Kingdom and Exile: A Heart Fully Commited to God

 

And may your hearts 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

 Last week we looked at things that could become little ‘g’ gods in our lives, taking God’s place in our hearts and minds. Today we shift to the opposite approach and consider what it means to have a heart fully committed to God.

 I read somewhere recently that people have often had to learn who God is not before they can begin to comprehend who God is, so I’m going to first approach this question by looking at what it doesn’t mean. Putting God first in our lives doesn’t mean locking ourselves away from society and blocking off all other people and influences. God made it pretty clear through Jesus that while “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your mind and with all your strength” is the greatest commandment, the second is like it, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:28-34). Part of loving God is loving our neighbor, and we cannot separate ourselves from the world. This directs us to finding a balance in our lives. We need to spend time with God – in His Word and in prayer – but we also need to be out there in the world, engaged with people and showing His love. All the learning in the world will do no good if it benefits only the learner!

 So if that’s not’s what it means, then how can we have a heart fully committed to God? I think the key to this is that God always comes first. When considering a situation there are a lot of factors that might come into play. Let’s say we want to purchase a new car. You might look at your budget and whether you can afford the payments. You might balance out how having the car would allow you to better commute to work or even serve in some capacity. You might just think it looks really cool and you’d like the feel of driving it down the road! With a heart fully committed to God, though, we would consider Him first, and this can get tricky. With so many voices competing in our mind, how do we distinguish the voice of God and hear what He has to say about something? I think it comes back to “What do we know?” In this example, I know that I am called to be a good wife and mom, and if my husband cannot get to work safely that is a conflict, or if I cannot drive my kids to church or school. I also look at the circumstances. Has God already provided financially for this car? Is there an unusually good deal on this specific vehicle? Am I choosing something just because of what I want, or am I looking at what is best for my family (i.e. choosing a mini van over a sports car)? I think it is these considerations that show we are putting God first in our hearts.

Here's the Thing: While this might not be complicated, that doesn’t necessarily make it easy. If it were, there would be no sacrifice in it and no glory to give to God. I long to have a heart that honors God above all and seeks Him first.