With All My Heart

 

            God’s penitent servant, David, wrote, “With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments” (Psalms 119:10).  Does your “whole heart belong to God?  If in prayer you began to speak these words of David, could you finish the statement with honesty?  Take a look with me at three of life’s most common activities, and let’s give our own hearts a small test of dedication.

            First, consider recreational activities.  I believe God has given us enjoyable things with which to fill some of our time.  After all, every good and perfect gift comes from God (James 1:17).  But when it comes down to it, does your pursuit of God and righteousness come after play time?  How often do you cancel a time of amusement when you are blessed with an opportunity for spiritual growth or service?  On the other hand, when you know well in advance that there will be a gospel meeting, singing, or church gathering, do you shrug it off simply because at the last minute you are given the chance to go play?  This includes athletic practices.  I’ve heard it said, “Well, I made a commitment to the team, so I have to be at practice even if I must miss a church service or two.  If you are a Christian, you made your first commitment to God.

            If you are in school, how does your love for God match up against your desire to succeed academically (or your desire to see your children succeed)?  Do you get swamped with assignments and rationalize, “If I don’t stay home from church services, there is no way I will finish this.”?  If you find yourself in situations like that, why not stop to reflect on what other things you could have missed in order to complete your task?  Surely something besides Christianity could be less important than school tasks.  Education is important, but it is never more significant than serving God!

            Finally, where does God stand when weighed against your job?  Please try not to take offense, for I understand that there are cases where jobs interfering with Christian service cannot be helped.  But if you have a job that regularly causes you to be taken away from serving or worshiping God, please do the following: 1) Investigate whether there is another job that would allow you to serve God better. 2) Ask God to bless you with another job, or with the opportunity to serve Him more fully. 3) make sure that giving is your main motivation for working, and see how God rewards you. 

            Are you serving God with your whole heart?

----Darrell Powell

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