Hearts Fully Committed
“But your hearts must be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”
1 Kings 8:61
Distractions have a way of getting us sidetracked spiritually and off-base emotionally. Have you ever prayed for someone only to remember, right in the middle of your intercession, that you left the laundry in the washing machine yesterday? You make a quick mental note to retrieve it after your prayer time, but as you return to your intercession…you can’t remember for whom you were interceding! The whole incident unravels your concentration, and you abandon your prayer time feeling frustrated and defeated.
For the Christian who commits his heart fully to the Lord, the devil employs a special weapon: distraction.
Thomas Kelly wrote, “The life that intends to be wholly obedient, wholly submissive, wholly listening, is astonishing in its completeness. Its joys are ravishing, its peace profound, its humility the deepest, its power world-shaking, its love enveloping, its simplicity that of a trusting child. It is the life and power of Jesus of Nazareth, who knew that ‘when thine eye is single, wholly devoted, the whole body is also full of light.’”
“Give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name.”
Psalm 86:11
Full-hearted commitment is no petty duty, no piecemeal performance made up of fragments of time. Wholehearted devotion involves the best of time for prayer, study, and worship.
Lord, give me an undivided heart that is wholly devoted to you. Please unite my heart to fear your name, and may I not turn to the right or to the left but set my face like a flint. Help me to live life straight ahead. Help me to pay attention. Arm me against devilish distractions. Let me be singlehearted and fully committed to you.
Joni Eareckson Tada Shares Her Heart on the Importance of Scripture
Joni shares how the Bible—the Word of God—has been the light unto her feet, her comfort through long nights of suffering, and the unshakeable foundation for her life.
