I HEART U

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

~A purposed heart




What can God do with someone who has totally dedicated their life to Him, and promises to keep themselves pure?
 Well I found one answer to that in the book of Daniel. The verse that really got me thinking on this was Daniel 1:8 'But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine that he drank.' So Daniel explained his problem to one in charge, because he could not eat it. By this you can see Danial obviously knew what God asked of His people, and he was determined to do it even though it could cost him. He would please God. And he did. It shows how pleased God was with Daniel and the three others that stood with him, (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego) and that He rewards those that stand on His word. In verse 17 it says 'God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.' It also says in verse 20 that the king 'found them ten times better than all the magicians and astrologers that were in all his realm.'
  So here's a question: Did God only bestow those kind of blessing back then, or can it still happen today?
Most certainly it still can and does happen. (Except you won't see it unless you're looking.) But how?
The answer is in Psalm 51:17 "The sacrifices are a broken spirit and a contrite heart, O God thou wilt not despise." In order to please God we need to have a humble and willing heart to do what He asks. I love what David says in Psalm 27, where he writes about God asking him to seek His face. David replied that his heart said 'Thy face Lord, will I seek.' It wasn't just his mouth saying it but it was the deepest part of his heart crying out to be where God wanted him to be. And he did seek God's face. How else did he become known as the 'man after God's own heart?' 
  So once again it comes down to us. We are going to have to make a decision. Is this how we are going to live? Wholeheartedly seeking Him, honoring Him, obeying Him, and ultimately living for Him? But there is only one way we will be able to do that. Its by knowing what is required of us, and there is only one book that gives the guidelines and directions for that. The Bible.

1 comment:

  1. Thank you for sharing this post with us, Heather,it was very encouraging! What delightful insight!

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