an individual who is immature in their faith. Unfortunately, there are lots and lots of these types of folks populating the church. The failure occurs when leaders neglect teaching people the full gospel MESSAGE! To many focus only on leading people to CHRIST for eternal salvation, but then do little to instruct those babies in CHRIST on how to discover freedom through surrendered daily living!
Our mission as leaders is to foster the opportunities where lives can be transformed through the work of the SPIRIT into fully developing followers of CHRIST!
In an environment absent of that sort of atmosphere, many babes in CHRIST end up going to church for the entertainment value—rather than being challenged to continued transformation into CHRIST-likeness. Or, they go to get propped up by a set of man-centered rules by which they can feel better about their inability to live the life (see the Abundant Life post dated March 2).
The end result is that immature believers remain immature and continue to live out of selfish motives.
BUT sometimes… worse still… immature believers and unbelievers alike can be lulled into a comma by the types of “leader” John speaks of in 2 John 1. John defines this type of leader as a charlatan—an anti-Christ!! Yikes!! That’s pretty extreme language used to define this type of person that we (the church) are to be on the lookout for!
Thus, the reason for John's... Uhm... "NO AMIGOS" Directive! Ok, well... I actually came up with the name there... but, pretty clear instructions by John here nonetheless!
Make no mistake, this is not simply one seeking truth, or one stumbling along due to immaturity. Rather, this is one intent on twisting and distorting truth—a deceiver. Sadly, there are many “religious leaders” in the church today who fall into this category! These Charlatans don’t share the whole MESSAGE of the gospel—and worse, they distort the MESSAGE. They lead people astray. Sometimes those led astray are believers—but, sometimes they are not, stumbling through life believing they are Christians.
Followers of CHRIST are called to die to self. Paul said, “for me to live is CHRIST.” Not, for me to live is to be CHRIST-like… or, for me to live is to read my Bible… or, for me to live is to tithe! For me to live IS CHRIST. That means no agenda of our own. That means a total surrender of every area of our lives. The old life—that self-centered, live for myself life—is gone. It was buried in the grave the moment I received CHRIST as my SAVIOR. My new life IS CHRIST—a wholly surrendered, CHRIST-centered life. One that allows JESUS to live HIS life in us, through us, AS US!! That means I’m no longer agenda driven by selfish motive or by a misguided attempt to impress GOD.
My whole life is open for GOD to direct me in whatever way HE chooses to lead.
JESUS was the first to live that life perfectly. HE was not driven by HIS own self-centered motives either! You’ll find over and over in the GOSPEL accounts, JESUS saying, “I’m not doing any of these things of my own accord—I’m doing the will of my FATHER!”
JESUS was totally surrendered—HIS whole life, open for GOD the FATHER to direct in whatever way HE chose to lead HIS SON.
We are to live that same life! Let’s live lives wholly surrendered to the MASTER! AND, be willing as JESUS was to overturn tables, rebuke religious leaders, and wash the feet of doubters… every time HE leads us to do so, no matter how uncomfortable those activities can be to us personally!
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The Abundant Life
Paul calls the New Testament life a walk. What is the sustenance, the life, of that walk? It isn't us trying to walk for GOD. It may look like that on the outside, but we have taken the LAMB of GOD into us! HE is not only the forgiveness of sins. HE is also the life within us, from WHOM we make the journey. We can walk around for years with a sense of forgiveness, but no sense of life. We have the life in us, but we don't know it. We try to generate the life ourselves, but we are doomed to failure, because it's impossible for us to generate the life. GOD is telling us, "I will share MY glory with no man. Only I can live MY life. But I will impart the life to you. I will give you the life. I will live it through you."
That's why there isn't anything beyond the grace of GOD, completely understood, that is necessary for living the Christian life.
In John 6 JESUS said, "I am the bread of life… Unless you eat the flesh of the SON of MAN and drink HIS blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats MY flesh and drinks MY blood has eternal life." We have eternal life in us—GOD's life. It's the life without beginning and without end. It's the uncreated life. JESUS is telling us, "I am all a person needs for living the life. It isn't ME plus something. It isn't ME plus your prayer life. It isn't ME plus your Bible study. It isn't ME plus your good service. It isn't ME plus the sum of everything you can do, because you will never produce a life that pleases ME. I am the only life that pleases ME."
Nobody is offended as long as we are down here and GOD is up there, and HE does something for us—that's OK. But when you start talking about JESUS living HIS life in you, through you, AS YOU, that raises eyebrows. In John 6, the people were perfectly satisfied with JESUS as long as HE produced bread. The offense came when HE said HE was the bread. "How can this MAN give us HIS flesh to eat?" they asked.
JESUS was telling the Jews, "You're doing all of these external things, but there isn't any life in that." The opposite of life is death. If we are not operating out of the life, we're operating out of death. But it doesn't look like death, because often we get results. Church programs get results. Our personal programs get results. On the seen and temporal level we are getting results. JESUS has a word for people about that: "There's your reward. You're getting your results. So there's your reward. Go ahead with it. But it isn't of ME. It is not MY life flowing through You."
Paul revealed the secret of CHRIST in us. To the Galatians he said, "I live, but no, I don't. CHRIST lives in me. It looks like me, but it's CHRIST." To the Colossians he wrote, "It's CHRIST in you that's your hope of glory." To the Philippians he proclaimed: "For me, to live is CHRIST." Who was doing the living? CHRIST. But if you looked right at him, who would it look like? Paul. Paul illustrated this in 2 Corinthians 5:20: "We are ambassadors for CHRIST, as though GOD were making an appeal through us." These ambassadors for CHRIST were pleading with the Gentiles. But who was really pleading? GOD was making HIS plea through them. The words and the works came through Paul. But Paul knew that he wasn't working up this concern for Gentiles. GOD was in him making that appeal. It looked like Paul, but it was the indwelling JESUS.
Friends, if you want to discover more about the Abundant Life, read the book called The Rest of the Gospel by Dan Stone and David Gregory Smith!
Leave me a note! Blessings...
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Are you living in a fantasy or a GOD-commissioned reality?
I had an encouraging conversation with friends last night—friends, who for some time have been hurting and struggling with finding balance and purpose in their lives. Religion kills, and these friends have been through the ministry wringer as it were and I for a time have sensed the internal struggle that was going on. However, I have not been sure how to help, other than pray and be available.
No one likes painful experiences and everyone wants to hurry through the uncomfortable circumstances as quickly as possible! Sometimes lessons can only be learned by slowly walking through the fire. Often it’s in those fires that we begin to question everything—our purpose, our calling, our lives—only to emerge on the other side with greater understanding and resolve about all of these things.
For me, the last few months in Florida were a difficult fire I had to endure. And, the month of September was a difficult month of trying to comprehend what it is that FATHER is doing with us. BUT, I have emerged from the last few months with a peace about who I am in CHRIST and what it is that HE has given me to do. My mission has not changed—only the setting.
My authority does not come from any popular vote of the people, nor does it come through appointment of some human higher-up. It comes directly from JESUS the MESSIAH and GOD the FATHER, who raised HIM from the dead. I’m GOD-commissioned. So, I greet you with grace and peace! We know the meaning of those words because Jesus Christ rescued us from this evil world we’re in by offering HIMSELF as a sacrifice for our sins. GOD would that we all experience that rescue!
GOD has called us each to that same sort of sacrificial living. That means surrendering ALL of our life to HIS purposes. Even our dreams belong to HIM. That doesn’t mean we can’t have dreams. BUT we must be willing to accept a difficult reality in place of the dream if GOD so asks it of us. Stubbornly hiding in a fantasy world—a make believe reality of what you want your life to look like or your ministry to be—is ministry porn according to @edstetzer! He says, “It’s a fantasy that ain’t ever going to happen and it ultimately distracts from the real thing GOD is doing.”
Live in the here and now reality! Don’t exchange walking with the FATHER for a fantasy make believe world of your own doing! Paul to the Galatians said, “When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from CHRIST, you fall out of grace. Meanwhile you expectantly wait for a satisfying relationship with the SPIRIT.”
Friends, ministry is a tough place. Living in this reality is not an easy thing. Don’t give up! Hang on. That relationship with the SPIRIT is worth every hardship! AND, your FAHTER has a deeper purpose and plan for you and HE will use the difficulties (you might at this moment be grasping to comprehend) for your greater good!
Hold tight to the things you know to be true. Daily align your heart with HIS. And just be available to be about the things HE has made you for. Eventually, you will emerge from the fog and GOD will provide you some perspective. Doesn’t mean your reality will be any different. BUT, your heart will be, I promise!
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