The Heart That's Right

In studying the lives of King Saul and King David, there is a clear distinction between the hearts of the two men. Saul was a mighty warrior, a man of great stature and a commanding presence. He looked like a king. And when he was on top of his game, there was none better than Saul. David, by contrast, was the runt of the litter. The youngest of Jesse's sons, David was counted on to keep the sheep but little else. He was handsome in appearance but what attracted people to him wasn't his good looks. It was his heart. After all, man looks on the outside, the prophet Samuel declared, but God looks on the heart (1 Sam 16:31).

Saul's heart sought the Lord early in his kingship. He did the right things and said the right words. And the Lord blessed him with victory after victory. But on a hilltop in western Judah Saul's heart turned. Instead of waiting one more day for Samuel to arrive for a sacrifice, Saul did the deed himself and brought the wrath of God upon him. Samuel admonished the king, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as in obeying the voice of the LORD?
Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams." The prophet then went to anoint the shepherd boy of Bethlehem as king.

David sought the Lord early and often in his life. From the Valley of Elah, where he defeated the giant Goliath, to the caves of the Judean Wilderness, David sought the will of God and obeyed it. As king, David had a few hiccups but overall remained a man after God's own heart. In fact, David knew of the delicate yet important nature of having a right heart. After his sin with Bathsheeba, the king pinned the words of Psalm 51, in which he cries out, "For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise."

David understood that what we do is not as important as why we do it. A right heart is one that seeks to obey the Lord and act in accordance with the Lord's will. Offering our time and energy must have as its motivator a heart seeking to obey the Lord. If we are just getting busy for busyness sake we have missed the boat. For the Lord delights in an obedient heart. A heart like David's. Not Saul's.

Be God's!

Hide and Seek

There's just something thrilling about a chase. Great movie scripts are written about chases, like Butch Cassidy & the Sundance Kid, Bonnie & Clyde, or The Fugitive. That last one best fits the chase I got swept up in this afternoon: the chase between King Saul and David, son of Jesse. Our pastor, Steve, is beginning a sermon series on the Life of David next Sunday and as the communications/promotions guy at the church, I have been swept away by the creative process. Just today I played around with the idea of making an old-fashioned newspaper frontpage chronicling the David-Saul chase. "Fugitive Strikes Again!" the big, bold headline read. The story would come from 1 Samuel 26, in which Saul receives a tip about the whereabouts of his nemesis David. The king himself marches 3,ooo men into the wilderness to find the young fugitive only to come home humiliated. You see, David and company snuck into the king;s camp at night, stole his spear and water jug, then woke him up to wave it in his face. Or so I read it. "Why are you chasing me?!" David exclaims. It's a great question. He had done nothing wrong yet was hunted down by a jealous king. Saul shakes the sleep out of his eyes and replies in humility, "I'm so sorry, my son. You were right, I was wrong. You have spared my life. I will spare yours." Of course, history records that Saul continued his pursuit of young David and many more adventures awaited them. All of them thrilling. All of them suspenseful. All of them adding up to the greatest chase of them all.

Christmas ... After the Storm

As I sit here at my computer at 1:37am on Friday, January 2, 2009, I think it has finally dawned on me that Christmas is over. And I'm sad. Christmas is my favorite holiday and the festivity surrounding it always lifts my spirits. So in honor of the holiday that just passed, I offer up my favorite things from the 2008 Christmas season.

-- Christmas lights. They always entertain me, though their purpose has been long lost.
-- Garland. I wish we all would be kinder to garland and leave it up year-round. Ribbons, too.
-- Opening Christmas gifts at home. There is little better than being with family when it is time to celebrate.
-- Saying "Merry Christmas" to as many people as possible. None of this "Happy Holidays" stuff!
-- Vacation Days. I have a bad habit of not taking time off the first 11 months of the year. So it all falls during the holidays. And, man, did I ever need it.