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The heart is the seat of your personal life. It is the inner most part of your mind. From your heart proceed the issues of life: your inward thoughts, your desires, your belief, your service. That which is in your heart can be negative or positive: sorrow or joy, heaviness or hope, pride or humility, covetousness or willful giving, foolishness or wisdom, evil imaginations or the Word of God. You decide what you are going to think about and place in the depths of your heart.
1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said unto Samuel,
Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I
have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh
on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh
on the heart.
Psalm 44:21
Shall not God search this out?
for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.
Proverbs 21:2
Every way of man is right
in his own eyes: but the LORD pondereth the
hearts.
2 Chronicles 16:9a
For the eyes of the LORD run
to and fro thoughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in behalf
of them whose heart is perfect
toward him. . .
God looks at the heart. He knows what is on the inside. He is continuously checking out the heart of man - not to find fault, but to shew himself strong on man's behalf.
1 Chronicles 28:9
And thou, Solomon my son, know
thou the God of thy father, and serve him
with a perfect heart and with a willing mind:
for
the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth
all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found
of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.
A perfect heart is a complete heart. It is a heart that is wholly devoted to God. It is a heart filled with the Word of God. It is a heart that exemplifies the first and great commandment:
Mark 12:30
And thou
shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength:
this is the first commandment.
A perfect heart is a heart wholly devoted to keeping God's Word.
Psalm 119:11
Thy
word have I hid in mine heart, that I might
not sin against thee.
David was a man after God's own heart. David hid God's Word in his heart and kept his whole heart focused on God. He encouraged Solomon, his son, to serve God as he had served - with a perfect heart.
1 Chronicles 29:19
And give
unto Solomon my son a perfect heart, to keep
thy commandments, thy testimonies, and thy statutes, and to do all these
things, and to build the palace, for the which I have made provision.
David prayed that God would give Solomon a perfect heart and Solomon did walk for many years with a perfect heart before God. He did build the temple and God did give him an understanding heart filled with the wisdom of God. Yet before his life was over his heart was turned away from God.
1 Kings 11:4
For it came to pass, when Solomon
was old, that his wives turned away
his heart after other gods: and his
heart was not perfect with the LORD his God,
as was the heart of David his father.
David remained a man after God's own heart that loved God with his whole heart throughout his life. His example of keeping the Word of God with a perfect heart is shown beautifully in Psalm 119.
Psalm 119:2
Blessed are they that
keep his testimonies, and that seek
him with the whole heart.
Psalm 119:10
With
my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me
not wander from thy commandments.
Psalm 119:34
Give me understanding, and I
shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it
with my whole heart.
Psalm 119:58
I
intreated thy favour with my whole heart:
be merciful unto me according to thy word.
Psalm 119:69
The proud have forged a lie against
me: but I will keep thy precepts with
my whole heart.
Psalm 119:145
I
cried with my whole heart; hear me,
O LORD: I will keep thy statutes.
A perfect heart is a complete heart. It is a heart that is wholly devoted to God.
Psalm 9:1
I will praise thee, O
LORD, with my whole heart;
I will shew forth all thy marvellous works.
Michael
& Christine Cortright's Fellowship Homepage