All Your Heart

“Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the Lord and serve Him alone; and he will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.”  So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the Lord alone” (1 Samuel 7:3-4).

Do you find it difficult to devote all of your heart to God?  The people of God in the time of Samuel certainly did.  If doesn’t appear that they left God totally out of their devotions.  The problem was that they reserved parts of their heart for devotion to other gods as well.  One part of the heart for God, one part for Ashtaroth, and one part for Baal.  It seems like a fair way to handle it, doesn’t it?  All the bases are covered, right?

But God isn’t content to share His throne.  He shouldn’t have to compete for our loyalty.  He won’t be happy to be majority shareholder in your heart.  Jesus stated the principle succinctly when being tempted by Satan: “For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God and serve Him only’” (Matthew 4:10).  According to the Savior, the greatest commandment of all is this: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).

Periodically, I need to examine my heart to see if it is wholly devoted to God.  Just because I don’t have a god of wood, stone, or metal in my living room doesn’t mean I do not worship any idols.  I could be worshipping my checkbook, my possessions, my career, or my hobbies.  All of those things are important in their proper place.  But they must never be allowed to steal a piece of my heart that rightfully belongs to God alone.  “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

God loves you!

Mike