After God’s Heart?

By G.P. Avants

“Pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

2 Timothy 2:22

There was a lot of controversy a few years ago about a book made into a movie. It was called, The Golden Compass. In the story and the others that follow there is a plot to kill God. 

Ah, yeah I would say that this isn’t a new idea. Men who don’t understand the mind and heart of God do find ways to kill Him off. They start with removing HIm their own lives but aren’t content until they have erased His name from lips of the world. It’s a way to get rid of that nagging feeling that life isn’t as it should be. Yet, it never really goes away it get worse.

I guess that is one way to be after the heart of God. I think that for mankind as a whole, our fallen nature expresses its own independance from God though the way we push Him from our lives. In many ways we kill off His purpose for us and that relationship He wants to have with us. So while we kill off God we are actually running the blade through our own lives. We cut our lives short by severing our connection to real life.

Okay, that’s a sad view of this story that actually just one side of a coin. There are other ways to be after the heart of God.

There was a man named David who sought after God’s heart. God himself called him a man after God’s own heart. However, there was a love affair going on and nothing foul was afoot, no hidden daggers waiting for a chance to strike. 

He wanted to have that relationship with God that God wanted to have with man. There was openness, honesty, passion, purpose, direction, and hope. He had intimacy with God that showed in the life of faith he had in His God. You probabaly heard about him taking on a giant named Goliath. Yep, that was because David trusted God more than his weak fragile self. There was definitely a connection there that all of us could use in our lives.

He was an acception, you say? Maybe someone who really had it together that God took a special liking to? No really. He was a fallible man. He did trust God but, he had his moments and they were as bad as they can get. Lies, deceit, adultery, murder, disfunctional parent, the list goes on.

Wait, you say, God wanted to have a relationship with this guy? Doesn’t he bring an unstable element to a perfect relationship? You’re right it does. However, God knows that when we let Him in our lives its not going to be perfect. Our old nature that was in rebellion from the beginning is going to find opportunity to reassert itself. It usually happens at the worst times. Just when we thought we’ve got it all together, it all seems to fall apart.

I am sure David was not proud of what he did. No, but here is were it all comes to the heart of the matter. God loves us as we are. He knows we are screwed up by our poor sinful choices however, we can come to Him for forgiveness. We are the messed up ones in this relationship. He knew that going in.

However, the heart of God is passionately bend toward us. That’s mad! That’s nuts! That’s a heart that is so open that nothing is too far for Him. That’s the everlasting heart of God. I really don’t think man, angel, demon or any other creature can kill something unkillable.

Just a side note. God is perfect and so is His love. He is open to everyone that every lived to come to Him. Just as we are with all our shortcomings…but He loves us enough to not leave us that way. By pursuing he heart of God you will find that your will will never be the same as well. 

Consider well the dagger you hold and think long and hard before you decide what kind of way you will approach God’s heart. Frankly, we will all have to make that choice some day . But just remember the one who is after God’s heart is in pursuit, a lot like the deer that pants for the water, or the runner running a race.