Guarding & Directing Your Heart

1 Samuel 13:14 (NIV®)
“The LORD has sought out a man after his own heart and appointed him ruler of his people. …”

David was the most celebrated of all the Israelite kings and the one through whom the promised Messiah would come. He was a brave man, a brilliant military strategist, and a powerful leader. But what was it about David that commended him to God? Was it his bravery, or his intellect, or his leadership skills? No, Samuel says God was seeking “a man after his own heart.” From our earliest stories about David, we see that as a boy he honored God and placed His interests above his own. That is why he went out to face a giant Philistine named Goliath with only a sling and stones. When we seek God above all people and all things, it enhances our value to Him more than anything else we can do. After all, what material possession, strength, or skill do we have that the Lord does not already have in abundance? I encourage you to give great effort to guarding your heart and directing it toward the purposes of the Lord.

THINK ABOUT IT
Obedience, with the sole motivation of honoring God, will result in a response of reward and blessing.

PRAYER
Heavenly Father, thank You for redeeming me from an empty way of life and welcoming me into Your Kingdom. Help me to be a strength to Your Church and to value and invest my life in Your purposes above all else. May my thoughts and actions be pleasing to You. In Jesus’ name, amen.