Friday, March 16, 2012

King David: A man after God's own heart.

Warning: Reading this may cause heart problems. Christian viewpoint on King David, forgiveness, love, and choosing God's own heart.

By Carolyn Roberson - Saturday 19 Nov 2011
King David: A man after God's own heart
Growing up, I decided if I ever had twin boys, I would name them Mark, and David. Mark after the character Mark McCain, Lucas McCain’s son on the Rifleman, and, David from King David of the Bible. I didn’t have twin boys, and my three sons hold the names, Kris, Heath, and Wes.

If you read the Bible, you realize there are soap opera type events that would make wonderful Hollywood action movies, or chic flicks. One Night with the King is one such movie! And, one of the most memorable, and beloved movies of all time is The Ten Commandments, starring Charlton Heston, and Yul Brenner.

King David always has been my favorite Biblical character. Not character in the fictitious sense, but character because of his humanity, and need for God’s grace which was unavailable through Jesus Christ during his lifetime.

King David is said to be a man after God’s own heart. I’ve always wondered just exactly what that meant. Was his heart so in tuned to God’s that it was similar, or was he after, or seeking, the heart of God in an attempt to understand it, grasp it, and make it his own? Maybe a bit of both, I would say.
I’m not a theologian, nor am I a writer. I just know David was a man, a human, completely vulnerable, and fallible. He made mistakes, but he loved God. He made poor decisions, but he loved God. He sought God’s grace, guidance, and forgiveness.

Just like King David, we make mistakes, and poor decisions. We do things that are not pleasing to God, but just like David, we can seek God and ask for forgiveness. He will hear our prayers, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness if we only ask.

But, our actions have consequences, as did David’s. David didn’t get to rebuild the temple: it fell upon his son, Solomon. We, too, have to live in the wake of our actions be it good or bad. Our path is made of previous steps.

Too often we ask, why is this happening to me? Or why would God allow something like this to happen to me? Perhaps, it isn’t something God has done, but the consequences of our previous actions. To this day, fifteen years later, I’m still living with the consequences of a particular decision. The wake I ride is rough, and my life would be so much easier if I could go back and circumvent that particular day. Yet, my path was made by my decision to step off the path God intended.

Jesus Christ, God’s son, and Savior of mankind, comes from the lineage of Kind David. This is a perfect example of how good things can come from a life gone sour. You can turn your life around.
Not only can we ask God to forgive us, we must be willing to forgive ourselves. The inability to forgive ourselves creates self-loathing, and diminished self-esteem, which greatly affects our relationships with both God and each other.

Mental health issues are on the rise. Bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and other chemical or genetic disorders are not the issue here. But, many mental health issues are a result of internal conflict, which can be fixed with counseling. Mothers cause deep seeded problems, fathers abandon their families, or brothers and sisters cannot get along for various reasons. All of these things have a root cause and many can be fixed with forgiveness through love.

Like King David, our path may not be the one intended, but good things can come along on the way. Our past may haunt us forever, but it is never too late to create a new and better path. God can offer forgiveness through His son, Jesus Christ, and offer love like you have never known, if you seek his heart and make it your own.

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