"Search me, O God, and know my heart . . ."

“I may not know, but God knows. And His discipline can be worse than mine.” Have you ever heard your parents tell you that? As Parents, we tend to use that as a scare tactic. I find myself using that with my boys all the time. There are times that I can’t quite get the truth out of them, but I know there is something that is just not right about the situation, and I feel that they are holding something back from me. Although that might not be the best approach to scare your kids into submission, it is partially true. God does know our heart. But what does our heart look like, have we given it completely to Him?

In the Bible we see the entire blessing that God bestowed on Solomon, riches, power, a kingdom that loved and adored him, and most of all wisdom beyond measure. But unlike his father, David, it does not appear that his whole heart was in the game. As Solomon became older, he gave in to earthly desires and began to marry women of other countries, and began to be influenced by their gods, while his heart slipped away from the One True God.

What has God blessed you with in your life? Is it getting in the way of giving your whole heart to Him? What have you allowed to become more important, what is stopping you from giving your whole heart to God? Time, Money, Possessions?

I encourage you this week to join me in praying this prayer that David prayed in Psalms 139:23, “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!” 

What can you do to give God your WHOLE HEART?

You are Blessed!

We have recently switched to a new curriculum in KidzQuest, and this week we will talk on all the blessings that God gives us. Rather than write a devotion of my own this week, I wanted to share a bit from the “Support” section of our lesson today. This is one of the sections meant to build up and encourage the leaders presenting the lesson, I feel it could do the same for you. - Brent

“Let’s face it: We lead lives that are jam-packed. Our schedules are filled with work, meetings, and to-do lists. In the face of so much going on, it can be easy to lose sight of how God is uniquely blessing you this week, today, and right now.

Spend some time alone with God this week. Pray and ask Him to remove your distractions. Take out a sheet of paper and a few colored markers, and start jotting down all the ways God has blessed you this week. Each time you pause to think, pick up another marker. Are you surprised by what God brought to mind?

Keep the list in your pocket, or tape it somewhere you’ll be able to see it for the rest of the week. Use it as a reminder to thank Him for blessing you. Each time you see it, shoot up a prayer of thanks for how massively He is pouring out His love to you. Furthermore, let it be a reminder of our responsibilities to be generous like God, and consider how (in the midst of such blessing) you can bless those around you.

TruStory Team”

(Tru Curriculum published by David C. Cook)