IS THIS LIKE YOUR HEART?

It doesn't take a bible scholar to know who had a heart for God, or who was a man after God's own heart. As I get behinder and behinder, as a former player for me in YMCA baseball used to say--well, actually he asked me if he could be the behinder, meaning the catcher--but that's for another blog on another day, I recall our pastor saying, "God doesn't necesssarily want you in another bible study; He wants your heart".

So David was after God's own heart, and He's after all our hearts. But I'm afraid He won't much like what He finds in some of them, including my own far too many times.

He wants us to help the downtrodden. We have no problem for rooting for the underdog in a basketball or football game. But in the game of life, we want to run with the Big Dogs. And that was the same problem with the disciples in Matthew when they argue over who will be the greatest in God's kingdom.

Since I gave $20 to a mother with two small children who told me she and they had not eaten for two days, I bought $25 worth of McDonald's gift cards in $5 increments. I've carried two of them in my car for over a year. In San Diego this past weekend I gave them both away in a matter of minutes. I was somewhat disappointed because I hadn't gotten around to attaching the plan for salvation on the cover of the coupon booklet.

I did have a chance to tell Jeffrey that I would pray for him. He seemed to appreciate it and the coupons, adding that he also had some for Soup Plantation and Green Tomatoes. So I know he won't be hungry for awhile.

So what's the application, what's the point of this entry? Refer to scripture. Pray. It's really all that simple. If you want to die to yourself, as we're told to do, if you want to give up your way of life and serve others, as we're told to do, then get started. It will feel good when that icy heart starts to melt.

Whether to give to the needy or help a neighbor, you'll be blessed by the deed. And you will be pleasing God the Father.