AFTER God's Own Heart

More & more I find myself falling in love with the story of David. Mostly because it's a great story of God in which David has such an incredible part to play. You know David. He keeps sheep. Kills lions & bears...and giants. Fierce warrior. Anointed by Samuel. King of Israel. Father of Solomon. Remember Bathsheba? So he wasn't perfect. In fact, through his story we see many ups & downs. Victories & defeats. Good days & bad days. No doubt, the one passage that comes to mind for most of us when we think of David isn't something we read in Old Testament, though that's where all the great David stories are found. The number one passage that comes to mind when most of us think of David was spoken by Paul the apostle. It's found in the New Testament in Acts 13:21-23. Read it & see if you'll agree that this passage is what David is known most often for...

Acts 13:21-23 (NIV)
"After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. 21Then the people asked for a king, and he gave them Saul son of Kish, of the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years. 22After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'
23"From this man's descendants God has brought to Israel the Savior Jesus, as he promised.

A man after God's own heart. We read that & think, "Wow, I hope that after it's all said & done that I will be remembered the same way." And it's true, who wouldn't want to be remembered as a man or women after God's own heart. The question is, how? After I'm dead & gone, what about my life & the way I've lived will lead people to believe that I was a person after God's own heart.

I'd like to help you with that question, but first, consider that statement with me: "After God's own heart." That word "after" has really come alive for me as I think about this verse. After can mean a lot of things. You can be named after someone. You can follow after someone or something. After can refer to time...or after can refer to a pursuit - I want to chase or go after that. All of these meanings are a little different. But think of these meanings in the context of this verse:

“I have found David son of Jesse a man after (named after, following after, always coming after, chasing after, pursuing after) my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.”

Of all the things that could be said of me & you, I think one of the greatest is that we are people after God's own heart. We have been given His name to bear. Christian - named after Christ. He has called us to follow after Him when He said, "Follow me." We are always pursuing after Him, to gain the prize for which we were called heavenward in Christ Jesus. If you want to be known as someone after God's own heart, then follow the example of David. Not perfect, but always pursuing God. Listen to the power of after, & realize the life that God has called you to live is a life after His own heart.