“…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.”  
~~1 Chronicles 28:9~~

When I read a verse or passage, I generally will write down any questions that initially come to mind, and then I search them out.  The questions that came to mind as I read the passage above were… 

• What does it look like to acknowledge God?
• What does it mean to serve Him?
• What does serving with my whole heart look like?
• How do I serve with a willing mind?
• Why does the Bible tell me to do all these things?

I can’t “do” what God is saying if I don’t “understand” what He’s saying.  Right?  Right!  So let’s start digging into the passage!

What does it look like to “acknowledge” God?  The Hebrew word for “acknowledge” is (yada’), which means to know, ascertain by seeing.  This word is used to describe a person making a choice to turn their mind to something.  Think of it as “ you will never see what you aren’t looking for.”   Another aspect of (yada’) is to “care for or see about” what’s important to another person.  (Yada’) is also used to describe the fullness of knowing that takes place when a man and woman are intimate.  So “what does it look like to acknowledge (yada’) God?”.  It’s choosing to spend time with God in His Word, one on One with no distractions.  It’s desiring to really get to know God’s heart – what He cares about and then choosing to care about that too.  It’s having God so much a part of you that you grow to recognize His fingerprints throughout your day.  

What does it mean to “serve” Him?  The Hebrew word for serve (‘abad) means to labor/work; to reduce oneself to servitude; to bestow labor upon a thing — for example,  “tilling a field”, “tending a vineyard or garden”, “working as an artisan”.  While I am seeing the effort implied here in the act of serving (labor or work), I’m more importantly seeing the humility in position.  If I reduce myself to servitude to someone, I am recognizing that the labor I am doing is for their purpose and not mine..  What comes to mind is Colossians 2:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord.”  That needs to be our mindset.  We are servants of God.  “We are not our own.  We have been bought with a price.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).  A question that you could ask yourself is, “am I working to further God’s Kingdom, or my own kingdom?”  Is my focus on temporal “riches” or are my treasures being laid up in heaven?  Long and short of it, am I serving self, or God, because it’s impossible to be doing both.  Yah, I know…that pinched my heart too.  

What does serving with my whole heart look like?  The word “whole” (shalem) means complete, especially friendly.  This tells me that I shouldn’t begrudgingly serve.  I am to serve as though I am serving someone I love.  Liken a (shalem) heart to preparing and serving Thanksgiving dinner.  While it is a lot of work, we don’t resent the toil because we love those we are preparing the meal for.  The word heart (leb) includes feelings, will and even intellect; it refers to the center of a thing.  This makes me think of the times that I did what was right, but may have resented the “doing”.  It’s the “sitting down on the outside, while standing up on the inside” kinda thing.  We are being called to have the right heart attitude as we serve, having our behavior and our heart truly be aligned.  It’s doing the right thing for the right reason.   While God is interested in what you are doing in service for Him, He is more interested in the heart attitude in which you are doing the serving. 

How do I serve with a willing mind?  The word “willing” (chaphets) means to be pleased with, to delight in.  The word “mind” in Hebrew is (nephesh) and it alludes to the whole person, not just the thought-process of a person. That’s where the English language really short changes Scripture.  (Nephesh) is the seat of the senses … sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and those are things your physical body does.  Pause to ponder how often you “yada’” (turn your mind towards God) as you go throughout your day.  Does He come to your mind when you smell a flower, when you hear a bird singing, when you see the beauty of His creation?  God gave us things to enjoy because He wants us to have a plethora of opportunities throughout our day to (yada’) Him.  Consider how God used phrases referencing our senses throughout the Scripture.  “Taste and see that the Lord is good”.  His judgments are “sweeter than honey from the comb”.  Sacrifices were “a fragrant aroma as unto the Lord”.  As we walk through our day, God wants us to (yada’) Him with every aspect of our person.  And when we do that, it should be the springboard for our cheerful service of our God.  

Why does the Bible tell me to do all these things?  Because the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and thought we have. The Hebrew word for searches (darash) means to tread frequently; to follow in order to search.  Pause to ponder that.  God is with us throughout every day, seeing our thoughts, observing our actions, seeing when our inward attitudes and thoughts don’t match our outward behaviors, seeing when the good thing we did was for our own glory and not for His. God sees it all…thoughts, actions, motives.  That’s really sobering, isn’t it?  I don’t know anyone who would want what they’re thinking to appear in “thought bubbles” above their heads for all to see.  But this verse is telling me that God sees it all.   

That’s an awful lot to take in, isn’t it?  I know it was for me.  But don’t just read it and move on.  Take some time to really ponder each point, asking the Holy Spirit to show you areas in your heart and mind that need addressed, and then ask Him to enable you to change.  I’m praying for you!

Feel free to reach out to me any time!  
WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER!