Elizabeth George's Blog, page 36

Asking for Forgiveness

[image error]When a conversation goes wrong and escalates into a battle, we have to deal with the aftermath and assess our part. It helps to ask yourself, am I shifting blame to others, making excuses for my actions, or am I accepting responsibility?

EXCUSES

It’s amazing how many excuses and how much blame we can come up with after giving in to sin. Have you ever noticed that asking for forgiveness is often difficult? 

Many times, our pride is the culprit. Instead of immediately asking for forgiveness, pride says, “I was right ” or “It wasn’t that bad!”

James 1:14 says, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” With this statement, James warns us to be aware of our own sin and accept responsibility.


FAITHFUL TO FORGIVE

My friend, God doesn’t ask us to do a thousand things, not even a hundred, just a few things. God’s purposes for you can be boiled down to just three.





1. Determine to obey God. As Proverbs 3:4-6 says, develop a greater trust in  the Lord.
2. Devote your life to becoming more like Christ. Look to God, not yourself, for direction.
3. Look to the finish line, not just what’s happening today.



As you’re faithful in these areas of growth, you’ll grow in humility and more readily confess sin and ask for forgiveness. It won’t be a chore. Rather, it’s the recipe for a better life and better relationships.

As you’re faithful in these areas of growth, you’ll find and fulfill God’s purpose for your life. It won’t be a chore. Rather, it’s the recipe for a better life and better relationships.

When you fail in your walk with God, accept responsibility for your actions. Be honest with God and enjoy His forgiveness and grace.

RESPOND

Lord, I need greater humility and courage to accept responsibility for my sins. First John 1:9 promises that if I confess my sins, You, dear Lord, are faithful and just to forgive them. Help me to nurture a repentant heart. Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCES
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Proverbs for a Woman’s Day –Are you stressed out by your responsibilities? At a crossroads in your life? Wondering what to do about a complicated relationship? Take a journey through Proverbs, which cover the matters closest to your heart.

REFLECT

When is the last time you confessed your sin and asked the Lord for forgiveness. Remember, He is faithful to forgive!

REMEMBER

Look to God, not yourself, for direction

Trapped in a Loveless Marriage - A Biography of Abigail

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*This biography of Abigail is one of 150 bios featured in the A Woman After God’s Own Heart Bible.

A LITTLE HISTORY

After King Saul tried to kill David, David and his soldiers moved from place to place to avoid Saul’s army. David’s movements brought his men to a small village. After watching over the possessions of a rich man named Nabal, David requested food for his men. Nabal had benefited from his protection, but Nabal rudely refused David’s request. Nabal’s insults so angered David that he determined to destroy Nabal and his household, including Abigail, Nabal’s wife.

HER STORY

Abigail’s home life— 1 Samuel 25:1-13

Arranged marriage was the custom of the day, so Abigail was probably wed to Nabal for his wealth, not for love. While she was a faithful and savvy woman, Nabal’s name (meaning “fool”) and his actions showed he was indeed a fool. 

David asked Nabal to repay a past kindness by giving David’s men some provisions. Nabal rudely denied David’s request, so David became angry and planned to destroy Nabal’s household. 

Abigail’s wisdom— 1 Samuel 25:14-35

A servant overheard Nabal’s rejection of David’s request and told Nabal’s wife, Abigail. The servant warned her that David was returning. Abigail quickly prepared a large supply of food and rode out to meet David. She fell before David and humbly pleaded for her husband’s life. David thanked God for sending Abigail to him and agreed not to harm Nabal.

Abigail’s widowhood— 1 Samuel 25:36-38

After a night of heavy drinking, Nabal was told about the terrible danger he had been in. The shock of the news caused Nabal to suffer a stroke. Ten days later the Lord struck Nabal and he died. 

Abigail’s marriage to David— 1 Samuel 25:39-44

Following Nabal’s death, David asked Abigail to become his wife and she accepted. Abigail and Nabal had no children, but God blessed her marriage to David with a son named Chileab, meaning “God is my judge.” In Abigail’s life, we can see the truth of this name— God protected, honored, and blessed Abigail despite her difficult marriage to Nabal. 

STRAIGHT TO YOUR HEART

Cultivate a life of wisdom. Not only did Abigail act wisely, she spoke wisely, making peace according to God’s ways. When crises arise, you can act with wisdom and discretion as Abigail did. Praise God that He has given you all you need to make wise decisions throughout your days. What is the first step to wisdom? “The fear of the Lord” (Prov. 9:10).

Cultivate a life of faithfulness. Abigail had little cause for joy, trapped in a loveless marriage to a fool. Yet she was loyal, trustworthy, steadfast, and reliable to her husband, to the management of her home, and to her servants. The Bible instructs you to “build” your home (Prov. 14:1) and watch carefully over your household (31:27). Follow Abigail’s example and be faithful to your family and home. You will honor God and be a blessing to your family, and will be blessed by them (31:28). And God will bless you for your faithfulness.

RESPOND
Dear Lord, please remind me that You protect, honor, and bless those who are faithful to you. I ask for grace for any women who are in difficult marriages. Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCES[image error]
A Woman After God's Own Heart Bible—Find hope and encouragement in this Bible that includes:

A devotional reading for every day of the year
More than 150 biographies of women of the Bible
Twenty-five full-page topical reflections on life's challenges
Plus four hundred brief whispers of wisdom for daily life

Inventory Reduction Sale!
Do you wonder how to pray? Long for real peace and joy? Want to know God's will for your life? Desire a spiritual mentor?

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REFLECT

What is one step you can take to cultivate a life of faithfulness to the Lord?

REMEMBER

Put God first and seek to please Him. “When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (16:7).

Growing in Emotional Stability — Teen Tuesday

[image error]To be a sparkling jewel and a blessing in anyone’s life, you’ll want to grow in emotional stability. After all, you are a part of your family. That means you contribute to the general emotional atmosphere in your home. Are you an emotional train wreck at home? How about with your friends at school? How much better it is to be a positive calming influence—to be a tower of strength to those in your presence. 

BUILD EMOTIONAL STRENGTH

If you start building greater emotional stability in just a few important areas, you will make incredible progress.

First up is master your tolerance. This refers to endurance— endurance during tough and trying days. Everyone, including you, faces difficult circumstances and painful times. It’s a fact of life. James wrote in James 1:2, “Count it all joy when you fall into various trials” (NKJV).

When trials come, don’t be surprised. And don’t be caught off guard without a plan for some stability. Turn to God right away. He’s your helper through thick and thin.

Next up is master your temper. How? Try some sure advice from God. A woman of strength:

nurtures a peaceful heart
knows how to wait
does not strive
restrains her spirit

Does this sound like the impossible dream? It’s not. Remember—you can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13).

And finally is master your tongue. Oh dear—we knew this was coming! Your words can either “speak like the piercings of a sword” or promote health (Proverbs 12:18 NKJV). To bring the sparkle of God’s beauty to others,

speak less often
speak only after you think about what you’re going to say
speak only what is sweet and pleasant
speak only what is wise and kind

Now, with all these wonderful traits on track, you have soooo much to give to others at home, at school, at church, in all your activities, and with all your friends. And best of all? You give God honor and glory as you reflect His presence in you.

RESPOND

Dear God, Your Word says I can do all things— including handle this—through Christ, who strengthens me. By Your grace and through Your Spirit, I can do this. Thank You for enabling me to meet and handle this challenge. Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCE[image error]

Beautiful in God’s Eyes for Young Women — Surround yourself with inspiring Bible verses and Elizabeth's encouraging guidance to discover purpose and confidence you've only dreamed of having in this book for young women.

REFLECT

Pause and pray about the words you use this coming week.

REMEMBER

Your words can either “speak like the piercings of a sword” or promote health.

Making It Through Tough Times

[image error]I know a L-O-T about hard times and life changes. Jim and I married in college and completed our educations without financial support from our parents. It’s not that they didn’t want to help out—they simply didn’t have the money to help us.

When I met Jim on campus, we both had part-time jobs that we kept until graduation. And since then, we have known only a very few years when we didn’t both work in some way to take care of our daughters and living expenses. I worked away from home until we had children. Then I worked at home doing transcription, bookkeeping, and other office-type work.

Believe me, we saw our lives turned upside down almost every other year as Jim was transferred every 18 months for his job. He was even activated into military service during Operation Desert Storm and the Bosnian crisis.

Tough Times

But I learned the most about supporting my husband’s job during ten very lean years. That decade began when Jim resigned from his job as a pharmaceutical salesman to enter seminary to prepare for the ministry. As you can imagine, those were some tough years. And our daughters remember those years too. One day my Katherine, a newlywed at that time, called and asked, “Mom, do you have any of those recipes you used to fix when we were on hard times?” 

I think a lot about those challenging years. Well, one morning I was wondering how I made it through those trying times.

Making It Through

Actually, it was a trying decade! So I looked through my prayer notebook, located those years, and read through my prayer lists. And there I discovered my prayer requests for my Jim, who had four—yes, four—part-time jobs so I could stay at home with our two preschoolers.

Instead of being bitter and dwelling on the plenty we had enjoyed in the past, we had adjusted. Jim took on extra work, and I did everything I could do to keep spending to a minimum.

And...I prayed. I prayed like crazy. I felt like the man who shared the following experience, which I believe is the way God wants us to live:

“In a single day I have prayed as many as a hundred times,
and in the night almost as often.”

Friend, you can make it through any tough times you and your husband are in through God’s strength. Start now to pray for it!

RESPOND

Dear Lord, I am coming to You with my needs. I ask that You shower me with Your grace and favor as I pray for and support and love my husband! Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCES[image error]

15 Verses to Pray for Your Husband by Elizabeth George—ON SALE! Discover key Bible passages you can use in this helpful marriage resource! 

REFLECT

In what ways do you support your husband during tough times?

REMEMBER

At the first sign of self-pity, pray!

Encouraging Your Spouse

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Valentine’s Day is this week, which means the stores are full of candy, flowers, and balloons. There are many little ways to express your love. But, I’d like to tell you a love story that began with seemingly small acts that proved to be far more valuable than store-bought gifts.

A Long Journey

Long ago, during a famine, two widows journeyed to settle in Bethlehem, the only nearby land that promised food. Naomi, a mother-in-law, widowed for 10 years, but embittered by the recent loss of her two sons, was accompanied by Ruth, the faithful daughter-in-law still in mourning for the loss of her young husband as well.

After weeks of travel, they arrived tired and destitute. The Law of Moses commanded that the corners of every field should not be harvested so the poor could gather what was left over from the harvesters. To provide food for herself and Naomi, Ruth gleaned fallen grain from the fields of Naomi’s relative, Boaz.

A Love Story

So begins one of the most romantic stories ever told. If you are unfamiliar with this story, read the short, but powerful Old Testament book of Ruth. It ends with the marriage of Ruth to Boaz, establishing them as a couple after God’s own heart and in the lineage of Jesus

But, the grand “happily-ever-after” ending was not based on the romantic emotions that drive many modern relationships. Ultimately, Ruth and Boaz founded their relationship on trust. They built their trust from seeing character exhibited in the little things. This led to ultimately what every couple desires – a true love built on trust and faithfulness.

A Little Goes a Long Way

Faithfulness is encouraged as a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and is essential for your marriage. Faithfulness means that each spouse can count on the other to do what each says they will do, be where they say they’ll be, and do what needs to be done.

As a couple, be your spouse’s Number One cheerleader. Pay attention to all he or she does for you and others. Then count the ways you can openly and personally praise and encourage them. Encouragement is invaluable to your spouse and builds a stronger marriage.

Trust is fragile. It is slowly obtained over time, but it can be lost in an instant. As with Boaz and Ruth, begin to build diligence, devotion, patience, thoughtfulness, discretion, generosity, compassion, and honesty in your marriage. These godly character qualities combine to create a couple after God’s own heart.

RESPOND
Dear Lord, thank You for the gift of my marriage. The pressures and chores of a wife and mom never seem to end. The roles and responsibilities of a husband and father weigh heavily. Please help my spouse and I value and appreciate all the other does. Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCES[image error]
A Couple After God’s Own Heart teaches secrets to a great marriage by learning from biblical couples, such as Boaz and Ruth. Get started by taking our fun free challenge, “5 Ways in 5 Days to be a Closer Couple.”

REFLECT
What godly traits do you see in your spouse and need to encourage this week?

How would you rate your faithfulness even in the “little” things?

REMEMBER
Your spouse is counting on you, so faithfulness must be part of your daily walk.

What the World Needs Now

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We met a music celebrity several years ago at a dinner given by some friends. We never expected to meet such a celebrity because we’re not in those kinds of social circles. This musician was Hal David, the writer of the words for What the World Needs Now Is Love. The music was composed by Burt Bacharach and sung by Jackie DeShannon.

Well, anyway, this songwriter was a very gracious and interesting man. It was fascinating to hear how he came to write the lyrics to this award-winning tune. And, as an added bonus that evening, the woman who sang the original release of this still-famous song was there with him.

So, you guessed it! Our hosts asked these two “stars” to sing their well-known song! And before we realized what was happening, we—and everyone else in the entire restaurant—were all singing along with them. What a once-in-a-lifetime treat! 

Lust vs. Love

If you know the hit tune we’re talking about, you are probably already humming along, right? And we bet you also agree with the message of the song. The world still needs love...of which there’s still too little!

But note this powerful promise from God:

God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline. 
(2 Timothy 1:7 nasb)

Love is a vital biblical quality to possess. And for both men and women, it is also an attitude that is often misunderstood. Our society confuses love with lust. Lust is a strong physical and/or sexual desire. It can occur without any associated feelings of love or affection, becoming a one-way street to self-fulfillment and self-gratification.

God’s Kind of Love

God’s kind of love, however, goes against all our normal tendencies. Unlike lust and self-gratification, God’s kind of love is directed outwardly toward others. That’s why God’s promise of love—His kind of love—is so important for us to understand. You must be careful not to confuse God’s brand of love with what the world and our society would call love.

This Bible promise—“God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of...love”—was given to a young preacher named Timothy. He was facing some pretty stiff opposition. Paul, his mentor, wrote to encourage Timothy to refuse to be intimidated and fearful. He was to remember that God had already given him a powerful resource that would combat his fear—love. Timothy is not the only person to whom God gave this powerful promise.

God has given every believer the resource of His divine love,
and that includes us.
His love “has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit”
(Romans 5:5 nasb).

This promise of His eternal, inexhaustible, and ever-present love should be most comforting. You have faced—and you will face—hardships, persecution, illness, and ultimately, death.

But these adversities should not cause you to be fearful nor ruin the quality of your life. Why? Because nothing (including these afflictions) “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39).

RESPOND

Father, even when affliction comes, may I rest in the assurance of Your ever-present love. Because Your love never runs out, I am able to persevere no matter what life brings my way. Amen. 

RENEWING RESOURCES[image error]

A Woman After God’s Own Heart Bible with Elizabeth George – God’s Word shows us His endless love for us and how we should love others. Pick up this devotional Bible for yourself or as a gift for a loved one! 

5 Ways in 5 Days to Become a Closer Couple – Our gift to you! Enrich your marriage, develop better ways to communicate & make solid decisions together, and progress toward being a couple after God’s own heart. Download your free copy of this marriage challenge today!  

REFLECT

God’s kind of love is directed outwardly toward others. How can I show His love toward someone today?

REMEMBER

Nothing (including afflictions) “shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 8:39). 

Fighting Temptation

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Living for 30 years in Southern California with the constant threat of earthquakes has made our family a bit cautious whenever we go into buildings. And this wariness was especially acute right after the 6.8-magnitude killer earthquake in Northridge, California—the epicenter of which was only three miles from our home.

Even today, years after that quake, as we enter a building, we immediately look for the exit signs. We instinctively wonder, Where are they? And, What is the quickest way to get to them? We aren’t paranoid (or are we?). We must still be looking for the “big one”!

Now, you may never have to contend with earthquakes, but what about your last plane trip? What was the first thing the flight attendants told you? They instructed you on how to exit the plane during an emergency, didn’t they? Exit routes are very important to know, whether for fire safety, plane mishaps, earthquake survival...or even when dealing with temptation.

God’s Promises

Temptation comes into every believer’s life. Not one of us is immune (and you know what we’re talking about!). So how would you like a promise for victory over temptation? Great news—God has a promise for you!

No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man;
and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able,


but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also,
so that you will be able to endure it.

(1 Corinthians 10:13 nasb)

In these reassuring words, God promises you and us deliverance from sin. In other words, this is God’s promise of an “exit.”

God isn’t showing us how to exit our dangerous situations. No, He is showing us how He will provide an exit so we won’t succumb to life’s temptations.

Good or Bad

So you should not view temptation as a bad thing. It is neither bad nor good. It is simply an opportunity for you to reaffirm and strengthen your faith and trust in God.

And here’s another important fact: Temptation should not be viewed as sin. Rather, giving in to a temptation is sin. Temptation, when resisted, can help build your spiritual muscles much like the iron weights in the gym build up physical muscles.

Growing When Temptation Strikes

The more you can hold out against temptation, the stronger your spiritual muscles become. So it’s vital for you to resist temptation as much as you can.

But what if the temptation gets too heavy for you to bear? This is where God’s promise of deliverance comes to your rescue and saves the day. He’s not a spectator in your lives. He’s actively involved and ever present. He wants to help. And when temptations become too heavy to handle on your own, He delivers you by providing an escape route, an exit out of the temptation. The way out.

RESPOND

Father, You are so good to enable us with Your strength in our time of need. With You at our side, we have nothing to fear. Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCES[image error]
Taken from A Couple After God’s Own Heart by Jim and Elizabeth George— Enrich your marriage, develop better ways to communicate & make solid decisions together, and progress toward being a couple after God’s own heart with this book for couples. 

REFLECT

Read this devotion with your spouse and commit to encouraging each other every day to grow spiritually. Keep your eyes on the goal—every day is a day you should both be growing stronger in faith.

REMEMBER

God promises deliverance and to come to your rescue. Call on Him in prayer!

One Word Themes for All the Books of the Bible

[image error]Do you want a more rewarding and fulfilling life? Good news! You can have it. Your better life is as close and as easy as picking up your Bible every day and taking time to let God speak directly to you through it. When you do this, you’ll know what to do and how to handle everything that comes along in life. This may seem too good to be true.

Any Other Book

At first impression, the Bible looks and feels like any other book. Yet God Himself inspired and directed its more-than-40 different authors over hundreds of years to produce a singular message of salvation. Though the Bible is over 2000 years old and it has faced countless attempts to destroy it, the Bible is the most popular book that has ever been printed.

These facts should cause us to reflect. If the Bible’s claims are true–that it is a message from God about our eternal destiny–isn’t it worth our effort and time to read its message every day? You will never know the significance of God’s Word until you open it and read it for yourself.

Just think — the Bible is all yours, all the time. And it’s the ultimate source of truth and power. God’s Word makes its way into your heart. It charges your soul. And it changes your views about yourself, other people, and the things that are happening in your life.

Here are some suggestions to keep in mind as you read and study the Bible:

Realize the Bible’s usefulness (2 Peter 1:3)
Read with a mind open to the truth (2 Timothy 2:15)
Respond to the Bible’s message (John 3:16)
Resolve to live out its truths (1 Samuel 12:24)
Reap the blessings of obeying and knowing God’s Word (Psalm 1:1-3)

One Word Themes

To help you get started, we’ve compiled One Word Themes for All the Books of the Bible for you. We pray this is a helpful study aid that draws your heart closer to God’s! 

RESPOND
Dear Lord, thank You for pouring Your strength into me as I attend to Your Word. May every blessing and every trial in my life turn me to Your Word. Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCES[image error]
A Woman After God’s Own Heart Bible with Elizabeth George – This Bible includes a daily one-year reading plan, 365 daily devotions, and so much more! Pick up this Bible for yourself or as a gift for a loved one!

In the Word Wednesday—Every week on our Facebook page, we share a brief synopsis of one book of the Bible to help you become more acquainted with its themes and what it has to teach you today.

REFLECT
Commit to reading one Proverbs each day in the month of February.

“Blessed is the man” whose “delight is in the law of the LORD” (Psalm 1:1-2).

REMEMBER
You will never know the significance of God’s Word until you open it and read it for yourself.

Taming Your Tongue

[image error]Becoming pure is a process of spiritual growth, and taking seriously the confession of sin during prayer time moves that process along, causing us to purge our life of practices that displease God. That’s what happened to me when I began working on my prayer life. For me, gossip was a serious struggle

Serious Struggles

Even though I knew God spoke specifically to women about not gossiping (1 Timothy 3:11 and Titus 2:3), I did it anyway. Convicted of my failure to follow God’s guidelines and aware that my gossip didn’t please God, I tried some practical remedies like taping little notes on the phone (Is it true? Is it kind? Is it helpful?) and setting some self-imposed rules for my speech. I even prayed each day that I wouldn’t gossip. And still I gossiped!

Real Change

Real change began when I started not only to pray about gossip, but to confess it as an offense to God each time I did it.

One day, about a month after I got serious about confession, I reached the height of my frustration. I was so sick of failing, sick of offending my Lord, and sick of confessing the sin of gossip every single day that I submitted myself to God for more radical surgery (Matthew 5:29-30). I asked Him to cut gossip out of my life.

A Friend of Women

I wanted to be known as a woman who is a friend of women; a woman who is for other women rather than being against them. What did that entail? Sharing words that are full of grace (Colossians 4:6), kind (Proverbs 16:23-24; 31:26), pleasant, constructive, and instructive. Having speech edify and minister grace to our hearers (Ephesians 4:29).

The Holy Spirit led me to that decision, guided that surgery, and has empowered the purification process. Let me quickly tell you that I’ve had my lapses, but still that day was a significant turning point for me. Purification—purging my life of a major sin (1 John 3:3)—took place, in part because I faced my sin regularly in prayer. Do you see the progression? Sin led to confession, which led to purging. Which led to being a woman who spoke sweet and wise words.

RESPOND
Dear Lord, “may I be incapable of rest or satisfaction of mind under a sense of Thy displeasure! Help me to clear accounts with thee....” Amen. (Susanna Wesley)

RENEWING RESOURCES[image error]

A Woman After God's Own Heart—Elizabeth George shares God's Word and woman-to-woman practical wisdom on how you can pursue God's priorities for your home and family. Pick up this inspiring book today! 

REFLECT

Are you tempted to gossip? Pray today and confess gossip as a sin. Ask the Holy Spirit to empower the purification process in your heart.

REMEMBER

Our speech should edify and minister grace to our hearers (Ephesians 4:29).

How Do I Follow God?

[image error]The life of David makes for a fascinating character study. His is one of those great “rags to riches” stories. David started out a shepherd boy and ended up as a king. He became a great warrior and consolidated the tiny nation of Israel into a powerful kingdom that ruled a large part of the Middle East during the tenth century B.C.

But with all his accomplishments, David’s greatest claim to fame, so to speak, is God’s epitaph, “I have found David...a man after my own heart.”

The Many Sins of David

I find this statement perplexing! God is declaring His approval of David’s heart and life. That is puzzling in light of the fact that David’s actions weren’t always godly. In case you’re unfamiliar with David’s life, let me give you a brief overview of his checkered history.

David was a warrior who shed much blood (1 Chronicles 22:8)
David committed adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11:4)
David later found out that he had gotten Bathsheba pregnant. To solve his problem, David ordered Bathsheba’s husband put into a forward battle position, where he was killed (2 Samuel 11:5-17)
David had multiple wives (2 Samuel 3:1-5)
David was a negligent father, and his family was plagued with strife and tragedy (2 Samuel 13:15-18, 28-29; 18:33)

And yet God states, “I have found David...a man after my own heart.” How can that be? How could God possibly commend a man with this kind of background?

Yes, David was a man with feet of clay, a man who at times committed sins that most of us could not imagine, let alone commit. Yet, over the long haul, David sought to be righteous and his heart’s desire was to do God’s will.

This is the kind of person God looks for, as indicated by Jeremiah 5:1-9. God doesn’t expect perfection, as we can clearly see from David. With all that David had done wrong in his life, God could still look at David’s heart and say he was a man after His own heart—a man who did all God’s will.

The Enabling Grace of God

This, my friend, is the grace of God. There can be no other explanation! By his actions, David didn’t deserve God’s blessings. But in his heart he had the right desire—a longing to follow and please God.

That brings me to an important question—one that can lead to a lot of meaning, purpose, and fulfillment in your life: Do you want to be a person after God’s own heart? Or, put another way, is your heart’s desire to follow after God?

You may think that’s unrealistic because you have a tendency to take three steps forward then two steps back in your spiritual walk with God. You may imagine that being a person after God’s own heart is too lofty a goal. You may conclude that it’s not possible because of some of your past actions.

But you and I must never forget one thing: God looked at David’s heart. And that’s where God is going to look in our lives, too. When it comes to becoming a person after God’s own heart, we can count on the grace of God—a grace that enables us and strengthens us at all times.

RESPOND

Jesus, I know I am a sinner, and I want to repent of my sins and turn and follow You. I believe that You died for my sins and rose again victorious over the power of sin and death, and I want to accept You as my personal Savior. Come into my life, Lord Jesus, and help me follow and obey You from this day forward. Amen.

RENEWING RESOURCES[image error]

One Minute with the Men of the Bible—Jim George shares reminders of how God can work in your life. ORDER this devotional before January 30 and receive two FREE gifts! 

REFLECT

Have you discounted yourself from following after God because of past actions? Ask God for His forgiveness and begin to follow Him today!

REMEMBER

We can count on the grace of God—a grace that enables us and strengthens us at all times.