BE WHOLEHEARTED

Then the Lord was very angry with them, and he vowed, ‘Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly. The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the Lord.’ —Numbers 32:11-12

Looking at the man, Jesus felt genuine love for him. “There is still one thing you haven’t done,” he told him. “Go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” At this the man’s face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many possessions. —Mark 10:21-22

There are severe consequences for those who do not “wholeheartedly” follow the Lord and there are eternal consequences for those who don’t want to follow the Lord at all. Those who follow the Lord are in the minority and those who wholeheartedly follow the Lord will be a minority within that minority of those following the Lord.

Disobedience and lack of love for God is what keeps those who believe from wholeheartedly following the Lord. Disobedience and no love for God causes people to reject the invitation to follow the Lord God Almighty. In each case people believe they know what is better for them.

For those following Jesus from a distance it is because they have other desires in their lives they do not want to give up. Consequently their lives bear little fruit for Jesus, struggle with doubt and typically they are living defeated lives. They are among those who are wholeheartedly following Jesus, but they themselves are not.

Then there are those who are invited to come to Jesus to follow Him, but they have other things in their lives that they believe to be more important. Like the man above who had “many possessions.” It was those possessions that were more important to him than Jesus that caused him to walk away from an eternal relationship with Jesus. Following possessions kept him from following Jesus. Loving possessions kept him from loving Jesus. Depending in the temporal kept him from eternal. How sad!

First may we know Jesus in relationship and second, may we truly be following Him wholeheartedly! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD6khv6pGkw

Dear Father, may I truly seek to follow You wholeheartedly. That is my desire by the authority of Jesus and in the Holy Spirit’s power. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U8mr839-TVs