A Man After God's Own Heart

Hello, my reader's I have alot of ground to cover with my blog today so I am just going to get started with it.

This may ruffle some feather's and this blog may even cause some people to stop reading, in either case I am just stating how I feel.

A little over ten years ago I was on a Christian based chat room that I used to frequent alot before they closed it down, and I recall I couldn't use my name because it had already been taken. So I thought about it and decided to use "Man After God's Own Heat" Reason being obviously that the name 'David' in Hebrew can either mean 'beloved' or the afore mentioned. After I had been using the name for awhile, this lady, I forgot her name asked me why I chose that name, and I told her.

Than she asked me something that to this day sticks in my head.

She asked me if I meant it. I had told her, yeah I think that I did, but than I really had to look at my self and question if this was the proper name to use, because I am no where near perfect and was I really striving to be 'A Man after God's own heart. I think all Christians strive to live their lives for God and to their credit, they do a fine job of it, but here is the thing: no one is perfect, no one is sinless and I think if you were to ask Christians of any denomination thats the first thing they would tell you.

Is Yes, They think they are.

I feel to a degree that anyone that has ever been to a church or anyone that is a member of a church is that you give your pastor the respect he deserves for being a pastor, but if you are looking at him and him only for your salvation, you are looking in the wrong place. Respect or not, pastors have their own personal things they deal with. May not be serious, may not be anything that is going to fire them from the church, but they have it regardless and they admit.

I am not sure which pastor said this, weather it John Wimber or Chuck Smith senior (there is a junior and he is a pastor as well.)

Goes a little something like this: "If you are here to follow me, don't, 'Cause you're just asking for trouble"

I think what he meant was that he knows what his life is like. What he deals with, etc, the man you want to be following is Jesus Christ.

Wait..... did I just? I did, didn't I? Relax, Jesus Christ is not swear word. Funny thing is that most people that say his name use it like it is.

Another person who is not perfect and would admit it if he was ever asked, is...... wanna take a guess?

The Pope. Doesn't matter if it John The second or if its Benedict the 16th. Don't get me wrong, my Catholic reader's I am sure both were good and strong men of God, but, once again, they were (or are in Benedict's case) human and there fore like the rest of us, fall short of the Glory of God. I would not doubt for a second that neither one them liked the term 'God's Representative On Earth" which the pope regardless of who it is is often referred as. Once again, they probably think they aren't worthy to be called that.

Parents, forgive me, but neither you nor your children are perfect, but than again if you are a christian you already knew this and didn't need me to tell you.

If there is anybody reading this bog that was raised in a Christian home, your parents raised you well, church every week some times even more than once a week etc, you know better than anyone that although you were taught good moral values, there were things you did or things you do that either made or make your parent cringe.

Think of it this way: You as a parent, you have just found out your kid has done something you told them not to do. You might asked, " son/daughter what did you do?" The child might be a bit hesitant in responding because they know that you will A: get mad or B: punish them with a spanking and they don't really want either one

but, I think my point is that you love them, you think the world of them and you can't picture your life with out them in it, but you know they aren't perfect.

Same thing goes for the child when they look at you. Tons of respect mountains of love for being there, but you do have your moments where they have to say or think, "man, did my parents just do or say that"?

The reason I feel for becoming Christian is that we can't handle our lives the way they are. We need Jesus.We Would be nothing without Him.

God knows our weakness's, he knew that even before Adam & Eve. Thats why many years after Adam and Eve He sent Jesus to die on a Cross. For the sake of our sins. Even before we were born and after.

So, what can we do if we sin or if we are caught in it? Repent.

Kinda like the reference I wrote about between a parent and their child. God, being our father, knows we have sinned, but wants to ask us what we did anyway. If we are as strong as Christians as we say we are, than we are going tell Him and in turn He will forgive us.

But, here is a question I have for you, what would you consider to be sin? I think if you were to ask anyone they would tell you their own version of and it just may surprise you.

To a degree, I think everyone has their own version of what sin is and why they feel you shouldn't be doing it.

Question is, is what are we doing really wrong? It's all it is in the way a person looks at it. I remember a few months ago watching an episode of a classic television show where the parents, grandparent's and children lived under the same roof. The grandmother who had very strong religious beliefs saw her grand children playing an innocent game of cards. She looked at them and told them they should be ashamed of them selves and told them to quit. Her hypothesis was is that the kids were 'Gambling" and to her it was a sin.

The kids did not stop, they were told by their father they were doing nothing wrong. Now, granted that is television and it doesn't matter how good the show is or was, they miss the mark when it comes to the nature of God.

I wouldn't doubt that any of you my reader's at some point in your life have been told to stop what you were doing even though you knew in your heart of heart's there was absolutely nothing wrong with it.
I know I have.

And still do.

So, are you a man (or woman) after God's own Heart?

I pray that to best of your ability that you are.

All I can say for myself, is that I am trying just as much as you are.

I have a motto that I think makes sense when I think about why I am a Christian. With Jesus I am something. Without Jesus, I am nothing. I would much rather be something than nothing.

David