Little Johnny misbehaved, so Mom sent him to his room.
A little while later he came out and said, “Mom, I’ve been
thinking about what I did and I said a prayer- can I
come out now?”
His mother was internally thrilled and said
encouragingly, “That’s wonderful. If you ask God
to help make you a better boy, I know He will.”
“But I didn’t ask Him to make me better,” the youngster
replied,
“I ask Him to help you put up with me!”
Do we sometimes have that
same attitude with God?
Expecting Him to love and accept us
“just as we are”?
Without us having to change anything
about ourselves?
Or bring our lives into conformity to
what we acknowledge His Will to be?
To just let us “be who we are” (or who
we want to be) and still bless & save us?
What blatant selfishness & rebellion!
Think about King David:
Here was a man, in his sin with Bathsheba,
who:
-lusted
-committed adultery
-lied
-and ultimately murdered a man.
How could such a man as this be one
“After God’s own heart?”
1Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22
How did David react to his sin?
He did everything he could to conceal his sin.
But Nathan forced him to really look at what he
had done, 2Samuel 12:1-12.
Oh how everyone needs a “Nathan” from time
to time!
How did David reply to the charges of sin?
“I have sinned against the Lord.” 2Samuel 12:13
Against Bathsheba? Against Uriah? Against his
Army & Joab? Against the People?
“Yes,” but they weren’t his Accuser or Judge!
So what makes David different
from “Johnny”?
“Johnny” denied his culpability
and wanted “Mom” to change; to
accept him as he was.
David acknowledged his sin and
knew he had to change to be right
with God.
But there’s more to this story...
Note also David’s prayer
regarding this part of his life.
It’s found in Psalm 51.
Note a few things in the prayer that highlight
what it takes to be a “Man after God’s Heart”:
>He asked for Mercy, v.1
>He Acknowledged his Sin, vv.2-6
>He asked for Purification, vv.7-10
>He asked for Restoration, vv.8-12
>He vowed Future Faithfulness, vv.13-17
&
>He sought Favor for the Cause, vv.18-19
These things will
make any/all of us
Men & Women after
God’s Own Heart!