“Let your heart therefore be perfect with the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes, and to keep His commandments, so as this day” (1 Kings 8:61). These are the words of King Solomon at the dedication of the Temple in Jerusalem. He was wise enough to see that the blessing and security of that great building depended upon the faithfulness and spiritual integrity of those who came there to worship. He told the people to have a perfect heart. How is that possible?
Some people think of the word “perfect” as meaning “absolutely faultless.” We all know that we are weak and sinful, and therefore, to aspire to have a perfect heart in that way is a losing cause. That is not what “perfect” means in this passage.
A perfect heart is a true heart. We err from time to time, but our hearts are set on pleasing the Lord. Our faith does not waver like a wave of the sea (James 1:6). A true line is a straight line. We are called to follow a straight path (Psalms 5:8) with the Lord.
A perfect heart is a pure heart. God is holy and morally unblemished in every respect. He wants us to be holy as He is (1 Peter 1:15-16). We should be so thankful for the cleansing that we have in our Savior. The Temple that Solomon built was amazing and glorious, but it was no more glorious than God’s temple today, His holy people (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 6:19-20).
A perfect heart is a well-developed heart. We are called to grow to be complete in every way, not acting like selfish little children. Solomon started out so well, and God blessed him with great wisdom. As time went by, he allowed his selfishness, pride, desire for many wives and his lack of focus on God to lead him away into idolatry. As we grow and mature, we should be drawing ever closer to God, instead of drifting away from Him.
Grant us grace to have perfect hearts: hearts that are true, pure and well-developed to serve God all the days of our lives. Developing this kind of perfect heart is possible and a worthy goal for each child of God.
