Epithet

2.6.2011

Acts 13:22 22 After 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.’ NIV

David is a model of excellence but not a picture of flawless perfection. David made his fair share of mistakes. Last night in the wee hours I thought of the mistakes I have made (and still make) and I thought of the ripple effect those mistakes may have on my children. I have already seen enough of my kid’s antics and actions to know that I have had a profound effect on their lives; just watch how they react in certain situations and if you know me at all, you’ll conclude, “Yep, those are Paul Turk’s kids…”

David made huge mistakes with his personal life, his family life, and in leading his government; David’s sons followed right down the same path as their dad. But David went to his grave with this epithet: A man after [God’s] own heart. And the massive underscore of God’s approval: he will do everything I want him to do. That’s big. It’s especially big for us because we mostly live lives that are far short of the role that David fulfilled for the Lord. That doesn’t mean we aren’t important to God – we serve out our own role in our own day in our own way. The important question is do we do everything God wants us to do?

The key to David’s success is the same key that is available to us in Christ: unceasing fellowship with the Lord and reverence for His Name. David was accepted because of his faith in God and not just because of the government he ran, that battles he won, or the family he raised. The same goes for me and you – and what we do or don’t do is centered on our relationship with God. It’s my relationship with God that is becoming more and more precious to me and when I screw up, I suffer the very real pain of letting down a Friend; the prevention of course, is following hard after God, and seeking His heart above all else.

Father in Heaven,
You know – You know when I wander and where I wander and I believe despite the stupidity of my actions, You know why I wander. My prayer is that I grow in my appreciation of You and in my experience of Your presence that I might be called a man after Your own heart. I pray in Jesus’ Name, a Savior seeking all of my own – amen.