Thursday, November 25, 2010
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jeremiah 13-15 and 2 Timothy 2
BIBLE IN A YEAR: Jeremiah 13-15 and 2 Timothy 2
THE LONGING TO BE WHOLEHEARTED
SCRIPTURE READING
Romans 8:18 (NIV) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.
When Jesus is our magnificent obsession, material and peripheral rewards become secondary, we become powerful and fearless in the grace of God when our primary focus is loving God. From this perspective life looks totally different because no matter what happens God is our reward, we can lose everything for the Gospel, and still be successful. We are empowered by LOVE to pursue FULL obedience to Jesus. There is no sacrifice too great when our hearts are set on fire for Jesus. No pleasure is more intense then when God communicates His love, His passion, His heart to the human spirit. We are saved by faith alone through the cross of Christ but the Gospel is much more than a passport to heaven, it’s about a relationship with God that involves both giving and receiving deep affection between our hearts and His. The first commandment must be first in our lives or we will become vulnerable to Satan. The human heart doesn’t work well in half-heartedness; it will be passive and therefore vulnerable to many destructive lusts. To be emotionally whole we must live wholeheartedly! You cannot have emotional wholeness without living wholeheartedly for God.
PRAYER AND MEDITATION
1. In what ways have you been living like you have a passport to heaven without a giving and receiving relationship with God?
2. In listening prayer, ask God if there is anything that you need to stop doing or start doing in order to pursue Him wholeheartedly?
3. Spend some time praying that you will grow into wholehearted love for Him, that you will be abandoned to Him.
