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With
All My Heart
The Scriptures inform us
that there are certain things that we are required to do with
all of our hearts.
Are we obeying those
commands?
Sad but true, many are not
giving God the wholehearted service which He so rightfully deserves.
Our hearts have a tendency
to wander after a thousand "foreign" things.
The Bible proposes
four distinct prayers to offer before the Lord so that we
may have hearts that are solely His.
With all of our
hearts - that's the kind of service which God requires.
Proverbs 3:5 says -
"Trust in the LORD with all thine heart..."
God is the Fountain of all Good. Therefore, we should have a
constant regard to His Providence or supernatural ability to
provide exactly what we need when we need it. He is All-Wise
and All-Powerful. He is "able to
do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think"(Ephesians
3:20). He is wise and good to accomplish that which is best
for us. With our whole hearts, we can totally depend on Him - never
having any fear, distrust, or doubt as to whether or not He will
come through for us.
Matthew 22:37 tells us -
"Jesus said unto him, THOU SHALT LOVE THE LORD
THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY
MIND."
What does it mean to "...LOVE THE
LORD THY GOD WITH ALL THY HEART..."?
It means to love Him supremely, strongly, sincerely, singularly,
superlatively, exclusively, eagerly, actively, completely, with all
of our faculties and powers, more than any other person or thing,
and with as much fervency as possible.
It means that we must be ready and willing to give up anything that
we hold dear to us that would stand in the way of our loving Him.
Also, we must be willing to endure the greatest sacrifice in order
to please Him.
Ephesians 6:6 says -
"Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as
the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart."
With all of our hearts we are to render
"reasonable service"(Romans 12:2) to
God at all times and in every place. We must have a constant regard
to His will in all matters. He deserves our cheerful service. He
requires a conscientious, submissive, obedient, faithful, and
industrious response from us - devoid of any complaining or
murmuring.
1 Peter 3:15 admonishes us with these words -
"But sanctify the Lord God in your
hearts..."
What does this entail? To do so is to esteem Him as One Who is so
Holy. Hence, He is One Who can be trusted in and depended on no
matter what the circumstances.
He is the Mighty Protector and Only Refuge for His people. They
never need to ever dread or fear the threats of men. As long as
their hearts are filled with the Fear of the Lord or reverence for
His honor, their minds can remain calm even in the midst of the
greatest storms, trials, or persecutions. Because He is not fickle
or subject to change, they can rely upon His power, trust in His
faithfulness, and comply to His wisdom.
"Trust in the Lord"
with all of our hearts.
"Love the Lord"
with all of our hearts.
"Doing the will of
God" with all of our hearts.
"Sanctify the Lord
God" with all of our hearts.
These are four commands
given to us in the Scriptures.
Are we doing what is required of us by God?
Are we truly depending upon the Lord and Him only for
all that we need?
Do we love Him supremely above all
others?
Are we willing to sacrifice
anything and everything in order to glorify Him?
Is every step that we take ordered
by the Lord - in keeping with His will for our lives?
Or are we in control, making our
own plans and then hoping that He will bless them afterwards?
Have we gotten a glimpse of the
Holiness of our God, whereby we do not fear any other who may come
against us?
So many are not giving God the wholehearted -
"acceptable"(Romans 12:2) -
service that He deserves.
What could possibly be hindering
such "worship" from His people?
Why are they not sold-out as they
should be?
There are four prayers found in the
Scriptures which seem to answer these questions.
They indicate what is lacking in the commitments to the Lord's
service of so many today.
Psalm 51:10 says -
"Create in me a clean heart, O God..."
Many hearts are not pure and clean from the defilement of the world,
the flesh, and the devil. Hence, their affections and feelings are
not right. However, God, by His creative power and sanctifying grace
can produce what does not exist. He and He alone can make a perfect
heart - one set apart totally for Himself and His service.
Psalm 119:36 says -
"Incline my heart unto Thy testimonies, and
not to covetousness."
There is nothing that turns the heart away from God more than an
inordinate love for gain or money which the Scriptures tell us is "...the root
of all evil..."(1 Timothy 6:10). The heart will
either be inclined or bent toward His Word and the keeping of it or
toward the things of this world and the accumulation of them.
Psalm 86:11 -
"...unite my heart to fear Thy name."
Our hearts are so apt to wander or become divided. They have a
tendency to become distracted with a thousand other things. It takes
the grace of Almighty God to join the heart and its affections,
purposes, and resolutions together so that it will be fixed for Him
- firm, faithful, and fervent in serving Him.
2 Thessalonians 3:5 -
"And the Lord direct your hearts into the love
of God..."
Here is another Scripture which addresses our tendency to set our
affections on the wrong objects. Hence, our passions, affections,
motives, and principles became very irregular - leading to
disobedience, rebellion, and stubbornness. Only the grace of God can
direct our hearts so that they will love Him above all others
and demonstrate that love with utmost obedience to His commands.
"Create in me a clean heart..."
"Incline my heart unto Thy
testimonies, and not to covetousness."
"...unite my heart to fear Thy
name."
"And the Lord direct your hearts
into the love of God..."
Only a pure and obedient heart - free from all other
distractions like the love of money or gain - will be able to -
"Trust in the Lord," "Love the
Lord," "Do the will of God," or
"Sanctify the Lord God"
with all of the heart.
With all my heart.
Is this your desire
today?
Are you giving God
wholehearted service or is it halfhearted?
May this message be a gauge to show us
exactly where we stand with the Lord.
And may we take hold of the Grace of God to
make the necessary changes in our lives so that we may all render
unto Him an "acceptable"
service worthy of His name.
Connie
| © COPYRIGHT Connie Giordano - All Rights Reserved
