WISDOM FOR LIVING DAILY DEVOTIONAL
SEPTEMBER 13, 2021
TOPIC: A MAN OR WOMAN AFTER GOD’S OWN HEART
BY T. O. BANSO
“And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will’” (Acts 13:21-22 New King James Version).
What is ultimately important is not men’s verdict on you, but God’s verdict. Unfortunately, many people are more concerned about what people think or say about them than what God thinks about them. Sadly, some people even compromise God’s Word and instructions just to be accepted by certain persons.
Some will rather do what is politically or socially correct than what is biblically correct. What difference does it make if the whole world applauds you, but heaven disapproves of you?
One of the men in the Bible whom God testified about was David, even before he became the king of Israel. Indeed, it was God’s evaluation of him that qualified him for the throne after God had been disappointed at Saul’s performance as king.
Samuel told Saul that God had rejected him as king and announced to him: “But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you” (1 Samuel 13:14 New King James Version).
The same testimony is recorded in the New Testament. “And afterward they asked for a king; so God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will’” (Acts 13:21-22 New King James Version).
God rejected Saul who was not after His heart. He displeased Him on two occasions: when he offered a sacrifice which he wasn’t qualified to offer and when He failed to completely destroy the Amalekites as He had instructed (1 Samuel 13:7-14; 15:1-9). On the two occasions, Saul made excuses instead of admitting his sins and seek to please God.
God said in Hosea 13:9-11, “O Israel, you are destroyed, but your help is from Me. I will be your King; where is any other, that he may save you in all your cities? And your judges to whom you said, ‘Give me a king and princes’? I gave you a king in My anger, and took him away in My wrath” (New King James Version).
God wanted someone after His own heart, as a king, not someone who was after his selfish desire like Saul. God said in Psalm 89:20-23 says, “I have found My servant David; with My holy oil I have anointed him, with whom My hand shall be established; also My arm shall strengthen him. The enemy shall not outwit him, nor the son of wickedness afflict him. I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague those who hate him” (New King James Version).
What does that phrase in Acts 13:22 that David the son of Jesse was “a man after My own heart” or “a man after His own heart” mean? The Contemporary English Version explains it thus: “David the son of Jesse is the kind of person who pleases me most!”
The Bible in Basic English renders it as “David, the son of Jesse, a man dear to my heart?” According to the Good News Translation, it means “David son of Jesse is the kind of man I like.” The Amplified Bible explains it in parenthesis as “conforming to My will and purposes.”
David’s life was not perfect but he was a man after God’s heart. He was so consumed by his love for God and the things of God that he decided to bring the Ark of God back to Israel – something Saul, his predecessor, never thought about. David knew the significance of the Ark of God to Israel – it symbolized the presence of God amid His people. Though his first attempt ended in a disaster, with the death of Uzzah, he made a second attempt, which was hitch-free – he brought the Ark back amidst pomp and celebration (2 Samuel 6:12-19; 1 Chronicles 16:1-3).
David’s imperfect life is seen in his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the subsequent killing of Uriah, her husband, and the marriage of Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). David also sinned when he conducted a census of the Israelites which led to the death of seventy Israelite men in a plague that God brought upon Israel (2 Samuel 24; 1 Chronicles 21). Nevertheless, David, on the two occasions, immediately admitted his sins and sought to please God (2 Samuel 12:13; 1 Chronicles 21:8). He didn’t make excuses or pass the buck. Being a man after God’s heart doesn’t mean being perfect.
David was a man after God’s heart. David said, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD.’ Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem!” (Psalm 122:1-2 New King James Version). That was why he, not only brought the Ark of God back to Israel after several years of the ark’s sojourn in a foreign land, he also wanted to build a temple for the Lord.
However, God denied him of the privilege of building a house for Him because he had been a man of war and had shed blood (1 Chronicles 28:2-3). But He granted his son, Solomon, the privilege. Acts 7:46-47 says, “David found favor with God and asked for the privilege of building a permanent Temple for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who actually built it” (New Living Translation). In 1 Kings 8:16-19, Solomon recalled his father’s desire to build a house for God which He didn’t allow him to do.
Are you a man or woman after God’s heart? There is a relationship between being a man/woman after God’s own heart and doing His will. Someone after God’s heart is committed to doing His pleasure. “And having put him on one side, he made David their king, to whom he gave witness, saying, I have taken David, the son of Jesse, a man dear to my heart, who will do all my pleasure” (Acts 13:22 Bible in Basic English). Please take note of the phrase “who will do all my pleasure.”
The Bible tells us that God created everything for His pleasure. “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created” (Revelation 4:11 King James Version). The New Living Translation renders the latter part of this scripture thus: “For you created everything, and it is for your pleasure that they exist and were created.”
God said about David, “I have found that David, son of Jesse, is a man after my own heart. He will do everything I want him to do” (Acts 13:22b God’s Word Translation). Does that describe you, too? Be a man or woman after God’s heart. Be committed to doing His will or carrying out all He wishes or obey all He commands. Take delight in pleasing Him. Live for Him, not for yourself. He created you for His pleasure. You don’t exist for yourself; you exist for Him. He doesn’t exist for You; you exist for Him. Be a man or woman after God’s own heart.
TAKE ACTION!
If you are not born again, you need to give your life to Jesus now. I urge you to take the following steps: *Admit that you are a sinner and that you cannot save yourself and repent of your sins. *Confess Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. *Renounce your past way of life – your relationship with the devil and his works. *Invite Jesus into your life. *As a mark of seriousness to mature in the faith, start attending a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church. There they will teach you how to grow in the Kingdom of God.
Kindly say this prayer now: O Lord God, I come unto You today. I know I am a sinner, and I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross to save me and resurrected the third day. I repent of my sins and confess Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. I surrender my life to Jesus now and invite Him into my heart. By this prayer, I know I am saved. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me and making me a child of God.
I believe you have said this prayer from your heart. Congratulations! You will need to join a Bible-believing and Bible-teaching church in your area where they will teach you how to live your new life in Christ Jesus. I pray that you flourish like the palm tree and grow like the cedar of Lebanon. May you grow into Christ in all things and become all God wants you to be. I will be glad to hear from you. The Lord be with you.
PRAYER POINTS: Father, thank You for creating me for Your pleasure. Holy Spirit, help me to live with the consciousness that I exist and am created for God. Help me to live for and do all God’s pleasure. I shall be a man/woman after God’s own heart in Jesus’ name. Holy Spirit, deliver me from living a life that displeases God.
(For over 600 in-depth and powerful messages by T. O. Banso, visit www.cedarministry.org).
T. O. Banso is the President, Cedar Ministry International, Abuja, Nigeria.
Phone No: +2348155744752, +2348033113523
WhatsApp No: +2349081295947
Email: cedarministryintl@yahoo.com,
cedarministryng@gmail.com
Website: www.cedarministry.org
