MID-WEEK

Usually Mondays find me working away at the computer updating my blogs, but a holiday threw me for a loop! :-) President's Day gave me a little extra rest and relaxation. . .and time to go shopping with Brenda and Caleb for some shoes. School at Heritage academy holidayed, but our tutoring schedule remained unchanged.

Last Sunday night I began a new series on the life of David, a Man After God's Heart. The message focused on some observations from 1 Samuel 13:13-14. Here is the main outline:

We began with some

1. GENERAL OBSERVATIONS answering some of those basic observation questions like Who?, What? When?. . .

- This phrase was spoken by Samuel, the preacher, to Saul, the rebellious, impatient king.
- This phrase showed that Samuel was hearing from God. He was relaying the Word of God. God called His next choice of a king a man after his own heart.
- The man of whom this was spoken was, at this time,a a very young man. Let us not take our children for granted. Look at them with the eye toward what God may be able to do through them. Guard your tongue! Be careful of what you say to them. If you think what you say does not matter, then remember the harsh, hateful, and harmful words adults spoke to you when you were younger.
- As an aside, but very important in our time, God does not seek to be excluded, and indeed cannot be, in government. The affairs of state are still in His hands for good or for judgment. Saul forfeited the kingdom whether or not judgment fell that day or not. "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord. . .". If the courts of the United States, the elected officials, the special interest groups, and the influential people with money think that they are in control, let them be warned and reminded: GOD IS IN CONTROL. He cannot be legislated off the planet. While He might be scorned, He will be revered in the end!

2. GRAMMATICAL OBSERVATIONS
- God sought for "a" man. . .one. God still looks for those who will honor Him, live for Him, and lift Him up one at a time. He seeks a personal audience with you for salvation. People do not get saved in groups, though there may be more than one saved at a particular meeting or service. People get saved one at a time as God deals with each soul personally. God calls out individuals to serve Him, to leave their comfort zones, to cross the seas to other fields one by one. When you are faced with the crises, the only sustaining factor you will have at times is this personal encounter you have had with God.
- God sought for a "man". I realize that this is simple, but God still uses people. He usually uses the ordinary, or the less-than-ordinary, people to do the most for Him. He seeks all to love Him and serve Him, but if your intellectual pride stands in your way, He will use an imbecile to confound you. If your physical pedigree makes you "too good" to stoop and humbly serve the King of kings, He will use a Samaritan of some sort to show you what real honor is. 1 Corinthians 1 reminds us of this and shows us the reason, "That no flesh should glory in his presence." If you are feeble, God will use you. If you are not the sharpest tool in the shed, God can still use you. If you are willing to be used by God on His terms and timetable, He will use you and bring great glory to Himself. God sought for a MAN.
- God sought for a man "after". . .This word points to the character of the man. Here is not the couch potato, but the hungry individual. Here is someone who could be called a disciple, a follower.
- Energy and movement are not enough. These must be directed. The direction is defined in the next words, "his own heart". When this is your direction, be assured that God desires to use you. Sadly, there are not many in this group. A lot of people seek God as a "sugar-daddy" Who will give them what they want on their terms. Some are stimulated only by the high thoughts of the Lord and His Word without the humble spirit to obey His commands. Saul had talent and ability, but was unwilling to accept God's timing when it threatened him. He was unwilling to submit to God's plan when it limited him and cramped his style. A lot of people talk about loving God, but they don't want God or anybody else defining their morals or deriding their "lifestyles". The person God sought, David, was submissive to His will, willing to adjust to God's Word, able to wait on Gods time, and fervent in prayer and praise. There is so much more, but that will have to come in the next few weeks.

3. GRAVE (serious) OBSERVATIONS
- We live in days where the Word of God is also being twisted and tortured by personal tastes and human philosophies. Popular religion neglects the "darker" side of the truth, if there really is such a thing. People want the Bible, if it reads like they think it should. How do I know this? So-called Christians live just like their worldly neighbors. There is NO DIFFERENCE in their speech. There is NO DIFFERENCE in their habits. There is NO DIFFERENCE in their music or TV selections. God's Word cannot change and so, if you are going to live in sin, you will have to ignore It. Conscience becomes seared when you make this a habit.
- Many claim the role of modern prophets, but are like Ahab's false preachers. They are popular, but untrue.
- Sadly, a man after God's own heart is still a man. Yes, David was a great man. He may have been the greatest of Israel's historical characters apart from Jesus Christ, but his life contains some very dark chapters. He still sinned grievously. Praise the Lord, he was also a great repenter! Do not look to men for perfection or you will be sadly disappointed. Keep your eyes on Jesus!

4. GLORIOUS OBSERVATION - What God can do with a single individual who is "after his own heart". The list is long, but here are a few characters to note:
- From Abraham, God raised up a nation.
- Through Joseph, God spared His people.
- Using Moses, God delivered His people.
God does not need an army of millions to turn the world upside down. He had an upper room-full and used them to do that job.

Will you allow God to use you? D.L. Moody was led to Christ by Edward Kimbell, his Sunday School teacher. Moody was greatly used by God and the torch was passed from him up to the present day. Moody's talents did not match something more important - His heart for God and God's Word. He sought to be a man totally yielded to God. He studied Scripture to a degree that shames modern preacher due to his own humility and hunger for the Word. He would read, according to his own study plan, a passage of Scripture 18 times and then would just be beginning to understand It's meaning. He willingly invested the time in such diligent study, and God said, "I can use him." Ask God to give you a new heart today. If you have never trusted Christ, remember what He did for you at Calvary. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved and thy house." Rid your heart of any idols you might be even unwittingly worshiping. Become a person after God's heart.