A Perfect Heart and a Willing Mind – Stepping in the Light

“And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now; for the LORD hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.” I Chronicles 28:9-10

David charged his son Solomon to serve the Lord with a perfect heart and a willing mind. The word perfect has come to be used in the sense of sinless perfection, but in this passage it conveys the idea of being complete. When David told Solomon to serve the Lord with a perfect heart, he was saying that Solomon should serve God with his whole heart. This would require Solomon to remain focused on the Lord and put His law first in his life. But David did not stop there. He said that Solomon needed to have a willing mind. In other words, Solomon should be pleased to serve the Lord.

Solomon was facing a task that none of us will ever face. He was to build the temple, the place where the Ark of the Covenant would be housed and where God’s glory would reside. Though we live in a different age and we have different responsibilities, we would do well to take King David’s advice. We ought to serve the Lord with our whole hearts and a willing mind. Are you happily following God’s Word in your life?

Morning: I Chronicles 28-29

Evening: John 9:24-41

About This Site

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” Psalm 119:105

If you were to find yourself walking down a path in the dark of night with only an old-fashioned lantern to light the way, you wouldn’t be able to see very far ahead. You would be able to see just enough of the pathway to know which direction to take your next step and enough of the ground to choose the best place for your feet. When it comes to our daily lives, God’s Word is a lot like that lantern. It will not show us the whole path at once, but it is exactly what we need to help us decide how to take the next step.

The Bible is our source of spiritual light, and if we consistently seek God’s direction as we read from its pages, we will always have enough light for our next step along the pathway of life. It is then that we are, in the words of an old gospel song, “stepping in the light.”

The goal of this devotional guide is to encourage you to spend time in the Word of God each day. Reading the passages listed at the bottom of the page will take you all the way through the Bible in one year. The devotional thought for each day is taken from a text within that day’s reading, so even that small daily portion of reading will take you on a journey through God’s Word. It is my prayer that this guide would help you to walk closer to the Lord and that you will find yourself taking each step in the light of His Word.