The Story: Chapter 11 - David's Heart

One Saturday afternoon when I was in middle school, I came home from a youth group trip to an empty house.  I didn't think much of it... I knew how to get in... so I did.  Nobody was at home so I went about my normal "I'm home by myself" routine.  After about 15 minutes, a knock came at the front door.  It was my youth pastor, who had just dropped me off, and a friend of our family.  (This was in the day before cell phones and instant communication.)

He told me that my Grandpa had died of a heart attack that morning while we were away.

While we were gone all day... my family had been dealing with this tragedy and I didn't even know it.  See, my Grandpa had had some trouble with his heart... he had high cholesterol and ate foods he shouldn't and smoked a pipe and eventually it caught up with him.  That's part of the reason why I began to run over 3 years ago... I know that family history is there and I want to avoid it.

There are times when I wish I could take my heart out of my chest and check it over.  You know... make sure that it's okay.  Clean out the corners like I clean out my son's humidifier.  Unfortunately, I can't just pop it out... I would die.

Spiritually, there are times when I wish I could pop out my heart and have a look at it too.

This week in the Story, we read about David's heart.  And we get an opportunity to see his heart from God's perspective.  Did David have sin?  Absolutely... next week we'll read about the greatest of his sin with Bathsheba.  Were there things David wished were different about his heart?  Sure.  Was David's heart messed up in some areas?  It must have been to do what he did.

But yet... what does God say David's heart?  Look again: "⁷ But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his 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.” 1 Samuel 16:7.   A little bit later in Acts we read more about what God looks for: ²² After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him: ‘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. 

See... I know my sin (as Scripture says... it's always before me) and I know my dark places.  And I know God knows those places too.  I'm sure David knew his places as well as God did.  Yet God still called him a man after His own heart.  Does he see my heart that way too?  

JC



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On giving... time? talent? money!

This morning, during men's Bible study, I heard a disturbing suggestion several times... an unBiblical but Scriptural-sounding, churchy-sounding notion... on the topic of giving.

We read the Scripture from Paul:
"⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, NIV

The unBiblical and unScriptural (but sounding very Biblical and sounding very Scriptural) idea that I heard was this:

• "When Jesus and the Bible talks about money, giving to the church is important... but you can also give time and talent instead of money... and giving of yourself (your time and your talents and ability) that's more important." 

Where did we pick up this notion? 
As I thought about that after the Bible study (and please note... this idea wasn't coming from the materials we were studying or the leaders of the study or the Scriptures... but from the participants... unfortunately, this isn't the first time that I've heard this idea), I believe that we have picked up this selfish notion from the culture that we live in.  Obviously, living in America, we live in an extremely selfish and self-centered society.  That goes without too much explanation.  That is the case if your salary is four figures or seven figures... whether you make an hourly wage or are paid a flat salary. 

Here's what our culture has taught us... and unfortunately, we have believed it... our time and our talents are more important to God than our money and we should give them instead of our money because God really doesn't need our money.  What a lie!!! The enemy has completely tricked the church with this notion. 

Now... this isn't about to head in the direction of the "health and wealth" gospel (that if you give to God financially... sow your financial "seed"... God will make you wealthy and healthy).  That notion is completely unBiblical (cough, cough Joel Osteen, cough, cough).  Unfortunately that idea heads in the polar opposite direction of the above notion.

What I am advocating is that God has given us financial resources.  Maybe we don't have as much as we would like, honestly because we are selfish.  But we still have some incredible financial resources.  If you had a hot shower this morning, ate breakfast (or had the option to), rode in a car and put on different clothes than you wore yesterday, and are reading this on the Internet, you are richer than 95% of the rest of the world.  You have those resources because God has given them to you to be a manager of them.  Your responsibility is to take care of what he has given you. 

Part of taking care of those resources is returning a portion of what God has given to you. 

Because God's needs your money... no!  Because God wants your money... no (again)!

God wants your heart.  

Consider the words of Jesus:
    ¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
   ²² “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
   ²⁴ “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." Matthew 6:19-24, NIV.

Unfortunately, because we are selfish, we have taken those above verses and applied it in a different direction than what Jesus intended.  We say: "Jesus wants my heart... so I'll give him my heart.  And what is closer than my heart? My time and talent are closer to my heart than my money.  So I'll give that."  

I would contend, again, we do that because we are selfish and we have found a churchy sounding loophole.  Since we are selfish and would rather spend our money on ourselves and what we "need" (which we don't really need... but would really like to have called "want"), we try to get around giving our money to God.

God wants your money... why? Because He wants your heart.  
And if you give Him your money, He has your heart.  


I haven't always made the best decisions myself in this area.  I haven't always been as generous toward God with my financial resources as I should be.  But do my best to honor God first and foremost... with my time! with my talents! 


And with my money as well!

Just something to think about this morning. 


JC

 


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