Men Living for Christ
Saturday
A Man After God’s Own Heart
Ask God to give you the desire to move ever closer to Him.
13 Now Paul and his companions put out to sea from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia; but John left them and returned to Jerusalem. 14 But going on from Perga, they arrived at Pisidian Antioch, and on the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down. 15 After the reading of the Law and the Prophets the synagogue officials sent to them, saying, ``Brethren, if you have any word of exhortation for the people, say it." 16 Paul stood up, and motioning with his hand said, ``Men of Israel, and you who fear God, listen: 17 "The God of this people Israel chose our fathers and made the people great during their stay in the land of Egypt, and with an uplifted arm He led them out from it. 18 "For a period of about forty years He put up with them in the wilderness. 19 "When He had destroyed seven nations in the land of Canaan, He distributed their land as an inheritance-- all of which took about four hundred and fifty years. 20 "After these things He gave them judges until Samuel the prophet. 21 "Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. 22 "After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, `I HAVE FOUND DAVID the son of Jesse, A MAN AFTER MY HEART, who will do all My will.' (Acts 13:13-22)
Have you ever seen a gravestone with a poignant epitaph of the person buried there? Perhaps it read “Devoted Mother” or “Beloved Friend.” What would you want etched on your tombstone? What epitaph would summarize your life?
In the book of Acts, we discover how history remembered King David. In a sermon presented to a primarily Jewish group, the apostle Paul made reference to David, who was well known to the audience. Remembering all of the king’s great accomplishments during his reign, how did Paul choose to describe him? He declared that God called David “a man after My own heart” (13:22 NKJV).
What does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart? For David, it required an intimate relationship with the Lord (Psalm 63:1; Psalms 63:6-8). This entails more than a regular routine of rote prayers and church attendance. Rather, such intimacy is founded upon a desire to grow closer to the Father (Psalm 42:1).
What would it take for you to be described as a someone after God’s own heart? Which activities would need to be removed from your life? What would need to be added? Ask God for His help in making these adjustments—and for the commitment to make this epitaph the goal of your life.