Wholehearted Service

"We live by faith,

not by sight.

We are confident, I say,

and would prefer to be away from the body

 and at home with the Lord.

So we make it our goal to please him,

whether we are at home in the body or away from it.

For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ,

that each one may receive what is due to him

for the things done while in the body,

whether good or bad."

2 Corinthians 5:7-10

We will stand before the Perfect Judge without fear or trepidation, knowing that our sins have been covered by the blood of the Lamb.  (Romans 8:1)  Instead of deciding whether we will live or die, He will dole out rewards for the way our lives were conducted on earth.  (2 Timothy 2:5, 1 Corinthians 9:24-27)

My heart is ultimately important to God and it will be what He uses to determine my prize.  Consequently, it must be my goal while in this temporary world to please God above all things.

Do as Unto the Lord

He worked diligently for over 100 years, carefully following God's directions:  He gathered enough cypress wood to build a vessel that stretched to a length of 1 1/2 football fields, coating the entire thing with pitch, inside and out.  On the interior, he created three levels of decks and cut a door in the side. (Genesis 6:9-21)

Noah was out to please God and God alone.  There is no other explanation for his dedication to the task the Lord had given him to complete, as absurd as it was to build a ship in the middle of dry land.  Noah and his family must have been the butt of all the jokes, withstanding much ridicule and scorn.  This man, however, was only concerned with doing his best for God, not winning a popularity contest. (Colossians 3:23)

In the same way, a heart dedicated to pleasing God is a heart that is approved by Him.  If I want to receive a favorable reward, I must forget about trying to be popular and focus on doing my best for God, even if it means no human ever notices my effort.

Thinking of every deed I perform as if it were done for the Lord will result in wholehearted service that will bring about a reward in heaven. (Ephesians 6:7-8)

Fully Committed

He danced with all his heart, wanting nothing more than to show his love and adoration to God.  This was how he approached everything; with complete abandon and devotion to the One who created him.  David could never be thought of as unenthusiastic. (2 Samuel 6:14)

There are times when I, unlike David, only give a half-hearted attempt.  I go through the motions of reading the Word or serving His people, but my heart is not fully engaged.  Maybe I'm distracted by worries or caught up in the work of the day.  Whatever the reason, I am not fully giving myself up to the Lord.

A heart fully committed to Him is what God is looking for when deciding what is due to me according to the way I lived my life here on earth.

Held Accountable

The master went away for a long period, leaving each of his servants varying amounts of treasure.  To one he gave five bags of silver, with which the servant immediately went out and invested, earning five more.  To another he gave 2 bags and this faithful servant quickly earned another two bags.  Not wanting to take a risk with his master's money, the final servant took the whole bag entrusted to him and buried it.

When the master came back, he was greatly pleased with the first two servants, but angry at the third who let fear hold him back.  His gift was taken from him and split between the other two faithful men.  (Matthew 25:14-30)

I will be held accountable in a similar way for the gifts, talents and abilities God has bestowed upon me.  When I let fear or doubt hold me back from using them for His glory, I risk displeasing the Lord.  He gave me everything I have for a reason, and it's not just for my own comfort, enjoyment or pleasure.  Instead, I would be wise to look to Him for ways to utilize His blessings for His glory.

The way I spend my time, talent and treasure will come under scrutiny by a God who looks for wholehearted faith.

I can't always see how important my heart is to God, but it is what He will look at when judging my focus, commitment and accountability.  Therefore, I would be wise to cultivate a heavenly mind that desires to please God above all things, does things for Him with complete devotion and uses my gifts wisely.  In this way I will be judged as one who gives wholehearted service to the Lord.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will do my best in all things for God.

When do I go through the motions instead of going all out in my attitude and effort?

How do I waste time out of fear of failure or doubt?    

Heart at Peace

"A heart at peace gives life to the body."

Proverbs 14:30

World leaders pursue it.  The Swiss and Norwegians give prizes to promote it.  Entertainers sing about it.  Philosophers wax poetic on the origins of it.  Religions claim to have it.  Talk of peace is everywhere, but is peace even possible apart from the One who created me?


The Dalai Lama said, "We can never obtain peace with the outer world until we make peace with ourselves."  
Mahatma Gandhi said, "Each one has to find his peace from within.  And peace to be real must be unaffected by the outside circumstances."
Buddha said, "Peace comes from within.  Do not seek it without."


Each of these men knew the importance of a heart at peace, but were confused about how to find it.  It comes not from within and cannot be found through sheer effort and determination.  Instead, peace comes from a mind that is focused on God and His ability to take care of me.  Rest is found in loving Him and His law, for then I am not fighting against His ways.    A sense of harmony permeates my life because I am reunited with God, now able to foster a personal relationship with Him because of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross. 


Peace is found in being right with God.  How do I know whether my heart is at peace?

Content

Here is my picture of contentment:  Sitting in a comfortable chair on a cold winter's day next to a blazing fire with a dog at my feet and a good book in my lap.  Aaahhh.  I'm more relaxed just thinking about that scene.  

Feeling satisfied and completely at ease with my circumstances is not a usual state for my heart.  Most of the time I am thinking of ways to improve the way I do things or how I can upgrade my possessions or about additions I can make to my home or yard to increase my quality of life.  I am usually not content.

The Apostle Paul knew how to be happy with what God had given him, whether in plenty or in need, well-fed or hungry.  He said the secret was to know that, "I can do everything through him who gives me strength."  (Philippians 4:13)

True contentment has nothing to do with my circumstances, my possessions or my position.  Instead, it has everything to do with the One who provides all things.  God will get me through any situation if I would only trust Him.  This means I must give Him the control, allowing Him to choose how much I will have, or not have, and I will choose to be thankful for what He has given me, not pining away for what I lack.  

Turn of the 18th Century writer and preacher William Law said, "One who makes it a rule to be content in every part and accident of life because it comes from God praises God in a much higher manner than one who has some set time for the singing of psalms."  The bottom line is that when I choose to be thankful for the place God has put me, I am paying tribute to Him with my attitude.

A heart at peace keeps my focus on what I do have, not on what I don't have.  It is then that I am truly praising God.

Trusting

Playing on a teeter-totter is an exercise in trust.  If the person on the other end of the lever suddenly jumps off, I will crash to the ground and my faith in that person will fall as well.  But if that playmate instead keeps steady on their end, being mindful of my well-being when exiting, I know I am in good hands.  I would trust the second person more than the first.

In this same way God has proven himself to be completely trustworthy.  Over 300 of the prophecies told about the coming Messiah were fulfilled in the the birth, life, death and resurrection of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Moreover, there are over 2,000 total prophecies given in the Bible, all of which came true.  


Beyond the prophecies, there are hundreds of accounts of times that God came through for those who followed Him; He delivered Noah, his family and ark load of animals from the flood of judgment.  God asked Moses to do the impossible but made it possible by His mighty Hand.  He sent Gideon to war when He was outnumbered 300 to 1, yet secured him victory.  


In the same way, God will never let me fall and I can trust that He has my best interest at heart.  The psalmist reminds me that, "Blessed is the man who fears the LORD. . .he will have no fear of bad news; his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.  His heart is secure, he will have no fear."  Psalm 112:1, 7-8)


Trusting in God, though,  takes more than reading about all the ways God is dependable.  Building a trust relationship also means I will need to experience His times of deliverance for myself.  When I take a step of faith, getting in over my head out of obedience to Him instead of saying, "Oh, no, I can't do that.  I'm not ready for that yet,"  I am telling God that I have confidence that He will give me what I need to accomplish what He's put before me.  I am saying that I know that He's up for the job even if I'm not.  I am giving God the message that my life is in His hands.


 A heart at peace grows deep roots to feed on the living water offered only by God.. . and flourishes.  

Devoted

The blackberry vines threatened to overtake our yard.  At first it was kind of fun to have some blackberries right in our own backyard.  Then, the insidious vines began to encroach on our yard, reducing the size of our grassy area.  One day I'd had enough.  I declared war on the intruder.  

As part my anti-blackberry campaign, I needed to devote my full attention to the annihilation of this unrelenting menace.  Each day I dedicated some time to pulling vines out of the ground.  Once I reached the end of the yard, it was time to start over again at the other end, continuing by pulling out the vines that had recently sprouted.  I could never let my guard down.  Even today, 2 years later, I must do a weekly sweep of the area to remove any determined plants.  

My attention to God and His ways could be similarly attentive.  Just as it was unwise to leave any roots or stragglers when clearing the berry bushes, I must be equally as diligent when clearing things out of my life that dishonor and distract from God.  There are many activities, relationships and philosophies that seem harmless and even kind of interesting at first.  Soon, though, I will find that they will encroach on my heart, taking the attention that once was devoted to God.

Like the Israelites, I need to be careful when dealing with idols and false gods.  It was said that the heart of Jehoshaphat, king of Judah was at first, "devoted to the ways of the LORD; furthermore, he removed the high places and the Asherah poles from Judah."  (2 Chronicles 17:6)  He was not just focused on God and His ways, but he was also diligent about removing from the presence of his people the temptation that would take his people away from God.

How many times I hang on to music, movies or magazines that dishonor God because it seems wasteful to throw them away.  Other times I feel justified in keeping objects or hobbies that tend to be obsessive for me because I've already invested so much time and money into them.  Or there are certain belief systems that seem right to me and I continue to support out of tradition but are actually in conflict with the message of the gospel.    

A heart at peace is intolerant of anyone or anything that takes away from my full devotion to God.  

Peace is possible.  As I give God more and more of my life to do with as He pleases, I am left with a peace that is inexplicable.  The evidence of this heart at peace is a sense of contentment, an ability to trust God, and a devotion to God and God alone.  This is truly a picture of good health!

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will seek peace with God by pursuing Him and Him alone.

What am I unwilling to let go of out of respect and reverence for God?

When is my heart discontent with the circumstance in which God has placed me?