A Matter of the Heart

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you and lead me along the path of everlasting life.”- Psalm 139:23-24

            This is a wonderful Psalm by David extolling the incredible virtues of Almighty God. King David, knowing he is but a mortal man standing before the creator of all things, is submitting himself to God for correction and direction. This is a great example of how we should live our life for God, by regularly, perhaps even daily, declaring these very words to God. 

            We know what God looks at when he looks at a man. It is spelled out in 1 Samuel 16:7 when the LORD sends Samuel to the tribe of Jesse to find and anoint the next king of Israel. Jesse’s sons were all big, strong, virile men, but God said to the prophet, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” God sees the good in people while mortal man does not. Judging by appearance is a universal problem. We should seek to look upon the hearts of men, rather than their outward appearance. 

                  Lay your life before the LORD and trust him to purge from you those things that are displeasing to him. We must do this, or we will continue to act and react by our emotions, rather than by our heart. We are to seek to please our Heavenly Father in all things. There is nothing that escapes his gaze; therefore, we must always be fair, true and just in all our dealings and always live to please God. There is nothing that can separate us from his love. Even if we turned away from him, he would still love us. May God have mercy on us all as we strive to please him with our lives. In a spiritual and eternal sense, nothing else matters this side of heaven. Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

Richard Keller

Bread of Life Ministries