Wholehearted

INTRODUCTION For a long time, the word “wholehearted” has been a source of conviction to me. I stand amazed at the accounts of people who scripture characterizes as having a wholehearted devotion to God. Caleb, who along with Joshua, believed God’s promise when the rest of Israel was afraid of the giants. David, a man after God’s own heart, was clearly a fallible person. And interspersed among the evil kings of Judah were kings who served God wholeheartedly among stubborn, rebellious people. I have wanted to have that kind of relationship with my Savior. I have struggled, and continue to struggle, with my own stubborn and rebellious self. I have wondered why this is so difficult. As I write down what I believe God has led me to write, I am writing and studying for myself. If, by His grace, He allows me to share this with you, then I will trust that He has a purpose in that. I hope to be honest with you about my own struggles, so that you can learn from my mistakes. I ask that you be honest with yourself as well. I hope to share some small victories, so that you can see that all is not hopeless. I ask that you praise God in joyful celebration of the victories He has given you. And I hope to share some lessons I have learned as an observer of those around me. Chapter 1 WHOLEHEARTED COMMITMENT I would say that most of us probably know in our hearts that our commitment to God should be wholehearted, but I’m not sure that we have taken the time to explore exactly what having a wholehearted commitment means, why it is important, the consequences of not following God completely, or the blessings of being true disciples. As a sort of pretest, write a definition of what you think being wholeheartedly devoted to God means? According to the New Oxford American Dictionary (New Oxford Dictionary) Wholehearted (adjective)--showing or characterized by complete sincerity and commitment To put this in the context of our walk with Jesus, we could say, “We have a complete and sincere commitment to Jesus.” But that only scratches the surface. When the Holy Spirit dwells in us, being wholeheartedly committed to Him means that our entire lives--every word, every thought, and every action are not only committed to Him, but that He Himself works through us as we yield ourselves to Him. Read Galatians 2:20 Is a life wholeheartedly committed to God something we achieve or something we allow God to do? It is a purposeful surrender, a volitional yielding, and a choice to humbly submit. We cannot be wholehearted in our relationship with Christ only by our actions. God does not force us to serve Him as unthinking robots. We must choose to allow Him to work through us. I am writing this on Memorial Day weekend. My son is active duty in the military. He has lost two friends who we remember this weekend. Our military men and women willingly yield their lives for our country. There is no draft. They are not compelled to serve. It is a choice they make. Then they become part of a greater entity. They obey the rules and commands. They become disciplined for their safety and the efficiency in their missions. They work together, each having their own purpose yet willing to give up their own lives for their buddies. In a similar way we choose to submit to God, then we can be used by Him for His purposes. We want to obey Him. We are part of His body, the church. We consider others above ourselves. According to the New Oxford American Dictionary (New Oxford Dictionary) submit (verb)--accept or yield to a superior force or to the authority or will of another person In order to begin to live a wholehearted relationship with Jesus, we must first accept Christ as Savior, yield to His authority, and recognize His superiority. HIS SUPERIORITY AND AUTHORITY Examine the following scriptures. Underline the ways that Christ is superior. Highlight His authority. Hebrews 1: 1-4 Ephesians 1: 18-23 We recognize human authority. Well, most of us do. Have you seen those videos of people being disrespectful or even antagonistic to police officers? Most of the time, the police officer responds calmly but if the situation escalates, the offender spends at least some time behind bars. I have worked in places where I had tremendous respect for my supervisors as godly people--kind men and women who cared deeply for others and made decisions that they believed to be consistent with scripture. Others I didn’t necessarily agree with their decisions but liked them based on personality. Others made decisions that I felt were wrong and did so with a surly attitude. But, in all cases, as scripture requires (Romans 13: 1-7), I respected their position of authority. In respecting and submitting to God, there are no personality conflicts, no bad decisions, no mistakes at all. If we respect human authority, then we surely can respect and submit to our loving and just God’s supreme authority.