January 27th | A Heart After God's Own Heart

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Heavenly Father, You understand my heart more deeply than I ever could. Examine me today, test me, and eliminate anything that obstructs my dedication to You. Renew my heart, making it pure and steadfast, and fill it with love for You. Empower me to live with a heart fully committed to Your purposes.

Get ready for today's exciting devotion, where we dive into the heart—the very essence of who we are as beloved children of God! Just a few days ago, we explored the power of our thoughts and the mind. Now, let's shift our focus and passionately cultivate a heart that's fully devoted to God!

Scripture reminds us that the heart is central: from it flow the springs of life (Proverbs 4:23). As believers, we are called to have a heart after God's own heart—one aligned with His will, pure in motive, and surrendered to Him.

God deeply engages with our hearts in several key ways:

He knows our heart intimately.

In 1 Samuel 16:7, when Samuel was choosing Israel's next king, the Lord said: "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.'"

God's got X-ray vision for hearts—He knows what's really going on inside, even when we're just as clueless as everyone else!

He searches our heart.

Jeremiah 17:10 declares: "I the Lord search the heart and examine the mind, to reward each person according to their conduct, according to what their deeds deserve."

Nothing escapes His radar; He dives deep into our minds like a nosy detective, uncovering our true intentions and desires.

He tests our heart.

We see this in David's words in 1 Chronicles 29:17-18: "I know, my God, that you test the heart and are pleased with integrity. All these things I have given willingly and with honest intent... Lord, the God of our fathers Abraham, Isaac and Israel, keep these desires and thoughts in the hearts of your people forever, and keep their hearts loyal to you."

Paul echoes this in 1 Thessalonians 2:4: "...we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts."

These tests are like life’s pop quizzes, showing if we're made of the right stuff, polishing us up, and bringing out our true loyalty—not because God’s looking for spoilers, but because He’s giving us a makeover and checking if we’re still on Team Faithful!

He renews our heart.

Praise God, He doesn't leave us in our brokenness! Ezekiel 11:19 promises: "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh."

David prayed in Psalm 51:10: "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

With a heavenly touch of humor, imagine God as the ultimate heart surgeon, swapping out our stone-cold hearts for ones that are softer than a marshmallow and bursting with His divine energy!

Today, roll out the welcome mat for the Lord and let Him play detective with your heart! Ask Him to spotlight any areas that might need a little tune-up to match His will for your life. Aim for a heart that's like my two miniature Yorkies—completely devoted, never distracted, and bursting with integrity!

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, You understand my heart more deeply than I ever could. Examine me today, test me, and eliminate anything that obstructs my dedication to You. Renew my heart, making it pure and steadfast, and fill it with love for You. Empower me to live with a heart fully committed to Your purposes. In Jesus' name, Amen.