DAILY DEVOTIONAL ON ROMANS 1:3:
“NO ORDINARY KID”
- As shared by Rev. Don Schink © 2010
- As shared by Rev. Don Schink © 2010
“REGARDING HIS SON, WHO AS TO HIS HUMAN NATURE WAS A DESCENDANT OF DAVID,” (NIV)
This is not just an ordinary kid. We all like to think that our kids are special and, in many ways, we trust that they are. We do our best to lovingly guide and direct them to become the kind of young men and women that we know the Lord would have them to be. Even as ordinary kids, we want them to excel. We want them to do their best. We want them to become all that they can be, as committed Christians, in allowing the Holy Spirit to empower them to become all that they can be.
Paul wants us to see here that Jesus was no ordinary kid. He was, and is, Jesus Christ. He is Savior of all mankind. He is Lord of Lords. He is King of Kings. He is the Son of the living God. He is the Word. He is God. In John 1:1, the Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, a truly miraculous birth, having no earthly father, conceived by the Holy Spirit. His roots in human history show Jesus’ earthly heritage, as prophesied in Scripture, to be a descendant of David. In spite of David’s earthly failures, David is stated in Scripture as having been “a man after God’s own heart” (1 Samuel 13). So it seems most appropriate that God would choose to have Christ mentioned as a descendant of David.
David, in spite of many failures, was a man after God’s own heart. David had many failures but he also had many victories. The Bible does not paint a glossed-over picture of David. We see him as he is. We also see him as he truly yearns to be, that is, a man after God’s own heart. He is well known as both a king and a poet. You’ve had many failures. So have I. But if we’ll keep our eyes on the living God in Christ, allowing His Word to permeate our hearts and lives, allowing the Holy Spirit to teach, to guide, to direct us and to empower us for life and service in His sanctifying fullness, then each of us can be men and woman and boys and girls after His heart.
When we see the Lord choosing David, through the prophet Samuel, in 1 Samuel, chapter 16, we see that Jesse brought forth all of his son’s except for David. David, in Jesse’s eyes, was a young shepherd boy. He was too small. So he wasn’t even considered a candidate by his own dad to be chosen and anointed as king. His dad left him out in the field tending sheep while the rest of his brothers appeared before Samuel.
In fact, even Samuel looked at Jesse’s son, Eliab, and said to himself, as seen in 1 Samuel 1:6, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” In verse #7, we read, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”” There must have been something in Eliab’s heart that the Lord knew wasn’t right. So Samuel rejected one after another of Jesse’s sons. Finally he asked if there were any more. Then Jesse reluctantly had David brought out of the fields where he had been shepherding. The Lord revealed to Jesse that David was the one. He was no ordinary kid. In 1 Samuel 1:8, we read, “So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came upon David in power.”
Only God truly knows the heart. He knows yours. He knows mine. He knows ours more than we know our own! God knew that David would have failures. In fact, he had serious failures, including committing adultery, which was to cost him dearly. But God also knew what David could become. He knows what you and I can become. God also knew that David, in the very depths of his heart, would go on to be “a man after God’s own heart.” Man looks at outward appearances. God looks at the heart.
In Psalm 51, the Bible reveals an important picture of what was in David’s heart. The prophet Nathan had come to David, rebuking him for his having committed adultery with Bathsheba. As the realization of what he had been caught up in hit him, he cried out to God in true repentance, as seen in Psalm 51:1-12,
“[1] Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to Your great compassion blot out my transgressions.
[2] Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.
[3] For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.
[4] Against you, you only, have I sinned and done that which is evil in Your sight, so that You are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge.
[5] Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
[6] Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.
[7] Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
[8] Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
[9] Hide Your face from my sins and blot out all my iniquity.
[10] Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
[11] Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from me.
[12] Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.”
David, in spite of his failures, went on to be “a man after God’s own heart.” He had many failures. But he also had many victories. God knew that in the long run, that David would see the light. David would go on to be the kind of man, in the depths of his heart that God would have him to be.
You see, we are what we are in the very depths of our hearts. Is there sinful thoughts or deeds that you need to deal with? If so, you can do as David did, as seen in Psalm 51. You can sincerely confess and repent of your sins and go on to be a man or woman, a boy or a girl, after God’s own heart. We have to be so careful what we expose ourselves to. We have to be so careful as to the places we go and the people that we hang out with. We need to be so careful as to what we read, what we watch on television, the movies, or our computers or on our cell phones.
You see, we are what we are in the very depths of our hearts. What we take in definitely effects what we become. There is an expression, “Garbage in, garbage out.” If we choose to take in that which is not good for us, it will show up in our outer actions. It will show up in our speech. On the other hand, if we hang out with positive Christian friends, read and study God’s Word, the Bible, watch wholesome programs, and so on, it will show up in our outer speech and actions. It will show up in the choices that we make. It will reveal what is in the very depths of our hearts in a positive witness to those around us. Remember that you are what you are in the depths of your heart. What are you taking in? What are the results that are coming out of you.
I want to go on to be “a man after God’s own heart.” I urge you to do the same. In John 3:3, the Bible reveals that we must be born-again. Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” In order to do so, we must realize that we need to recognize and deal with our sins. As such, the Bible teaches, as in Romans 3:23, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” So we need to repent. In Acts 17:30, we read, “In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now He commands all people everywhere to repent.” We need to truly believe. In John 3:36 the Bible says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains in him,” which emphasizes the seriousness of truly believing in Christ as personal Savior and Lord. There is also the need to honestly confess. In 1 John 1:9, we read, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” Then we must truly receive Christ into our hearts. For in John 1:12, the Bible says, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” How do we receive? We need to take to heart the very words of Jesus Christ, Himself, as He says, in Revelation 3:20, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and He with Me.”
Do you yearn to be “a man (woman) after God’s own heart?” In spite of our failures, God has provided hope and promise. He has provided salvation. Jesus certainly wasn’t just an ordinary kid. He is the Savior of all; the King of Kings, the Lord of glory! Yet He intimately loves and cares for each of us. So, as He speaks to your heart, today is first day of the rest of your life. Let Jesus come in to your heart as your own personal Savior and Lord… today!
Please contact me for any of your questions or concerns that I can help you with. You can email me at: PastorDonNM@gmail.com
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