Whole Hearted

"Teach me Your way, LORD, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name." - Psalm 86:11

I've just finished reading 1 & 2 Chronicles in my daily "Coffee with Jesus" time. Every time I've read the stories of Israel and Judah's succession of Kings, I'm struck by the outcome of their lives, depending on where they were at in their regard for God. In one sense, it's very simple: the good kings prospered, the wicked kings didn't. But there's a third category - the divided kings.

I enjoyed reading about King Hezekiah this time around. I think he was probably still in the divided category, but his trajectory was exceptional among the kings before and after him. And his reign concluded with the following words of commendation:

"In everything that he undertook in the service of God's temple and in obedience to the law and the commands, he sought God and worked wholeheartedly. And so he prospered."

He sought God and worked wholeheartedly.

King David wrote, "Give me an UNDIVIDED heart, that I may fear Your name." Fear in this context means reverence - the verb, not the noun. David understood that to reverence God appropriately, he needed an undivided heart. He needed to be WHOLEHEARTED.

And so do we. I don't know about you, but I pray these words of David's regularly. "Teach me Your way, LORD, that I may rely on Your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear Your name."

When my life and ministry are over, I want people to say that I sought God and worked wholeheartedly.

Oh, and I wouldn't mind prospering either!

- Ps. Nigel