God's Own Heart - Part 2: The Apple of His Eye

REVIEW
 
Last week, we began a new series which I have entitled “God’s Own Heart.” Obviously, this title comes from that very popular Biblical reference to David where the Holy Spirit called him “a man after God’s own heart.” However, while we usually tend to look at that description of King David from the standpoint of – How can we become a person after God’s heart like David was? – I want us to look at it a little differently in this series: I want us to look at this phrase from the standpoint of – “What is God’s own heart?” In other words, what does the heart of God look like? What is important to Him? What are His innermost passions and desires? For our heart describes our innermost passions and desires.
 
So, as I explained last week, in this series we will learn about God’s true nature and what His heart is for you and I. We will see how much He loves us and what else He loves, honors and desires. Therefore, we should walk away from this series of teachings in awe of God’s heart for us and also understanding how we can love Him better ourselves.  
 
So, we began by looking at one of the references that we have to David being a man after God’s own heart which is found in 1 Samuel 13:14. In this verse, the Prophet Samuel said to King Saul, “But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.”
 
So, here we have that oh so wonderful title given to David as being the one that the Lord sought for Himself, a man after God’s own heart! But again, we are not looking at this from the traditional viewpoint; I want us to look at this phrase “a man after God’s own heart” from a different perspective.  
 
You see, if we want to learn what is in the heart of God, we ought to look at the heart of David, since he was said to be after God’s own heart. Of course, David was flesh & blood and had a nature like ours. So, he is not a perfect reflection of God’s nature. However, we can look at a lot of things in his life, study his heart, and learn more about “God’s own heart.” So, that means that, as a general rule, the things he cared about, God cares about. The things he desired, God desires. The things he sought after, God seeks after. The things he focused on, God focuses on. And those last couple of sentences are what we looked at last week: What does God look at and what does He seek?
 
You know, one way to know what is in one’s heart is to consider what they seek and are focused on. In other words, what someone spends their time in search of and what they focus on is what their heart deems important. Therefore, if we can see what God is looking at and looking for, we can get a glimpse into His heart.
 
We began looking at this in 1 Samuel 16:7 where the Lord told Samuel--“Do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature, because I have refused him. For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
 
So, since the Lord chose David to be the next king of Israel, this shows us that he had a heart that mirrored God’s own heart, because the Lord was looking at and for a heart like His! So although David did not have it all together, what he did have was a heart after God. He loved God with all of his heart! He knew the God of Israel! And, last but not least, he had a heart to praise God!
 
On top of that, we saw in Psalm 139:1-6, 23 that not only did God know His heart—inside and out—David had a heart that was open and transparent, inviting even a more thorough inspection of his heart by God. He said, “O Lord, You have searched me and known me. You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. You have hedged me behind and before and laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it.” But then he goes as far as saying later in this same Psalm, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties.”
 
However, we looked at these words in the 139th Psalm a little differently. We read them as if they are God’s heart-cry for us—and we saw that God’s heart is that we would “search Him and know Him, that we would know His sitting down and His rising up, that we would understand His thoughts from afar off, and become acquainted with all of His ways.” Amen! So, not only does God want us to have this heart like David’s to where we invite Him to search and know our own hearts; He wants us to search and know His own heart! Yes, He wants us to know His ways like Moses did, and not just his acts like the children of Israel (see Psalm 103:7). Yes, the Lord’s heart is that we all, from the least to the greatest, would come to know Him (see Jeremiah 31:34)! Praise the Lord!
 
But we also saw last week that not only does God look at our hearts and also desire for us to know His own heart, but He is also looking for a certain kind of heart. 2 Chronicles 16:9 says, “For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.”
 
We saw how this verse reveals to us that God is constantly scanning the earth in search of something. He is on a search to find someone that He can bless and prosper, someone that He can anoint and use. This verse puts it this way - “to show Himself strong” through. In other words, God is looking for a people that He can manifest His glory through! And whom did it say that He shows Himself strong on behalf of? “Those whose heart is perfect towards Him” (KJV)
 
And we saw that this “perfect heart” describes a heart that is “complete or entire.” In other words, it is a heart that is fully or wholly inclined towards the Lord and, therefore, describes being “whole-hearted.” So again, God is not looking for perfect people; He is looking for people with perfect hearts—that is, people whose hearts are fully devoted and in love with Him.
 
But again, if this is God’s heart—to seek out and search for a heart that is perfectly and completely devoted to Him—then this must be His heart as well. Amen? Yes, church, our God’s heart is perfect towards us as well—that is, He is totally committed to us and loves us unconditionally and completely! Glory to God!
 
We saw this heart of His reflected in Luke chapter 15, where we have a beautiful description by the Lord Jesus of God’s heart to seek out the lost. We saw in this chapter, how we have the Parable of the Lost Sheep, the Parable of the Lost Coin, and the Parable of the Lost Son—all three parables meant to illustrate to us God’s heart for the lost being found and to show us how heaven rejoices over one lost sinner who turns to the Lord!
 
So, we ought to get a glimpse of God’s heart through this chapter—that He is searching for the lost! He is looking for those who have the heart to follow Him! And He does this because we are valuable to Him: We are that precious sheep that is worth something to Him! We are that silver coin that is valuable to Him! We are that son and daughter who is precious to our Heavenly Father!
Finally, we looked over at the 63rd Psalm and saw a little further into God’s heart: In it, King David says, “O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water. So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory.” (Psalm 63:1-2)
So, we looked at this from God’s perspective and from His own heart: First of all, He says to us—“Early will I seek you…” So, we saw how He is saying to us—“That’s the first thing I do! My priority is you!” So, even with having the responsibility for running the entire galaxy, you and I are His first priority! Glory! 
Then we can see Him going on to say: “My soul thirsts for you, My flesh (if I had it) longs for you.” You see, this is why we are His priority; it is because He thirsts and longs for us! Where? In this dry and thirsty land we call earth—learning that God cares more for us than He does anything else that He has created, including the earth and this entire galaxy. In fact, we saw how God actually used more strength in creating our salvation than He did in creating the earth, sun, moon, and stars! Wow! That is an awesome truth!
 
Therefore, we saw in part one of this series, that God’s heart is searching for us because He loves us so immensely. Yes, He is looking for those with “perfect hearts” because His own heart is “perfect”—a heart of “perfect love”? (see 1 John 4:18).
 
DELIGHTFULLY DELIVERED
 
So, today, I want us to move into another big part of God’s heart. You see, His attention and focus are on us and He seek after us for a reason—and that is because He delights in us! No, He is not looking in you to find fault, He actually likes you! He doesn’t just love you because that is who He is or because He has some sense of showing mercy towards us as our Creator. No, He actually delights in you!   
 
I want you to notice something that David said in the 18th Psalm. Now we are told that this particular psalm was written by him “who spoke to the Lord the words of this song on the day that the Lord delivered him from the hand of all his enemies and from the hand of Saul.” Therefore, this song was written by David to acknowledge the Lord for “saving” him from all of his enemies. And he begins this particular psalm by saying, “I will love You, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; My God, my strength, in whom I will trust; My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies…” Then he goes on to say, beginning in verse 17— "He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me, For they were too strong for me. They confronted me in the day of my calamity, But the Lord was my support. He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted in me…” (Psalm 18:1-3, 17-19)
 
I want us to pay particular attention to verse 19. Again, David says, “He also brought me out into a broad place; He delivered me because He delighted me.”
 
Now, first of all, notice that it says that He brought us out into a “broad place.” The word used for “broad” here literally describes a “wide, roomy, large place.” I see this place David describes as a type of the kingdom of God, and I’ll get more into this in a moment. 
 
But then he said, “He delivered me…” How many of you know that, like David here, He has delivered you too! Yes, He has delivered you from the hand of all of your enemies! Glory to God! Don’t just be carnally-minded here either—we are not just talking about physical enemies; we are talking about our spiritual enemies.
 
In fact, you know that when we use the term “saved” that literally means “delivered” (among other things). So, when we say that we are “saved,” we are declaring that we are “delivered.” You see, sometimes we make the mistake of not understanding even our own Christian terms—for when we are evangelizing, we ask someone, “Are you saved?” and they respond— “Saved from what?” How would you respond to that? Through Christ, we have the opportunity to be “saved or delivered” from sin’s penalty and dominion—from iniquity, transgressions, trespasses, sickness, disease, weakness, poverty, depression, etc. 
 
Colossians 1:13 says that “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.” Notice that it does not say, “He is delivering us…” or, “He will deliver us…” No, the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to declare to all of God’s children for all time that He has delivered us from the power of darkness. The word for “power” here is exousia, meaning “authority.” Therefore, we already have been delivered from all of the authority of the kingdom of darkness. Glory to God!
 
Didn’t Jesus tell us—Behold, I give you all authority over all the power of the enemy (Compare Matthew 28:18-20 & Luke 10:19)!?! And in Christ, we have been delivered from all of his power and authority in our lives! Therefore, I don’t ask the Lord to deliver me from anything—for I believe He has already done it!
 
So, when it comes to our salvation, we have already been delivered! But this passage of Scripture doesn’t just show us what we have been delivered from; it reveals to us what we have been delivered unto—namely, the kingdom of the Son of His love! Glory! Yes, church, that is the “broad place” that David prophetically spoke of God bringing us into! 
 
But why did He do all of this? Why did God deliver us? Well, as I’ve made the point of already, He didn’t save and deliver us because He felt obligated to or because He would have felt guilty if He didn’t. No, this passage of Scripture explains exactly why He delivered us? 
 
Notice again that David said, “He delivered me because He delighted in me.” So, say it together with me—He delivered, saved and rescued me because He delights in me!
 
Now this word “delighted” is, therefore, a very important word for us to understand—for this was His motivation for saving us.
 
When you look up the Hebrew used to translate this word “delighted” you find that it means, “to desire, be pleased with, and have pleasure in.” (Strong’s) Wilson’s Old Testament Word Studies says that the primary meaning of this word seems to be “to bend towards” and metaphorically describes the bending towards of the will. Therefore, it implies the entire or full inclination towards an object or a person. So, this is where they get the word “delight” from—for when one’s will or desire is bent towards something or someone, their heart is for that thing. Yes, they delight in it, are pleased with it, and take pleasure in it. I once heard one minister say that this word simply means that He loves us very, very much!
 
So, can you see God’s heart for us here? He actually “delights” in you and I! No, He doesn’t just tolerate us. He doesn’t just put up with us. He actually takes pleasure in us! 
 
Someone might say, “Yeah well, maybe He delights in us when we do what is pleasing to Him, but I can’t see Him taking pleasure in me when I am the way I am right now.” Let me reason with you by looking at probably the most popular verse in the entire Bible.
 
SO LOVED!
 
In that very popular passage of Scripture, we have a truth that most believers have not wrapped their heart around. It is John 3:16 where Jesus said, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
 
So, why did Jesus say that God the Father gave us Jesus so that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life? His entire motivation for this, our salvation, was because He “so loved the world.”
 
Now there are two very important parts to this phrase: One is that He didn’t just love the world; He so loved the world! That means that this was not just a casual, generic, normal kind of love. That would have been far beyond what we could imagine—that He would even love us in our lost and sinful condition. But for Him to so love the world shows us the depth, width, height and length of this love He has for us!
 
Secondly, Jesus here didn’t say that God so loved the “righteous,” or His “children.” It says that this immense love that motivated Him was for the “world.” Yes, the lost, cursed, dying world that had sinned and fallen short of His glory! That is who He so loved and what motivated Him to provide the Way of salvation! Glory to God! 
 
So, here is a good question then—Have things changed today? Does God still “so love” us now that we are saved and delivered? Sure, He does!
 
In fact, in Romans 5:6-11, the Apostle Paul reasoned along these same lines when he said, “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.”
 
Let me explain to you what Paul was saying here in a nutshell. He was saying that if God sent His Son to die for us and so loved us when we were ungodly, His enemies, and still sinners, how much more will He love, bless, be gracious, etc., now that we are His covenant people!?! Glory!
 
Therefore, it would not be out of place for a born-again child of God to say, “I am so loved!” In fact, you could say—I am the disciple whom God so loves! Amen! So, yes, God delights in us! He so loves us! We are the people of His pleasure!
 
HOW GOD SEES US NOW
 
Of course, this does not mean He is pleased with all you and I do. But He is pleased, however, with all that we are in Christ! Let’s take a quick look over at Colossians 1:21-23 and see how God views us now that we are in Christ.
 
The apostle Paul begins by saying in verse 21— “And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works…” Let me ask you something: do you still see yourself this way? In other words, is this the picture you see when you look at your Christian life? If most were honest, they would have to say that this description is what they can more readily identify with. But this is not who we are anymore, church. This verse says, “And you, who once were…” No, this is who we were, but not who we are any longer.
 
So, what are we now? I’m glad you asked. Take a look at the next phrase in verse 21: “…yet now He has reconciled.” And what have we just learned? We are now reconciled because God wanted us reconciled. In other words, we are reconciled because He wanted us close to Him again. You see, God does not think you stink. It’s us who has that “stinking thinking,” not God. You have been washed in the blood and bathed in the perfume of the Anointed One and His anointing. Now we put off the aroma of Christ and put a sweet smell in the nostrils of God. Glory!
 
Paul goes on to say that we have been reconciled “in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.” If this verse doesn’t light your fire, then your wood is wet! Saints, this is what we need to identify with!
 
We now, in Christ, have been presented unto God as, first, holy. That means that you already are holy in the spirit. That is why Paul keeps addressing us in his letters as “saints.” The term “saints” means “holy ones.” Again, this doesn’t mean we are perfect in our deeds, but it does mean that we are set apart and pure in the spirit.
 
Secondly, he says and we are “blameless.” The Greek word used here means to be faultless and without blemish like an animal sacrifice under the Old Covenant was supposed to be. So, what does that mean? It means we are not the runt of the litter anymore! We are “top shelf”—that is, the ones inspected and approved by the Master. Like the sacrifices of the Old Covenant, we are the choicest parts of the sacrifice! Hallelujah!
 
Thirdly (and I love this one), Paul says, and we are “above reproach in His sight.” The phrase “above reproach” literally means “not called in,” or “not called to account.” This describes a total absence of charges on our account. In other words, the slate has been wiped clear! Glory! So, not only are we without blemish, all the charges have been dropped! And this is true “in His sight.” The word “sight” here literally describes “to look down in”—denoting a deep and penetrating gaze. Now we know that God sees all and there is no blemish that is hidden from His sight! So, through the blood, we have been completely washed and made clean to where even God’s deep, penetrating gaze cannot see any faults in us! Thank you Jesus!   
 
So now, the only thing that can condemn us today is us. Paul goes on to say in verse 23 that all of this is true “if indeed you continue in the faith…” In other words, the only way to lose is to quit. The only way to be condemned is to agree with our adversary. The only way to not stay holy, without blemish, and above reproach in His sight is to leave. Amen.
 
But the truth is that when it comes to God’s sight, we are “right”—that is, we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus! This is how He sees us now!
 
THE APPLE OF GOD’S EYE
 
In fact, Zechariah 2:8 gives us a beautiful prophetic promise. It says, “For thus says the Lord of hosts: ‘He sent Me after glory, to the nations which plunder you (seemingly, a reference to the Lord Jesus Christ); for he who touches you touches the apple of His eye.” 
 
In Psalm 17:8, we see how David knew that He was the apple of God’s eye when he said, “Keep me as the apple of Your eye. Hide me under the shadow of Your wings.”
 
So, how could David claim to be the apple of God’s eye? Could he just say this because it was before his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah? Did he forfeit this claim after he committed such sins? I don’t believe so because we know that He was inspired by the Holy Spirit to pen these words. And, what about us? Surely, we can’t lay hold of this title as being the “apple of God’s eye”, can we? We know how far we have fallen from God’s glory. We know our sin. We know what we have been thinking in our hearts. So, how can we be the apple of God’s eye?
 
It is because we are in the True Apple of God’s eye! You see, at the baptism of Jesus, the voice of God the Father said, “This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). Jesus was, is, and evermore shall be the very apple of His Father’s eye.
 
However, when it came to Jesus, instead of protecting Him at all costs like we always do with our eyes, the Bible actually teaches us that it pleased Him to bruise Him, His beloved Son (see Isaiah 53:10). Have you ever read that and wondered how God the Father could do that to Jesus? Moreover, how could it actually “please” Him to put Jesus on the Cross?
 
The answer is simple: He did not get pleasure in causing to suffer; what pleased Him was how it would cause all of us to be redeemed, forgiven and made righteous once again! His pleasure was in us—and both He and Jesus were willing and happy to do what They had to do for you. Therefore, because of the True Son of David, we have become the apple of God’s eye. We are now the beloved sons and daughters of God. He has His eye on you. He protects you. This is the Gospel!
 
Now when it comes to this phrase “the apple of His eye”, we often think that this is referring to fruit, but it really has nothing to do with a physical piece of fruit. So, what does this phrase really mean? The “apple of the eye” is the pupil of the eye—which is the center of the eye. In fact, the Hebrew word used here describes “the little man of the eye.” Have you ever looked someone in the eye and seen your own reflection in their pupil? That is the “little man,” right in the center of the eye.
 
So, here in this phrase “the apple of His eye,” we see a big part of His heart: We are the reflection of His heart. We are where His focus is and, therefore, what He seeks to cherish and protect. Yes, God guards us as the apple of his eye.
 
And that leads us to an interesting point—some have said that the pupil is the part of the eye that is subject to more acute pain than any other part. So, what that ministers to me is that what hurts the heart of God the most is the pain of his people. Yes, His children’s pain is His pain as well.
 
Just think about how we guard our eyes. If someone or something were trying to hurt our eyes, we would throw our arms up because we are far more willing to take a temporary bruise on our arm than a permanent injury to our eyes. Amen? Yes, you are willing to suffer that pain in your arm to protect something more valuable to you—in this case, your eyes. Well, that’s exactly what the Father did for us on the Cross—it pleased Him rather to bruise His arm to protect the apple of His eye (Compare Isaiah 53:1)!  Glory to God!
 
GOD’S MASTERPIECE
 
David said in Psalm 101:3-8, “I will set nothing wicked before my eyes.” Another translation of this word for “wicked” here is “worthless.” So, if this was David’s heart, then we can see God’s heart—He too sets nothing worthless or wicked before His eyes. Therefore, if His covenant people are the apple of His eye, then you must not be wicked or worthless anymore. Amen?         
 
In Psalm 16:8, David’s heart declared, “I have set the Lord always before me...” What about God? I believe He would say to us today— "I have set you always before Me!” Just imagine then—you are like God’s favorite piece of art that He proudly sets before Him, just because He enjoys looking at you.
 
In Ephesians 2:10 we are told that we are God’s own “workmanship”, created in Christ Jesus.
 
Now when this says that we are His workmanship and created in Christ Jesus, what part of us is it referring to? Well, obviously it was not referring to our bodies as the part of us being changed because if we were bald headed before we got saved, we were bald headed after we got saved. Obviously, it was not referring to our souls either because our mind did not miraculously change when we got saved. So, the part of us that became a new creation and a product of His workmanship had to have been that third and final part of our being (i.e. our spirit) right? Yes, it was our spirit that was recreated in Christ at the moment we were born again and is a product of God’s workmanship.
 
So, what does this mean that we are His “workmanship”? This word comes from the Greek word poiema which is where we get our words “poem” and “poetry” from. As a matter of fact, this word poiema came to describe something that was a product of an artist’s handiwork or artwork—like say a sculpture or a painting. Therefore, this word describes something that is a product of one’s creativity and artistic abilities. Oh, hallelujah! Do you see where this is going?
 
So, when the Apostle Paul said that we are God’s “workmanship” here in Ephesians 2:10, you could translate this that we are God’s own work of art! Better yet, since God—who has to be considered the most creative and wonderful artist ever to exist—is the one who designed and sculptured our spirit, then you could say that we are His masterpiece! Hallelujah! Did you get that?
 
You are God’s own handiwork, His work of art, and His masterpiece! You have been created in Christ—beautifully and ornately fashioned by the Creator, who is the epitome of creativity and artistry! And let me assure you in the worst English that I can: God don’t make no junk! If you are His workmanship, then you are perfect, complete, and beautiful! There are no flaws in your spirit man!
 
In fact, do you know the reason why your spirit is flawless? It is because you have received the spirit of Christ Himself! That is why Paul said in this verse that you were created (i.e. recreated) in Christ Jesus. It is because it is in His image and in His likeness that you have been designed!
 
So, let’s use the analogy of a painting or a sculpture to describe what happened in your spirit when you were born again. When God took your dead spirit, where no good thing dwelt and painted/sculpted you into a new creation in Christ, what He did was He painted on the canvas of your heart the likeness of Jesus Christ! What He did was He sculpted, as the potter sculpts the clay, a full image of Jesus Christ Himself in your inner man! So, He made you all that He is because you are in Him and He is in you! Praise be unto God!
 
Understanding this is what will make truths in the Word of God such as we are the righteousness of God, we are saints, and we are beloved, easier to accept! It is because it is not our righteousness! It is not our holiness! It is not a matter of how lovely we are! You are accepted, forgiven, redeemed, saved, righteous, holy, and loved because of who He is in you! So, when the Father looks into a born again, child of God, He is not looking at our faults and shortcomings; He is looking at the beautiful image of Jesus Christ! Hallelujah! Jesus is what makes us God’s masterpiece!    
 
The reason the majority of the church has trouble accepting this is because most identify themselves by who they are in the flesh. But as 2 Corinthians 5:16 says, we are no longer to judge anyone according to the flesh, and that includes ourselves! We are to form our opinion of our self by looking at the inward man, the hidden man of the heart. To not do so, is to look at an extremely valuable painting and to estimate its value solely by the frame that holds the painting itself. This, of course, is utter foolishness! I mean, who goes to the Musee du Louvre in Paris to see the original Mona Lisa painting and stands there admiring only the frame and not considering the portrait inside the frame? No one does that! So why do we only focus on our earthen vessel and not consider the treasure that has been placed within us?
 
Friends, in the eternal part of you has been placed a beautiful and perfect masterpiece! So, let’s begin to focus on what is important and what is eternal! God placed a priceless treasure in our hearts the moment we were born again. Let’s esteem it! Let’s give attention to the new creation we have been made in Christ!
 
So, why is this so important to understand? It is because when you come to truly know in your heart how important you are to Him, how much He loves you, how His delight is in you, and how you are the apple of His eye, you will be more prepared and equipped to give Him the other desires of His heart. Let’s conclude this teaching by looking a little further into this.
 
THE DESIRE OF HIS HEART
 
In Psalm 37:4, we have another very popular passage of Scripture—one that many Christians hold on to dearly. But I want us to flip this verse as well and see God’s heart in David.
 
This verse says, “Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.” So, what David was clearly saying here is that when a believer “delights” him or herself in the Lord, then He will give them the desires of their heart—not meaning that He will give us any, old flaky thing that we want just because we are delighting ourselves in Him. What this means, rather, is that when we are truly delighting ourselves in Him—that is, loving Him and having hearts that are pursuing Him and His things—we will already have desires that are in line with His desires, and therefore, will get the desires of our heart. Clear as mud?
 
In short, when you and I are taking pleasure in Him, loving Him with all of our hearts, and desiring Him, then our desires will be in accordance with His will. Therefore, we can expect that He will give us those desires that delight in Him. Amen?
 
So, what about God? Since David wrote this, let’s flip it and see God’s own heart: As we have seen, He delights Himself in you! Oh yes, and guess what else is true therefore? We have the capability of giving Him the desires of His heart. Glory to God! What I mean is that as you and I receive His love, pleasure and delight over us, we can actually give Him what His heart desires—which is our heart, our fellowship, our love, etc. Oh yes, when you and I receive His love and let Him delight in us, then we are giving Him what His heart desires—which is a people who will let Him love them.
 
You see, in 1 John 4:19 we are taught that we love (the word “Him” was not in all of the Greek texts. So, let’s leave it out and see what this verse means without it) because He first loved us.
 
So how are we going to be able to love God and love God’s people if He hasn’t first loved us? We won’t and we can’t. Sure, He loves us all already, but if we have not tasted His goodness, experienced His love and seen His grace, we will have a major uphill battle to loving the brethren. Why? Because we cannot give away what we have not first received. 
 
This is why I consider the revelation of God’s love for you and I to be the single greatest revelation that we can ever receive! Why? Because if we receive His love for us and it has truly impacted our hearts, then we are in the best position possible to fulfill the Great Commandment of loving God with all of our heart, soul, mind and strength and loving our neighbor as ourselves!
 
You see, people reveal how much of God’s love that they have received by how much of God’s love that they are walking in. In other words, we reveal how much we see and understand God’s love for us by our own love walk. We see this in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant because what Jesus was teaching us in this parable is that if we receive such a grand and glorious amount of forgiveness from God, then we ought to forgive our brothers and sisters the much smaller debt that they might owe us.
 
So, when we see His love for us and receive it, then we have the standard by which we are to love others with. Amen?
 
AS I HAVE LOVED YOU
 
Now in John 13:34 Jesus said that we are to specifically love one another “as I have loved you.”
 
So how can we love one another as He has loved us if we have not experienced that love for us first? In other words, how can we fulfill this commandment if we haven’t experienced this love personally? We can’t! Well, when Jesus said this to His disciples we understand that He was specifically referring to how they had personally experienced His love over the past three years.
 
So, my question to you is—how does this apply to you? You didn’t physically walk with Jesus for three years and personally experience His love. So how can we relate to this and actually obey this new commandment? Sure, we can try to love one another, but how can we love the brethren as Jesus has loved His disciples if we didn’t personally experience what His disciples did? That’s a good question, isn’t it?
 
Let me ask it this way—What if Jesus’ disciples would have never experienced that love themselves? They would have only been able to emulate what they had experienced themselves, right?
 
This is the problem with so many believers: Many have never experienced much love at all. Many had unloving parents and no good role models of true love in their life. Therefore, they cannot relate to anything close to the love of God because they have never received the example. So, if this is you, I have the solution: you can receive this love of Christ by faith.
 
You can respond with— “God, I choose to believe that you love me. My parents might not have told me or showed me love. But I choose to believe that what you feel towards me is real and it is true whether I feel it or can relate to it or not.” When you make that heart adjustment to choose to believe it, you have taken the first step to experiencing His love in your life. It is when we approach the love of God in unbelief that we are further away from experiencing His love than ever.
 
But what you most commonly hear is, “I just can’t relate to God loving me because my momma this or my daddy that…” Friends, that Christian is not creating an environment conducive to experiencing His love. No, first you must believe it by faith and then the feelings will follow.
 
So today, begin to receive this good news by faith. Begin to believe that He so loves you, and that is what has motivated Him to provide your salvation. Begin to believe that He has delivered and redeemed your life from destruction because He actually, really does, “delight” in you. Receive His grace and love and experience the heart of God today! In so doing, you will be fully equipped to do all of the works that He Himself does—because you will have in your heart what He has in His own heart. Amen.