THE TURNED HEART
Pastor Suresh Dass Joseph
josephdass@optusnet.com.au
Dear Reader, we are so happy to bring to you the word of God. Today I want to talk about your heart. Not the organ inside of you that pumps the blood to keep you alive, but the real you, the inner person. Often, when we make a mistake, we beat ourselves when we do things we should avoid. We remember the last time when we told ourselves not to give into our emotions of anger and compromise with our friends, yet we blew it again. Then it’s easy to feel guilty and condemned, wrong on the inside, thinking, “I can’t believe that I am still struggling in this area.”
The Bible says that God is our faith’s author and finisher. That means God will not only give you a dream for your life, but He has the power to bring it to pass. If God can start something, He has a completion date for it. In the scriptures, we read, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (Jeremiah 29v11). When God made that excellent plan for your life, He considered your mistakes, poor choices, and setbacks.
Then it is easy to think that you have to have a perfect performance, that you have to get rid of all your weaknesses, overcome all the areas you struggle in, then you will feel good about yourself, then you will have God’s favour.
But the scripture says God searches the earth to show himself strong in people whose hearts are fully committed towards Him. This speaks of a heart that is turned towards God. A turned heart will always lean towards God.
1 Sam 16 v 1-7
In the scriptures (1 Samuel 16), we read that when God wanted to appoint the next king in Israel, He sent the Prophet Samuel with a cow to the house of Jesse to make a sacrifice. Samuel took a jar of oil to anoint the new king. When the eldest son, Eliab, stood before him, Samuel said, “Surely the Lord’s anointed is before Him.” But the LORD told Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.”
In other scriptures, God, speaking of David, says, “He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.”
Here are 3 things we can learn from David.
1. You can have a turned heart, or you can have a straight heart. In Jesus’ day, there was a group of people called the Pharisees. They kept all the religious rules, prayed at the right time, gave the required amount, and went to great lengths to perform the religious ceremonies precisely like they were supposed to. The problem was their heart wasn’t right. They were self-righteous, proud, critical, and quick to judge others. Jesus said to them, “You’re like a bunch of white-washed tombs. You look good on the outside, but on the inside, there’s a big problem”. They had straight hearts and did not turn to God in humility.
2. People are quick to point at the outside appearance, but God looks at the heart. When Jesus picked His disciples, He didn’t choose people who had it all together. He chose tax collectors, fishermen, and others. They were known as dishonest people, used foul language, and lived a rough lifestyle. He chose Thomas, a doubter. It looked like he’d made a mistake. These weren’t the most qualified, disciplined, upstanding people. These were people with flaws and weaknesses, people who came out of dysfunction, and people who were not raised in a religious background. But when Jesus called out to them, “Follow Me,” they just followed Him. Speaking of David, God said, “I have found David, … a man after My own heart..” David’s heart was not straight but turned towards God.
3. God’s power did not reach the religious ones but to David. Samuel told the sons of Jesse, “Sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.” Then he got them specially prepared for the ceremony. Now, they looked very religious. But David was out in the field keeping the sheep. After the sacrifice, Samuel was to the oil on one of Jesse’s sons and appointed him as the next king. But God did not pick any of them. When Samuel discovered that David, the youngest son, was missing, he called for him. When he stood before Samuel, David did not look like a religious person. He looked rough and untidy. Yet God told Samuel to pour the oil on David and anoint him as the next king of Israel.
God promoted David because his heart was turned towards God. It is the same for you. You don’t have to perform perfectly, eliminate all your weaknesses, and overcome all your struggles to feel good about yourself. The important thing is your heart is turned to God. Our hearts are turned towards God when we are quick to repent, live to love God, and love others as we love ourselves. Keep a lid on negative chatter, slandering people, judging and criticising others while walking in fellowship with God and His people. David received his promotion because his heart was turned towards God. In the same way, God’s promotion, favour, and grace are always available for you as your heart is turned toward Him!
God bless you.
