What would it take for you to be described as a man or woman after God’s own heart?
Acts 13:13-22 (KJV)
13 Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia: and John departing from them returned to Jerusalem.
14 But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down.
15 And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.
16 Then Paul stood up, and beckoning with his hand said, Men of Israel, and ye that fear God, give audience.
17 The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it.
18 And about the time of forty years suffered he their manners in the wilderness.
19 And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of Chanaan, he divided their land to them by lot.
20 And after that he gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet.
21 And afterward they desired a king: and God gave unto them Saul the son of Cis, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, by the space of forty years.
22 And when he had removed him, he raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also he gave their testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will.
Have you ever visited a cemetery and seen a gravestone with a poignant epitaph of the person buried there? It’s not uncommon to see descriptions like “Devoted Mother” or “Beloved Friend” on these markers. In the distant future, what would you want someone to read etched on your tombstone? What epitaph would summarize the best part of your life?
In the book of Acts, we discover how history remembered mighty King David. In a sermon to a primarily Jewish group, the apostle Paul referred 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 David was the one person whom God called “a man after His own heart.” (See Acts 13:22; 1 Samuel 13:14.)
What does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart? For David, it required an intimate relationship with his Father (Ps. 63:1, Ps. 6-8). This entails much more than simply a regular routine of rote prayers and church attendance. Rather, such intimacy is founded upon an intense yearning to grow as close to the loving Father as possible (Ps. 42:1).
What would it take for you to be described as a man or woman after God’s own heart? What activities, thoughts, or behaviors 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.
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