1 Chronicles 28:9

New International Version (NIV)

“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.

For Meditation

Acknowledge God and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind. Then, you will find Him when you look for Him (1 Chron. 28:9). A clear and concise instruction that leads to the blessings of God; yet we struggle with it. We spend hours and shed tons of tears in search of God’s presence and His will. In the meantime, He has revealed it throughout the Bible. What is our problem? I suggest two basic factors according to this scripture.

There is a gulf between knowing and reckoning God as our Father. We may know Him as the first person in the Godhead, but acknowledging Him for what He has become to us through Christ is another – our loving Father. It makes a whole lot of difference between total and partial dependency. Jesus depended completely on the Father in His earthly life (Phil. 2:6-8). He did nothing without the Father’s lead. He prayed about everything and moved in absolute obedience to the Father’s will. We have to be like Jesus if we are to reckon God as our Father. It will take a renewing of our minds to apprehend Him that way (Rm. 12:2).

Service requires authenticity. It has to do with selfless devotion that looks for nothing but the joy of bringing glory to God. Our problem is that we allow too many things to steal that joy. We grief over pettiness and allow it to upset our perspective. The older brother of the prodigal son served his father well, but the return of his brother revealed his heart. “Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!” he said (Lk. 15:29-30). That’s how many of us feel about our service to God. We may not call it slavery, but still, it’s a drag sometimes. We moan, complain, and criticize everything. But David counseled Solomon to serve God “with wholehearted devotion and a willing mind” (1 Chron. 28:9). That’s the source of joy.

1. So, do you really seek God?
2. Do you revere Him as your Father?
3. Do you love Him enough to completely devote your life to His service?
4. Is your mind strongly set on His manifest Presence at all times?
5. Are you willing to do whatever He tells you?

That’s what life in Christ is all about – wholehearted devotion and service with a smile. His manifest presence, with His blessings, will then be with you in all things.

Shalom