The Lord Wants Your Whole Heart - Day 11

“I will praise You, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will tell of all Your marvelous works.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭9:1‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

“Torn Between Two Lovers,” was a song that hit the top of the charts in 1977. The basic premise of the song is that a woman is explaining to one lover (her first lover), why she has taken on another lover. She doesn’t want to lose lover number one, but is unwilling to give up lover number two. Here are the lyrics to one verse and the chorus of this song:

“Let me hold you close, and say these words as gently as I can, there's been another man that I've needed and I've loved but that doesn't mean I love you less. And he knows he can't possess me, and he knows he never will; there's just this empty place inside of me that only he can fill.

Torn between two lovers, feeling like a fool; loving both of you is breaking all the rules.”

I will have to say that the words to this song basically describe the heart set of many Christians. In “part” of their heart they say they love the Lord; yet, with other “parts” of their heart they long after and seek the things of this world.

At the “battle of the gods” on Mt. Carmel, the prophet Elijah, issued this declaration:

“And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.”

‭‭I Kings‬ ‭18:21‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

There are numerous references throughout the Bible concerning the evil of seeking the Lord “half-heartedly.”

Samuel, spoke these words:

“Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, “If you return to the Lord with all your hearts, then put away the foreign gods and the Ashtoreths from among you, and prepare your hearts for the Lord, and serve Him only; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines.””

‭‭I Samuel‬ ‭7:3‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

James, in speaking of things from which we need to be cleansed, says this:

“Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

‭‭James‬ ‭4:8‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Jesus, sums up the issue of seeking the Lord half-heartedly, with these words:

“No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.”

‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6:24‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Here, although the Lord is referencing the love of money, the principle would apply to anything that has the focus of our heart rather than the Lord.

I really believe that we are living in a time when the Lord—as never before—is making a distinction between those who are truly His, and those who are not. Those who are truly His, must be seeking after Him with their whole heart.

Now, you might be able to “pivot” between the Lord and some other “god” in your life for a while; but there will come a time you will have to choose. Sadly, that time is often precipitated in the midst of a crisis or tragedy.

In our portion from Psalms today, we see that David begins by expressing that he is worshiping the Lord with his WHOLE heart. He had such a fervent love toward the Lord, that it captivated his heart toward His beloved Shepherd.

We can also see times when David would ask the Lord to make sure that his heart was undivided towards Him.

“Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.”

‭‭Psalms‬ ‭86:11‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Allowing our affections to be alienated from the Lord by other desires, will eventually lead us into temptation. Let us make sure that we approach the Lord with our whole heart, our soul loving only Him. Otherwise, We might find ourselves not only feeling like a fool, but being one.

For today let us know and understand what David knew:

The Lord wants your whole heart.

#100dayswithdavid