Saul had been rejected as king. God said to Samuel, “Go to Jesse’s house and I will show you which of his sons will be the next king.” Jesse was proud of his sons… they were fierce warriors, strong in battle, and passionate about their country. Each one came before Samuel, and each one was rejected by God. Samuel said to Jesse… “Do you not have any other sons?” He replied, “Yes, the youngest one, David. He’s in the fields guarding the sheep.” “Well, bring him in. I won’t rest until I see him.” David comes before the great prophet and Samuel announces… “He is the one! This is the next king of Israel!” The Bible tells us that God chose David because of his heart… he had a heart after God Himself.
Jesus spent a lot of time talking about the heart and our key verse today reflects this. Why is our heart so important? Because our heart is where our desires come from. Therefore, we need to make sure our desires are right and honorable to God. Why is that? Because our desires will determine our actions. I would go so far to say that our desires should align with Jesus’ desires. We should desire the same things Jesus desired. So, the question then becomes… what did Jesus desire more than anything? If we could summarize Jesus’ ministry with two words (or phrases) it would be: 1) the Kingdom of God, and 2) people!
Are these the things we desire? I would say that if we would examine the desires of our heart it might be… to fit in, to do the best I can do, to see my ministry grow, to build my business, to travel the world, to have fun, to be a better cook, to grow in my Christianity. Now, hear me when I say that none of these things are wrong, but are these the things Jesus desired? No! Let’s examine what was really at the center of His heart:
The Kingdom of God! Jesus spoke often about the Kingdom of God. Most specifically… about the way to inherit it. Jesus said, “I am the Gate” (John 10:9)! “Narrow is the road that leads to life” (Matthew 7:14)! “The Kingdom of God is near, repent of your sins” (Mark 1:15). Hence, Jesus was focused on people’s eternal destiny and telling people how to gain access to the Kingdom of God. We should put people’s eternal destiny at the top of our desire list.
People! Jesus spent all His time showing people how much He loved them, their value, and the way to freedom. He desired that people’s eyes be awakened to spiritual truth, chains be broken, and that people would know the Father through Him. ALL people… the beggar, the blind, the tax collector, the desperate dad, the adulterous woman, the woman who had been sick for years, and even the sinner on the cross. As David took care of his sheep, Jesus took care of His sheep and still does today. He watches over them, makes sure they are healthy, bandages their wounds, and protects them. We should do the same.
Let’s make sure our desires align with Jesus’ desires. If you must rearrange those desires, then ask God to help you. If you have to let some desires go, then do it. Remember.. God looks at the heart. So make sure your desires are honorable… desires that make Him smile.