A Heart Divided
“There’s a difference between interest and commitment. When you’re interested in doing something, you do it only when circumstances permit. When you’re committed to something, you accept no excuses, only results.” ~ quote from an American Novelist. What a great quote about commitment! So many times we treat our walk with God with passing interest rather than full commitment, only serving God when it is convenient for us. David tells us in Psalm 138:1 that he “will give praise to God with all of his heart”. This is the same man who is described as a man after God’s heart (Acts 13:22). How many of us go through our lives giving God only a half-hearted effort in our commitment and praise to Him?
Have you ever heard of a guy named Amaziah in the Bible? Amaziah was the King of Judah around 796 BC. Here is how 2 Chron. 25: 2 describes him: “He did right in the sight of the LORD, yet not with a whole heart.” In other words, Amaziah was merely interested in, rather than committed to, doing the things expected of him concerning His service to God. His whole heart was not committed to the one true God. So many times, we go through the motions of doing what is right in the sight of the God – we go to church, give our tithes, sing in the choir – but where in the world is our heart while “doing” these things? Don’t get me wrong – doing these things is part of our commitment. However, God is much more concerned with the commitment of our whole heart while we are doing them.
Because Amaziah’s commitment was only half-hearted, he suffered some great defeats during his reign. His life ended when his own people assassinated him. Amaziah was unwilling to part with the idols that he had integrated into his religious experience. What are we unwilling to part with in order to be fully and whole-heartedly committed to El Elyon, the Most High God? You may worry about giving up something that has a grip on you because you fear it will leave a huge void or fear you cannot live without it. Friends, God’s Word tells us that whatever we give up in total commitment to Him, that He will replace it with something much greater. “The LORD has much more to give you than this.” (2 Chron. 25:9). What an awesome promise! Give up whatever is holding back your full commitment to God and He will fill that void with much to spare! God will bless full commitment, not just a passing interest. Let 2010 be the year of a fully committed heart to God.
