"The key to being used of Him is possessing the right kind of heart."
"The one rejected and passed over by the others is the very one picked by the Lord." - both quotes are from Alan Carr
How does God choose His "vessels of honor"? Would you be one of them?
Let's look into the Scriptures and see what we can glean from His selection of David as a "chosen vessel."
* 1 Samuel 13:14 says - "But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee."
* 1 Samuel 16:1 says -"And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided Me a king among his sons."
* Psalm 78:70 says -"He chose David also His servant, and took him from the sheepfolds."
* Psalm 89:19-20 says -"...I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David My servant..."
* Acts 13:22 says -"And when He had removed him, He raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also He gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after Mine own heart, which shall fulfill all My will."
"...the LORD hath sought Him a man..."
"...for I have provided Me a king..."
"He chose David..."
"I have exalted one chosen out of the people..."
"I have found David My servant..."
"...He raised up unto them David..."
"I have found David the son of Jesse..."
Within these Scriptures, we find something about God that can easily be overlooked. We find that He is busy scrutinizing the hearts of His servants. He is searching for "chosen vessels" that He can use for His glory.
We find Him searching out...striving after...looking for...and seeking to get or obtain the right "vessel."
Several Scriptures
confirm this fact -
2 Chronicles 16:9 says - "For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth,..."
Psalm 11:4 says - "The LORD is in His holy temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven: His eyes behold, His eyelids try, the children of men."
Psalm 34:15 says - "The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous..."
Proverbs 15:3 says - "The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good."
God is looking. He is searching...choosing....selecting...appointing... setting up...and promoting.
How is He doing this? What is His criterion in choosing "vessels of honor"? What caused Him to select David out of all of the men of Israel? And what caused Him to reject King Saul?
The Scriptures tell us that - "the LORD sought Him a man." His "eyes" searched and searched.
The Scriptures also tell us that He
"found" that for which He was searching -
"I have found David My servant." "I have found David the son of Jesse." "I have exalted one chosen out of the people." "I have provided Me a king." "He chose David."
Why David?
The answer can be found in what Saul failed to do and in what David happened to be.
In 1 Samuel 13:14, Samuel said to Saul - "But now thy kingdom shall not continue...because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee."
We gather from this verse that God is searching for a certain type of individual. He has a characteristic in mind that is Top Priority on His list. Apparently, Saul did not have it.
We find this attribute implied in the rest of the verse - "But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over His people..."
The "eyes of the LORD" "found David." "I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after Mine own heart, which shall fulfill all My will."
God was looking for "a man after His own heart," and He found him in David. Did this mean that David was perfect? Obviously not - when considering his sin of adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband Uriah which he plotted and planned.
So, what exactly is it that God is searching for in a "chosen vessel"? What does being a "man (or woman) after His own heart" entail? What is the meaning of this idiom?
The answer is alluded to in Acts 13:22 which says - "...I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after Mine own heart, which shall fulfill all My will."
In a sense, what God was saying of David is this -
"Here is a man who is 'after Mine heart' - whose heart resembles My own. Said another way - here is a man who is in pursuit of Me - attempting to win My approval."
"He is in conformity with Me and is seeking the same goals and desires that I have."
"He is in agreement with My will."
"His interests and values closely resemble Mine."
"I can count on him to do all My will...carry out all My wishes...and do all My pleasure."
"I know that He will make My will the great rule and law of His reign."
"I know that He will obey My commands...maintain worship to Me...oppose all idolatry...and seek and promote universal obedience to Me among the people."
"He may have feet of clay, but his heart's desire is to always do My will."
"He lives for and pursues My will consistently."
"His standard of heart agrees with the values, affections, and passions of My own."
"I know that He loves Me and will do whatever I ask Him to do - even though it may not be easy...it may not be fun... or it may come without human reward or recognition."
What can we learn from this study of David?
God is seeking for men and women - "chosen vessels" - whom He can use for His glory!
He is scrutinizing those whom He calls. He is watching them carefully in the day-in and day-out moments of life. He is watching them carefully in their hours of boredom and in their hours of busyness.
He is searching for spiritual, yielded, and humble vessels through whom He can work. He is looking for those who have a passion, drive, and motivation to serve Him in obedience.
Saul was self-centered...thin-skinned...hot-tempered...and self-willed. He was always making excuses for his disobedience. He was more concerned about his public image and holding onto his position as King than obeying the Lord.
On the other hand, David was a king who consulted the Divine Glory. He followed and sought after God's perspective on everything. He came before the Lord with no facades, pretenses, airs, or posturing - just a heart seeking after Him.
The truth of the matter is - God wants all of His children to become a person "after His own heart." He wants to select and promote all of His children as "vessels of honor" - so that they may bring Him great glory in their generation.
God may be passing your way right now. Do you want Him to select you?
Then do as David did and make this your unending objective in life - "Not my way, not my will, Jesus, but Thine be done."
The "eyes of the Lord" are "running to and fro" today - searching ... scrutinizing...choosing... selecting...and appointing.
May you win favor in His eyes because you are what He is searching for - "a man (or woman) after His own heart."
Simple Salvation Church of God
HOW GOD CHOOSES
