ACTS 13:13-22
Have you ever visited a cemetery and seen a gravestone with a poignant epitaph of the person buried there? It’s not uncommon to see descriptions like “Devoted Mother” or “Beloved Friend” on these markers. In the distant future, what would you want someone to read etched on your tombstone? What epitaph would summarize the best part of your life?
In the book of Acts, we discover how history remembered mighty King David. In a sermon to a primarily Jewish group, the apostle Paul referred to David, who was well known to the audience. Remembering all of the king’s great accomplishments during his reign, how did Paul choose to describe him? He declared that David was the one person whom God called “a man after His own heart.” (See Acts 13:22; 1 Sam. 13:14.)
What does it mean to be a person after God’s own heart? For David, it required an intimate relationship with his Father (Ps. 63:1, 6-8). This entails much more than simply a regular routine of rote prayers and church attendance. Rather, such intimacy is founded upon an intense yearning to grow as close to the loving Father as possible (Ps. 42:1).
What would it take for you to be described as a man or woman after God’s own heart? What activities, thoughts, or behaviors would need to be removed from your life? What would need to be added? Ask God for His help in making these adjustments—and for the commitment to make this epitaph the goal of your life.
