Today the Lord your God has commanded you to obey all these decrees and regulations. So be careful to obey them wholeheartedly. You have declared today that the Lord is your God.
Deuteronomy 26:16-17a NLT
I tend to multitask, and I used to think that was a good thing, especially in my line of work. However, lately I have come to realize that it is now a habit - a way of life that bleeds over into my time with family or friends, and worse! My time with the Lord. I am easily distracted, and I hate it. Jesus tells us in Mark 12:30, "And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength." What if Jesus only half-heartedly listened to me?
There is no half in Christ. He didn't come halfway here and then change His mind and go back. He didn't half-heal people. He did not go halfway to Golgotha. He wasn't half-dead on the Cross. When Scripture tells us He gave His life for ours, there is not ONE mention of Him doing it halfway. No place does it indicate that He gave half His life for ours. No buy-one-get-one-half-off. He was completely committed. He gave it all. Should He expect less from us?
Jesus Christ gave His all - sacrificed His whole life - so that we could be cleansed from ALL our sin (1st John 1). Not for all the ones except those things we might really like to do, or the ones we think aren't "that bad"...
What will we do with the life He's purchased and paid full price for? Will we hold out? Or will we wholeheartedly embrace the life He has bought for us and give Him our all?
Prayer:
Father,
Give us Your strength to walk in wholehearted obedience to love You with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength. We can only do this by Your grace. We want - we choose - to bring everything into obedience to Your Word. Forgive us, Father, for dragging our feet and getting distracted with the things of this world. Help us, O Lord, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
Showing posts with label wholeheartedly. Show all posts
Showing posts with label wholeheartedly. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
Monday, December 18, 2023
Advent - Day Sixteen
From 21 Gifts of Advent by Janelle Keith
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV
The Gift of Yes
This time of year is full of laughter and joy and sorrow and sadness. Much of this joy comes from people who are extraordinarily kind with random acts of kindness or those courteous checkers in the busy lanes. Much of the sadness and sorrow stems from lack of forgiveness in relationships that need mending. You know the one where you need to say “I'm sorry” first? Or maybe in those broken relationships which weren’t your fault?
Are you willing to trust God without fully knowing what He has in mind? Do you respond to God with a full heart of humility?
Perhaps you have depended on your own strength this year to accomplish something you felt led of God to do... yet there are failures all around you. Let's not mention those long-forgotten promises you made to yourself at the first of the year regarding your health improvements.
This Advent season, let’s go all in for God. If this sounds foreign to you, then hang on and let me explain. Maybe you have been reading your Bible plans faithfully, maybe you have been praying and attending church, maybe you have been waiting on God, or maybe you have been pretending. Maybe you thought you were trusting God but secretly just playing along.
Going all in for God means trusting and following His WAYS. You simply can’t just go through the motions! It’s not about following the world’s ways, the cultural trends, or meeting the status quo. It’s wholeheartedly doing what the Bible says.
All of us need God and must adhere to His holy directions. But what does that look like? Like Jesus. Jesus humbly checked in with His Father often. He set aside his divinity and willingly took orders from God. Of course He knew the plans of God, but even Jesus had to learn obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8). Following in obedience is our best heart’s response to God. When we say YES to God and leap wholeheartedly into God’s ways, then we become one with Jesus. Nothing can get in the way— no matter the trends, what people say, or even our own deception.
Advent reflection: It’s time to say "YES" to HIM wholeheartedly! We can’t pretend with God. Humble yourself, submit your will, and follow after God earnestly. YES! By doing so, you will open the many gifts of following His ways.
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV
The Gift of Yes
This time of year is full of laughter and joy and sorrow and sadness. Much of this joy comes from people who are extraordinarily kind with random acts of kindness or those courteous checkers in the busy lanes. Much of the sadness and sorrow stems from lack of forgiveness in relationships that need mending. You know the one where you need to say “I'm sorry” first? Or maybe in those broken relationships which weren’t your fault?
Are you willing to trust God without fully knowing what He has in mind? Do you respond to God with a full heart of humility?
Perhaps you have depended on your own strength this year to accomplish something you felt led of God to do... yet there are failures all around you. Let's not mention those long-forgotten promises you made to yourself at the first of the year regarding your health improvements.
This Advent season, let’s go all in for God. If this sounds foreign to you, then hang on and let me explain. Maybe you have been reading your Bible plans faithfully, maybe you have been praying and attending church, maybe you have been waiting on God, or maybe you have been pretending. Maybe you thought you were trusting God but secretly just playing along.
Going all in for God means trusting and following His WAYS. You simply can’t just go through the motions! It’s not about following the world’s ways, the cultural trends, or meeting the status quo. It’s wholeheartedly doing what the Bible says.
All of us need God and must adhere to His holy directions. But what does that look like? Like Jesus. Jesus humbly checked in with His Father often. He set aside his divinity and willingly took orders from God. Of course He knew the plans of God, but even Jesus had to learn obedience through suffering (Hebrews 5:8). Following in obedience is our best heart’s response to God. When we say YES to God and leap wholeheartedly into God’s ways, then we become one with Jesus. Nothing can get in the way— no matter the trends, what people say, or even our own deception.
Advent reflection: It’s time to say "YES" to HIM wholeheartedly! We can’t pretend with God. Humble yourself, submit your will, and follow after God earnestly. YES! By doing so, you will open the many gifts of following His ways.
****************
Prayer:
Father,
Forgive us for the times we just go through the motions. Everything we do for You, we want to do with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength. Help us to do so, in Jesus' Name we pray. Amen
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