Our Bible verse for today: “I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.” Acts 13:22 (NIV)
Our thought for today: “Be a person after God’s own heart.”
David was a man after God’s own heart. That’s what God was looking for. 1 Samuel 13:14 tells us “the Lord has sought out a man after his own heart …” Acts 13:22 tells us that He found that man in David, and that’s what made David so special. It’s also why God was able to accomplish such great things through David’s life. David was a man after God’s own heart and that resulted in a life well spent. But how do we, like David, become men and women after God’s own heart?
Dallas Willard is a spiritual mentor of mine. I have never met him (he’s in heaven now), so the influence he has had on me has come through his books. I’ve read everything he has written and I’ve also read his biography. One of the most important books Dallas wrote was called, “Renovation of the Heart”. Dallas was deeply disturbed that so much of modern Christian thought is laced with pop psychology, especially the “self-help” kind. This has resulted in modern Christian thought being primarily “me” centered, and consequently very superficial. Christian pop psychology is all about making a person feel good and it is focused on superficial “felt needs”. So Dallas wrote Renovation of the Heart in response to Christian-based pop psychology.
He started by pointing out that the word psyche actually means “soul” and therefore, in its purest and truest form, psychology should actually be soul-ology. Psychology should be all about making the soul well. Secular psychology focuses on thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Soul-ology begins with the soul (heart) and then once it is healthy, the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors follow.
Psychology is a real and helpful science. It is the study of the human person and it helps us to understand how the human person thinks and acts – and why. But in his book Dallas reminds us that it is the soul that is the essence of who the person is and that Jesus is the greatest psychologist who ever lived. Since He created human beings He understands us pretty well, and He therefore is the One who has the answers to life’s problems. With tongue in cheek, and keeping with the theme of psychology, Dallas refers to Jesus as “Dr. Jesus”. He then informs us that the Doctor is in and He is accepting new patients.
Psychology is helpful, but Christian psychology takes us to the heart of the issue (which is of course, the heart – that’s where we need to get to and that’s what needs to change). Becoming a man or woman after God’s own heart begins by surrendering your heart to Jesus. Then the Holy Spirit will go to work renovating your heart. If you spend your life seeking Him and following Him, you will soon find yourself being changed by Him.
Oak Hill Baptist Church