Daily Devotional

Search Me

Psalm 139:23-24

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”

David did not want anything in his life to keep him from a deepening relationship with his God.  He asked God to search/test him as a refiner tests metal. David’s desire was for God to examine him and see if he had not represented his feelings as they really were.  He wanted his heart to be continually searched thoroughly by God.

Even as David longed for God to know him intimately…he knew that God was the only One Who truly understood his heart.  He wanted God to search it and to point out anything that brought Him displeasure.
 
Today our hearts need to be sensitive to God.  We must be willing to allow our hearts to be changed and molded by the Lord.  When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was in the Law, He answered, “to love the Lord with all your heart, mind and soul.”  God is asking us, “Do you love me with all your heart?”

A number of years ago, the Statue of Liberty was refurbished.  The Statue was surrounded with over 300,000 feet of scaffolding that was needed for the workmen to…scrape, weld and polish the statues surface.  Why did the statue need all this external support from scaffolding?  She was hollow.  She had to rely on external forces to maintain and hold her up.

How many times we find ourselves just like this great statue.  We count on pastors, mentors and others to maintain us spiritually.  We read books and articles, listen to messages, keep traditions and lean on parents/churches to scaffold around us…to polish mend and keep us pure and walking with God.

Without a heart for God, this hollowness will not allow us to live as authentic Christians.  Christianity is first and foremost a matter of heart condition.  We cannot grow to spiritual maturity if we live by the scaffolding, without a first hand love and experience with God.  Without this intimate relationship we will continue to try to make ourselves look good on the outside while being hollow/empty on the inside.

All of this takes place in our life because we have lost heart.  Instead of growing deeper and richer at the center through spending time with God in prayer and study of His Word, we tend to grow more shallow and hollow.  Honestly, in many cases it is easier to live by the scaffolding.  But by opting for the easy way means losing the most significant aspect of our Christian experience, a heart for God…that produces joy, spontaneity, intimacy and strength.

Prayer:  Lord, help me to be willing to have you search my heart.  Help my Christian walk not to be shallow or hollow as I pursue You.  I don’t want anything to keep me from knowing you and walking into the depth of your love for me. Amen
New King James Version (NKJV) Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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