by David Brenneman
"What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?" James 2:14-20.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. [6] In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6.
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates." Deuteronomy 6:4-9.
"And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40.
Does the Spirit really mean all when we read the word all? Are there exceptions? Are there reasons to not give of all your heart to Him with whom we have to do?
Seems in this current generation there's a belief that it's ok to not give all your heart to Jesus. They say that it's ok to love this or that in this world.
In a Christian home, it's always to be Jesus first, Spouse second and Children third. Depending on the instructions of the Spirit of God, He may call on you and I to place someone outside of this hierarchy higher.
A true story is that of a Pastor, his son and his son's friend. Went on a boat trip. A storm came to be and they were no longer in the boat. The Pastor could only save one. He knew his son was saved and his friend was not. His son gave every indication that he knew his Dad's dilemma. He told him to save his friend. The Pastor made the difficult decision to let his son go. He saved his friend. He knew he would see his son again. He made sure to tell his son's friend of his reasons for saving him. Later his son's friend received the free gift of salvation himself. Later still he became a Pastor as well.
We do not know for sure how our lives will be seen by those outside of the faith. When we show the world that we compromise then we show them that giving our all isn't necessary.
The passages above are but an example of all the places the Bible mentions "all our hearts".
My Dear Reader, are you compromising your walk with Jesus? Does He really have all your heart? We don't read in any of the Gospel accounts of exceptions to their dedication to following Jesus. There's no times where they took time for themselves apart from their calling in Christ that the Father brought about.
Throughout the Old Testament we read example after example of what happened to the people of God who didn't give their whole heart to God.
I was accused of overthinking this idea of all my heart. My Dear Reader, did Jesus only give part of His to the work that His Father set before Him?
Is it overthinking to know what a stumbling block looks like and doing my best in Christ to avoid these, as the Bible says that I should be doing?
When we give what belongs to God to things or people of this world...the Bible calls that idolatry.
So think about the example of Christ Jesus. He came for the Father’s purpose. He devoted His life to that purpose. Today's generation would say that He missed out on living life!
Read again that part in Deuteronomy 6:4-9. Why would Jesus have that written in the Bible if He didn't already know how often and how easily our hearts could and WOULD stray from a full devotion to Him? We are called in the Great Commission to "go and make disciples...teaching them all that I commanded you".
Examples given to me as part of being told that I was overthinking were hobbies and interests. I agree these areas are not bad in and of themselves. However, when we take the passion, devotion and dedication that we have and pour more into these than our walk with Jesus, it's a stumbling block. Take that fervor that you exclaim at sporting events and apply that to your life in Christ instead.
We don't look for traps in life.
We don't look for things that will trip us up in our walk with Jesus.
Literally sheep do not.
If you say that Jesus has your whole heart...all of it...do you still say you love things of this world?
"Love not the world nor the things of this world".
Many years ago I was ridiculed IN Church because I was not an Ohio State Buckeye fan. These men were serious and were passionate about their love of the Buckeyes. All it made me think was that God didn't have all their heart.
Does Jesus have all your heart? How much more for His Kingdom could you be doing if He did? Your life is but a vapor. The Bible says that His Word stands forever. The grass withers, the flowers fade but the word of God stands forever. Isaiah 40:8.
There's also Jesus's warning concerning stumbling blocks and children. It's better for a person to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck and be cast in the depths of the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
Take care in how you walk. Scripture says to walk as children of the Light. The Light has nothing to do with the deeds of darkness.
Take a good look at who you are influencing in your life. You're either leading people towards Jesus or away.
All NASB 1995 and NASB Scripture Excerpts used by permission. (C) Lockman Foundation.
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