Fresh Manna
by Pastor Tim Burt

1 John 3:20 (NLT) “…even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.”

If you are anything like me, then you have at times, felt like you have fallen short of how you feel you should live before the Lord. Conscientious people that wholeheartedly love God want so badly to live right before Him.

When Christians stumble again and again – even for years over things they desire to change in their attitude or behavior, they can easily fall into almost a self disgust and an erosion of confidence of God’s love and mercy toward them. I understand this but let me say this – God has not given up on you, so don’t give up on Him!

God wants us to know His will, wants our lives be centered around representing Him no matter what our lives or careers are about, and most of all, He wants us to develop and honest and pure heart – where we quit lying to ourself just so we can have our own way or get what we want. A pure heart is something God can and will use mightily despite one’s slip ups and mistakes. The verses I am going to focus on today are amazingly powerful in showing just how God will use us despite our mistakes.

God loved David’s pure heart. David wasn’t perfect by any means. There were times were he made serious mistakes or sin against God. But more than anything else, he was humble and not full of himself. He was full of God. He was awed by God’s love and mercy toward him. He did not take advantage of God’s mercy as an excuse to sin. When he sinned he humbled himself, was honest in admitting his wrong doing, and put himself at the mercy of God. When he was discouraged because of consequences his actions brought, he did not blame God or quit and turn from God. David trusted God. He counted his victories as victories that came because of God’s help. He did not try to take credit and claim personal glory. David was a powerful man who knew God was the source of every good thing in his life. David praised God, created songs of praise about God’s goodness and His hand being the source of David’s victory. And David taught those he mentored to follow and love God in this way. God loved David’s heart. And consequently, God used David mightily as he will us, despite our mistakes, if our hearts our sincere and pure toward Him. Now, let’s see how this worked out – God using this imperfect man with a pure heart. We see one of the most powerful examples of this in 2 Samuel.

Through the prophet Nathan, God made a powerful prophetic statement to David about his future that we read in 2 Samuel 7:12-13. “David, when your days are over and you rest with your fathers (when you die,) I will raise up your offspring (Solomon) to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.“

If we study these verses carefully, we see that God said, “I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body…” If you know the story of David, you know that he lusted after Bathsheba and had an affair with her. She then conceived David’s child that died. When God confronted David through the prophet Nathan about this sinful behavior, David did not deny it. He immediately and sincerely repented. The child Bathsheba was caring from David died. But later after David’s heart was right again, she bore him Solomon.

God knows the beginning from the end. When God first promised David his future blessing, He knew that David was going to miss it in his relationship with Bathsheba. When God made this statement to David through the prophet Nathan – “I will raise up your offspring to succeed you who will come from your own body…” God was foretelling that He would use David despite the future wrong choices and way he entered into his relationship with Bathsheba. He knew David would blow it and sin. Why could He still use David? He could because of David’s pure heart. David wasn’t evil. David wasn’t being rebellious against God. David just blew it by caving into lust. But, as I said, he didn’t deny it. He humbled himself and was sorrowful for it. He owned up to it. He was willing to suffer the consequences of his actions. He also knew God was merciful and prayed for God’s mercy. David had a pure heart. Consequently, God took the wrong choices he knew David would one day make and built his plan and foretold David’s destiny through Nathan – despite the mistakes He knew David would one day make.

What am I saying? When your heart is pure and you live a life purposed to do the right thing, God will keep moving and working mightily through your life – if you will keep your heart pure and try to stay close to Him, living your life for Him. You will blow it in life. God knows every mistake or sin you will ever commit. When you do, you can either own up and repent and turn from it, or you can become indifferent and blow God off to do things your way. You can get upset at God becoming one who blames God and others for your stubborn or rebellious ways, you can seek Him to turn from them. You can become one who quits and continues to go down the wrong path and lose God’s destiny for your life or, you can stay tender and keep doing the best you can knowing that God is greater than your mistakes! As today’s Fresh Manna verse says, “…even if our hearts condemn us. For God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything.” If you keep your heart pure, when you blow it, you may face difficult circumstances, but God’s mercy is greater and His desire to use mightily like He did David and bless you is greater still!

In His Love,
Pastor Tim Burt

Published by Pastor Tim Burt
Copyright© 2010 All rights reserved
http://readfreshmanna.blogspot.com/