I may be the only parent who deals with this and if I am please don't tell me. I don't want to hear that I'm alone.

My kids step over things without picking them up. They leave things sitting on the table that don't belong there. And they say that they don't even see them.

What I want is for them to pick up the stuff, even if it isn't theirs. I want them to do the dishes without being told too. I want them to know that we do these things because we are Kelley's and that is what we do and who we are. I want them to know what my heart is and then do it without being told.

Part of it is the training that I have to give them since none of them were just born this way. As their father, I have to instruct them and let them know what I expect. I have to let them know what my heart is. Then the other portion of this equation is that they need to learn who I am, what I want and what I believe the Kelley family is about. They need to learn my heart.

The same is true in our being the Church. We are to know the heart of God and then act on it. As the perfect Father, His instruction to us has already been made known. He has already made known to us His heart, His desires and His plans. And, we are to be the kids who study the heart of the Father, get to know Him, then, without having to ask or be told, do what is in front of us.

Just as my kids love to receive my blessing (praise, free time, money) we love the blessing of the Father. However, we are not to be seeking the blessing, but rather seek the heart of the Blessing Giver. The blessings are just extra. If my kid's desire is to only have free time and therefore do what I ask, that is not the right motive and they won't receive my blessing. But if they do what is right because it is right, then the blessing comes.

Is our desire the blessing of God or the heart of God? Are we doing what is right because we want the goodies, or are we doing what is right simply because it is right?

For my kids to get to know and understand my heart more, they need to study me, get to know me and spend time with me. Then they need to act on what they see, learn and experience. They have to act on that revealed truth.

God has given us such great ways of getting to know and understand His heart better. We have His written word, the great spoken word of God and opportunities to talk to Him.

I challenge you this next year; get to know the heart of God. Read the Bible, go be a part of the church on a regular basis and spend lots of time talking to Him. Act on the revealed truth.

I have been challenged with this myself. At least for the month of January, I will be reading through the entire Bible. I don't know if I will do it for more months than just the one or not. God has laid on my heart that if I want to do what is right because it is right, then I need to know His heart more. So, I'm gonna read up on Him. See what He has to say and be radically changed by it. If you want to join me in this endeavor, that would be great. (Let me know if you decide to do this and I can tell you how I mapped it out.) Whether you do or not, I would encourage you to…

Learn His heart. Understand His heart. Then do what is right because it is right.